November Astronomy Highlights

Nov. 3

Crescent Moon near Saturn: 5-6 a.m.

Nov. 5

Thin crescent Moon near Venus : 5-6 a.m.

Nov. 14

Thin crescent Moon near Jupiter 5-6 p.m.

Nov. 18

Leonid meteor shower: 1-5 a.m.

Nov. 24

Full Moon: “Beaver Moon” near Pleiades

Nov. 26 & 27

Moon near Mars after 7 p.m.

Astronomically, November marks the end of daylight saving time, the first good look at Mars, the Leonid meteor shower, and the rising of Taurus the Bull. The earlier sunsets that result from the time change this month mean that stargazing can begin right after dinner.

Constellation of the Month: Taurus

One of my favorite constellations as a child was the fierce creature known as Taurus the Bull. Easily recognizable by its V-shaped star group, Taurus clears the tree line about 7:30 p.m. in southern Maine. The fiery red star Aldebaran, the 14th brightest star in the sky, represents the eye of Taurus. The triangular-shaped face of the bull is actually composed of many of the stars of the Hyades, an open star cluster about 160 light years away. Two bright stars are the horns of Taurus and another star cluster, the Pleiades, marks the shoulder. The Pleiades looks like a tiny dipper in the sky and is a treat to observe through binoculars on cool November nights.

Though there are many myths associated with the Bull, the best known in Greek mythology is the story of Callisto and Zeus. To woo the beautiful maiden, Callisto, Zeus changed himself into a massive white bull and approached her in a meadow. Intrigued by this strange, seemingly gentle creature, Callisto jumped on its back and was whisked away across the ocean by the shape-changer Zeus. Some other stories make Taurus a monster beast with steel spiked horns and fiery breath.

Taurus is placed in the sky so it seems to be fighting with the great hunter Orion. Though Orion will not be well seen in early evening until December, it cannot be missed once it pokes its body and magnificent 3-starred belt above the horizon.

The mid-fall sky also includes the pentagon-shaped constellation of Auriga the Charioteer. Easily visible in the northeastern sky, Auriga is marked with the brilliant star Capella, the 6th brightest star in the night sky. Capella is 42 light years away and is the same temperature class as our Sun. This is the last month to view the keystone-shaped star group of Hercules. This well known superhero leaves the sky to be replaced by another superhero, Orion.

Events for November

November is best known for the unpredictable Leonid meteor shower that produces a modest 10-12 meteors per hour. The Nov. 18 shower can produce thousands of meteors each hour as the Earth passes through the debris trail from comet Tempel-Tuttle. This November should produce a minor shower which is best observed after 1 a.m. when the moon sets. Other interesting naked-eye events occur on Nov. 5 when the moon is near Venus and on Nov. 26 when the moon is close to Mars. The best great binocular event occurs on Nov. 24 when the full moon passes near the Pleiades. Happy stargazing!

Jay Sarton lives in Gray and works at USM’s Southworth Planetarium.