Astronomy in November

The darker autumn nights are here now and if we are lucky enough to get clear skies it’s a great time of the year to make a flask, wrap up warm and spend some time outdoors, looking up. As well as a couple of meteor showers during November there is a penumbral lunar eclipse at the end of the month to look forward to.

05th-29^th Nov Leonid meteor shower, maybe about 5 per hour.

12^th Nov Taurid meteor shower maximum.

Mercury 1.7 degrees South of Moon

14^th Nov Moon at perigee, closest to the Earth.

15^th Nov New Moon (5.07)

17^th Nov Leonid meteor shower maximum, maybe about 15 per hour.

19^th Nov Jupiter 2.5 degrees North of Moon

Saturn 2.9 degrees North of Moon

25^th Nov Mars 4.9 degrees North of Moon

27^th Nov Moon at apogee, furthest from the Earth

30^th Nov Full Moon (9.30)

Penumbral lunar eclipse, watch the Earth cast its shadow on the Moon.

Constellation of the Month

A prominent constellation in the autumn and winter skies is Orion, look south and it rises above the eastern horizon. In Greek mythology it represents the hunter Orion and has a distinctive asterism of stars representing his belt. It also contains two of the brightest stars in the sky Betelgeuse and Rigel.