Whats Up for November? Sunset worlds, a partial lunar eclipse, and the return of the winter season stars.
From November 6th through the 11th, enjoy the Moon glide previous Venus, Saturn, and Jupiter after sundown in the south/southwest. In particular, if you step outside for a search November 7th, youll discover the four-day-old crescent Moon practically 2 degrees far from Venus. Should be actually pretty, so dont miss it.
From November 6th through the 11th, view the Moon slide previous Venus, Saturn, and Jupiter after sunset in the south/southwest. In particular, if you step outside for a look on November 7th, youll discover the four-day-old crescent Moon just about 2 degrees away from Venus. A partial lunar eclipse is on the way, taking location overnight on November 18th and 19th, when the Moon slips into Earths shadow for a couple of hours. Weather allowing, the eclipse will be visible from any place where the Moon appears above the horizon throughout the eclipse. Map revealing the presence of the November 18-19 partial lunar eclipse.
Sky chart for November 7 following sundown, showing Venus just 2 degrees apart from the crescent Moon in the southwest. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
And from now through early December, youll discover Jupiter and Saturn drawing a little closer to Venus each night.
A partial lunar eclipse is on the way, occurring overnight on November 19th and 18th, when the Moon slips into Earths shadow for a number of hours. Weather condition allowing, the eclipse will be visible from any place where the Moon appears above the horizon throughout the eclipse. Depending upon your time zone, itll happen earlier or later in the evening for you.
Map revealing the presence of the November 18-19 partial lunar eclipse. Darker locations indicate higher visibility. Check local information for presence near you. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Now thats a huge swath of the planet thatll be able to see a minimum of part of the eclipse, including North and South America, Eastern Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Region. So examine the timing of its presence for your area.
For U.S. East Coast observers, the partial eclipse starts a little after 2 a.m., reaching its optimum at 4 in the morning. For observers on the West Coast, that equates to beginning simply after 11 p.m., with an optimum at 1 a.m.
Partial lunar eclipses might not be quite as amazing as overall lunar eclipses– where the Moon is completely covered in Earths shadow– but they take place more regularly.
And that simply indicates more chances to witness little changes in our solar system that often take place right prior to our eyes.
All month long, if youre up late and cast your gaze toward the east, youll observe some familiar companions have begun increasing late in the night. The familiar stars of Northern winter season skies are returning, rising late in the evening and sitting high in the south by dawn.
Sky chart revealing the areas of several of the Trojan asteroids to be checked out by NASAs recently introduced Lucy spacecraft They are too faint to see without a large telescope, but their positions in the sky are near the Pleiades star cluster. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Youll find the Pleiades star cluster leading the constellations Taurus the hunter and the bull Orion, followed by the brightest star in the sky, Sirius– all of them back to keep us business on the long winter nights here in the Northern Hemisphere. (And for those in the Southern Hemisphere, theyre keeping you company on shorter nights as spring paves the way to summer there.).
A fun note about the Pleiades this month is that several of the 8 asteroids to be gone to by NASAs Lucy mission lie in that part of the sky.
The Lucy spacecraft launches from Space Launch Complex 41, Saturday, Oct. 16, 2021, at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls.
The Lucy spacecraft introduced on October 16th on its 12-year objective to visit a lot of special asteroids called the Trojans. They share the orbit of Jupiter, with a group of them leading the planet, and another group following behind it.
Lucy will be the very first space objective to explore this unique group of asteroids, providing new insights about the development and early history of our solar system.