NOVEMBER 2013 SKYLIGHTS
by Mark Dawson, Whitby & District Astronomical Society
Venus keeps ahead of the sun and actually gains a little in altitude as November progresses. Look for it low in the SW 45 mins after sunset. Conspicuous Jupiter will be visible in the late evening sky (after 9 pm) across in the east and is situated below the ‘twin’ stars of Gemini. Jupiter is always well worth a view through any telescope. Mars lies in the morning sky, its ‘ruddy’ hue evident not far from the chief star in Leo, bright Regulus. The moon lies close by Mars on the 27th.
Mercury puts on a good show in the dawn sky from mid-Nov onwards. Look for it low in the ESE 45 minutes before sunrise. Saturn also returns to the morning sky and is visible below Mercury. The two planets appear very close in the sky around the 26th.
There may be another noteworthy object also visible to the upper right of Mercury and Saturn, a comet! Comet ISON C2012 may become a spectacle late November and into December, on the other hand it may not and nobody really knows what it will do. My advice would be to keep a watch across the media and hope for the best. It could be memorable for all the right, or wrong, reasons. More on ISON next month. If you Spot any meteors early November, they will most likely be Taurids which peak around the 3rd.
Finally, the September star party at Westerdale was held under clear and dark skies. Those of you who came along enjoyed fantastic views of a wide variety of deep sky wonders. We even bagged Uranus, Neptune and Pluto, although for Pluto you had to take our word for it!
Mercury puts on a good show in the dawn sky from mid-Nov onwards. Look for it low in the ESE 45 minutes before sunrise. Saturn also returns to the morning sky and is visible below Mercury. The two planets appear very close in the sky around the 26th.
There may be another noteworthy object also visible to the upper right of Mercury and Saturn, a comet! Comet ISON C2012 may become a spectacle late November and into December, on the other hand it may not and nobody really knows what it will do. My advice would be to keep a watch across the media and hope for the best. It could be memorable for all the right, or wrong, reasons. More on ISON next month. If you Spot any meteors early November, they will most likely be Taurids which peak around the 3rd.
Finally, the September star party at Westerdale was held under clear and dark skies. Those of you who came along enjoyed fantastic views of a wide variety of deep sky wonders. We even bagged Uranus, Neptune and Pluto, although for Pluto you had to take our word for it!
