Similar to October, in November Saturn and Jupiter are the steady highlights above, Venus shines brilliantly before dawn, and rocks fall from the sky.

     I’m Rob Webb, your Last Minute Astronomer, bringing astronomy to normies and nerds, with little time to spare.  Let’s start by talking about the naked eye planets visible this month, the lunar phases, and then the meteor shower and other events, so you can plan further ahead than me. 

 

Naked-eye PLANETS

Sunset:

Saturn – About 30˚ above the horizon in the South. Fairly dim, but still brighter than all the stars around it.

Jupiter – SUPER bright in the East after 6:30pm.  Just find the brightest point of light in that direction, and you’ve got it.  Starts off low in the beginning of the month, and about 40˚ above the horizon toward the end of the month

 

Throughout the night:

Saturn & Jupiter – With Saturn starting about 30˚ above the horizon in the South and Jupiter in the East, these two march westward through the night, with Saturn setting around midnight and Jupiter setting around 4:30 am, both in the West.

 

Morning:

Venus – One of the highest and brightest appearances of Venus in a while, by my recollection.  By 3am, Venus will be above the horizon, rising to about 40˚ above the horizon by sunrise.  Brilliant, brighter than everything around it.

 

17th - 18th – Leonid Meteor Shower – This annual, weak (10-15 per hour) meteor shower can have some wonderful years. This year is good because the waxing crescent Moon will already be set early in the evening, making it clear of lunar light pollution into the morning, the best time to view it.

 

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