BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Throughout the first half of November Mercury will hug the southwest horizon. On Nov. 1 the planet will be 2 degrees high a half hour after sunset, and a week later it will be 4 degrees above the horizon at the same time. After that it will begin to dim rapidly, and by month's end it will be lost from view.
Venus will be easy to spot near the southwest horizon soon after sundown, and it will remain visible for about two hours after the sun has set. By the end of the month the planet will still be up three hours after the sun has disappeared.
As darkness falls in November, Saturn will be high in the southern sky among the stars of the constellation Aquarius. It will be well placed for observation, remaining above 35 degrees in altitude for several hours. Titan, Saturn's largest moon, will be an easy target for any telescope. It will stand near the planet on Nov. 3/4, 11/12, 19/20, and 27/28.
Jupiter will rise by 8:30 p.m. on Nov. 1, and by month's end it will already be visible as twilight falls. It will dominate the night sky in November, the best the giant planet has been for Northern Hemisphere observers in about a decade. It will remain above the horizon for more than an hour, allowing time to watch a full rotation in a single night.
Mars will grow in brilliance in the morning sky as it crosses the constellation Cancer. The Red Planet will rise around 11 p.m. on Nov. 1. By the end of the month, it will rise at 8:30 p.m. local time and stand 40 degrees high in the eastern sky at midnight.
Meteor shower
The annual Leonid meteor shower will be active between Nov. 6 and Nov. 30, peaking on Nov. 17. The full moon on Nov. 15 will affect the visibility of the shower, so viewing conditions will be unfavorable for the peak.
Moon phases
The moon will be new on Nov. 1, at first quarter on Nov. 9, full on Nov. 15, and at last quarter on Nov. 22.
Author: Hal Kibbey Email: hkibbey [at] gmail.com
The College of Arts