November 2007 Calendar by Dave Mitsky

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

11/1 Mercury is at perihelion today; a double Galilean shadow transit occurs at 12:31; Mercury is stationary at 13:00; the Moon is 0.8 degrees north of the bright open cluster M44 (the Beehive or Praesepe) in Cancer at 18:00; Last Quarter Moon occurs at 21:18
11/3 The Moon is 0.03 degree south of the first magnitude star Regulus (Alpha Leonis), with an occultation taking place in southern North America, the Caribbean, and northern South America, at 13:00
11/4 Saturn is 1.8 degrees north of the Moon at 3:00; Daylight Saving Time ends at 6:00
11/5 A double Galilean shadow transit occurs at 1:28; Venus is 3 degrees south of the Moon at 20:00; the peak of the southern Taurid meteor shower (5 to 10/hour) occurs at 22:00
11/6 A double Galilean shadow transit occurs at 19:57
11/7 A minimum lunar libration of 5.4 degrees occurs at 2:00
11/8 The Moon is 1.9 degrees south of the first magnitude star Spica (Alpha Virginis) at 2:00; Mercury is 7 degrees north of the Moon at 11:00; a double Galilean shadow transit occurs at 14:25; Mercury is at greatest western elongation (19 degrees) at 21:00
11/9 Asteroid 1 Ceres (magnitude 7.2) is at opposition at 15:00; the Moon is at apogee, subtending 29'23" from a distance of 406,671 km, at 13:00; New Moon (lunation 1050) occurs at 23:03
11/11 Mercury is at its greatest heliocentric latitude north today; the Moon is 0.4 degree south of the first magnitude star Antares (Alpha Scorpii), with an occultation taking place in southern South America, the South Pacific, most of New Zealand, and Polynesia, at 21:00
11/12 A double Galilean shadow transit occurs at 3:38; the northern Taurid meteor shower (5 to 10/hour) peaks at 21:00; Jupiter is 5 degrees north of the Moon at 22:00
11/13 A double Galilean shadow transit occurs at 23:30
11/14 Asteroid 3 Juno is in conjunction with the Sun at 12:00
11/15 A maximum lunar libration of 7.6 degrees occurs at 13:00; Mars is stationary at 16:00; a double Galilean shadow transit occurs at 16:56
11/17 Neptune is 1.0 degree north of the Moon at 11:00; Asteroid 29 Amphitrite (magnitude 8.8) is at opposition at 13:00; First Quarter Moon occurs at 23:33
11/18 The peak of the Leonid meteor shower (20-40/hour) occurs at 4:00
11/19 Asteroid 8 Flora (magnitude 8.0) is at opposition at 1:00; a double Galilean shadow transit occurs at 6:15; Uranus is 2 degrees south of the Moon at 11:00
11/22 A minimum lunar libration of 6.2 degrees occurs at 19:00
11/24 The Moon is at perigee, subtending 33'27" from a distance of 357,194 km, at 0:00 (large tides will occur as a result); the Moon is 0.9 degree north of the bright open cluster M45 (the Pleiades) in Taurus at 12:00; Full Moon, known as the Beaver or Frost Moon, occurs at 14:30; Uranus is stationary at 18:00
11/26 A double Galilean shadow transit occurs at 8:53
11/27 Mars is 1.7 degrees south of the Moon at 6:00
11/28 A maximum lunar libration of 8.3 degrees occurs at 13:00; Venus is 4 degrees north of Spica at 22:00
11/29 The Moon is 0.6 degree north of M44 at 2:00; a double Galilean shadow transit occurs at 22:11
11/30 Venus is at perihelion today; the Moon is 0.3 degree south of Regulus, with an occultation taking place in eastern India, southeastern Asia, northeastern Australia, New Zealand, Micronesia, and Melanesia, at 20:00

Daylight Saving Time (DST) ends at 6:00 UT on November 4.

The peak of the Leonid meteor shower takes place on the morning of November 18. The First Quarter Moon will have set by that time so the peak won’t be compromised by moonlight. There is the possibility of higher than normal activity for observers on the East Coast before midnight.

The Moon occults Regulus throughout the southern half of the United States on November 3. The so-called Lunar X, a First Quarter Moon event that occurs near the terminator between the craters La Caille, Purbach, and Blanchinus, is fully illuminated at 9:07 p.m. EST on November 17. On the night of November 23, a favorable lunar libration allows the impact basin Mare Australe to be seen. The Moon is 20.8 days old and resides in Cancer on November 1 at 0:00 UT. It attains its greatest northern declination (+28 degrees) for the month on November 26 at its greatest southern declination (-28 degrees) for the month on November 13. 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 and Pluto on November 1: Mercury (0.8 magnitude, 8.6", 22% illuminated, Virgo), Venus (-4.5 magnitude, 23.2", 52% illuminated, Leo), Mars (-0.6 magnitude, 12.2", 91% illuminated, Gemini), Jupiter (-1.9 magnitude, 33.0", 100% illuminated, Ophiuchus), Saturn (0.5 magnitude, 17.6", 100% illuminated, Leo), Uranus (5.8 magnitude, 3.6", 100% illuminated, Aquarius), Neptune (7.9 magnitude, 2.3", 100% illuminated, Capricornus), and Pluto (14.0 magnitude, 0.1", 100% illuminated, Sagittarius).

Visibility of the classical planets at mid-month for observers at 40 degrees north: Mercury rises before dawn, Venus rises at 3:00 a.m., Mars rises at 8:00 p.m. and transits the meridian at 3:00 a.m., Jupiter sets at 6:00 p.m., and Saturn rises at midnight. This month four planets - Mercury, Venus, Saturn, and Mars - span the morning sky from east to west.

Mercury undergoes a favorable morning apparition low in the east-southeast. It is 3 degrees north of Spica on November 3. Four days later, a crescent Moon is 9 degrees to the right of the speedy planet. Mercury is at greatest elongation west on November 8 when it subtends 6.7 arc seconds and shines at magnitude -0.5. It passes within a degree and a half of Zubenelgenubi (Apha Librae) on November 21.

Shining at magnitude -4, Venus is unmistakable in the morning sky. It rises more than 2 hours before astronomical twilight begins on November 15. The proximity of the Moon will make Venus easy to see during the daytime on November 5. During the first week of November, Venus leaves Leo and enters Virgo to the east. It is approximately 0.3 degree north of Beta Virginis (magnitude 3.8) on the morning of November 6, only 2 arc seconds north of Eta Virginis (magnitude 4.0) on the morning of November 13, and 1degree distant from the double star Gamma Leonis on the morning of November 18. Venus and Spica are 4 degrees apart on November 29.

Mars doubles in brightness to -1.3 magnitude and increases in apparent size to 14 arc seconds during the course of the month. It begins to retrograde, or travel westward, on November 15. Mars is 0.8 degrees away from the third magnitude star Epsilon Geminorum on November 30. Both of the Martian polar caps are visible but the northern cap should be easier to see. In early November, Solis Lacus, the so-called Eye of Mars, is visible to North American planet watchers at midnight. As the month progresses, Syrtis Major can be seen at that time.

By the end of November, Jupiter has wandered to the eastern border of Ophiuchus and sets just 70 minutes after the Sun in the west-southwest.

At midmonth, Saturn rises in the east-northeast shortly after midnight. Saturn reaches quadrature on November 30, which causes a change in the position of the globe’s shadow. As a result, the planet assumes a greater than normal three-dimensional appearance. Its brightest satellite, Titan (magnitude 8.4), lies to the north of Saturn on the mornings of November 3 and November 19 and to its south on the mornings of November 11 and November 27. Eleventh magnitude Iapetus, whose brightness is unusually variable due to its bright and dark hemispheres, is due north of the planet on November 23. It is east or west of Saturn by the listed separations at 0:00 UT on the following dates: November 1 (35" east), November 8 (33" east), November 14 (23" east), November 18 (14" east), November 22 (3" east), November 24 (2" west), November 28 (14" west), and December 2 (24" west). For additional information on the five brightest satellites of Saturn, browse http://skytonight.com/observing/obje...t/3308506.html

During November, Uranus is positioned 2.5 degrees west of Phi Aquarii (magnitude 4.2). Uranus ends its retrograde loop on November 24.

Neptune is located two degrees southwest of Iota Capricorni (magnitude 4.3).

As night falls this month, Pluto is too close to the western horizon to observe.

Asteroid 1 Ceres is at opposition on November 9. The first asteroid to be discovered travels westward through Cetus in November. Two other bright asteroids, 29 Amphitrite and 8 Flora, also reach opposition this month.

The periodic comet 17P/Holmes underwent a historic super-outburst on October 24 and brightened from seventeenth to mid-second magnitude, an increase of almost one million times. The comet is easily visible to the naked-eye and will pass within approximately 19 arc minutes of Mirfak (Alpha Persei) at 8:00 p.m. EST on November 18. See http://www.astronomy.com/asy/default.aspx?c=a&id=6168 and http://www.skyandtelescope.com/obser.../10775326.html for more on this unique comet. During November, Comet C/2007 F1 (LONEOS) heads southeastward through Scorpius. The comet is predicted to shine at sixth magnitude and should be visible through binoculars low in the southwest after sunset during the first week of November. It passes to the west of Antares on November 4.

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 Andromedae (Mirach), 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)

Top ten binocular deep-sky objects for November: M31, M33, M103, NGC 225, NGC 253, NGC 288, NGC 457, NGC 654, NGC 663, NGC 752

Top ten deep-sky objects for November: M31, M32, M33, M76, M103, M110, NGC 40, NGC 253, NGC 457, NGC 752

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

The objects listed above are located between 0:00 and 2:00 hours of right ascension.

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