The Night Sky of November

My dad has always been fascinated by the stars. I can remember, growing up, when my dad would say, "Come outside with me." We'd lie in the grass and stare up into the heavens, while my dad pointed out the constellations and any planets that he could see. I found myself being just as fascinated by them as my dad was, a love that I still carry with me today. It's no surprise then, that I pore over interesting articles about anything celestial, and try to keep up-to-date with any sky events that might be happening. I thought it would be fun, then, to share some of them with you.

I'm sure some of you, if not most of you, have heard about the Supermoon that will occur this month, but do you know when it's happening? It turns out that this month's Supermoon is only one of a few cool things that we'll get to see in the night sky this month. Here, then, is a list of some of the things that you will be able to see and when. I've included relevant links within the list that will give you more details about the sky events, how to watch them, and any other pertinent info.

1. Saturday, November 5th (tonight!): A crescent moon, one of the lunar phases, has graced our skies this month, and tonight you will be able to see it in close proximity to the planet Mars. 

2. Friday, November 11th: The Taurid Meteor Shower will be on display until the following morning. The shower will reach it's pinnacle at about 5 a.m. Saturday morning, but one can expect to see several shooting stars per hour.

3. Sunday, November 13th - Monday, November 14th: I see a Supermoon a-risin'! After sunset, gaze upon the largest Supermoon, and closet one to Earth, since 1948. Cool, huh? You won't want to miss this one. 

4. Tuesday, November 15th: The Bull's Eye. The crescent moon will be parked near the eye of the constellation, Taurus. The eye of Taurus is actually Aldebaran, a red giant star. 

5. Wednesday, November 16th: Not to be outdone by the Taurid Meteor Shower, the Leonid Meteor Shower will be on display. Late night, into early morning, keep an eye out for the apex of this meteor shower, and see many shooting stars.

6. Monday, November 21st: The Lion's Heart will be visible in the early morning hours. Look towards the southeast for a view of the crescent moon as it situates itself next to the constellation Leo's heart. Leo's heart is the star Regulus. 

7. Friday, November 25th: The Moon and Jupiter. About an hour before sunrise, look southeast (again) to see the crescent moon dangling below Jupiter. They will only be two degrees apart, so should be particularly amazing to see! 

There are other sky events to be witnessed this month, so click on this link at space.com for more information. It's not reasonable, I understand, to see everything that the skies have in store for us this month, but I hope that you'll catch one or two. As for myself, I wouldn't miss that Supermoon or those meteor showers for nothing! 

Have a fantastic weekend, 

H.A.