Everything you always wanted to know about astronomy
November
By Bruce Dennis

Before we get into where, when, and what planet you'll see, let's first go to the computer and check out when each planet rises and sets, and where to look for it. Go to Skyandtelescope.com/alman ac and specify your location (about 45 degrees North latitude). The little man in that gray box (maybe yours is black) will take care of the rest. To get your own copy of what the sky will look like tonight, go to Skyandtelescope.com/Skychart . This website will show you what the sky looked like on any date, time, and location in the past or in the future. If you're not an astrophotographer but get really excited over photos of planets, stars, nebulae, and other heavenly bodies, go to Skyandtelescope.com/gallery . Be sure you're sitting down - these photos might otherwise blow you away. While you're at it, go to Earth.google.com for detailed satellite and aerial images of our planet, both during the daylight period and at night.

A quick scan of the November calendar goes like this: 4th - Daylight Saving time ends (Fall back) ; the Moon is slightly below Saturn at dawn; Mercury is seen low in the East- Southeast about 60 minutes before Sunrise. 5th - the Moon is just to the right of Venus at dawn. 9th - the New Moon (no Moon). 17th - 18th - the Leonid Meteor Shower peaks (best on the 18th, just before Sunrise). 24th - Full Moon. 26th- 27th - the Moon is just North of Mars.

Mars, a bright orange ball, will rise in the evening around 8 or 9 o'clock. It is approaching its closest distance to the Earth. Saturn rises around midnight, followed by Venus several hours later. Just before Sunrise, both of these planets will be high in the East. At dawn's first gleaming, Mercury will also be there (look very low in the Eastern sky.

Jupiter, setting in the Southwest after nightfall, sets about 2 ? hours after the Sun on November 1st and about an hour after the Sun on December 1st. Mars rises about 8:30 PM on November 1st. It is very bright. It only radiates this extraordinary brightness for a couple months every two years. It'll more than double in brightness during this month. It'll also stop its Eastward track an start moving to the West (retrograde motion).You can see this (without a telescope) by tracking it nightly against the background stars, and on the 15th, it seems to reverse its direction. It'll continue to go Westward (from our point-of-view) until January. It'll also seem to 'swell' during November, making it large enough to observe some surface features. Pretend that you're Perseval Lowell and 'map' some of these features. You must have a high-powered telescope for this chore.

Saturn will rise around midnight and continue climbing until the Sun 'comes up'. When it is high it is best observed, but don't be too disappointed - we are looking at the planet with its rings edge-on. It looks much smaller without its rings. It has been about 10 years since we have seen the rings from this angle. This tilt makes it much harder to locate the 'ringed' planet. Try finding it anyway.

Venus is the bright 'morning star'. It rises about 4 hours before the Sun, and stays very high in the earlymorning sky. Of course, it 'disappears' when the Sun 'comes up'. During the first 3 weeks of November, it passes very close to the 3 bright stars located in Virgo. If you use binoculars or a small telescope, you can get some fine views of this passing. On November 5th, a small crescent Moon is just to the right of Venus.

If you look far below Venus at dawn, you'll find Mercury. Mercury will be quite dim as it rises about 1 ? hours before the Sun on November 1st. By the 8th, it has quite quickly doubled in size and brightness. It is very close to the horizon and is difficult to see. Be sure you do your observing in a non light-polluted sky. It always helps to be accompanied by a friend who knows a little about the sky. Happy viewing.

Bruce Dennis is a retired science teacher from Haverling High School.