Astrophiz182: November-December SkyGuide

Moon Phases: November 5 - the Last Quarter Moon is Sunday, good time for evening skygazing. November 7 - The Moon is at apogee, when it is furthest from the Earth November 13 - New Moon, good time for skygazing the entire night. November 14 - The very thin ‘day old’ moon is near Mercury in the west just after sunset. A genuine challenge to catch this. November 20 - First Quarter Moon, great binocular moon gazing time, with Saturn nearby. November 22 - The Moon is at perigee, when it is closest from the Earth. November 25 - Jupiter is only 2 degrees away from the waxing moon. November 27 - Full Moon. Evening Sky: Saturn is nice and high in evening skies and always a joy to observe in the north. On 23 November, Saturn casts its deepest shadow over its rings …. well worth a look, or a photo. Jupiter is bright all night long all the month, and on November 2 - Opposition of Jupiter, Mercury returns to evening skies from mid-month onwards, and easily visible in the west towards the end of the month. Morning Sky: Venus is high and highly visible, and on the 10th, just 4 degrees from the crescent moon. As the month progresses Venus approached the bright star Spica. Stars to watch out for: Scorpius begins to sink below the western horizon. Orion, Canis Major, Carina, Puppis and Vela are beginning to rise in the east, but quite visible by the end of the month, and even easier to see in December. It’s a great time to also observe the Magellanic Clouds and the double stars in Tucanae, and the beautiful Tarantula Nebula. December:: Dec 22 - Earth is at Solstice Geminids Meteor Shower - combining with the New Moon, the Geminids will be very nice this year, peaking on Dec 14, but in Australia, best on the morning of Dec 15th, with a show of about 60 meteors/hour expected in Northern Australia, and about 30/hr in the south, depending on the darkness of your sky, from about 1am onwards. Expect to see some very bright ones. Ian’s Tangent: Hand-held ‘pocket portable’ sundials