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November 2007
S M T W T F S
     
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Here is your finder chart for catching comet Holmes



Download this month's sky map!

Kym Thalassoudis does a wonderful job creating accurate and easy to use star maps every month! Visit his site at www.skymaps.com for skymaps and links to other useful astronomical sites. Also a great portal for astronomical gifts!

Northern hemisphere sky map
Southern hemisphere sky map

Those in the Southern Hemisphere should also visit James Barclay's site for a great tour of the Southern Hemisphere October sky.

Another great site for Southern Hemisphere viewers is the Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand's Southern Hemisphere Calendar can be found at the RASNZ site
Ian Musgrave has a very handy Southern Hemisphere site called Southern Sky Watch.

Download "What's up 2007: 365 days of Skywatching" by Tammy Plotner, published by Universe Today (Faser Cain) it is a fantastic and it is free!

Planets for November 2007

Jupiter fades in the west, Mercury, Venus and Saturn dominate the early morning sky, Mars is king of the night.

  • Mercury- In Virgo Mercury reaches greatest elongation west on Nov. 8th. This morning showing favors northern observers and at the beginning of the month will show as a thick crescent. Look low in the east-southeast through the end of November. Poor viewing for Southern viewers 0.8 mag (1st) to -0.7 mag (21st)
  • Venus- Starts in Leo but after the first weekend crosses into Virgo with Mercury. Venus is brilliant in the morning sky and will be all month. On Nov.5th use the moon to find Venus during the day. -4.0 mag (1st) to - 4.1 mag (21st)
  • Mars- In Gemini. Earth is slowly catching up to Mars so the red planet will continue to look larger through December when Earth and Mars are their closest approach. Nov. 15th Mars begins its retrograde loop within Gemini. -0.6 (1st) to -0.8 mag (21st)
  • Ceres- reaches opposition on Nov. 9th brightening to magnitude 7.2 (see the finder chart below)
  • Jupiter- In Ophiuchus sets in the west-southwest at the end of twilight for mid-Northern viewers by mid-month. Viewing is better as you move South. -1.9 mag (1st) to -1.8 mag (21st)
  • Saturn- In Leo Saturn rises several hours before sunrise with Venus and Regulus in a nice little trio. Saturn is at quadrature,when the planet's shadow on the rings is most prominent making the planet look 3D, on Dec 1st 0.7 mag (1st) to 0.8 mag (21st)
  • Uranus-In Aquarius 5.7 mag (1st) to 5.8 mag (21st)
  • Neptune-In Capricorn 7.9 mag (1st) to 7.8 mag (21st)




Key Dates for November 2007

Days and Times in UT (help with time)
Observations are for10pm for the mid-southern latitudes and for 8pm for the mid-northern latitudes.

Great site for sunrise and sunset times and a downloadable toolbar application by Steve Edwards

Occultation information can be found at the IOTA website! Astronomical Highlights
  November  

1 - Mercury at perihelion

- Double shadow transit on Jupiter 12:31 UT

- Mercury stationary

- Moon .8deg N of the Beehive Cluster (M44)

- Last Quarter 21:18 UT
2 - Algol at minimum 10:04 UT
3 - Regulus .03 deg N of Moon, possible occultation

- Moon between Venus and Saturn
4 - Daylight Savings time ends

- Saturn 1.8deg N of Moon
5 - Double shadow transit on Jupiter 1:28 UT

- Algol at minimum 6:53 UT

- Venus 3 deg N of Moon 20 UT

- South Taurid meteor shower peak 22 UT
6 - Double shadow transit on Jupiter 19:57 UT
8 - Algol at minimum 3:42 UT

- Mercury 7 deg N of Moon 11 UT

- Double shadow transit on Jupiter 14:25 UT

- Mercury greatest elongation W. 19 deg 21 UT
9 - Ceres at opposition

- Moon at apogee 406,671km 13 UT

- New Moon 23:03 UT
11 - Algol at minimum :31 UT

- Antares .4 deg N of Moon possible occultation
12 - Double shadow transit on Jupiter 3:38 UT

- North Taurid meteor shower peak 21 UT

- Jupiter 5 deg N of Moon 22 UT
13 - Algol at minimum 21:20 UT

- Double shadow transit on Jupiter 23:30
15 - Mars stationary

- Double shadow transit on Jupiter 16:56
16 - Algol at minimum 18:09 UT
17 - Neptune 1 deg North of Moon 11 UT possible occultation

- First Quarter Moon 22:32 UT
18 - Leonid Meteor show peak 4 UT
19 - Double shadow transit on Jupiter 6:15 UT

- Algol at minimum 14:58 UT
22 - Algol at minimum 11:47 UT

- Double shadow transit on Jupiter 11:34 UT
24 - Moon at perigee 357,194 km Large tides

- Moon .9 deg N of Pleiades (M45)

- Full Moon 14:30 UT
25 - Algol at minimum 8:36 UT
26 - Double shadow transit on Jupiter 8:53 UT
27 - Mars 1.7 deg S of Moon
28 - Algol at minimum 5:25 UT

- Venus 4 deg N of Spica (before sunrise)
29 - Moon .6 deg N of the Beehive cluster (M44) 2 UT

- Double shadow transit on Jupiter 22:11 UT

- Regulus .3 deg N of Moon 20 UT possible occultation
  December  

1 - Saturn at quadrature (see Planet section)

- Last Quarter Moon 12:44 UT

- Saturn 2 deg N of Moon

Monthly Messier*

This month we will search for four globular clusters, the largest and the smallest planetary nebulas in the Messier catalog, and a small oddity. Two of the objects are fairly easy in binoculars, while four others will require dark skies, patience, and keen eyes to find.

M57 This smallest planetary nebula in the Messier Catalog is the famous Ring nebula in the constellation Lyra. Low power telescope views show a very small blue/green disk, not much bigger than a star. Medium to high power will magnify the size of the nebula while leaving the surrounding stars the same size, confirming you have found it. Can be seen in binoculars as a faint star like point of light.

M56 Also in the constellation of Lyra we find our first globular cluster of the night. In a telescope look for a small round ball of light, slightly brighter in the center. This is a difficult binocular object appearing as a small fuzzy patch.

M27 Also known as the Dumbbell nebula, the largest planetary nebula in the Messier Catalog, M27 lies in the constellation Vulpecula. Fairly easy to see in binoculars as a small hazy patch. In small to medium scopes it appears as a rectangular patch of light. In large scopes it may even appear round in shape with a bright rectangular, or dumbbell shaped core.

M71 Lying in Sagitta, this globular cluster appears as a faint oval hazy patch of light in a telescope. This is a very difficult but possible binocular object, requiring dark skies and trained eyes.

M30 This globular cluster in Capricornus is tough but very possible to see in binoculars as a faint fuzzy star. Telescopes show a small fuzzy ball of light, bright in the center fading to the edges.

M72 This is a small faint globular cluster in Aquarius. Look for a faint oval patch of light, gradually brighter towards the middle. A very difficult binocular object.

M73 This asterism is located near M72 in Aquarius. In a low power telescope view it looks like a very small fuzzy patch of light at first glance. When stared at it reveals itself as a small collection of stars. Medium to high power shows the view best described by Messier "cluster of three or four stars...containing very little nebulosity".

From the Astronomical Connection and the Moncton Center in Canada

Historical and Current Events

...Did you know?

Culled from Wikipedia and others, by Mark Tillotson (Thank you Mark!)

Mark has developed his own website so let's all trot on over and see the pages of wonderful history he has for us this month!

Astronomical Highlights for 2007

Earth's major motions for 2007
Perihelion
Jan 3 20h(UT)
First Cross Quarter Day
Feb 2-6
Equinox
Mar 21 00:07(UT)
Second Cross Quarter Day
May 4-7
Solstice
June 21 18:06(UT)
Aphelion
July 4 00h (UT)
Third Cross Quarter Day
Aug 5-8
Equinox
Sept 23 19:51(UT)
Fourth Cross Quarter Day
Nov 5-8
Solstice
Dec 22 06:08(UT)

Planet Positions for 2007

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Venus Sgr Aqr Psc Ari Tau Gem Leo Sex Cnc Leo Leo Vir
Mars Oph Sgr Cap Cap Aqr Psc Ari Tau Tau Gem Gem Gem
Jupiter Oph Oph Oph Oph Oph Oph Oph Oph Oph Oph Oph Oph
Saturn Leo Leo Leo Leo Leo Leo Leo Leo Leo Leo Leo Leo
Uranus Aqu Aqu Aqu Aqu Aqu Aqu Aqu Aqu Aqu Aqu Aqu Aqu
Neptune Cap Cap Cap Cap Cap Cap Cap Cap Cap Cap Cap Cap

Eclipses for 2007

March 19 - partial solar eclipse (see map, times, and animation!): The first solar eclipse of 2007 occurs at the Moon's ascending node in Pisces and is visible from eastern Asia and parts of northern Alaska

September 11 - partial solar eclipse (see map, times, and animation): The last eclipse of 2007 is a partial solar eclipse at the Moon's descending node in southern Leo. Its visibility is confined to parts of South America, Antarctica and the South Atlantic

March 3-4 - total lunar eclipse (see map): The beginning of the umbral phase visible in the Arctic region, Africa, Europe, Asia except for extreme eastern region, most of Indonesia, western Australia, Queen Maud Land of Antarctica, extreme eastern South America, Greenland, the Indian Ocean, the South Atlantic Ocean, and the eastern North Atlantic Ocean; the end visible in Africa, Europe, western Asia, Queen Maud Land of Antarctica and Antarctic Peninsula, South America, eastern North America, Greenland, the Arctic region, the Atlantic Ocean, the western Indian Ocean, and the extreme eastern South Pacific Ocean.

August 28 - total lunar eclipse (see map): The beginning of the umbral phase visible in North America, South America except extreme east, Antarctica except for Enderby Land, New Zealand, eastern Australia, extreme northeastern Asia, the Pacific Ocean, and the western Atlantic Ocean; the end visible in New Zealand, Australia, most of Antarctica except Queen Maud Land, Indonesia, eastern Asia, western North America, the Pacific Ocean, and the southeastern Indian Ocean.

Eclipse information from: NASA Eclipse Homepage, Eclipses Online (HM Nautical Almanac Office, UK in coordination with the U.S. Naval Observatory)

Meteor Showers for 2007

As luck would have it, all the major meteor showers reach their peaks in 2007 with the Moon out of the sky. Any of these showers can produce dozens of shooting stars each dark hour leading up to dawn.

Mark your calendar to look for...
  • Perseids on August 13th
  • Orionids on October 21st
  • Leonids on November 18th
  • Geminids on the night of December 13-14 (Meteor enthusiasts are keenly awaiting the Geminids in 2007 because their progenitor, the defunct comet Phaethon, precedes them in a flyby of Earth on December 10th.)

Comets for November

Gary Kronk's comet and meteor pages
Skyhound Comet pages

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Music Scottish Guitar Quartet -"Romance within you"
Rachel Barton - "Medley of Scots Tunes"
The Gentle Good - "Amser"

Direct download: AAGG_sky_tour_Nov_07.mp3
Category: Sky Tours -- posted at: 6:35 AM
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