Astronomy Guide November 2022
Dear Stargazer Friends,
I hope you have been well. It’s been a while since I last sent out my monthly Astronomy Guide but finally here it is for upcoming November.
After the partial Solar eclipse of 25 October, there will be a total Lunar eclipse on 8 November. It will not be visible from Europe but our friends from North and South America, Australia and parts of Asia will be able to observe it.
With the Meteor Showers Southern and Northern Taurids active simultaneously until 2 December 2022, there is a possibility of notable increase in fireball activity. Plus 2022 could be a year with remarkable activity. The Southern Taurids will peak from 4-5 November, while the Northern Taurids will peak from 11-12 November 2022. Only downside is the Moon who will be lit at 87% or 87% respectively. Next it’s the Geminids – usually the strongest meteor shower of the year – active season starting 19 November.
Mars is currently in “retrograde motion” and will reach opposition on 8 December. It will become brighter and brighter all November, reaching a magnitude of approx. -1.9 once it has reached opposition. A beautiful sight will be Mars and the Waning Moon appearing nearby on 11 November 2022. Jupiter will remain visible throughout November, setting earlier and earlier. Saturn becomes an “evening Planet” and will set at 22:12 on 30 November. We’ll have to wait till January 2023 to see Venus again when the Planet will become an early evening object right after sunset. Don’t miss the Moon appearing close to the Pleiades on 9 November.
It's still a great month to observe and take pictures of our neighboring Andromeda Galaxy as well as the Triangulum Galaxy. At the same time, the constellations of Cassiopeia and Pegasus have plenty of interesting objects to be discovered. Read on to learn more.
Clear skies & best wishes.
Isa
For a full version of my Astronomy Guide, please visit my website.
Thank you!
Planets
For your local times check
https://in-the-sky.org
Mercury is not observable in November.
Venus will not be observable till January 2023 when it will appear as an early evening object (W).
Mars currently appears in the constellation of Taurus and is visible all night. It is in “retrograde motion” an appears to change direction and move east to west (usually it appears to move west-east). “It’s an illusion, caused by the ways that Earth and Mars orbit the sun. … About every 26 months, Earth comes up from behind and overtakes Mars.” You can observe this “retrograde motion” by comparing the changing distances between Mars and Beta Tauri (Alnath). Mars will reach opposition, i.e. it will be opposite the Sun, on 8 December 2022 and by then the Planet will have an approx. magnitude of -1.9.
It can be observed near the Waning Moon on 11 Nov 2022.
Source: NASA Science Mars Exploration Program https://mars.nasa.gov/all-about-mars/night-sky/retrograde/
Jupiter is currently in Pisces and has reached opposition on 26 September 2022 with a magnitude -2.9. It was also its closest approach to Earth since 1963. It will remain bright all November with a magnitude of -2.8 in early November and -2.6 by 30 Nov. Will set at 03:42 on 1 Nov and at 01:43 on 30 Nov.
Saturn still appears in the constellation of Capricornus. It will set earlier and earlier as the month progresses (at 00:00 on 1 Nov, at 22:12 on 30 Nov) and its magnitude is diminishing slightly.
Uranus remains visible all night in the Constellation of Aries and will reach opposition on 9 November. On 8 November, the Waning Gibbous Moon will appear close to Uranus.
Neptune appears in the constellation of Aquarius during the first part of the night.
Phenomena not to miss in November
November is the ideal month to observe the Andromeda Galaxy (Messier 31) and the “nearby” Triangulum Galaxy (Messier 33). Another interesting Galaxy is Cetus A or Messier 77 in the constellation of Cetus. The constellation of Cassiopeia is not only rich in nebulae such as the Heart Nebula and the Soul Nebula, but also in open star clusters such as for example Messier 103 (mag 7.4) and “Caroline’s Rose Cluster” (NGC 7789) (mag 6.8). In the SW, look out for Messier 15 (Great Pegasus Cluster) at mag 6.5).