Skywatch November 2001

 NOTE: Times given in the scripts are all local Schenectady, New York time.

Thursday, November 1st. Written by Peter Jennes.

Astronomically speaking, November got off to a brilliant start at 12:41 this morning when the Moon reached its first of two full phases for the month. This morning's full moon was the Full Beaver Moon. November's second full moon, the Full Frost Moon, occurs on November 30th. By some accounts, the second full moon in a month is called a Blue Moon. Having a Blue Moon isn't all that unusual but the November Blue Moon happens under unusual circumstances.  

The timing of this morning's full moon sets up the unusual nature of the Blue Moon on the 30th. To explain this, you need to understand that although the Moon looks full for several days, it is really only full at the exact point when the Moon is directly opposite the Sun. Because of that, the full moon occurs at the same instant world-wide. Since this morning's full moon occurred at 12:41 AM Eastern Standard Time, the same instant of full moon occurred at 11:41 PM Central Standard Time and at 9:41 Pacific Standard Time. Therefore, with the exception of the Eastern Time Zone, the full moon actually occurred before midnight and during October across the rest of the nation. That means that only the residents of the Eastern time zone are able to claim this month's Blue Moon.

 Between full moons, the November sky will be full of astronomical sights. Starting now and lasting for the next few days, Mercury and Venus are located within one degree of each other in the predawn sky. Mars also has close visitors this month. On the fifth, Neptune is two degrees to the right of Mars and then on the 26th, Uranus is less than one degree away from the Red Planet. Towards the end of the month, the bright asteroid Vesta begins a long leisurely stroll through the Hyades star cluster. Then, in addition to providing the East with a Blue Moon, the Full Frost Moon on the 30th also occults the planet Saturn shortly after sunset. As interesting as these astronomical events may seem, they are greatly overshadowed by Novemberís premiere event, the Leonid Meteor shower on the 18th. Several predictions are calling for a meteor storm on that date and observers should keep listening to the Sky Watcher Line for updates regarding this extremely rare event.

Friday, November 2nd to Sunday, November 4th. Written by Susan C. French

As darkness falls this weekend, the planet Mars will be visible in the south. Look for it about one-quarter of the way from the horizon to a point straight overhead. Mars is easily distinguished by its orange color, and it is the brightest star-like object in that area of the sky.

Telescopically, Mars is usually a disappointingly small disk except within a few months of closest approach. About every two years, Mars moves into a position where the Sun, Earth, and Mars (in that order) are in a nearly straight line. When this happens, Mars is at its closest and brightest for that two year period and, consequently, this is the best time to observe our planetary neighbor. Such a line-up occurred in June of this year, and the next will be in August 2003.

Marsí orbit is rather elliptical, and sometimes it is much closer to the sun than others. If the Earthís closest approach to Mars occurs when Mars is nearest the Sun, then Mars will appear considerably brighter and larger than if it occurs when Mars is farthest from the Sun. Favorable line-ups with Mars occur at intervals of 15 to 17 years. The August 2003 event will an exceptionally close alignment, and Mars will appear larger than it has for tens of thousands of years.

The waning gibbous Moon, Saturn, and Jupiter can be seen in the eastern sky by about 10 PM. On Friday evening, the Moon will be to the upper right of Saturn. Although Saturn is in an area of the sky rich in bright stars, it still outshines any visible at that time. Any telescope magnifying 30 times or more will reveal Saturn's rings.

As the Moon pursues its course around the Earth, it appears to slip slowly eastward through the constellations. By Saturday evening, you will see that the Moon is much closer to Saturn, on Sunday it will be between Saturn and Jupiter, and on Monday it will be very close to Jupiter. Jupiter is easy to recognize since it is even brighter than Saturn. Jupiter is the largest of the planets, and a pair of binoculars will show it as a tiny disk. About 1400 Earth's could fit within the planet Jupiter.

Monday, November 5th. Written by Joseph Slomka.

The Sun sets tonight at 4:43, with night falling at 6:19. Dawn breaks at 5:01 tomorrow, and ends with sunrise at 6:36 AM.

Two planet pairs and a comet hold our interest tonight. As the sky darkens, Mars blazes due South. While Mars appears as a tiny disk, it still makes news. Space - based telescopes and the newly arrived Mars Odyssey have been following planet-wide dust storms, obscuring views of Mars' surface. However, Mars serves added purpose, pointer to another, more distant, planet - Neptune. Tonight, between sunset and nightfall, Neptune can be seen about two degrees above Mars. The blue-green planet will share the same binocular and finderscope field. Now is your chance to spot this difficult planet. Later in the month, Mars will serve as a pointer to Uranus, the other difficult outer planet. By 10 PM, the Moon is well up, washing out dim planets, galaxies and comets; however, the Moon cannot drown out the bright plants Saturn, in Taurus, and Jupiter, just below the Moon in Gemini. Venus and Mercury are ending an eleven day pairing. Just before sunrise, you will see these bright planets about 14 degrees above the Eastern horizon. Both appear fairly full in telescopes and within the same field of view.

Another solar system member graces our sky and may become a "Christmas Comet." Tonight it is visible off the eastern shoulder of the constellation Perseus. Binoculars will help for Capital District residents. If predictions hold true, Comet Linear will brighten this month and next, reaching maximum about December 7, when it reaches 5.0 magnitude. The comet will gradually traverse the night sky from Perseus, through Aries, Pisces, Cetus and the low constellations Sculptor and Grus. Comets are members of our Solar System, they orbit the Sun just as the Earth and other planets do. In fact, comets and asteroids are called "minor planets." Asteroids are more rocky, while comets have a coating of ice that evaporates as the comet nears the Sun. Comets are named for their discoverers; this comet was discovered by an automated telescope in New Mexico.

Tuesday, November 6th. Written by Jonathan Cassidy.

Curious how that the stars move each night a little to the west, yet the moon, tonight a crescent in the west, moves each night to the east. This must have been a great puzzle to early sky watchers who did not understand the geometry of our solar system and galaxy. That the moon orbits the earth at a much closer distance than any star can not be seen when looking at them in the sky. They all look very far away.

Mars, still low in the west at dusk, along with Jupiter and Saturn, low in the east around midnight, exhibit another strange wandering. At a certain time they seem to go backwards when viewed against the background of star. This retro grad can be noted even in heavily light polluted areas. It does require that you observe the planet in the very late night time.

Mars has past its retro grade time. Saturn began retrograde in late September and will not continue westward travel, related to the background stars, till 2002. Jupiter became stationary on Nov. 2, starts retro grade soon after, and continues to move backward, according to the stars around it, also till 2002.

Since the planets are bright and some bright stars can be seen in cities this is a good project for anyone living anywhere. With just a pencil and paper note with a drawing the relative positions of the stars and planets. If you have trouble identifying the plants they are the ones that move over time differently from the stars. This will come out on a series of charts you can make.

Wednesday, November 7th. Written by Ray Bogucki.

This month, our neighbors in the Solar System continue to provide us with interesting and sometimes unusual sights. The inner planets, Mercury and Venus, have spent the past week unusually close together in the predawn eastern sky. Both are moving away from us, preparing to pass behind the Sun, and speedier Mercury will now begin pulling away from Venus, descending more rapidly toward the horizon. Meanwhile, the Moon, having slid past Jupiter yesterday, will make its long trip across the night sky, arriving at the location of Venus and Mercury early next Wednesday morning, where it will appear as a razor-thin waning crescent just below Mercury. On the evening of the next day, the first visual sighting of the new, waxing crescent Moon in the Middle East will mark the start of Ramadan, the month-long Islamic period of fasting.

As Galileo discovered almost 400 years ago, the four bright moons orbiting Jupiter provide an ever-changing and endlessly fascinating study of orbital motion. Two or three times per month, all four moons will appear on one side of Jupiter, as will be the case next Tuesday night. Often, one or two moons will be missing as one or more of them passes behind or in front of Jupiter or is eclipsed in the giant planet's shadow. A rare event occurs tomorrow morning when the moons, Io and Callisto, are both transiting the planet's surface while Europa is hidden behind it. At 11:26 EST, just after Jupiter sets at this location, the last remaining moon, Ganymede, will disappear into Jupiter's shadow, leaving the planet apparently moonless for 16 minutes. Lucky observers in Alaska and Hawaii will be able to watch this phenomenon in dark skies, but in a few years when this event occurs again, we may be the lucky ones on the right side of the planet.

Last week, the Earth passed through one of the streams of debris left by comet Encke. Unfortunately, heavy cloud cover in this area blocked our view of the southern Taurids, but we get a second chance next Monday evening, 12 November, when we pass through a second stream of Encke's particles that produce the northern Taurids. Watch for these after dark where Taurus, containing the planet Saturn, is climbing into the eastern sky. These meteors can provide a preview for the Leonids on the following Saturday night, when astronomers have high hopes that we may experience a much more intense meteor shower.

Thursday, November 8th. Written by Peter Jennes.

November has two principle meteor showers, the Leonids and the Taurids. During a typical Taurid shower, observers from dark locations report an average of 8 to 10 meteors per hour. These meteors are the slowest of all the major showers, rambling across the sky at a leisurely 17 miles per second and displaying a remarkable range of colors. The Taurids are visible throughout the first half of November and last all night. All you need to see these meteors is a clear, moonless sky and a good view to the east.

In contrast to the Taurids, the Leonids are the fastest meteors associated with a regular shower. The Leonids hit our atmosphere nearly head-on and blaze through the sky at 44 miles per second. Because they are moving so fast, the Leonids produce many bright fireballs and sometimes leave long lasting smoke trails called "trains." Spectroscopic studies of these trains indicate that the Leonids have a primitive carbonaceous composition characterizing their cometary origin.

Normally, the Leonids put on a poor show. However, these meteors occasionally provide a show of epic proportions. During these rare events, observers in dark locations may experience a blizzard of meteors with hundreds and sometimes thousands of meteors streaking across the sky each hour. The historic record contains several accounts of fantastic Leonid displays. For example, 902 AD is known as the Arabic "Year of the Stars." And in 931, Chinese astronomers made their first record of the Leonids. Then in 967, Japanese astronomers noted a spectacular shower. During 1833, an incredible display of thousands of Leonids per hour forced astronomers to recognize that meteors had an interplanetary origin and were not a strange weather phenomenon. During 1866, astronomers discovered Comet Tempel-Tuttle and another great meteor display occurred over Europe which forged the association between comets and meteors.

Recent years have provided Europe and Asia with bolide displays and short but intense bursts of thousands of meteors per hour. The best current predictions calculate that this year is North Americaís turn. These predictions indicate that our region may experience a once-in-a-lifetime show during the predawn hours on Sunday, November 18th. If it is clear that morning, dress very warm, find a comfortable reclining lawn chair, watch overhead and towards the east, and hope that the predictions are correct.

Friday, November 9th to Sunday, November 11th. Written by

Monday, November 12th. Written by Joseph Slomka.

Tuesday, November 13th. Written by Jonathan Cassidy.

The dark of the new moon this week gives us a window of opportunity to catch dim objects in the night sky. Nights when the moon sets early or rises late are also dark enough to find dim objects.

One of the best objects to note any night is our home galaxy the Milky Way. If you watch it regularly you will notice that it moves, over time, rising and setting like all the stars in the sky.

If you watch over several months you will see the Milky Way rotate in the sky. As we are part way out the plane of the galaxy it will show us the inner galactic region during summer and the outer region during winter. To either side of the streak of the Milky Way the sky is darker. It is in this darkness that the dimmer objects of the night sky can be seen with or without observation aids.

One of the best objects to find is just south of the brighter "V" of stars in the "W" formed by the constellation Cassiopeia. Take the direction of the "V" to the next brightest star, then go back and slightly to the west along the line of two dim stars no more than one hand span. Just to the upper right of the second one is a brightened patch of sky. This is the Andromeda Glx. Our nearest galactic companion. It is about 2 million light years away.

Also watch for meteors late Saturday night into Sunday Morning. This is the Leonid meteor shower.

Wednesday, November 14th. Written by Ray Bogucki.

Every 33 years, comet Tempel-Tuttle swings into the inner solar system in its highly elliptical orbit which extends just beyond the orbit of Saturn. It makes a tight turn around the Sun just inside the Earth's orbit, spewing a trail of dust, and then departs for another 33 years, Because the comet itself is very faint, with a typical magnitude of 13, it was not observed until its apparition of 1866, although the Leonid meteor showers produced by the comet's dust trails have been observed and reported at least as far back as 904 A.D. Occasionally, a year or so after the comet has passed, the Earth runs into a dense cloud of debris in the comet's orbit, giving rise to a meteor storm. These are usually of short duration, from less than an hour to a few hours at most, because the ribbons of debris are very thin, and with an orbital velocity of 67,000 miles per hour, the Earth punches through the ribbon quickly.

In 1833, during the evening of Nov. 12, observers in the U.S., including Abraham Lincoln, were startled to witness as many as 100,000 meteors per hour. The most recent spectacle in the U.S. occurred on Nov. 17, 1966, a year and a half after the comet passed close to our orbit, when up to 30 or 40 meteors per second were reported.

In recent years, meteor specialists have developed sophisticated computer programs to predict the peak times of the Leonid showers. The best predictions for this year are that the Earth will pass through two ribbons of comet trails on Sunday, Nov. 18. We expect to encounter the trail left from the 1766 passage of the comet, from 4 to 6 a.m. Sunday morning, with a peak period of perhaps an hour, with up to 2,000 meteors per hour. In addition to hoping for good weather, we hope the timing is correct. If our encounter is even one hour late, the shower will be washed out by morning twilight. Observers in the westwern states have more leeway.

Eight hours later, at 1p.m., an encounter with the much more dense dust cloud left by the comet's passage in 1866 should produce 10,000 or more meteors per hour. Observers in Asia will witness this heavier shower in the predawn hours. All meteor predictions are gambles, but this one could provide the experience of a lifetime, well worth losing a few hour's sleep! Set your alarm, dress very warmly and go out to see what the sky will display!

Thursday, November 15th. Written by Peter Jennes.

The big astronomy news for this weekend is the expected Leonid meteor storm. While you are waiting for Sunday morning to arrive with its expected rain of cometary debris, you can make several observations to get primed for Sunday's show. These observations start at sunset with the crescent Moon in the west. Watching the Moon, let your imagination slip back three billion years or so. When you arrive, picture the scene with comets and asteroids bombarding the lunar surface. The scars of that violent era remain visible as the craters and lava filled basins we see today.

As the sky gets darker, a comet similar to the ones that shaped the Moon is visible in the north. This comet is called LINEAR 2000 WM and it was discovered late last year by the telescopes of the Lincoln Laboratory Near-Earth Asteroid research team. Comet LINEAR is currently a small, fuzzy, 8th magnitude glow in Perseus. For the next few days, the comet resides between the two branches of the celestial hero near the star Algol. Comets like this not only shaped the face of the Moon; they also supplied the debris that now brings us meteor showers like this weekend's Leonids.

Besides comets, countless asteroids also expended tremendous energy on the lunar surface and did their part to shape the features we see today. For the rest of this year, the brightest asteroid is easily found in the evening sky. The asteroid is Vesta and it is currently looping through the Hyades star cluster in Taurus. Using binoculars or telescope, over the next two days you can watch this seventh magnitude object slowly move to within one-half degree of fifth magnitude Rho Tauri.

Even if you can't make those observations, try to get outside Sunday morning. Somewhere between Saturday's sunset and Sunday's sunrise, the Northeast may see thousands of meteors per hour. To improve your chances of seeing this spectacle, get to a dark location. Dress warm and take a reclining lawn chair. Allow your eyes to adjust to the dark and make yourself comfortable. The longer you stay outside, the greater your chances of seeing the show. Peak activity for this area is predicted to occur between 4 and 6 AM Sunday. If this holds true, Sunday morning could present you with the spectacle of a lifetime.

Friday, November 16th to Sunday, November 18th. Written by Susan C. French

The Leonid shower ranges from about November 14 to 21. It usually peaks at about 10 meteors per hour, but occasionally produces storms of thousands per hour. This year bursts of activity may occur at any time between Friday, November 16 and and Monday, November 19. Predictions vary as to when these bursts may occur. The prediction that favors our area forecasts a peak of 800 to 4000 meteors per hour sometime between the hours of 4 AM and 6 AM Sunday morning.

Leonids are only visible after midnight with the higest rates in the pre-dawn hours. Many Leonids are quite bright. Some look slightly green or blue, and about half leave glowing trails that last up to 8 minutes. They may be seen almost anywhere in the sky, but the best place to watch is probably high in the sky where the air is clearest.

The Leonid shower produces the swiftest meteors, travelling at nearly 159 thousand miles per hour. This is about the highest speed that meteors belonging to our Solar System can travel. The great speed is due to the fact that these meteors travel in a path that is head on to the Earthís motion around the Sun. No Leonid has been known to escape vaporization and reach the ground as a meteorite.

The particles that cause the Leonid meteor shower are debris shed by Comet Temple-Tuttle. The orbit of this comet is thought to have been diverted close to the Earth when it passed near the planet Uranus (YOO-ran-us) in 126 A.D. Thus, the Leonid shower is a gift to Earth from this distant planet. At this time each year, the Earth crosses the orbit of the comet and sweeps up the material it has left behind. Unusually high bursts of meteors occur when Earth passes through a particularly dense part of the meteor stream.

Monda y, November 19th. Written by Susan C. French.

The Leonid shower peaked yesterday morning giving a tremendous show! In the first couple hours after midnight, there were some brilliant fireballs - one leaving a train that persisted for 10 minutes and twisted in the winds of the upper atmosphere. Rates really picked up after 4 AM with stretches of intense activity an no significant lulls. The best outburst occurred around 5:30 AM. There were often three, and sometimes as many as five, meteors visible simultaneously. The meteor rate during that period averaged about 30 per minute.

The Leonid shower ranges from about November 14 to 21, so there may still be some visible during the next two mornings, but the rates are likely to be closer to 10 meteors per hour or less. Leonids are only visible after midnight with most occurring in the pre-dawn hours. Many Leonids are quite bright. Some look slightly green or blue, and about half leave glowing trails that may last several minutes. They may be seen almost anywhere in the sky, but the best place to watch is probably high in the sky where the air is clearest.

The Leonid shower produces the swiftest meteors, travelling at nearly 159 thousand miles per hour. This is about the highest speed that meteors belonging to our Solar System can travel. The great speed is due to the fact that these meteors travel in a path that is head on to the Earthís motion around the Sun. No Leonid has been known to escape vaporization and reach the ground as a meteorite.

The particles that cause the Leonid meteor shower are debris shed by Comet Temple-Tuttle. The orbit of this comet is thought to have been diverted close to the Earth when it passed near the planet Uranus (YOO-ran-us) in 126 A.D. Thus, the Leonid shower is a gift to Earth from this distant planet. At this time each year, the Earth crosses the orbit of the comet and sweeps up the material it has left behind. Unusually high bursts of meteors, such as we saw Sunday morning, occur when Earth passes through a particularly dense part of the meteor stream.

Tuesday, November 20th. Written by Jonathan Cassidy.

The Sun stood still or in latin: Solstitium or solstice. Last week the sun stood still for a short time in its travel north. It travels north no more now.

For the observant the sun set is a little later this weekend as opposed to last weekend. The sun rise has yet to make the turn around, that will happen in the first week of January 2002, but the effect is that our days are lengthening. The sun is no longer traveling north. It has stood still and is now beginning its travel south.

You can note this by marking where the peak of your house roof is at a particular time each day. On following days or the next week compare where the shadow falls at the same time of the day. It does not matter what time you pick to measure the position of the sun only that you do it the same time for each measurement.

If you mark where the sun casts a shadow at the same time of the day each month for a year you will construct an Analemma. This shows the path of the sun through the year. It is not a simple path it traces the shape of a figure "8".

Wednesday, November 21st. Written by Ray Bogucki.

Early risers last Sunday were rewarded handsomely with a spectacular display of Leonid meteors. Around 5 a.m., the predicted time of peak activity, this observer estimated that the meteors were streaking across the sky at a rate approaching 2,000 per hour. The accurate timing of the forecasters was as impressive as the display. Conditions were ideal, with cloudless and moonless dark skies. At times, 2 or 3 meteors were visible at the same moment, varying widely in brightness with some bright enough to cast momentary shadows. Most left bright white trails that persisted for a few seconds. Even after 6:15, well into morning twilight, when all but a few of the brightest stars had faded from view, an occasional bright meteor would appear against the brightening sky, moving rapidly away from the Sickle in Leo. It is expected that a display of this magnitude may not occur again in this area, in dark skies for the next 35 years.

Other solar system events in the coming week include a close visit by the red planet Mars to the distant planet Uranus, and an even closer conjunction of the asteroid Vesta with the fourth magnitude star, 57 Tauri. In the early evening next Monday, look for Uranus less than one degree to the upper right of Mars, low in the southwest. Uranus, at magnitude 6, is at the edge of naked-eye visibility, but binoculars will easily pick out its pale blue-green dot, which stands out in vivid contrast to the orange color of the much brighter Mars.

Vesta, the brightest of all the asteroids and one of the largest, is currently tracing a counterclockwise circuit around Alderbaran and the star cluster, the Hyades, which form the face of Taurus the Bull. Late in the evening of next Monday night, Vesta will be about 1.6 degrees to the lower right of gamma Tauri, the star that forms the point of the "V" of the Hyades. Vesta will be just six arc-minutes from the slightly brighter star, 57 Tauri, temporarily forming an apparent double star. If you have the patience to check this pair over the period of a couple of hours, you will be able to see Vesta moving slowly to the west of its companion. Use a star atlas and binoculars or a telescope to get a rare look at one of the minor planets.

Thursday, November 22nd. Written by Peter Jennes.

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