Skyline for November 2009
Planet Watch | The Moon | Star Parties
November means it’s time for the Leonid meteor shower!
Our atmosphere will be catching extra debris this year from the tail of comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle. So the shower is bound to be spectacular! NASA has predicted around an average of 250 meteors per hour.
Get ready to catch this beautiful display of meteors on the night of November 17th and the morning of November 18th.
The Planets
Mercury
Is lost to sight all month long.
Venus
Stays low on the horizon during November, slowly sliding from the constellation of Virgo the Maiden into Libra the Scales.
Mars
Rises a little after midnight on November 1st in Cancer the Crab. Still a lone wanderer, Mars works its way across the sky into the constellation of Leo the Lion.
Jupiter
Can be seen in the constellation of Capricorn all month long beginning at dusk. During the first week in November, Jupiter will set around midnight. By the end of the month, though, Jupiter will set a little after 10pm.
Saturn
Rises by 4 am on November 1st in the constellation of Virgo the Maiden. Saturn is followed by Venus two hours later, and then by the rising Sun. Saturn will slowly make its way higher and higher in the sky over the next few months.
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Moons and Planets
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Full Moon
Last Quarter
New Moon
First Quarter
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November 2
November 9
November 16
November 24
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IYA (International Year of Astronomy)
The International Year of Astronomy celebrates the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s first use of the telescope. He was one of the first to aim a telescope at the sky, the first to discover that Jupiter had moons, and the first to discover the Sun had spots. That last discovery however caused his sight to be impaired.
This year will focus on honoring both men and women equally in their scientific accomplishments, increasing scientific awareness, and the preservation of dark skies for better observing.
Star Parties
We look forward to another year of star parties starting up again in 2010. Look at our website around the beginning of January in 2010 to see when and where the next star party will be held.
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For more information about the night sky, contact the Noble Planetarium at 817-255-9300 or planet@fwmsh.org.
Compiled by Linda Krouse and Sarah Littler of the Noble Planetarium.
Selected by the sciLINKS program, a service of National Science
Teachers Association. Copyright 2001
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