Items Featured TGP NOMINAL Xtra - November Skies 2019
Ross Hockham's November Sky Guide:
It's Officially Astronomy season, the skies are getting darker, it’s getting colder and the clocks have gone back!
Most people hate this time of year but us astronomers love it.
And there’s loads to see this Month with a very special event happening on 11th….
The beginning of the month starts with a thin crescent Moon slowing getting fuller and creeping up from the day into the night sky. Making each evening well worth a peek at our nearest celestial body. You may spot the Moon Maiden around the 8th, the jewelled handle tips of a mountain range and the ‘straight wall’ we spoke about in September’s podcast. There’s loads of different phenomenon to be seen as the shadow passes across the Moon over the first week of November so go exploring and it’s a good time to spot those dimmer objects beyond our Solar system while its out of the way. |
On the 10th, there’s a nice little meteor shower, called the Taurid meteor shower (Four Per Hour)
but it lasts for several days. There will be a near to full Moon up, so not great conditions to view it,
but if you are out looking towards the constellation, Taurus the bull's head, around where they radiate
and have a telescope you may spot the Asteroid 4 Vesta.
If you have Red and Blue lens 3D glasses, check out the image of 4 Vesta above.
As it comes into opposition on the 12/13th in the constellation Cetus the sea monster (also known as the Kraken) moving towards the monster’s head as the month passes.
Again a full Moon gets in the way at opposition, right next to it,
so you may be better trying earlier or later in the month to spot the second largest asteroid in this belt.
On the 11th We have a very special event happening, Mercury will transit our Sun.
You will need special equipment to see this. DO NOT LOOK AT THE SUN!…..
UK Astromomy in partnership with the Milton Keynes Parks Trust will be hosting a free event,
to watch Mercury pass in front of our Sun (safely) with their specialised scopes.
The event will start 12pm until sunset around 4pm with the main event starting at 12.30pm,
so pop along see this awesome sight!
Campbell Park Pavilion
1300 Silbury Boulevard
Milton Keynes
MK9 4AD
So the main event…..
Around 12.30pm the planet starts its journey across the sun getting midway around 3.20pm,
although the Sun will be slowly setting. It officially leaves the other side of the Sun at 6.04pm,
but in the UK skies the Sun sets about 4pm so we wont get to see it.
But skies permitting we should be able to see a good deal of it, the last one was in 2016 which Ross saw all of and got pics just using his phone and of course a certified filter on/through a 10” dobsonian scope.
The next one will be on November 13th 2032.
Apparently, if you have a refractor (lens) scope (5 inch or smaller to avoid heat build up warping the lens)
you can project it through and onto a piece of card.
You will have to attach another piece to the scopes eyepiece end to cast a shadow.
But as stated before do not do this or look unless you are with a professional or know what you are doing.
After the transit Mercury will be rising up in the morning sky being at its highest around 25-28th of November.
You will need special equipment to see this. DO NOT LOOK AT THE SUN!…..
UK Astromomy in partnership with the Milton Keynes Parks Trust will be hosting a free event,
to watch Mercury pass in front of our Sun (safely) with their specialised scopes.
The event will start 12pm until sunset around 4pm with the main event starting at 12.30pm,
so pop along see this awesome sight!
Campbell Park Pavilion
1300 Silbury Boulevard
Milton Keynes
MK9 4AD
So the main event…..
Around 12.30pm the planet starts its journey across the sun getting midway around 3.20pm,
although the Sun will be slowly setting. It officially leaves the other side of the Sun at 6.04pm,
but in the UK skies the Sun sets about 4pm so we wont get to see it.
But skies permitting we should be able to see a good deal of it, the last one was in 2016 which Ross saw all of and got pics just using his phone and of course a certified filter on/through a 10” dobsonian scope.
The next one will be on November 13th 2032.
Apparently, if you have a refractor (lens) scope (5 inch or smaller to avoid heat build up warping the lens)
you can project it through and onto a piece of card.
You will have to attach another piece to the scopes eyepiece end to cast a shadow.
But as stated before do not do this or look unless you are with a professional or know what you are doing.
After the transit Mercury will be rising up in the morning sky being at its highest around 25-28th of November.
The next day, if you now have a taste for seeing the planets, a morning Mars will be just to the left of the bright star Spica,
Which is found in the constellation Virgo 'The Virgin', Giving a lovely contrast of red to blue.
On the 13th From when the sun sets to it rising again, you can watch the almost full Moon as it heads towards,
then passes through the head of the Constellation Taurus 'The Bull' head.
The star cluster known as the Hyades, physically seeing the Moon moving through our skies in its orbit around our Planet.
On the 17th Another nice meteor shower peaks, the Leonid meteor shower with around 10-20 meteors an hour. Coming from the head of the Lion, which won't be at its best until the early hours, before sunrise but again. The Moon will get in the way, as it is located in Gemini, to the right . |
On the 18th, The Moon is not far from the centre of the constellation of Cancer 'The crab',
where M44 The Beehive Cluster lies.
Again another late or early morning sight or perhaps later in the month when the moon has gone.
The Beehive Cluster is large cluster of different coloured stars, great to view through binoculars.
On the 20th, If you are up early, you may spot a half phase Moon by the star Regulus in the constellation Leo.
Making a nice morning view in the garden, whilst waking up with a coffee,
where it will start heading down towards the planet Mars in the next few days.
From the 23rd – 25th Literally as the sun sets, you may spot a very low Venus and Jupiter closing in on each other over the next few evenings, being at their closest on 24th then moving apart again.
On the 24th, In the very early morning twilight, you may get to see a very low Mercury, Mars and a thin Moon,
bunched together before sunrise, another good excuse for a coffee and peek in the garden.
With the Moon moving close to the planet Mercury the next morning.
26th It's New Moon time so great to get out stargazing, in ancestral times which ever constellation the new moon was in meant a new birth to whoever had that star sign… that would be a lot of births every 28 days or so…
26th It's New Moon time so great to get out stargazing, in ancestral times which ever constellation the new moon was in meant a new birth to whoever had that star sign… that would be a lot of births every 28 days or so…
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On the 28th there's another cool event to see, during the day. Find the Moon and at around 10.30am, you may notice a planet start to peek out from behind it. Jupiter was occulted by it and comes out from behind it this morning. This Evening why not carefully watch a nice sunset with Venus, A Crescent Moon and Jupiter in a line setting together. |
On the 29th, watch the planet Saturn, Crescent moon, Venus and Jupiter all set as the month comes to an end.
Chris Lintott's Object Of The Month - The Orion Nebula:
"My object of the month is the Orion nebula, because it's not like anything else that we can see in the Sky.
This is the nearest stellar nursery to earth and even with the naked eye,
and it's easy to find hanging down below Orion's Belt.
It's a cloud of glowing gas lit up by newly formed young stars and an even a small telescope,
I love it because of the amount of detail that you can see, as the green tendrils of the gas wrap around those stars.
I have spent hours looking at The Orion Nebula and highly recommend it to everyone"
Persimmon homes - Building Futures Awards:
Well done to Ross, Frankie and everyone who makes UK Astronomy possible
Google Pixel 4 - A phone for Astronomers?
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