The great square of the constellation Pegasus dominates the evening sky in the South. Followed by the constellations Perseus, Auriga, Taurus, Orion and Gemini; all before midnight. If you fancy some sky gazing after midnight you will see as well the constellation Leo.
The morning planets, Venus, Jupiter and Mars are still stealing the show in the early morning before Sunrise. The planets Uranus and Neptune are visible in the evening sky in the South. You will need binoculars to see. The planet Mercury is too close to the Sun and so is more or less the planet Saturn. The planet with the ring is low in the West and getting closer to the Sun. After New Moon, look for the crescent Moon in the early evenings. Worth a watch and merely when the Earthshine is visible. Send in your pictures!
Wednesday 11 November
Remembrance Day today. At 11 am we have a 2 minute silence.
A bright Iridium flare appears at 5.15 pm in the West North West at about 17° in the constellation of Bootes. Iridium flares are satellites in the sky which suddenly flashes up in the position given. Worth to watch!
It is New Moon today at 5.47 pm. Ideal to observe the dark skies while there is no Moon disturbing with light. At least when it is a clear sky!
After midnight, at 2.52 am the Great Red Spot transits the disc of Jupiter. Jupiter is at altitude 12°. You will need a small telescope or binoculars to watch the phenomenon on Jupiter.
The International Space Station, called ISS, appears at 3.57 am in the East South East at 10° and disappears already after 3 minutes at 4 am in the East.
At 4.17 am a rather bright Iridium flare appears in the North at 9° in the constellation Lyra.
The Jupiter Moon Io's shadow begins to cross the Jupiter planet at 5.18 am.
ISS appears once more at 5.29 am in the South West at 27°. Culmination or highest point is at 5.31 am in the South South East at 44° and disappears at 5.36 am in the East.
The Jupiter Moon Io transit begins at 6.24 am.
At 6.25 am a rather bright Iridium flare appears in the North at altitude 57° in the constellation Camelopardalis.
After another orbit of about 90 minutes, the International Space Station appears at 7.02 am in the West. Culmination at 7.07 am in the South at 69°. ISS disappears at 7.12 am in the East. Good night ... Well … the Sun rises at 7.24 am!
Thursday 12 November
Today in 1547 there was an extremely wide path of an annular solar eclipse. The path nearly covered the whole of Great Britain. It is the 20th anniversary of the STS-74 lunch, which was the Space Shuttle Atlantis with the Russian Mir Space Station in 1995.
The Lunar Crescent is visible at 4.40 pm. At least if you look carefully or use a binocular. It is only 23 hours after New Moon. The distance to the Sun is only 11° and the Moon is 1% illuminated. Altitude of the Moon is then 3° and the altitude of the Sun is -4° below the horizon. The Moon sets at 5.10 pm and 53 minutes after the Sun.
An Iridium flare appears at 5 pm in the West North West at an altitude of 20° in the constellation of Bootes.
If you use a small telescope of binocular you will see the Jupiter Moon Io eclipsing after midnight at 2.26 am. Jupiter is then 9° high above the horizon.
ISS appears at 4.39 am in the South East at 28° and disappears already at 4.43 am in the East. ISS passes Jupiter with only about a lunar diameter. Will be a nice picture!
The Jupiter Moon Callisto is eclipsed at 5.31 am and the Jupiter Moon Io ends its eclipse at 5.49 am.
Friday 13 November
It is Friday the 13th! Be aware ....
Today in 1855 a proposal for a tunnel under the English Channel was reported in the New York Daily Times, which, according to French engineer Favre, would in five years connect Boulogne to Dover.
An Iridium flare appears at 4.36 pm in the South West and at 12° high in the constellation Ophiuchus. Another flare appears a few minutes later at 4.40 pm in the South West at nearly the same position at 11° in the constellation Ophiuchus.
The lunar crescent is visible 47 hours after New Moon at nearly 5 pm. The Moon is only 22° from the Sun and 4% illuminated. The Moon sets at 5.49 pm 93 minutes after the Sun.
Get your telescope out, or use a binocular to see the Jupiter Moon Io transiting the planet after midnight at 3.09 am. The Great Red Spot on Jupiter will transit at 4.31 am.
ISS time now …. First pass appears at 3.48 am in the East and it disappears already at 3.50 am in the Eastern Horizon. After one orbit, of about 90 minutes, ISS appears again at 5.20 am in the South South West at an altitude of 50°. Culmination at 5.21 am in the South at 59°. ISS disappears at 5.26 am in the East. One more orbit of 90 minutes and ISS appears again at 6.53 am in the West. A very bright culmination at 6.57 am in the South at 63° and ISS disappears at 7.03 am in the East South East. You can go to bed now …
Saturday 14 November
Today in 1922 the BBC officially opened and began its daily domestic radio service broadcasting with the news read by Arthur Burrows from London.
Iridium flares in the early evening. One at 4.39 pm at 23° high in the constellation Bootes. The second flare is at 4.43 pm at 9° in the constellation Ophiuchus and another brighter flare at 5.32 pm at 37° in the constellation Aquarius.
The Moon is in maximum libration South at 10.48 pm. The South Pole of the Moon is tipped into the Earth's view.
ISS appears after midnight for a short time at 4.30 am in the East at 24°, disappearing already at 4.33 am in the East.
The Jupiter Moon Europa begins it shadow over the planet at 5.44 am. Use a telescope or binocular.
Another ISS pass at 6.02 am in the West, culmination in the South at 6.04 am at 69° altitude and ISS disappears at 6.10 am in the East.
Sunday 15 November
Today in 1744 Gowan Knight presented his research on magnetizing metals to the Royal Society. The method he discovered for permanently magnetizing hard steels. The use of steel instead of soft iron greatly improved the otherwise crude compass needles used by the Royal Navy, which then had a much longer magnetized life. Knight took out a patent for his compass in 1766. He devised better ways to suspend compass needles, and introduced the rhomboid shape now common for compass needles. If Knight would know, we now all use GPS via smart phones ...
At 11.25 am the Moon is in maximum libration. Look for the Earthshine on the Moon from around 5 pm onwards.
The comet Catalina is at perihelion at 5.20 pm. The distance to the Sun is 0.823 AU and the distance to the Earth is 1.746 AU. One AU, Astronomical Unit, is the distance Earth to the Sun or approx. 150 million km or 93 million miles. The comet is visible with binoculars, but who knows as well with the naked eye. Look for the comet just before Sunrise.
The November meteor shower, called Iota-Aurigids is best seen from 5.30 am to 6.20 am. The local hour rate is expect to be 4 and the velocity is called medium at 35.8km/s.
Get your telescope of binocular out and watch Jupiter. At 3.56 am the Jupiter Moon Ganymede ends it shadow over the planet and at 5.03 am the same Jupiter Moon begins its transit. The Great Red Spot transits Jupiter at 6.09 am.
Time for the International Space Station (ISS). First appearance is at 5.11 am in the South South East at 68°. But disappears already after 5 minutes at 5.16 am in the East. After one orbit of 90 minutes, ISS appears at 6.44 am in the West. Culmination 6.47 am at 48° altitude in the South South West and disappears in the East at 6.53 am. ISS will be close to the bright star Regulus at 6.47 am with less than 2 lunar diameters away and close to the planet Jupiter with just over 2 lunar diameters away. Will be nice the take pictures or a short footage.
Monday 16 November
The Moon is in maximum libration West at 12.10 pm. The Crater Grimaldi is tipped into the Earth's view.
The meteor shower Iota-Aurigids is at its maximum at 1 pm with a local hour rate of 8. Not visible in day time of course. The velocity 35.8km/s and called a medium speed for meteors. The stream is active from 1 to 23 November. Look later in the evening!
At 5.15 pm the Moon is close to the star Rho1 Sgr. The limb separation is less than 2° or less than 4 lunar diameters. The Moon altitude is 17° and the Moon phase is 24%. Look for the Earthshine!
After midnight ISS appears for a short while at 4.20 am in the East at 18° and disappears already at 4.23 am in the East.
The Jupiter Moon Io is the most East from the planet, called Eastern elongation at 4.20 am.
ISS appears again after one orbit at 5.53 am in the West at 28°. Culmination is at 5.54 am in the South at 60° and disappears at 6 am in the East South East.
The Jupiter Moon Europa reappears from its occultation at 5.59 am.
Look in the very morning, until before Sunrise for the meteor shower called Leonids. They are best seen from 10 pm to 6.20 am. The local hour rate is 7 and the velocity is known to be slow or 22.9km/s.
Tuesday 17 November
Today is the 40th anniversary of Soyuz 20 launch, which carried tortoises in 1975.
The planet Mercury is in superior conjunction at 2.55 pm. The little planet is only 15' or about half of a Moon diameter separated from the Sun and of course not visible.
The Moon is close to the star Dabih at 5.15 pm. The limb separation just over 1° or less than 3 lunar diameters. The Moon altitude is 22° and the Moon phase is 33%. Look as well for the Earthshine around 5.30 pm
Jupiter Moon Ganymede is in Western elongation at 1.32 am. At 1.33 am the Jupiter Moon Io is as well in Western elongation – so both are the farthest away from Jupiter or the most West position away from the planet. Use your telescope of binocular.
The bright planet Venus is close to the star Porrima at 2.25 am. They are only 1° separated. At 2.29 am Venus is close to the star g29 Virginis. The separation is as well only 1°. Look in the morning!
It is maximum of the meteor shower Leonids at 4 am. The local hour rate is 8. The velocity is 23km/s and is considered as very slow. The stream is active from 10 to 23 November.
ISS appears at 5.02 am in the East South East at 50° and disappears already at 5.06 am in the East. After one orbit ISS appears again at 6.34 am in the West. ISS passes the bright star Betelgeuse and the bright star Procyon at about 6.36 am. Culmination is at 6.37 am in the South South West at 34° and ISS disappears at 6.42 am in the South East.
Wednesday 18 November
Today in 1477 the English printer William Caxton produced the first book printed.
The planet Neptune is stationary and is getting prograde. Look in the evening skies in the South.
An Iridium flare appeared at 5.17 pm in the South at an altitude of 33° in the constellation of Aquila. Iridium flares are satellites which light up quite brightly for only a few seconds. So watch in the right direction and position with the naked eye.
The darker side of the Moon, called Earthshine is visible at about 5.30 pm.
Get your telescope or take your binocular and watch the giant planet Jupiter. The Great Red Spot is in transit at 3.40 am.
The International Space Station, called ISS appears after midnight at 4.11 am in the East at an altitude of 13° and disappears already after 3 minutes at 4.13 am in the East. After one orbit, which is about 90 minutes, ISS appears again at 5.44 am in the West South West at 35°. Culmination is at 5.44 am in the South South West at 46°. ISS disappears at 5.50 am in the East South East.
The meteor shower called Leonids is best seen from 10.30 pm to 6.20 am. The local hour rate is expected to be 6 to 7. These meteors are rather slow with a velocity of about 22.9km/s. Get into your deckchair, hammock, or hot tub and watch the shooting stars! Select a dark spot somewhere though!
It is First Quarter Moon at 6.27 am. This is the 2nd biggest First Quarter Moon of the year. The former larger First Quarter Moon was on 28 December 2014. The next larger First Quarter Moon is on 18 December 2015.
Get in touch with me via www.patrickpoitevin.weebly.com if you need more information.