Skywatcher, by Predrag Agatonovic.
Two of the five bright planets rise to great prominence this month, Venus and Jupiter, and they almost seem to balance two sides of our sky. Venus, the brightest planet, blazes in the west first thing at dusk. Jupiter, second-brightest, lords over the east before dawn. Two other planets, Saturn and Mars, join Venus at nightfall in early November. Although Venus and Mars remain evening objects throughout November, Saturn drops into the glare of sunset later this month. The most elusive bright planet – Mercury – might become visible at dusk toward the end of the month. Day by day, Mercury climbs upward from the setting sun as Saturn sinks sunward. These two worlds – Saturn and Mercury – will meet for a hard-to-see conjunction in the evening sky on November 23. Follow the links below to learn more about planets in November 2016.
Brilliant Venus is the “evening star”
Mars, east of Venus, until mid-to-late evening
Bright Jupiter is prominent before dawn
Mercury in bright evening twilight in late November
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The waxing crescent moon and Venus adorn the western twilight for several evnings, centered on or near November 2. Read more.
Brilliant Venus is the “evening star.” Okay, it’s not a star. It’s a planet. But people will call it the evening star all the same. In these past weeks, many have noticed Venus and been amazed at its brilliance in the west after sunset. It’s the brightest planet and very, very bright, even though it’s been low in the sky.
Be sure to catch the waxing crescent moon near Venus in early November, as displayed on the sky chart above. Click here for more details.
Venus will climb upward from the setting sun throughout the month, while the planet Saturn will fall downward. Saturn will disappear from the evening sky later this month, but Venus will continue to blaze away in the evening sky for months to come.
From mid-northern latitudes (U.S. and Europe), Venus sets about two hours after the sun in early November, and three hours after sunset by the month’s end.
At mid-southern latitudes (Australia and South Africa), Venus sets about about three hours after the sun in early November, and three and one-half hours after sunset in late November.
Look for the moon near the red planet Mars on November 5 and 6. Read more.
Mars, east of Venus, until mid-to-late evening. After appearing as a bright red light in our sky last May and June, Mars now appears only modestly bright (though still ruddy), a good stretch above dazzling Venus. Venus is so bright that it pops out almost immediately after sunset, but you’ll have to wait until nightfall to see fainter Mars. Look for the moon close to Mars on the evenings of November 5 and 6.
From mid-northern latitudes (U.S. and Europe), look foir the red planet Mars to set in the west around 9 to 10 p.m. all month long.
At mid-southern latitudes (Australia and South Africa), Mars sets in the west at or near midnight throughout November.
Mars will linger in our sky for several more months. Keep in mind, however, that Earth is traveling away from Mars as we speak – moving far ahead of this planet in the endless race around the sun – so Mars is dimming in our evening sky. Mars is in its long, lingering, relatively inconspicuous phase now. It’ll be still visible in the west to the unaided eye – though not at all noticeable – during a conjunction with Uranus on the evening of February 27, 2017.
Mars won’t make its transition from the evening to the morning sky until July 27, 2017. Even so, Mars’ stature in the evening sky will continue to diminish to that of a rather faint “star,” and we expect few – if any – skywatchers to observe the conjunction of Mars and Mercury on June 18, 2017.
The conjunction of Mars and Venus in the morning sky on October 5, 2017, may well present the first good opportunity to spot Mars in the morning sky when it returns from being behind the sun.
Looking for a sky almanac? EarthSky recommends…
View larger | Mikhail Chubarets in the Ukraine made this chart. It shows the view of Mars through a telescope in 2016. We never see Mars as a disk like this with the eye alone. But you can see why Mars was bright to the eye in 2016, and is now fading.
Early November provides your best chance to catch Saturn before it fades into the sunset by the month’s end. Read more.
Saturn fades into the sunset. Throughout November, Saturn edges closer to sunset. It disappears into the sun’s glare later this month. Meanwhile, Venus and Mars will remain fixtures of the evening sky for months to come.
Although Saturn appears respectably bright, its brilliance can’t match that of Venus, the third-brightest celestial body after the sun and moon. Look for Saturn near the waxing crescent moon and Venus, the sky’s brightest planet as soon as darkness falls in early November. This may be the last good opportunity to spot Saturn in the 2016 evening sky, especially from northerly latitudes.
At mid-northern latitudes (US and Europe), Saturn sets approximately two hours after the sun in early November, and only about one-half hour after sunset by the month’s end.
From mid-southern latitudes (Australia and South Africa), Saturn follows the sun beneath the horizon about three hours after sunset in early November, and about one-half hour after the sun by the end of the month.
Southerly latitudes enjoy the advantage for observing the conjunction of Saturn and Mercury after sunset on November 23.
In both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, Saturn will return to visibility in the east before sunrise in either very late December 2016 or January 2017.
Saturn, the farthest world that you can easily view with the eye alone, appears golden in color. It shines with a steady light.
Binoculars don’t reveal Saturn’s gorgeous rings, by the way, although binoculars will enhance Saturn’s golden color. To see the rings, you need a small telescope. A telescope will also reveal one or more of Saturn’s many moons, most notably Titan.
Saturn’s rings are inclined at a little more than 26o from edge-on, exhibiting their northern face. Next year, in October 2017, the rings will open most widely, displaying a maximum inclination of 27o.
As with so much in space (and on Earth), the appearance of Saturn’s rings from Earth is cyclical. In the year 2025, the rings will appear edge-on as seen from Earth. After that, we’ll begin to see the south side of Saturn’s rings, to increase to a maximum inclination of 27o by May 2032.
Tom Wildoner over-exposed Saturn itself to capture this view of Saturn’s moons on June 25, 2016. Visit Tom at LeisurelyScientist.com.
Contrasting the size of Saturn and its rings with our planet Earth via Hubble Heritage Team.
Watch for the moon to be in Jupiter’s vicinity for several mornings, centered on November 26. Read more.
Bright Jupiter is prominent before dawn. Jupiter returned to the east before dawn last month (October). With Jupiter rising earlier and earlier each day before sunrise, Jupiter’s increasing prominence as the “morning star” will be hard to overlook.
Want to see Jupiter? Just look eastward before sunrise. It’ll be the brightest starlike object shining there … very beautiful!
From mid-northern latitudes, like those in the U.S. and Europe, Jupiter rises a solid two hours before the sun in early November and four hours before sunrise by the month’s end.
From mid-southern latitudes (Australia), look for Jupiter to rise about one and one-half hours before the sun in early November and about three hours before sunrise by the end of the month.
By the way, Jupiter shines in front of the constellation Virgo, near Virgo’s brightest star, Spica. Jupiter serves a great reference for learning the constellations of the zodiac, because Jupiter stays in each constellation for roughly a year. So use Jupiter to become familiar with the star Spica and the constellation Virgo, starting now, and throughout 2017.
Watch for the waning crescent moon to join up with Jupiter for several days, centered on or near November 25.
If you have binoculars or a telescope, it’s fairly easy to see Jupiter’s four major moons, which look like pinpricks of light on or near the same plane. They are often called the Galilean moons to honor Galileo, who discovered these great Jovian moons in 1610. In their order from Jupiter, these moons are Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto.
Jupiter and its four major moons via Jan Sandberg
These moons circle Jupiter around the Jovian equator. In cycles of six years, we view Jupiter’s equator edge-on. So, in 2015, we got to view a number of mutual events involving Jupiter’s moons through a high-powered telescope. Click here or here or here for more details.
Although Jupiter’s axial tilt is only 3o out of perpendicular relative to the ecliptic (Earth’s orbital plane), Jupiter’s axis will tilt enough toward the sun and Earth so that the farthest of these four moons, Callisto, will NOT pass in front of Jupiter or behind Jupiter for a period of about three years, starting in late 2016. During this approximate 3-year period, Callisto will remain “perpetually” visible, alternately swinging “above” and “below” Jupiter.
Click here for a Jupiter’s moons almanac, courtesy of Sky & Telescope.
You might need binoculars to spot the young moon and Mercury after sunset on November 30. Read more.
Mercury in bright evening twilight in late November. Mercury transitioned from the morning to the evening sky on October 27, 2016. So the solar system’s innermost planet hides in the glare of evening twilight virtually all month long, especially at northerly latitudes. It will be a real challenge to catch the conjunction of Saturn and Mercury on November 23. Both of these worlds sit low in the southwest at sunset and follow the sun beneath the horizon shortly thereafter.
Next month, in December, Mercury will become much easier to view in the evening sky from both the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere.
Possibly, you can catch the thin waxing crescent moon near Mercury after sunset November 30.
Click here for recommended almanacs; they can give you Mercury’s setting time in your sky.
What do we mean by bright planet? By bright planet, we mean any solar system planet that is easily visible without an optical aid and that has been watched by our ancestors since time immemorial. In their outward order from the sun, the five bright planets are Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. These planets actually do appear bright in our sky. They are typically as bright as – or brighter than – the brightest stars. Plus, these relatively nearby worlds tend to shine with a steadier light than the distant, twinkling stars. You can spot them, and come to know them as faithful friends, if you try.
From late January, and through mid-February, 5 bright planets were visible at once in the predawn sky. This image is from February 8, 2016. It’s by Eliot Herman in Tucson, Arizona. View on Flickr.
Bottom line: In early November 2016, three of the five bright planets appear in the evening sky at nightfall: Venus, Saturn and Mars. Jupiter reigns the sole morning planet. Saturn pairs up with Mercury after sunset Mercury on November 23.
Easily locate stars and constellations with EarthSky’s planisphere.
Don’t miss anything. Subscribe to EarthSky News by email
from EarthSky http://ift.tt/IJfHCr
Skywatcher, by Predrag Agatonovic.
Two of the five bright planets rise to great prominence this month, Venus and Jupiter, and they almost seem to balance two sides of our sky. Venus, the brightest planet, blazes in the west first thing at dusk. Jupiter, second-brightest, lords over the east before dawn. Two other planets, Saturn and Mars, join Venus at nightfall in early November. Although Venus and Mars remain evening objects throughout November, Saturn drops into the glare of sunset later this month. The most elusive bright planet – Mercury – might become visible at dusk toward the end of the month. Day by day, Mercury climbs upward from the setting sun as Saturn sinks sunward. These two worlds – Saturn and Mercury – will meet for a hard-to-see conjunction in the evening sky on November 23. Follow the links below to learn more about planets in November 2016.
Brilliant Venus is the “evening star”
Mars, east of Venus, until mid-to-late evening
Bright Jupiter is prominent before dawn
Mercury in bright evening twilight in late November
Like what EarthSky offers? Sign up for our free daily newsletter today!
Astronomy events, star parties, festivals, workshops
Visit a new EarthSky feature – Best Places to Stargaze – and add your fav.
The waxing crescent moon and Venus adorn the western twilight for several evnings, centered on or near November 2. Read more.
Brilliant Venus is the “evening star.” Okay, it’s not a star. It’s a planet. But people will call it the evening star all the same. In these past weeks, many have noticed Venus and been amazed at its brilliance in the west after sunset. It’s the brightest planet and very, very bright, even though it’s been low in the sky.
Be sure to catch the waxing crescent moon near Venus in early November, as displayed on the sky chart above. Click here for more details.
Venus will climb upward from the setting sun throughout the month, while the planet Saturn will fall downward. Saturn will disappear from the evening sky later this month, but Venus will continue to blaze away in the evening sky for months to come.
From mid-northern latitudes (U.S. and Europe), Venus sets about two hours after the sun in early November, and three hours after sunset by the month’s end.
At mid-southern latitudes (Australia and South Africa), Venus sets about about three hours after the sun in early November, and three and one-half hours after sunset in late November.
Look for the moon near the red planet Mars on November 5 and 6. Read more.
Mars, east of Venus, until mid-to-late evening. After appearing as a bright red light in our sky last May and June, Mars now appears only modestly bright (though still ruddy), a good stretch above dazzling Venus. Venus is so bright that it pops out almost immediately after sunset, but you’ll have to wait until nightfall to see fainter Mars. Look for the moon close to Mars on the evenings of November 5 and 6.
From mid-northern latitudes (U.S. and Europe), look foir the red planet Mars to set in the west around 9 to 10 p.m. all month long.
At mid-southern latitudes (Australia and South Africa), Mars sets in the west at or near midnight throughout November.
Mars will linger in our sky for several more months. Keep in mind, however, that Earth is traveling away from Mars as we speak – moving far ahead of this planet in the endless race around the sun – so Mars is dimming in our evening sky. Mars is in its long, lingering, relatively inconspicuous phase now. It’ll be still visible in the west to the unaided eye – though not at all noticeable – during a conjunction with Uranus on the evening of February 27, 2017.
Mars won’t make its transition from the evening to the morning sky until July 27, 2017. Even so, Mars’ stature in the evening sky will continue to diminish to that of a rather faint “star,” and we expect few – if any – skywatchers to observe the conjunction of Mars and Mercury on June 18, 2017.
The conjunction of Mars and Venus in the morning sky on October 5, 2017, may well present the first good opportunity to spot Mars in the morning sky when it returns from being behind the sun.
Looking for a sky almanac? EarthSky recommends…
View larger | Mikhail Chubarets in the Ukraine made this chart. It shows the view of Mars through a telescope in 2016. We never see Mars as a disk like this with the eye alone. But you can see why Mars was bright to the eye in 2016, and is now fading.
Early November provides your best chance to catch Saturn before it fades into the sunset by the month’s end. Read more.
Saturn fades into the sunset. Throughout November, Saturn edges closer to sunset. It disappears into the sun’s glare later this month. Meanwhile, Venus and Mars will remain fixtures of the evening sky for months to come.
Although Saturn appears respectably bright, its brilliance can’t match that of Venus, the third-brightest celestial body after the sun and moon. Look for Saturn near the waxing crescent moon and Venus, the sky’s brightest planet as soon as darkness falls in early November. This may be the last good opportunity to spot Saturn in the 2016 evening sky, especially from northerly latitudes.
At mid-northern latitudes (US and Europe), Saturn sets approximately two hours after the sun in early November, and only about one-half hour after sunset by the month’s end.
From mid-southern latitudes (Australia and South Africa), Saturn follows the sun beneath the horizon about three hours after sunset in early November, and about one-half hour after the sun by the end of the month.
Southerly latitudes enjoy the advantage for observing the conjunction of Saturn and Mercury after sunset on November 23.
In both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, Saturn will return to visibility in the east before sunrise in either very late December 2016 or January 2017.
Saturn, the farthest world that you can easily view with the eye alone, appears golden in color. It shines with a steady light.
Binoculars don’t reveal Saturn’s gorgeous rings, by the way, although binoculars will enhance Saturn’s golden color. To see the rings, you need a small telescope. A telescope will also reveal one or more of Saturn’s many moons, most notably Titan.
Saturn’s rings are inclined at a little more than 26o from edge-on, exhibiting their northern face. Next year, in October 2017, the rings will open most widely, displaying a maximum inclination of 27o.
As with so much in space (and on Earth), the appearance of Saturn’s rings from Earth is cyclical. In the year 2025, the rings will appear edge-on as seen from Earth. After that, we’ll begin to see the south side of Saturn’s rings, to increase to a maximum inclination of 27o by May 2032.
Tom Wildoner over-exposed Saturn itself to capture this view of Saturn’s moons on June 25, 2016. Visit Tom at LeisurelyScientist.com.
Contrasting the size of Saturn and its rings with our planet Earth via Hubble Heritage Team.
Watch for the moon to be in Jupiter’s vicinity for several mornings, centered on November 26. Read more.
Bright Jupiter is prominent before dawn. Jupiter returned to the east before dawn last month (October). With Jupiter rising earlier and earlier each day before sunrise, Jupiter’s increasing prominence as the “morning star” will be hard to overlook.
Want to see Jupiter? Just look eastward before sunrise. It’ll be the brightest starlike object shining there … very beautiful!
From mid-northern latitudes, like those in the U.S. and Europe, Jupiter rises a solid two hours before the sun in early November and four hours before sunrise by the month’s end.
From mid-southern latitudes (Australia), look for Jupiter to rise about one and one-half hours before the sun in early November and about three hours before sunrise by the end of the month.
By the way, Jupiter shines in front of the constellation Virgo, near Virgo’s brightest star, Spica. Jupiter serves a great reference for learning the constellations of the zodiac, because Jupiter stays in each constellation for roughly a year. So use Jupiter to become familiar with the star Spica and the constellation Virgo, starting now, and throughout 2017.
Watch for the waning crescent moon to join up with Jupiter for several days, centered on or near November 25.
If you have binoculars or a telescope, it’s fairly easy to see Jupiter’s four major moons, which look like pinpricks of light on or near the same plane. They are often called the Galilean moons to honor Galileo, who discovered these great Jovian moons in 1610. In their order from Jupiter, these moons are Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto.
Jupiter and its four major moons via Jan Sandberg
These moons circle Jupiter around the Jovian equator. In cycles of six years, we view Jupiter’s equator edge-on. So, in 2015, we got to view a number of mutual events involving Jupiter’s moons through a high-powered telescope. Click here or here or here for more details.
Although Jupiter’s axial tilt is only 3o out of perpendicular relative to the ecliptic (Earth’s orbital plane), Jupiter’s axis will tilt enough toward the sun and Earth so that the farthest of these four moons, Callisto, will NOT pass in front of Jupiter or behind Jupiter for a period of about three years, starting in late 2016. During this approximate 3-year period, Callisto will remain “perpetually” visible, alternately swinging “above” and “below” Jupiter.
Click here for a Jupiter’s moons almanac, courtesy of Sky & Telescope.
You might need binoculars to spot the young moon and Mercury after sunset on November 30. Read more.
Mercury in bright evening twilight in late November. Mercury transitioned from the morning to the evening sky on October 27, 2016. So the solar system’s innermost planet hides in the glare of evening twilight virtually all month long, especially at northerly latitudes. It will be a real challenge to catch the conjunction of Saturn and Mercury on November 23. Both of these worlds sit low in the southwest at sunset and follow the sun beneath the horizon shortly thereafter.
Next month, in December, Mercury will become much easier to view in the evening sky from both the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere.
Possibly, you can catch the thin waxing crescent moon near Mercury after sunset November 30.
Click here for recommended almanacs; they can give you Mercury’s setting time in your sky.
What do we mean by bright planet? By bright planet, we mean any solar system planet that is easily visible without an optical aid and that has been watched by our ancestors since time immemorial. In their outward order from the sun, the five bright planets are Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. These planets actually do appear bright in our sky. They are typically as bright as – or brighter than – the brightest stars. Plus, these relatively nearby worlds tend to shine with a steadier light than the distant, twinkling stars. You can spot them, and come to know them as faithful friends, if you try.
From late January, and through mid-February, 5 bright planets were visible at once in the predawn sky. This image is from February 8, 2016. It’s by Eliot Herman in Tucson, Arizona. View on Flickr.
Bottom line: In early November 2016, three of the five bright planets appear in the evening sky at nightfall: Venus, Saturn and Mars. Jupiter reigns the sole morning planet. Saturn pairs up with Mercury after sunset Mercury on November 23.
Easily locate stars and constellations with EarthSky’s planisphere.
Don’t miss anything. Subscribe to EarthSky News by email
from EarthSky http://ift.tt/IJfHCr
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