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 becomes visible very low in the southeastern sky before sunrise after the first week of November and then reaches greatest elongation west of the sun November 21
● Venus also becomes visible very low in the southeastern sky before sunrise during November
● Mars rises near midnight in the Leo constellation
● Jupiter also rises near midnight in the Leo constellation
● Saturn is visible in the southern sky during the evening in the Cetus constellation

Moon Phases

● Last Quarter Moon November 1, 15:28 EST
● New Moon November 9, 02:02 EST
● First Quarter Moon November 17, 06:48 EST

● Full Moon November 24, 09:54 EST

Noteworthy Sky Events

● November 13-19: Mars and Jupiter appear very close together in the eastern morning sky (or near midnight above the eastern horizon) and are closest November 15 and 16

● November 30: Jupiter, Mars, Regulus and thin crescent moon appear very close together in the eastern morning sky

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

Monthly Sky Chart for mid-November, mid-evening (courtesy of www.heavens-above.com):

October Skies

A brief overview of what to see in the sky with the unaided eye:

Stars and Constellations

● The constellations of Pegasus, Andromeda and Cassiopeia are convenient to view during October evenings
● The “Great Square” of Pegasus is high in the eastern sky, or nearly overhead after dusk
● Andromeda extends toward the north from Pegasus
● Cassiopeia is a familiar “W” shape and high in the northeastern sky during autumn evenings
● The “Andromeda Galaxy” in Andromeda is visible as a fuzzy patch during clear and moonless nights away from light pollution, and is easy to spot from darker skies away from urban areas

Planets

● Mercury is not practically visible and too close to the sun’s position

●Venus is not practically visible and too close to the sun’s position and passes conjunction with the sun October 24
● Mars is visible in the eastern pre-dawn sky in the Cancer constellation
● Jupiter rises during early morning and is prominent in the eastern pre-dawn sky as a bright white light in the Leo constellation
● Saturn rises during the evening and is visible in the southeastern sky in the Cetus constellation

Moon Phases

● Last Quarter October 3, 09:25 EDT
● New Moon September 10, 11:50 EDT
● First Quarter September 18, 12:13 EDT

● Full Moon September 26, 00:12 EDT

Noteworthy Sky Events

§  October 5-6-7: thin waning crescent moon is close to Mars (October 5) and Jupiter (October 6-7)

§  October 6: Moon occults Jupiter at EDT 04:24, followed by Jupiter re-appearing from behind the moon’s disk at EDT 05:22

§  October 31: Mars and Jupiter appear very close together in the southeastern pre-dawn sky with the moon above them

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

Monthly Sky Chart for mid-October, mid-evening (courtesy of www.heavens-above.com):