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NOVEMBER 2017 SKY EVENTS CALENDAR

The ASO Monthly Calendar of Events and Astronomical Data
Calendar is based on the "Space Calendar" data presented by the
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/calendar/ and the Arkansas Sky Observatories  www.arksky.org Team.
If you would like for us to include your star parties or events, please send details via the CONTACT US button on the home page of ASO.


The Planets for November:
--------------------------------
A VERY poor November for viewing the major planets, with virtually all "wow" planets being in either daylight sky or in strong twilight at dusk or dawn; only the distant planets Uranus, Neptune and Pluto are visible all month in dark skies. 

Mercury - Mercury is very close to the sun all month,  it will not be observable except possibly at its greatest eastern elongation (evening skies) around the 24th  - in SAGITTARIUS

Venus - our brightest planet will be finally moving  out of morning  skies, visible only a very short while during strong twilight right before sunrise; look for the planet very low on the SE horizon at mid-month, but moving rapidly eastward throughout the month and evenutally being saturated with morning twilight.  Not a good month for this planet - in VIRGO.

Mars - Now just WEST of much brighter VENUS and Jupiter, rising about 2 hours before the two brightest planes and not showing much motion against the stars every successivle night; by late month, the planet will be in close proximity to both bright yellow JUPITER and brilliant white SPICA by the end of the month.  Telescopically Mars is very disappointing, at only 5 arc seconds across - in VIRGO

Jupiter - Now rising in the EAST about 5:30 a.m. local time....it will be high enough for telescopic observations by dawn - in VIRGO

Saturn - Very low in western skies at dark and setting quickly after evening twilight disappears, about 7:30 p.m. local time. - in OPHIUCHUS

Uranus - distant planet Uranus is overhead about 10:30 p.m.. local time and is south of overhead by the time the evening sky is dark,  It shines at magnitude 5.9, bright enough to spot in good binoculars if one knows where to look; use a good planetarium sky program or GO TO telescope to locate this distant world; by sunrise it is high in dark skies and will show a faint, blue disk in large telescopes - PISCES

Neptune - Mars is small, but Neptune is about only 1/3 the apparenent diameter this month - look for faint Neptune in large telescopes at midmonth south of overhead about 8 p.m. local time.(mag. 7.6). - in AQUARIUS

Pluto - at magnitude 14.3, our most distant planet (yes....it is a planet) is very low in southwest skies and setting about the time evening twilight darkens; interestingly, it is exactly half way between bright VENUS and reddish MARS.   - in SAGITTARIUS

NOTE:  for locating all of the faint planets I highly recommend a good computer planetarium program or a suitable Sky APP for your smart devices!

Comet Possiblities for November:
There are dozens of observable comets visible every month, in every part of the sky. 
For November 2017 there are NO bright comets, even for modest telescopes, visible.  However that can always change quickly, so check the "Alerts" section of ASO often. 

ONE EXCEPTION may be comet c/2017 O1 ASASSN, which has put on quite a show the past two months, attaining a magnitude easily visible in binoculars.  Currently (mid-month) this comet is high in northern skies in the constellation of CEPHEUS and highest overhead in late evening, but visible throughout the night as a circumpolar object.  For telescopes with DSLR or CCD sensors, this is a great target with a very large green coma and short tail.  It will be traveling rather rapidly through the hours northward and slightly west.

A moderate-sized telescope and CCD camera can easily record comets down to magnitude 18, of which there will be a good selection every night, provided that you know WHERE in the sky they are.  Thus a good PC planetarium program with your GO TO telescope or to plot visually is essential.  The comets can be updated in yor programs daily by downloading the current data into your database from the Minor Planet Center (MPC) via the link:
http://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/Ephemerides/SoftwareEls.html
This will allow access to all visible comets for any given date.

In addition, a listing of "Observable Comets" is availale from MPC from the link:  http://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/lists/LastCometObs.html
In the case of a new and exciting/bright comet that may unexpected enter our skies, ALWAYS refer to the ALERTS link on the ASO Home Page.

For the latest observations, magnitudes and physical characteristics of most of the best comets, always look to the ASO Comet Database for accurate information:
  http://arksky.org/comet-data

METEOR SHOWERS for November  2017:

The crisp and cool (sometimes COLD!) night skies of November give way to some of the deepest penetration of earth-based eyes into space, affording thousands of normally not seen stars to glimmer into view; along with this comes a dramatic increase in the visibility of swift and faint meteors that will grace deep Autumn skies; the nights can cool remarkably clear, resulting in some long glances and time spent among the cosmos.  Most of the meteor showers for November are modest, minor streams with few meteors but there are a few great showers each year that peak in November, among them the famous LEONID meteors which may put on a moderately good show on the evening of November 18 and into the morning hours of Nov. 19. 

In addition,  there are MANY other meteor showers which grace our crisp fall nights, some of which are mysterious, some which seem to be vanished from space and others that need observations at every opportunity!

November 5  - TAURID meteors - A poor year for this normally exciting meteor shower, since the moon will be nearly full in in the sky throughout most of the night.   A very long duration (November 5 -12) meteor shower, that now is defined as having TWO peaks, both seemingly coming from the same radiant at about RA 03h 32m / DEC +22 degrees very close to the Pleiades star cluster; this double clumping is perhaps due to two distinct breakups of the famous Comet Encke at two different times and thus one cloud of debris trails the other by a week.  Look for the "southern Taurid" meteors to be coming from a point somewhat south and earlier (Nov. 5) than the "northern" Taurids which will peak about one week later, at about Nov. 12.  For the peak on Nov. 5, the nearly full moon will interefere with sighting of  the faintest of these meteors (about 10 per hour and increasingly slightly after midnight);  the later dates for this meteor shower will see slightly more moonlight and thus fewer fainter meteors during its Nov. 5-12th span.  Note that this shower is well known for producing spectacular fireballs throughout the night and the display can last for many weeks on either side of Nov. 5.

November 9  - CEPHEID meteors - Coming from the constellation of Cepheus, high in northern skies and nearly circumpolar (neither rising nor setting but describing a tight circle around the north celestial pole throughout the night), the Cepheids will peak at a fair time this year, with the last quarter moon will be rising about midnight when the radiant of the Cepheids will be northwest of overhead.  This is a new meteor shower, discovered only in 1969 and needing observations badly.  The year of its discovery over 50 meteors in a 15-minute period were recorded!  So expect to see at least 18 per hour, but only under darkest sky conditions.

November 12 - PEGASID meteors - Like the Cepheids, this radiant is nearly overhead in very early evening for Northern observers in the Americas.  A remnant of an otherwise nearly-forgotten Comet Banplain of 1819, this shower still produces perhaps a dozen or so meteors on a good year....the meteors can be seen as early as late October and continuing until early December.  Look for the radiant at about RA 22h 54m / DEC +10 in the winged horse Pegasus.  This year the moon is absent from the sky and thus will not interfere with sightings of most meteors; normally it is best to observe this meteor shower after about 10 p.m. when the radiant will have moved into western skies.

November 14 - ANDROMEDID meteors - Like the Pegasid meteors, no moonlight will hamper observations of this shower this year;  these meteors can be spectacular fireball meteors, leaving very glowing and distinctly reddish trains in their wakes.  They are debris left from another famous comet, Comet Biela which split into two separate objects in 1845; shortly later, in 1885 the Andromedids put on a fireworks show with over 13,000 per hour seen, most spectacular fireballs.  However shortly after the cloud passed uncomfortably close to mighty Jupiter and since only a very sparse number per hour have been seen.  Nonetheless, like most meteor showers, any year can bring a totally different view of the remnant cloud.  Many of these meteor are so large that they have reached the ground as meteorites.  Shower begins as early as August 31 and lasts until December.  Radiant center is at RA 01h 40m / DEC +44 degrees, not too far from the famous Andromeda galaxy.  Try to observe this shower throughout the evening from perhaps 10 p.m. until about 1-2 a.m. local time and concentrate on the very beautiful fireballs that this shower is famous for.

November 17-18 - LEONID meteors -  An excellent year for the normally dependable Leonids:  the moon will new and out of the sky all night.  Although the Earth is somewhat posed out of the main clumps of cometary material from Comet 55P/Tuttle, the parent object of this debris, there is always a chance of an encounter with a secondary pocket of debris during any year.  Most meteor scientists are expecting the peak for this year to be slightly before MIDNIGHT on November 17 and perhaps extending into the early morning hours when the radiant will be high in the eastern sky.    In many years hundreds or even thousands of meteors might be seen. This year is predicted to be perhaps a very poor showing in terms of recent years as the Earth passes near the thick debris cloud that produced the famous 1466 meteor "rainstorm" that was recorded over all of Europe.  Meteor forecasters are calling for somewhat of a "strong year" in 2017 with many of the brighter members being seen as well as the many faint meteors on a clear, dark autumn night. 
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SKY EVENTS AND HAPPENINGS FOR NOVEMBER 2017

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Clearest of skies and the brightest of comets....
Doc Clay
Arkansas Sky Observatories

Details
Category: Calendar
Hits: 634

OCTOBER 2017 SKY EVENTS CALENDAR

The ASO Monthly Calendar of Events and Astronomical Data
Calendar is based on the "Space Calendar" data presented by the
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/calendar/ and the Arkansas Sky Observatories  www.arksky.org Team.
If you would like for us to include your star parties or events, please send details via the CONTACT US button on the home page of ASO.


The Planets for October:
--------------------------------
A VERY poor October for viewing the major planets, with virtually all "wow" planets being in either daylight sky or in strong twilight at dusk or dawn; only the distant planets Uranus, Neptune and Pluto are visible all month in dark skies.

Mercury - Mercury is very close to the sun all month, starting October just east of the sun in the morning sky, and after Oct. 10, looming quite low to the western horizon in the evening sky embedded in bright dusk and solar glare  - in VIRGO

Venus - Venus and Mars are in very close conjunction in pre-daylight, bright dawn, skies on October 5; each successive morning, Venus will very slowly climb higher in the morning sky, while tiny reddish Mars will be hidden in solar glare.  This conjunction is likely too embedded in solar glare to be seen. - in LEO

Mars - See VENUS, above; look for reddish Mars to be rising barely before twilight on October 13 in dark skies, with much brighter VENUS rising only minutes later nearly due east - in LEO

Jupiter - Now rising in the EAST by mid-October, but is not favorably placed for observations - in VIRGO

Saturn - Very low in western skies at dark and setting quickly after evening twilight disappears, the ringed planet will set before 10 p.m. local time. - in OPHIUCHUS

Uranus - At opposition on Oct. 18, the distant planet Uranus is overhead about midnight local time and is setting shortly after sunrise in October;  It shines at magnitude 5.9, bright enough to spot in good binoculars if one knows where to look; use a good planetarium sky program or GO TO telescope to locate this distant world; by sunrise it is high in dark skies and will show a faint, blue disk in large telescopes - PISCES

Neptune - Very high in dark skies this month, look for faint Neptune in large telescopes at midmonth south of overhead about 10 p.m. local time.(mag. 7.6). - in AQUARIUS

Pluto - at magnitude 14.1, our most distant planet (yes....it is a planet) is very low in southern skies, in southwest about the time evening twilight darkens in the dense clouds of the Sagittarius Milky Way - only 12 inch and larger telescopes can spot this world visually.  - in SAGITTARIUS

NOTE:  for locating all of the faint planets I highly recommend a good computer planetarium program or a suitalbe Sky APP for your smart devices!

Comet Possiblities for October:
There are dozens of observable comets visible every month, in every part of the sky. 
For Octoer 2017 there are NO bright comets, even for modest telescopes, visible.  However that can always change quickly, so check the "Alerts" section of ASO often. 

However, I highly recommend that observers carefully monitor comet Schwassmann-Wachmann 29P because of sudden and erratic outburst this remarkable come has shown in recent months.

A moderate-sized telescope and CCD camera can easily record comets down to magnitude 18, of which there will be a good selection every night, provided that you know WHERE in the sky they are.  Thus a good PC planetarium program with your GO TO telescope or to plot visually is essential.  The comets can be updated in yor programs daily by downloading the current data into your database from the Minor Planet Center (MPC) via the link:
http://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/Ephemerides/SoftwareEls.html
This will allow access to all visible comets for any given date.

In addition, a listing of "Observable Comets" is availale from MPC from the link:  http://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/lists/LastCometObs.html
In the case of a new and exciting/bright comet that may unexpected enter our skies, ALWAYS refer to the ALERTS link on the ASO Home Page.

For the latest observations, magnitudes and physical characteristics of most of the best comets, always look to the ASO Comet Database for accurate information:
  http://arksky.org/comet-data

METEOR SHOWERS for October  2017:
 
Observe when the moon does not interfere and attempt to observe AFTER midnight for most meteors to be seen!  For August there is, of course, the famous PERSEID METEOR SHOWER, some of which provide for wonderful summer sky shows, provided that the light of the moon does not interfere.  However, as with a months and times during the year, observers should always be aware that new sporadic meteor showers can occur at anytime from seemingly unknown sources and radiants.  Unfortunately for 2017, the full moon occurs early in the month, which means that pretty much at least some of these showers are going to be less than impressive in terms of faint meteors.

For a full description of how to observe meteors, how to contribute and what to look for, see the ASO GUIDE at:
http://arksky.org/aso/aso-guides/aso-observational-guides/713-all-about-meteors-the-perseid-meteor-shower

The advent of cripser skies and cooler temperatures during fall months lure many skywatchers outdoors during October to view the impending autumn splendors of the Heavens.  In most of North America, it has been found that the month of OCTOBER is the "cloud-free-est" and the skies more deep clear and weather-free than any other month of the year;  the cool nighttime temperatures and waning mosquito populations (thank goodness this year!) are inviting to all of us to spend more time exploring the dark October night sky.   Fortunately October's premier meteor shower - the ORIONIDS - peak after the night of the last quarter moon and observers should work around the rising and setting times of the moon for every meteor shower for the duration of each peak.

October 7  - PISCID meteors - A very long duration (Sept 25 through Nov. 2) meteor shower, very low in southern skies; these are very slow moving meteors [only 29 kilometers per second (kps)] on the Pisces-Aries border; about 15 meteors per hour, some very nice with long trains, will be seen after midnight at which time the shower radiant will be located west of overhead.  The first nearly full moon will be present in the sky nearly all night  this year, so viewing should be poor for this shower in 2017.

October 9  - DRACONID meteors - This is a very short duration meteor shower, unlike the Draconids (above).  It lasts only from Oct. 7 through 10th, producing a very erratic number of meteors as the Earth plummets head-on into this stream.  For example, in 1933, over 30,000 meteors per hour were estimated....from the Comet Giacobini-Zinner's disintegration, the Earth passed the comet only 15 days prior in 1947, resulting in about 1,000 per hours seen in that year.  This year, the moon will be a strong gibbous in the sky and really hinder all faint meteors of this shower, so observers will have a poor opportunity for dark skies for the most meteors from this shower.  Note this "circumpolar" northern hemisphere shower to be seen at its best after midnight hours when the Earth is heading directly into the stream....at dawn it will be nearly directly overhead from mid-northern latitudes,  The actual number to expect is totally unknown, but you should be prepared for as many as 200-500 per hour during some encounters!

October 19 - EPSILON GEMINID meteors - This is a week-long meteor shower peaking like the Orionids (below) during a time highly favorable for many faint meteors to be seen early since the moon will be absent from the sky during this shower.   The shower actually begins about Oct. 1 with no particular sharp peak, so observing early in the morning on the first weeks might allow for some of the perhaps 5 per hour being seen....these are among the fastest of the meteors striking out atmosphere, traveling at about 70 kps.  The radiant rises about 10 p.m. on the 14th-15th, and will be overhead by dawn (northern hemisphere observers).  A very GOOD year to witness this meteor shower.

October 21 - ORIONID meteors - A wondenrful year for observing the famous Orionid Meteors since the moon will be a thin crescent and setting early in the night.  With its origins in the famous Halley's Comet, this meteor shower is in the high southeastern sky (northern hemisphere) during early morning hours.  The radiant, from near the "club" of ORION, the hunter, rises about 9:30 p.m. local time and will be south of overhead about 5 a.m. when morning dawn commences.  Normally as many as 30-40 very faint and very fast yellowish meteors per hour can be seen from this group, traveling at actual speeds when they collide with the Earth of nearly 67 kilometers per second.  This will be a exceptionally good year for early observers for this dependable meteor shower,  Both bright and faint meteors should be seen this year, visible from this spectacular and historic meteor shower.  However, there ARE many associated bright meteors from this shower, so heads up!
-------------------------

SKY EVENTS AND HAPPENINGS FOR OCTOBER 2017

Details
Category: Calendar
Hits: 1118

OCTOBER 2016 SKY EVENTS CALENDAR

The ASO Monthly Calendar of Events and Astronomical Data
Calendar is based on the "Space Calendar" data presented by the
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/calendar/ and the Arkansas Sky Observatories  www.arksky.org Team.
If you would like for us to include your star parties or events, please send details via the CONTACT US button on the home page of ASO.

The Planets for October:
--------------------------------
A VERY poor October for viewing the major planets, with virtually all "wow" planets being in either daylight sky or in strong twilight at dusk or dawn; only the distant planets Uranus, Neptune and Pluto are visible all month in dark skies.

Mercury - Mercury is very close to the sun all month, starting October in very bright twilight of evening, then moving rapidly eastward  to enter the early morning twilight by month's end but in such bright sky that it will not be observable  - in LIBRA

Venus - our brightest planet will be finally moving into evening skies, visible only a very short while during strong twilight right after sunset; look for the planet low on the SE horizon at mid-month, but moving rapidly eastward throughout the month and evenutally overtaking much dimmer SATURN on Oct. 28-29, at that time much higher in darker skies, but still very low in the SE sky. - moves rapidly from VIRGO into the head of SCORPIUS

Mars - Now just east of slightly dimmer SATURN and slowly moving eastward to increase that distance every successive night in October; by late month, the planet will be in eveing dusk, setting about 10 p.m. local time.  Compare the ruddy red color of Mars with the yellow of Saturn - in SCORPIUS/Ophiuchus

Jupiter - Now rising in the EAST only minutes before twilight - in VIRGO

Saturn - Very low in western skies at dark and setting quickly after evening twilight disappears. - in SCORPIUS

Uranus - distant planet Uranus is overhead about 1:30 a.m. local time and is south of overhead by the time the evening sky is dark,  It shines at magnitude 5.9, bright enough to spot in good binoculars if one knows where to look; use a good planetarium sky program or GO TO telescope to locate this distant world; by sunrise it is high in dark skies and will show a faint, blue disk in large telescopes - PISCES

Neptune - At OPPOSITION on last month - look for faint Neptune in large telescopes at midmonth south of overhead about 10 p.m. local time.(mag. 7.6). - in AQUARIUS

Pluto - at magnitude 14.1, our most distant planet (yes....it is a planet) is very low in southern skies, in southwest about the time evening twilight darkens; note that on Oct. 8, Pluto will be just "under" (south of) the first quarter moon and just east of ruddy red and bright Mars in the dense clouds of the Sagittarius Milky Way - only 12 inch and larger telescopes can spot this world visually.  - in SAGITTARIUS

NOTE:  for locating all of the faint planets I highly recommend a good computer planetarium program or a suitalbe Sky APP for your smart devices!

Comet Possiblities for October:
There are dozens of observable comets visible every month, in every part of the sky. 
For Octoer 2016 there are NO bright comets, even for modest telescopes, visible.  However that can always change quickly, so check the "Alerts" section of ASO often. 

A moderate-sized telescope and CCD camera can easily record comets down to magnitude 18, of which there will be a good selection every night, provided that you know WHERE in the sky they are.  Thus a good PC planetarium program with your GO TO telescope or to plot visually is essential.  The comets can be updated in yor programs daily by downloading the current data into your database from the Minor Planet Center (MPC) via the link:
http://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/Ephemerides/SoftwareEls.html
This will allow access to all visible comets for any given date.

In addition, a listing of "Observable Comets" is availale from MPC from the link:  http://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/lists/LastCometObs.html
In the case of a new and exciting/bright comet that may unexpected enter our skies, ALWAYS refer to the ALERTS link on the ASO Home Page.

For the latest observations, magnitudes and physical characteristics of most of the best comets, always look to the ASO Comet Database for accurate information:
  http://arksky.org/comet-data

METEOR SHOWERS for October  2016:
 
Observe when the moon does not interfere and attempt to observe AFTER midnight for most meteors to be seen!  For August there is, of course, the famous PERSEID METEOR SHOWER, some of which provide for wonderful summer sky shows, provided that the light of the moon does not interfere.  However, as with a months and times during the year, observers should always be aware that new sporadic meteor showers can occur at anytime from seemingly unknown sources and radiants.  Unfortunately for 2016, the full moon occurs at midmonth, which means that pretty much at least some of these showers are going to be less than impressive in terms of faint meteors.

For a full description of how to observe meteors, how to contribute and what to look for, see the ASO GUIDE at:
http://arksky.org/aso/aso-guides/aso-observational-guides/713-all-about-meteors-the-perseid-meteor-shower

The advent of cripser skies and cooler temperatures during fall months lure many skywatchers outdoors during October to view the impending autumn splendors of the Heavens.  In most of North America, it has been found that the month of OCTOBER is the "cloud-free-est" and the skies more deep clear and weather-free than any other month of the year;  the cool nighttime temperatures and waning mosquito populations (thank goodness this year!) are inviting to all of us to spend more time exploring the dark October night sky.   Fortunately October's premier meteor shower - the ORIONIDS - peak after the night of the last quarter moon and observers should work around the rising and setting times of the moon for every meteor shower for the duration of each peak.

October 7  - PISCID meteors - A very long duration (Sept 25 through Nov. 2) meteor shower, very low in southern skies; these are very slow moving meteors [only 29 kilometers per second (kps)] on the Pisces-Aries border; about 15 meteors per hour, some very nice with long trains, will be seen after midnight at which time the shower radiant will be located west of overhead.  The first quarter moon will be present in the sky until after midnight  this year, so viewing should be very fair for this shower in 2016, but better for those who observe later in the evening after the bright moon sets.

October 9  - DRACONID meteors - This is a very short duration meteor shower, unlike the Draconids (above).  It lasts only from Oct. 7 through 10th, producing a very erratic number of meteors as the Earth plummets head-on into this stream.  For example, in 1933, over 30,000 meteors per hour were estimated....from the Comet Giacobini-Zinner's disintegration, the Earth passed the comet only 15 days prior in 1947, resulting in about 1,000 per hours seen in that year.  This year, the moon will be a strong gibbous in the evening sky and really hinder on any day of this shower, so observers will have a poor opportunity for dark skies for the most meteors from this shower.  Note this "circumpolar" northern hemisphere shower to be seen at its best after midnight hours when the Earth is heading directly into the stream....at dawn it will be nearly directly overhead from mid-northern latitudes,  The actual number to expect is totally unknown, but you should be prepared for as many as 200-500 per hour during some encounters!

October 19 - EPSILON GEMINID meteors - This is a week-long meteor shower peaking like the Orionids (below) during a time a bit unfavorable for many faint meteors to be seen early since the moon will be a a waning gibbous during this shower.   The shower actually begins about Oct. 1 with no particular sharp peak, so observing early in the morning on the first weeks might allow for some of the perhaps 5 per hour being seen....these are among the fastest of the meteors striking out atmosphere, traveling at about 70 kps.  The radiant rises about 10 p.m. on the 14th-15th, and will be overhead by dawn (northern hemisphere observers).  A very unfavorable year to witness this meteor shower.

October 21 - ORIONID meteors - A fair year for observing the famous Orionid Meteors since the moon will be last quarter and will rise in the east shortly after midnight.  With its origins in the famous Halley's Comet, this meteor shower is in the high southeastern sky (northern hemisphere) during early morning hours.  The radiant, from near the "club" of ORION, the hunter, rises about 9:30 p.m. local time and will be south of overhead about 5 a.m. when morning dawn commences.  Normally as many as 30-40 very faint and very fast yellowish meteors per hour can be seen from this group, traveling at actual speeds when they collide with the Earth of nearly 67 kilometers per second.  This will be a moderately good year for early observers for this dependable meteor shower,  Both bright and faint meteors should be seen this year, visible from this spectacular and historic meteor shower.  However, there ARE many associated bright meteors from this shower, so heads up!
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SKY EVENTS AND HAPPENINGS FOR OCTOBER 2016
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