November 2018 Sky Calendar
Oct 31, 2018 1:28:43 GMT
Post by Joe on Oct 31, 2018 1:28:43 GMT
CVAS Monthly Sky Calendar for November 2018
Mercury – Mercury starts the month very low on south-western evening horizon this month. To start it is up for less than 1 hour after sunset and only 8° high at sunset. As this the month goes on this decreases as Mercury approaches Inferior conjunction with the Sun on the 27th and will be too close to the Sun to see the last part of the month. At the start the month its phase will be at 73%, with a size of 6.0 arc-seconds and a magnitude of -0.2. By the 20th of this month the phase will decrease to 18%, it size goes up to from 9.1 arc-seconds and it magnitude down to 1.3.
Jupiter – Jupiter also starts the month very low on the south-western evening horizon as it approaches conjunction with the Sun on the 26th of this month. It might be possible to see to start the month when it is up for about 1 hour after sunset, but probably will not be visible the last part of the month. During the month the size goes from 31.3 to 31.0 arc-seconds with a magnitude around -1.75.
Saturn- Saturn can be found this month in the south-western evening skies after sunset this month. It is up for 3 to 2 hours after sunset for the month. The size of Saturn itself goes from 15.6 arc-seconds to 15.2 arc-seconds with a magnitude around 0.55 for the month. Saturn rings are 35 arc-seconds in size with a tilt of over 26 degrees to our line of site for this month.
Mars – As the Earth continues to move away from Mars it is getting smaller and will be more difficult to see details on it. It is best to try to view in when it highest up in the southern skies which is about an hour after sunset. It is still up for about 7 hours after sunset for the month. It is size during the month goes from 11.9 and 9.3 arc-seconds with it dimming as the goes on with its magnitude decreasing during the month going from -0.6 to -0.1.
Neptune – Neptune can be found in south-eastern/southern skies this month after the evening twilight is over. It is still up for a good part of the night with up for 9 to 7 ½ hours after sunset for the whole month. During the month its size will be around 2.3 arc-seconds with a magnitude of around 7.9.
Uranus – With Uranus just past opposition this is still a very good month to try to view it. It is up most of the night with it being up for 13 hours after sunset at the start of the month and over 11 hours by month’s end. It is best viewed highest up in the southern skies, to start the month this will be starting around 11PM, by months, by month this will be around 9PM. During the month, its magnitude will about 5.7 with a diameter of 3.7 arc-seconds.
Venus – With Venus just coming out of inferior conjunction at end of last month, it is very low on the south-eastern horizon shortly before sunrise to start the month. But during the month it quickly rises up before sunset, going from being up for just 30 minutes after sunset to being up for over 3 hours before sunrise by month’s end, and with it being 31° high before sunrise at months end. During the month it phase will go from 2% to 25%, it size from 60.6 arc-seconds down to 41.2 arc-seconds, and with it magnitude going from -4.2 to -4.9 for the month.
Comet 46P/Wirtanen –Most are predicting this comet will brighten enough to become visible in binoculars and there is chance it might even become visible to the naked-eye later this month. Right now it is low in the sky in the constellation Fornax, but is moving “north” and late in the month it will move into Cetus, then Eridanus in near the beginning of December.
The November Sky&Telescope has a finder chart and various places on the web do as well, such as in-the-sky.org/data/comets.php