November Skies
A brief overview of what to see in the sky with the unaided eye:
Stars and Constellations
● The constellations of Cassiopeia and Cepheus are high in the northern sky and nearly overhead during November evenings
● The “Great Square” of Pegasus is nearly overhead during early evening and Andromeda extends northward from the north-eastern star of the Great Square
● South of Pegasus, fainter stars comprise the constellations of Aquarius, Pisces and Cetus. While not easy to identify in light-polluted skies, these constellations are easy to pick out from locations away from urban areas during clear moonless nights
● The Cygnus constellation is bright and high in the western sky while the other stars of the Summer Triangle (Vega and Altair) are lower in the western sky
● The summer Milky Way is still visible in the western and northwestern sky (in dark skies)
Planets
● Mercury is visible very low in the southwestern sky following sunset and reaches greatest eastern elongation east of the sun November 16
● Venus shines brightly low in the southwestern sky following sunset
● Mars rises during mid-evening and is nearly overhead during early morning in the Cancer constellation
● Jupiter rises during early evening and shines brightly in the eastern sky
● Saturn is visible in the southern sky during the evening in the Aquarius constellation and sets near midnight
Moon Phases
● New Moon November 1, 08:47 EDT
● First Quarter Moon November 9, 00:55 EST
● Full Moon November 15, 16:29 EST
● Last Quarter Moon November 22, 20:28 EST
Noteworthy Sky Events
● Jupiter dominates the eastern sky with Mars to its east brightening during the month
● Leonid meteor shower peak during the night of November 17
Sky Resources Online
Some website resources for sky charts, weekly sky events, and more information:
● astrogeo.ca/skylights
● www.heavens-above.com
● In-the-sky.org
● www.skyandtelescope.org
● www.skymaps.com
Star Chart for mid-November, mid-evening (courtesy of www.heavens-above.com):
