The Sky This Week from November 3 to 10: See Jupiter at its best

Friday, November 3
Jupiter reaches opposition at 1 A.M. this morning, placing its finest and brightest face ahead for observing. Rising roughly because the Solar is setting this night, you’ll discover magnitude–2.9 Jupiter within the east, dominating the dim constellation Aries. By about two hours after sundown, Jupiter is greater than 20° excessive, situated to the far higher proper of the simply recognizable Pleiades star cluster in close by Taurus.

That is the very best time of the 12 months to view Jupiter. It’s up all night time, so anytime you may get out to have a look, give it a go. Purpose a telescope up to take a look at the gas giant’s 49″-wide disk, rife with element. Even low-powered scopes will probably decide up on the alternating gentle and darkish cloud belts that encircle the planet. The Nice Purple Spot, an enormous, Earth-sized storm that has been raging for lots of of years, can also be seen tonight. It is going to be crossing the central meridian of the planet round 8:15 P.M. EDT and must be simple to select for no less than an hour and a half earlier than and after that point.

However there’s one thing else you would possibly see crossing the cloud tops: The Galilean moon Europa begins a transit at 9:15 P.M. EDT, shifting from east to west. Its shadow, projected onto the cloud tops under, is all however indistinguishable from the moon. That’s as a result of, because of the geometry of the Solar, Earth, and Jupiter whereas the latter is at opposition, the moons and their shadows seem to transit on the similar time. In precisely one week, Europa will transit once more — we’ll return then to see how issues have modified.

Dawn: 7:31 A.M.
Sundown:  5:56 P.M.
Moonrise: 10:38 P.M.
Moonset: 1:33 P.M.
Moon Part: Waning gibbous (66%)
*Occasions for dawn, sundown, moonrise, and moonset are given in native time from 40° N 90° W. The Moon’s illumination is given at 12 P.M. native time from the identical location.

Saturday, November 4
Saturn is stationary at 1 P.M. EDT towards the celebrities of Aquarius the Water-bearer. The ringed planet was beforehand shifting west, or retrograde; now it should pause and, over the following few days, slowly start shifting prograde, or east, in contrast with the distant background of stars.

You’ll discover Saturn, our solar system’s different gas giant, due south round 10 P.M. native daylight time. (Word: That is the final night time that might be true for those who dwell in an space that observes daylight saving time, which ends early tomorrow morning!) It glows at magnitude 0.7, a lot fainter than Jupiter within the east however nonetheless outshining any stars close by.

Saturn is, in fact, finest identified for the beautiful rings that encompass it. You’ll be able to get pleasure from these by means of any telescope, stretching some 40″ vast and 6″ throughout their narrower axis. The disk of the planet itself is about half as vast, roughly 18″. Saturn’s largest and brightest moon, Titan, lies simply southeast of the planet tonight, glowing round eighth magnitude. It’s possible you’ll spot it even in low-powered scopes or binoculars. Way more tough to see is tiny, Tenth-mangitude Tethys, which reappears near Saturn’s northeastern limb round 11:20 P.M. EDT after crossing first behind the planet after which shifting by means of its shadow, which equally stretches behind Saturn to the northeast from our present standpoint. Over time, Tethys will slowly draw back from the brighter planet and its rings because it strikes farther east, which ought to assist in its identification.

Dawn: 7:33 A.M.
Sundown: 5:54 P.M.
Moonrise: 11:42 P.M.
Moonset: 2:10 P.M.
Moon Part: Waning gibbous (56%)

Sunday, November 5
Daylight saving time formally ends this morning at 2 A.M. native daylight time, when clocks “fall again” an hour to 1 A.M. commonplace time. Word that this can change the occasions of dawn and sundown, moonrise and moonset, in addition to the occasions the planets will go sure factors within the sky. (After all, nothing concerning the Solar, Moon, or planets really adjustments — it’s that our native time has modified!)

Final Quarter Moon additionally happens this morning at 3:37 A.M. EST — notice the time has converted to plain in some however not all U.S. time zones by this time..

Later at the moment, asteroid 18 Melpomene reaches opposition at 10 P.M. EST. At eighth magnitude, you may seize this main-belt world simply in binoculars or a telescope. It’s situated in northwestern Eridanus, close to a small curve of Fifth-magntude stars: Rho¹ (ρ¹), Rho² (ρ²), and Rho³ (ρ³) Eridani. These three stars sit close to brighter, 4th-magnitude Eta (η) Eridani. Find the latter star, then look about 2° east-northeast to search out the three-star curve. From the trio of Rho stars, look about 3.7° north-northeast to search out Melpomene. Don’t confuse it for a barely brighter Sixth-magnitude area star about 1° to its northeast. Melpomene is the fainter dot to the star’s southwest.

Dawn: 6:34 A.M.
Sundown: 4:53 P.M.
Moonrise: 11:44 P.M.
Moonset: 1:39 P.M.
Moon Part: Waning crescent (47%)

Monday, November 6
The Moon reaches apogee, the farthest level from Earth in its orbit, at 4:49 P.M. EST. At the moment, our satellite will sit 251,388 miles (404,570 kilometers) away.

Let’s return to Jupiter in Aries tonight to observe the planet’s largest moon, Ganymede, bear an fascinating eclipse. Examine in with the planet beginning round 10:30 P.M. EST, when Jupiter is a few 50° excessive within the southeast. You’ll see Ganymede sitting simply off the planet’s northwestern limb, close to the pole. Preserve watching — beginning round 10:40 P.M. EST or so, the moon’s gentle will start to mix with that of the planet’s limb. Round 10:44 P.M. EST, the moon ought to disappear absolutely; it should then cross behind the planet from our standpoint and re-emerge on the northeastern limb simply earlier than midnight EST.

However there’s a catch: Even as soon as Ganymede has cleared the planet, it’s nonetheless deep in Jupiter’s lengthy shadow. It takes almost half-hour extra for it to clear that — observers ought to see Ganymede reappear round 12:16 A.M. EST on the seventh (nonetheless the Sixth in all different U.S. time zones); as soon as once more taking a number of minutes to totally seem.

Whereas Ganymede is making this journey, you may also spot Io alone to the planet’s west, and Callisto and Europa to the east. Callisto lies north and barely east of Europa and is shifting east; Europa is shifting west, towards the planet.

Dawn: 6:34 A.M.
Sundown: 4:52 P.M.
Moonrise: —
Moonset: 2:05 P.M.
Moon Part: Waning crescent (38%)

Tuesday, November 7
It’s again to Jupiter once more tonight! However this time it’s to make use of the brilliant planet as a signpost to search out the fainter asteroid 21 Lutetia, which is carving the same path by means of the sky simply to the south of Jupiter.

Discover Jupiter within the east an hour or two after sundown. Then use binoculars or a telescope to heart the planet and drop 2.2° due south — there’s Lutetia. This main-belt asteroid was found in 1852 and visited by ESA’s Rosetta mission in 2010. It measures roughly 60 miles (100 kilometers) throughout and shines round Tenth magnitude in our skies. Meaning you’ll be finest served find it by bigger binoculars or a small scope, in addition to a little bit of persistence. Use the star chart above and reap the benefits of Jupiter’s place due north of Lutetia that will help you determine it. Do notice that relying in your optics, your view is perhaps rotated or flipped from the one proven.

As you may also see from the chart, Lutetia is shifting westward at an excellent clip, masking barely extra of the sky than Jupiter this month. That’s as a result of Lutetia, in the principle belt, is barely nearer to us. Evaluate the view night time after night time for a number of days and even weeks to search out the shifting spot and observe the asteroid because it strikes towards the stationary background stars.  

Dawn: 6:36 A.M.
Sundown: 4:51 P.M.
Moonrise: 12:46 A.M.
Moonset: 2:27 P.M.
Moon Part: Waning crescent (29%)

Wednesday, November 8
There are a number of good binocular comets within the sky proper now, so let’s decide one! Comet C/2023 H2 (Lemmon) is at present the brightest, just lately noticed at magnitude 7.9. Now flying by means of Hercules, Lemmon is highest at sundown and slowly sinks within the west because the hours go by. So, catching it earlier within the night is finest, beginning round an hour or two after sundown. The comet will set simply earlier than 11 P.M. native time, however notice that the decrease it will get, the tougher it is going to be to watch, as we’re trying by means of extra of Earth’s environment as objects strategy the horizon. The air close to the bottom can also be extra turbulent than air larger up, which causes objects to seem to shimmer and shift within the sky.

You’ll discover Lemmon slightly below 6° southwest of 4th-magnitude Theta (θ) Herculis, in a small space with few close by area stars of comparable brightness. Via binoculars or a telescope, the comet ought to seem as a softly glowing ball of fuzz. Images will carry out its greenish hue, on account of diatomic carbon launched from the nucleus, and maybe a skinny tail nonetheless streaming away from the comet.

Word that as a result of Lemmon is near Earth, it’s shifting rapidly by means of the sky. In truth, it seems to shift by the hour, shifting roughly ¼° southeast per hour. The place we give above relative to Theta Herculis is at 8 P.M. EST. For every hour earlier you look, look ¼° northwest of that place. For every hour later, look ¼° southeast of it. Round 9:30 P.M. EST, the comet sits roughly 0.1° south of a magnitude 6.6 area star (HD 160507).

Lemmon solely just lately rounded the Solar, reaching perihelion — the closest level to the Solar in its orbit — on October 29. Now, because it heads again to the outer solar system from whence it got here, it’s at present passing near Earth (its closest strategy is on the Tenth) and brightening rapidly. Some sources estimate it might even attain the sting of naked-eye brightness, round Fifth magnitude! As a result of comets change rapidly and we write this column forward of time, it might even be fairly shiny by the point you learn this entry. We’ll be keeping track of it!

Dawn: 6:37 A.M.
Sundown: 4:50 P.M.
Moonrise: 1:46 A.M.
Moonset: 2:47 P.M.
Moon Part: Waning crescent (20%)

Thursday, November 9
Let’s spend just a little time with the morning sky because the Moon passes 1° north of Venus at 4 A.M. EST. At the moment, the pair is simply seen to these within the japanese half of the U.S., and nonetheless fairly low within the Midwest.

No matter your location, round 4 A.M. native time the 2 are some 12° excessive within the east, amid the celebrities of Virgo. They proceed to rise because the morning progresses and, by an hour earlier than dawn, stand roughly 30° excessive some 22° above the brilliant star Spica. Venus, at magnitude –4.3, is unmissable to the higher proper of the fragile waning crescent Moon. Search for earthshine on the shadowed portion of the lunar floor — this impact happens when daylight bouncing off Earth lights up the darkened areas of the Moon already in lunar night time.

Above Virgo lies the constellation Leo the Lion. The tip of the lion’s tail, Denebola, seems within the higher proper area of the chart above; the physique of Leo stretches to the higher proper of this star within the sky because it rises. The massive cat’s head is printed by the Sickle asterism, which many envision as a backwards-facing query mark anchored on the backside by Leo’s alpha star, magnitude 1.4 Regulus.

Leo is dwelling to the Leonid meteor bathe, which peaks in a single day November 17/18. The bathe’s exercise formally started the Sixth and is slowly ramping up towards that peak. So, for those who’re out early this morning and have just a little luck in your facet, it’s possible you’ll discover barely greater than the same old variety of random meteors streaking throughout the sky.

Dawn: 6:38 A.M.
Sundown: 4:49 P.M.
Moonrise: 2:46 A.M.
Moonset: 3:07 P.M.
Moon Part: Waning crescent (13%)

Friday, November 10
Let’s shut out the week with — you guessed it! — Jupiter once more, this time to watch one other transit of Europa and its shadow to see how issues have modified for the reason that date of opposition.

Now we get to see the actual results of solar system geometry at play. Earth has moved in its orbit by about 7°, which implies moons and their shadows now not transit concurrently from our standpoint. This must be evident as Europa slips onto the jovian disk from the east round 10:29 P.M. EST. This time, it seems alone — it takes 22 minutes earlier than the small, darkish blot of its shadow seems, slowly following the moon throughout the cloud tops from a decent distance. Europa’s transit continues till simply minutes earlier than 12:45 A.M. EST on the eleventh (nonetheless late on the Tenth in all different U.S. time zones); its shadow lastly disappears shortly after 1:10 A.M. EST (now the eleventh within the Jap and Central time zones, however the Tenth farther west).

This time, Callisto lies alone to Jupiter’s east as soon as Europa begins transiting, whereas Io (closest) and Ganymede (farther out) are to the planet’s west.

Dawn: 6:39 A.M.
Sundown: 4:48 P.M.
Moonrise: 3:47 A.M.
Moonset: 3:28 P.M.
Moon Part: Waning crescent (7%)

Sky This Week is dropped at you partially by Celestron.