November 2005 Calendar by Dave Mitsky

All times are UT (subtract 5 hours and when appropriate 1 calendar day for EST)

11/2 New Moon (lunation 1025) occurs at 1:25; the asteroid 3 Juno is stationary at 20:00
11/3 Mercury is at its greatest heliocentric latitude south; Mercury's disk is at its greatest illuminated extent of 22 square arc seconds; Mercury is at greatest eastern elongation (24 degrees) at 16:00; Venus is at greatest eastern elongation (47 degrees) at 19:00; Mercury is 1.3 degrees north of the Moon at 23:00
11/4 The first magnitude star Antares is 0.2 degrees south of the Moon at 7:00 - an occultation occurs in a swath running southeastward from the Arabian Peninsula to the northern half of Australia; asteroid
19 Fortuna (magnitude 8.9) is at opposition at 12:00
11/5 The peak of the southern Taurid meteor shower (5-10/hour) occurs at 10:00; a maximum lunar libration of 7.4 degrees occurs at 15:00; Venus is 1.4 degrees north of the Moon at 19:00
11/6 Venus at an extreme southern declination of -27 degrees 05 minutes, the farthest south in its current 8-year cycle of apparitions; Venus is 3 degrees south of the bright emission nebula M8 (the Lagoon Nebula) at 6:00
11/7 Mars (-2.3 magnitude, 20.2") is at opposition at 8:00
11/8 Neptune is 5 degrees north of the Moon at 20:00
11/9 First Quarter Moon occurs at 1:57; Mercury is 1.9 degrees north of Antares at 16:00
11/10 The Moon is at perigee, subtending 32'18" from a distance of 370,010 km, at 0:23; Uranus is 3 degrees north of the Moon at 10:00
11/12 A minimum lunar libration of 3.0 degrees occurs at 5:00; the northern Taurid meteor shower (5-10/hour) peaks at 9:00
11/14 Mercury is stationary at 9:00
11/15 Mars is at the ascending node; Mars is 3 degrees south of the Moon at 6:00
11/16 Full Moon, known as the Beaver or Frost Moon, occurs at 0:57; Uranus is stationary at 7:00; the Moon is 0.3 degrees south of the bright open star cluster M45 (the Pleiades) at 12:00
11/17 The moonlight compromised Leonid meteor shower (10-20/hour) peaks at 15:00
11/18 Asteroid 2 Pallas is in conjunction with the Sun at 2:00; Mercury is 3 degrees north of Antares at 16:00; a maximum lunar libration of 8.0 degrees occurs at 17:00
11/19 Asteroid 4 Vesta is stationary at 16:00
11/22 Mercury is at the ascending node; Saturn is 4 degrees south of the Moon at 3:00; the Galilean satellite Europa emerges from eclipse beginning at 6:27; Saturn is stationary, with retrograde (westward) motion to follow, at 18:00
11/23 The Moon is at apogee, subtending 29'33" from a distance of 404,370 km, at 6:17; asteroid 712 Boliviana (magnitude 10.6) is nearly midway between Theta 1 and Theta 2 Tauri in the bright open cluster the Hyades; Last Quarter Moon occurs at 22:11
11/24 Mercury is in inferior conjunction at 16:00
11/25 A minimum lunar libration of 3.8 degrees occurs at 9:00
11/27 Mercury is at perihelion
11/28 The first magnitude star Spica is 1.1 degrees south of the Moon at 4:00 - an occultation takes place in northern China, central Russia, and northern Russia
11/29 The Galilean satellites Io, Europa, and Callisto align to form a compact group at 3:09; Jupiter is 3 degrees north of the Moon at 8:00

Times and dates for the lunar light rays predicted to occur this month are available at http://www.lunar-occultations.com/rlo/rays/rays.htm

The planets on November 1: Mercury (-0.3 magnitude, 6.3", 68% illuminated), Venus (-4.3 magnitude, 24.3", 51% illuminated), Mars (-2.3 magnitude, 20.2", 100% illuminated), Jupiter (-1.7 magnitude, 30.9", 100% illuminated), Saturn (0.2 magnitude, 18.8", 100% illuminated), Uranus (5.8 magnitude, 3.6", 100% illuminated), Neptune (7.9 magnitude, 2.3", 100% illuminated), and Pluto (14.0 magnitude, 0.1", 100% illuminated).

The Sun leaves the realm of the familiar zodiacal constellations and enters Ophiuchus on November 29.

Mercury is a difficult target low in southwest during twilight despite coming to maximum eastern elongation on November 3.

The visibility of Venus improves in November. It also reaches maximum eastern elongation in Sagittarius on November 3. On the night of November 5, it passes less than 3 degrees south of M8 and 1.5 degrees north of the Moon. Venus is located 2 degrees south of the globular cluster M28 on November 10. Three days later, it passes 3 degrees south of M22, a larger and brighter globular cluster.

Mars is situated in Aries and is at opposition on November 7, when it will be visible for the entire night. It is about 14 million kilometers farther from Earth than it was at opposition in 2003 but is some 30 degrees higher in the sky than it was at that time. The prominent Martian surface feature known as Syrtis Major is a prime target during the first week of November.

By the second week of the month, Jupiter is visible low in the east southeast in Virgo during morning twilight.

The ringed planet Saturn is located in Cancer, just a few degrees to the east of the bright open cluster M44. It is at western quadrature on November 3 and begins to retrograde after November 22.

Uranus can be found between the stars Lambda and Sigma in Aquarius.

Neptune is located quite close to a seventh magnitude field star near Theta Capricorni.

Pluto is lost in the glare of the Sun this month.

During November, comet C/2005 E2 (McNaught) is a tenth magnitude object moving northeastward from Sagittarius to Capricornus.

The ninth magnitude asteroid 14 Fortuna travels in the same general direction as Mars this month, staying within 4 degrees south of the Red Planet.

Seventy binary and multiple stars for November: Otto Struve 514, Alpha Andromedae (Alpheratz), Struve 3, h1947, Struve 19, Struve 24, 26 Andromedae, Struve 40, Pi Andromedae, Delta Andromedae, Struve 47, Eta Andromedae, Struve 79, Beta An dromedae, Struve 108, Struve 179, South 404 (Andromeda); 1 Arietis, Struve 178, Gamma Arietis, Lambda Arietis (Mesarthim) (Aries); Struve 3053, Struve 3057, Struve 16, Struve 30, Otto Struve 16, Alpha Cassiopeiae (Schedar), Struve 59, Eta Cassiopeiae, Burnham 1, Struve 70, Otto Struve 23, h1088, Struve 163, Struve 170, Struve 182 (Cassiopeia); 34 Piscium, Struve 8, 35 Piscium, Struve 15, 38 Piscium, 42 Piscium, 49 Piscium, 51 Piscium, 55 Piscium, 65 Piscium, Psi Piscium, Otto Struve 22, Struve 98, Otto Struve 26, Phi Piscium, Zeta Piscium, h636, Otto Struve 30, Struve 122, Struve 132, Otto Struve 31, 100 Piscium, Struve 145, 107 Piscium, h644 (Pisces); h5440, Kappa-1 Sculptoris, h1949, h3442, h3379, Tau Sculptoris, Epsilon Sculptoris (Sculptor); Struve 143, Struve 183 (Triangulum)

Challenge binary star for November: 36 Andromedae

Seventy deep-sky objects for November: M31, M32, M110, NGC 252, NGC 404, NGC 752 (Andromeda); NGC 680, NGC 691, NGC 697, NGC 772 (Aries); Cr 463, IC 1747, K14, M103, NGC 129, NGC 133, NGC 146, NGC 185, NGC 225, NGC 281, NGC 278, NGC 381, NGC 436, NGC 457, NGC 559, NGC 637, NGC 654, NGC 659, NGC 663, Tr 1 (Cassiopeia); NGC 40, NGC 188 (Cepheus); NGC 151, NGC 175, NGC 178, NGC 210, NGC 227, NGC 245, NGC 246, NGC 247, NGC 274, NGC 337, NGC 578, NGC 584, NGC 596, NGC 615, NGC 636, NGC 681, NGC 720, NGC 779 (Cetus); NGC 7814 (Pegasus); M76, St 4 (Perseus); M74, NGC 128, NGC 194, NGC 488, NGC 524 (Pisces); NGC 24, NGC 55, NGC 134, NGC 150, NGC 253, NGC 254, NGC 288, NGC 289, NGC 439, NGC 613 (Sculptor); M33, NGC 672 (Triangulum)

Challenge deep-sky object for November: IC 59 (Cassiopeia)

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