Dance of the Planets - the TriState Astronomers
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THE OBSERVER Newsletter of The Tri-State Astronomers
November 2018 Volume 33 Number 11
MONTH AT A GLANCE Dance of the Planets
Every couple of years the planets get together and have a
dance.
Our Guest Speaker for the
November TSA club meeting will be George Michael.
George will be taking us Dancing with the Planets. I hope
Southern Taurids Peak
Mon Nov 05, 12:00 AM
you can attend and experience another of George's excellent
In Taurus presentations.
New Moon
Wed Nov 07
Leoinids Start
Wed Nov 07, 1:00 AM
In Leo in the Eastern Sky
Comet 38P smallest distance to the sun
Sat Nov 10, 8:36 PM
In Gemini in ENE
Northern Taurids Max
Mon Nov 12, 5:30 PM
In Pleiades
Venus Prograde Very Bright
Mon Nov 12
First Quarter Moon
Thu Nov 15
Leonids Maximum (20 hr)
Sun Nov 18
In Leo in the Eastern Sky
TSA Meeting (Dance of the Planets)
George Michael
Wed Nov 21, 7:00 PM
Full Moon
Fri Nov 23
Comet 38P maximum Brightness
Sat Nov 24
In Gemini (near Pollux) November 19, 5:00 PM
Mars best evening visibility Starry Night Pro 7 Plus
Wed Nov 28
In Aquarius in Southern Sky
Last Quarter Moon
Thu Nov 29
Venus Max Brightness
Thu Nov 29, 4:30 AM
Near Spica Eastern Sky
TristateAstronomers.org
November Sky Map
Early November 8:00 PM - Late November 7:00 PM
2
Our Friendly Skies
by Chris Kopco, WCPS Planetarium Teacher
and Andy Smetzer, Tristate Astronomers
THE NOVEMBER SKY
November is here again and with it some of the best stars of the winter sky begin to make their appearance in the
early evenings. Let’s take a look at what’s up this month.
We’ll begin this month by finding the 6th brightest star as found in the night skies of Earth, Capella. To find Capel-
la, look to the east, where the sun rises and about halfway up you’ll find a bright yellowish star. This is Capella, the
brightest star in Auriga the Goat Herder. This constellation is actually a pentagon shape that looks similar to a dog-
house in the night sky. The light we see from Capella is actually the light of two giant stars, Capella A and Capella B.
Next, if you are facing toward the east, look to the south or right of Capella and you will find a bright reddish orange
star at the top of a “V” in the sky. This is Aldebaran, and it, along with the star at the top of the other side of the “V”,
make the eyes of a bull named Taurus. From the tops of the “V” you can extend to the tips of the horns of the bull
and higher in the sky to the west you’ll find a small dipper shaped group of stars called the Pleiades, which mark the
shoulder of the bull. This small group of stars is also known as the seven sisters, though in dark skies, most can only
make out 5 or 6 of the stars in this group without optical aid.
THE NOVEMBER SOLAR SYSTEM
Evening Planets
JUPITER begins the month low in the west/southwest at dusk in the constellation Libra, setting just a little after 7:00
p.m. Brighter than any other evening planet this month at magnitude -1.7, Jupiter sets earlier each night throughout
the beginning of November, and is lost in the glare of the sun by mid month, reaching solar conjunction with the sun
on the 26th, when it and the Earth find themselves on opposite sides of the sun.
MERCURY can also be found shining at magnitude -0.2 in the southwest to begin November, low on the horizon in
the constellation Scorpius. Mercury stays low on the horizon at sunset throughout the first half of November, moving
into the constellation Ophiuchus on the 7th, and and can be found with a thin crescent moon on the 9th. During the
second half of November Mercury sinks lower until eventually being lost in the glare of the sun and reaching solar
conjunction 1 day after Jupiter on the 27th. Unlike Jupiter however, Mercury will be on the same side of the Earth as
the sun at inferior solar conjunction.
SATURN can still be found in Sagittarius this month, shining at magnitude 0.5, and moving slowly eastward within
the constellation throughout November. Saturn is out until almost 9:30 p.m. to begin the November, but sets earlier
each night, and with the time change sets over two and a half hours earlier by month’s end. Look for Saturn with a
thin waxing crescent moon on the evening of November 11th.
3
MARS begins the month in Capricornus at magnitude -0.6 in the southern skies at sunset. Mars sets after 1:00 a.m.
in the west/southwest at the beginning of November, and quickly moves into the constellation Aquarius on the 10th.
Mars continues to move eastward against the background stars and can be found very close to Neptune by the end of
the month. Mars dims throughout the month, ending the month at magnitude 0, and setting a little before midnight
in the west.
NEPTUNE can once again be found in the constellation Aries, but you’ll need optical aid and a good star chart as it
shines dimly at magnitude 7.8. Neptune sets around 3:00 a.m. to begin the month, but by the end of November will
be setting just after midnight.
URANUS is also much dimmer than the other visible planets, though it may be bright enough at magnitude 5.7,
that you could find it without optical aid under very dark skies, though a good star chart would definitely be helpful.
To find Uranus look to the edge of the constellation Aries, where it resides for the entire month before moving into
Pisces in early December.
Morning Planets
VENUS is once again a morning planet, rising earlier each morning as we head through the month. Look for Venus,
shining brightly in the east/southeast at magnitude -4.2, rising about half an hour before the sun to start the month.
Each evening Venus moves a little further westward against the background stars until mid month when it can be
found just to the east of Spica, the bright blue star found in Virgo the Maiden. At this point Venus ends its retrograde
motion in the sky and begins to head back eastward through the background stars of Virgo, continuing to brighten
and ending November rising just before 4:00 a.m. in the east/southeast.
THE NOVEMBER SUN AND MOON
On November 1st sunrise is at 7:39 a.m., while the sun sets at 6:10 p.m. for 10 hours and 31 minutes of daylight. By
November 30th, sunrise is at 7:11 a.m. with the sun setting earlier in the evening at 4:48 p.m. for 9 hours and 37 min-
utes of daylight, a 54 minute decrease from the beginning of the month.
The Sun enters the constellation Scorpius from Libra November 23rd, and then into Ophiuchus on November 30th.
The change is caused by the Earth’s revolution around the Sun. The Sun seems to line up with distant background
stars from our point of view from Earth, so the sky changes by seasons and months.
The moon is new on November 7th, at first quarter on the 15th, is full on the 23rd and is at third quarter on Novem-
ber 29th. The full moon this month is known as the Beaver Moon or Frost Moon.
SPECIAL EVENTS
This month there are three meteor showers of note leading up to perhaps the best annual meteor shower of the year
in December, the Geminids. The first November meteor shower is the South Taurid meteor shower, which, while
4active all month long, is predicted to peak on the night of November 4th into the early morning hours of the 5th.
While the peak is only about 5 meteors per hour, what makes the South Taurid meteor shower special is the chance
to see a large meteor called a fireball, as these occur fairly often during the South Taurid meteor shower. Also helpful
is the fact that the thin waning crescent moon won’t interfere with this shower, making even dimmer meteors visible.
As with most showers, the best time to view this shower is after midnight when the radiant, or point from which the
meteors appear to originate, the constellation Taurus the Bull, is highest in the sky.
The second meteor shower of the month is the North Taurid meteor shower, which peaks on the evening of Novem-
ber 11th into the early morning hours of the 12th. Like the South Taurids, this shower runs all
month and is known for fireball sightings mixed in during its peak of 5 meteors per hour. This shower
usually peaks around midnight and the waxing crescent moon sets early and will not be a concern.
The third meteor shower of note this month is the Leonid Meteor Shower which peaks on the evening of November
17th. The Leonids sometimes produce meteor storms with hundreds or thousands of meteors per hour, but this
is not predicted to be one of those years. It’s more likely that at the peak you’ll see 10 - 15 meteors per hour. Unfor-
tunately a waxing gibbous moon will be in the skies during this time as well, washing out dimmer meteors, so you’ll
want to try to get out after the moon sets if at all possible to get your best views of this shower.
Finally, don’t forget to “Fall Back” and set your clocks back an hour as Daylight Saving Time ends on Sunday, Novem-
ber 4, at 2:00 a.m.
WILLIAM BRISH PLANETARIUM / TRISTATE ASTRONOMERS
With the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing fast approaching, the William Brish Planetarium will be
holding a special Kickoff Celebration throughout the day on Sunday, November 11, 2018. Doors will open at 11:11
a.m. with 3 planetarium programs during the day and special STEM events between programs. At Noon the program
will be One World, One Sky, at 1:30 we will have Earth, Moon & Sun, and at 3:00 it will be To Space and Back.
The William Brish Planetarium will also hold programs the second and fourth Tuesday of the month throughout the
2018-2019 school year unless otherwise noted. On Tuesday, November 13th Take journey through the solar system
with Planetary Visions at 5:30 p.m. for elementary age audiences, and take a tour of the night sky and all of the won-
ders it has to offer with The Cowboy Astronomer for general audiences at 7:00 p.m. On Tuesday, November 27, find
out how a royal family ended up in the sky with Legends of the Night Sky: Perseus & Andromeda at 5:30 for elemen-
tary age audiences, and stick around to find out how the Big Bang put everything in motion with We Are Stars at 7:00
for general audiences. For more information visit: www.wbplanetarium.weebly.com.
The next meeting for the TriState Astronomers will be held at the William Brish Planetarium Wednesday, November
21st at 7:00 p.m. Doors open at 6:00 for conversation and collaboration. All are welcome! For more information
visit www.tristateastronomers.org
5Navigating the November Night Sky
North The stars plotted represent those which
For observers in the middle
can be seen from areas suffering
northern latitudes, this chart
from moderate light pollution.
Pointer Stars to the
is suitable for mid November
In larger cities, less than
at 8 p.m. or early December
at 7 p.m.
The Big Dipper 100 stars are visible,
while from dark,
rural areas well
Mizar over ten times
Easy Double Star that amount
North
are found.
Polaris,
Star
the North Star
4d 4c
4b Ce
Capella
Auriga
Double ph
Cluster eu
s 4a
Ca
eus ssi
Pers op
eia
E Vega
Mi
lky
Deneb
The Summer
Aldebaran The
Wa Cyg
Triangle
M
B + C y
+ Zenith
nus
31
Pleiades
An
West
East
A Coathanger
dr
The Hyades
3 Cluster
om
ed
The Aquila
a
Great 2 Altair
Square Pe
g as
us
Moon
Nov 12
1b 11/30
Mar
s
11/1
Deneb
Kaitos 1a Moon
Nov 13 Relative sizes
and distances
Fomalhaut in the sky can
be deceiving. For
The Ecliptic represents instance, 360 "full
the plane of the solar moons" can be placed
system. The sun, the moon, side by side, extending from
and the major planets all lie on or horizon to horizon.
near this imaginary line in the sky. South
Relative size of the full moon.
Navigating the November night sky: Simply start with what you know or with what you can easily Þnd.
1 Face south. Almost overhead is the "Great Square" with four stars about the same brightness as those of the Big Dipper. Extend
an imaginary line southward following the Square's two westernmost stars. The line strikes Fomalhaut, the brightest star in the
south. A line extending southward from the two easternmost stars, passes Deneb Kaitos, the second brighest star in the south.
2 Draw a line westward following the southern edge of the Square until it strikes Altair, part of the "Summer Triangle."
3 Locate Vega and Deneb, the other two stars of the "Summer Triangle. Vega is its brightest member, while Deneb sits in the
middle of the Milky Way.
4 Jump along the Milky Way from Deneb to Cepheus, which resembles the outline of a house. Continue jumping to the "W" of
Cassiopeia, to Perseus, and Þnally to Auriga with its bright star Capella.
Binocular Highlights
A and B: Examine the stars of the Pleiades and Hyades, two naked eye star clusters. C: The three westernmost stars
of Cassiopeia's "W" point south to M31, the Andromeda Galaxy, a "fuzzy" oval. D: Sweep along the Milky Way
from Altair, past Deneb, through Cepheus, Cassiopeia and Perseus, then to Auriga for many intriguing star clusters
and nebulous areas. E. The Double Cluster.
Astronomical League www.astroleague.org/outreach; duplication is allowed and encouraged for all free distribution.
6UTREACH
November Outreach
Big Cork Vineyards Star Party - Redux
Fri Nov 09, 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM
4236 Main St
Rohrersville, MD
Research Talk and Star Party Series
No 3 Handels Messiah
Wed Nov 14, 7:30 PM - 10:00 PM
Penn State
Mont Alto, PA
7Meeting Minutes from October 17, 2018
by Chris Stitley
The TriState Astronomers met on Wednesday October 17th, 2018 at the William Brish Planetarium. There
was 29 in attendance, including 12 guests/new members of the club. President Vicki led the meeting with the
County Famous AstroPuzzler: The Hubble Space Telescope was launched on April 24th,1990 from Space
Shuttle Discovery. What type of telescope is on board Hubble?
A. Triplet refractor
B. Maksutov-Cassegrain reflector
C. Ritchey-Chretien reflector
D. Doublet APO refractor
Correct answer C. George Ritchey and Henri Chretien invented the scope in the early 1900s. Based off the
Cassegrain telescopes, the RCT uses hyperbolic primary and secondary mirrors, making for a sharper image
in a wide field of view. RCT scopes are also found at the Keck Observatory, The United States Naval Observa-
tory, and The ESO's Very Large Telescope.
The Object of the Month is presented. This month is NGC 520. 2 for the price of 1; NGC 520 is a pair of col-
liding spiral galaxies in Pisces. Roughly 78 million light years away, the galaxies have massive star formations
going on.
Jim has a NewsFlash for the month.
Dan has the outreach events completed since September. Most of them canceled due to inclement and unfa-
vorable weather. Upcoming events can be found on the TSA website and on the Facebook page.
Dr. Lundgren is the guest speaker for the evening. Coming from the Smithsonian Institute Air and Space Mu-
seum, Dr Lundgren's presentation is on 5 women in astronomy history that had an influence on the science.
Covering different time periods and different contributions, including her own; Dr Lundgren promotes equal-
ity for women in the field of science and in the workplace. A very passionate talk from someone affected by a
male dominated world.
The next meeting of the TSA will be November 21st, with club member George's presentation "Dance of the
Planets".
Also next month is official nominations for club President/Vice President and Secretary.
8The Observer is the monthly
newsletter of the Tristate
Astronomers, Inc. (TSA), a
TSA Holiday Dinner 501(c)(3) non-profit organization
founded in 1985. The purpose of
Saturday December 1st the TSA is to educate the public
Details can be found on the TSA about the science of astronomy in
Maryland, Pennsylvania and West
member Google Group Virginia. The group conducts
educational outreach events for the
public, as well as a monthly meeting
on the 3rd Wednesday of each
month from September through
May and a variety of informal
observing sessions.
TSA Officers
Chairman.................... Vicki George
Secretary .......................Chris Stitley
Treasurer ......... Robert Brenneman
Outreach .................. Dan Kaminsky
Newsletter.......................Mike Sager
Webmaster ............... Andy Smetzer
BUFFALO Contact Information
charges towards the earliest
Tristate Astronomers, Inc.
823 Commonwealth Avenue
Hagerstown, MD 21740
galaxies www.tristateastronomers.org
Membership
(The image used for the November Banner)
Adults (≥18) ........................... $25
Youth (You can also read
