November means darker skies for stargazers to view planets, meteors
Many New Yorkers lament the longer nights that begin this month with the end of daylight saving time. But for astronomy buffs, the extra hour starting Sunday is a gift that brings more time to gaze at the sky.
This month features big highlights in the heavens, including excellent views of several planets and two meteor showers.
Four planets can be seen with the naked eye, along with winter constellations such as Orion the Hunter. This month has good visibility for celestial observation because the temperature is lower, which means less hazy humidity that blocks light from stars.
"We love it! We get an extra hour of darkness. Are you kidding? It's great," said Kat Troche, vice president of operations at the Amateur Astronomers Association in New York City.
There's also a fifth planet, Uranus, that is visible this month with binoculars or a telescope. Fortunately, there are many free sidewalk astronomy events around the city that will give a view of our solar system's coldest planet.
Finding Uranus is a fun "Where's Waldo?"-style search. The seventh planet from the sun is a tiny teal smudge seen to the right of the Pleiades constellation. The planet's distinct color is the result of massive amounts of methane. It's visible after 5:30 p.m. The planet is in opposition to the sun this month, meaning it will be lit up with sunlight.
"We're on a straight line between it [Uranus] and the sun," said Kathy Quinn Vaccari, member of the executive committee of the Amateur Astronomers, Inc. in New Jersey. "This would be a good month this year to try to catch [it]."
Night sky observers always factor in the moon to determine the best time for astronomy viewing, especially for the two meteor showers this month that peak when the moon is at its brightest. The darkest evenings for stargazing this month are in two periods — one that began Friday and continues through Nov. 9, and another Nov. 24-30.
The first meteor shower, North Taurids, began last month and will end in December. It peaks Nov. 11-12, with about five bright shooting stars per hour traveling at 18 miles per second. The best viewing time will be a night or two before the peak. The shooting stars will appear to emanate from the Taurus star pattern.
The Leonids shooting stars begin Sunday and run until Dec. 2. The fireballs look like they're shooting out of the Leo constellation. The peak is Nov. 17-18, with about 15 meteors per hour streaking through the sky at just over 40 miles per second. Unfortunately, the moon will be nearly full and viewing will be difficult. Astronomers recommended waiting a week later when the sky is darker.
"Meteor showers are great because they don't require anything. You don't need any kind of special equipment," Troche said. "You really just need to kick back and look at the sky around that area of the constellation that the meteor shower is radiating from."
The first planet to appear in the sky will be Venus, just after sunset. On Nov. 4, the hottest planet in the solar system will appear next to the crescent moon as a small, bright dot. On Nov. 10, Saturn will be visible to the upper right side of the moon.
With telescopes, astronomy buffs can see the hexagon-shaped storm on Saturn's north pole, as well as its rings. The ringed planet is visible after sunset towards the southern portion of the sky near the Aquarius star pattern.
Around 8 p.m., Jupiter rises as one of the brightest celestial bodies in the sky, near the constellation Taurus with its orange-red star Aldebaran as the eye of the bull. By the middle of the month, look for Jupiter right after sunset. On Nov. 16, the gas giant will appear next to the moon.
With a telescope or binoculars, Jupiter's orange-brown bands of gas, red spot and four Galilean moons will come into view. The best time s to see the stormy spot are this Sunday (Nov. 3) at 8:40 p.m., Nov. 27 at 8:25 p.m. and Nov. 29 at 10 p.m. Sky and Telescope has a calculator for the optimal times to see its four large moons.
"It's [Jupiter] like a starburst, not just a dot." Vaccari said.
The red planet is the last to rise, appearing near the constellation Gemini. On Nov. 20, Mars will look like the brightest star next to the moon around 9:30 p.m.
"The naked eye Mars is the best way to see it because you can see that [red] color," Vaccari said.
