Skywatch Line for Monday, and Tuesday, November 4th and 5th, written by Joe Slomka

This is the Skywatch Line for Monday, and Tuesday, November 4th and 5th, written by Joe Slomka.

Now that Standard Time returns, the Sun sets at 4:43 PM; night falls at 6:20. Dawn begins at 4:59 AM and ends with the Sun rising at 6:35.

Monday’s 3-day-old Moon rises in Ophiuchus at 9:57 AM, by 5:30 PM it is 5° high in the southwest, appears 30 arc-seconds in size, 11° illuminated and sets at 6:19 PM. Tuesday finds it now in Sagittarius, 8° high at 6 PM, same size but 18% lit and sets at 7:12 PM.

Elusive Mercury hugs the western horizon in Scorpius, only 20° from the Sun, shining with minus zero magnitude, 6 arc-seconds, by 5:15 PM it is only 2° high and 82% illuminated; Mercury is visible all month, but very low. Venus is only 19° from Mercury, in Ophiuchus, blazes with minus 4th magnitude, 15 arc-seconds, rises at 10:01 AM, 11°, 76% lit and sets after twilight at 6:37 PM; Tuesday finds it 3° above the Moon. Antares is located midway between Mercury and Venus.

Comet C/2023 A3 hovers above Venus and Mercury; it rises at 8:55 AM, highest at 3:12 PM, 43° high at 5:15 PM, 78% lit and sets at 9:29 PM.

Saturn appears in southeastern Aquarius, rises at 2:29 PM, zero magnitude, large 18 arc-seconds, 38° highest at 7:55 PM and sets at 1:25 AM. Neptune lies 14° from Saturn, rises in Pisces at 2:57 PM, 2 arc-seconds, 44° highest at 8:48 PM, and sets at 2:42 AM.

Western Taurus is shared by Uranus and Jupiter. Uranus rises at 5:16 PM, 5th magnitude, 4 arc-seconds, 65° highest at 12:32 AM and sets at 12:42 AM. Giant Jupiter rises at 6:43 PM, glowing with minus 2nd magnitude, large 46 arc-seconds, 66° highest at 2:15 and sets at 9:43 AM; the Great Red Spot (a giant storm) can be seen on Wednesday at 12:54 AM. Finally, Mars rises in southern Cancer at 9:40 PM, zero magnitude, 10 arc-seconds, 68° highest at 5:08 AM, 87% lit and sets at 12:33 PM; Mars continues to brighten and widen during the month.

By midnight, constellations Orion and Taurus are quite high. If a meteor streaks across the sky from the Northeast, chances are it belongs to the Taurid Meteor shower. Southern Taurid meteors peak on November 5th with between 5 and 10 meteors per hour. Northern Taurids materialize next week, with maximum on the 12th and about 5 per hour. These showers last most of November. The stream of meteors is rather weak – the debris of periodic Comet Encke. Taurids are rather slow, traveling about 31 kilometers per second, but very bright. Their radiant lies near the beautiful Pleiades star cluster; bright meteors seem to streak in different directions from that point.

Clear Skies Joe Slomka