Skywatch Line for Wednesday and Thursday, November 15 and 16, 2023
This is Dudley Observatory’s Skywatch Line for Wednesday and Thursday, November 15 and 16, written by Alan French.
The Sun rises at 6:47 A.M. on Wednesday and sets at 4:32 P.M. On Thursday it rises at 6:48 and sets at 4:31. This Thursday has 15 ¾ minutes less daylight than last Thursday.
The Moon was new on Monday and a young Moon is now visible early in the evening. You will need a good view to the southwest to catch the slender crescent Wednesday night. At 5:15 P.M. a 7% illuminated Moon will lie 4 ½ degrees above the southwestern horizon. By 5:30 it will be just under 3 degrees high and it will set at 5:56.
By Thursday night the Moon will have moved further along the first quarter of its journey around Earth since new, rise earlier, and we will see more of its sunlit face. At 5:15 P.M. a 14% sunlit Moon will just
under 11 degrees above the horizon and lie a bit farther south than Wednesday’s Moon. By 5:30 P.M. it will be just over 9 degrees high. Thursday’s Moon will set at 6::55.
The Moon will reach first quarter next Monday morning, having completed one quarter of its journey around Earth since it was new last Monday.
Yellowish Saturn, shining at magnitude +0.8, is 34 degrees above the southern horizon at 6:30 P.M., when brighter Jupiter will be toward the east, brightly shining at magnitude -2.9 and 29 degrees high.
Venus, now at magnitude -4.2, dominates the southeastern sky in the hours before sunrise. Venus now rises in the east just before 3:00 A.M.
As the holidays approach, astronomy clubs, planetariums, and online astronomy forums, get questions about buying a telescope. Many of the items we consider as gifts are things we are familiar with and we know how they are supposed to work, but to many, telescopes are unfamiliar.
There are two books that provide excellent introductions to amateur astronomy, telescopes, and the celestial sights skywatchers enjoy. Both have been recently updated. Either makes an excellent start to a
knowledgeable answer to “What telescope should I buy?” As a gift, such a book itself would help gauge someone’s interest before spending money on a telescope.
“Nightwatch: A Practical Guide to Viewing the Universe,” by Terence Dickinson and Kew Hewitt-White, was recently released in a fifth edition. One nice feature, in addition to introducing telescopes and the
night sky, is a series of star charts showing starting telescope users how to find some celestial showpieces.
“The Backyard Astronomer’s Guide” by Terence Dickinson and Alan Dyer, was updated with a fourth edition in October, 2021. This book, twice the length of “Nightwatch,” goes into more detail and may appeal to more technically minded readers. It also includes celestial sights to seek, but lacks the detailed finder star charts. (Some of today’s telescopes can find objects for you.)