Alacazem: Astrology & Metaphysics

Alacazem Productions LLC
PO Box 111
Redvale, CO 81431
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Cozmic

Friday, Nov. 4

Look far below the Moon this evening for the lonely Autumn Star, Fomalhaut.
Telescope users: Jupiter's moon Io casts its tiny black shadow onto the planet tonight from 8:07 to 10:17 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time. Jupiter's Great Red Spot should cross the planet's central meridian during this time, around 9:45 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time. Add three hours for Eastern time. For timetables of all of Jupiter's Red Spot transits and satellite events this month, good worldwide, see the November Sky & Telescope, page 54.
Comet Garradd (at right) remains about magnitude 6.5 near the head of Hercules in the western sky right after dark. Catch it at the end of twilight before it sinks any lower, and early in the week before the Moon gets even brighter! See our article and finder chart.
Saturday, Nov. 5
Look upper left of the Moon this evening for the Great Square of Pegasus. It's tipped up on one corner.
Daylight-saving time ends (for most of North America) at 2 a.m. Sunday morning. Clocks "fall back" an hour.
Sunday, Nov. 6
Bright Vega still shines high in the west-northwest after dinnertime from its location 25 light-years away. The brightest star even higher above it is Deneb, about 1,500 light-years distant.
Monday, Nov. 7
Jupiter is the bright "star" to the lower left of the Moon this evening. For users of medium-size telescopes and up, Jupiter's Great Red Spot crosses the planet's central meridian around 9:14 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.
Tuesday, Nov. 8
The bright "star" near the Moon tonight is Jupiter. Although they look close together, Jupiter is 1,400 times farther away.
The near-Earth asteroid 2005 YU55 is passing closer to us than the Moon; closest approach is at 6:28 p.m. EST. It's visible across North America in the ensuing hours, dim at 11th or 12th magnitude and moving fast. See our article with a finder chart for one selected hour (read the special instructions). Also see the November Sky & Telescope, page 53. Astronomers have issued a callfor advanced amateurs who are set up to do precision photometry with at least a 10- or 12-inch scope.
Wednesday, Nov. 9
In bright twilight just 20 or 30 minutes after sunset, bring binoculars to a location with a clear view practically down to the southwest horizon. There will be Venus, pretty easy to spot. Extending down from Venus in a diagonal line are much fainter Mercury and even-fainter Antares. Good luck!
Meanwhile, a much easier lineup is low in the east: bright Jupiter shines to the right of the Moon, as shown above.

Thursday, Nov. 10
During dawn this morning and Friday morning, look for Mars and Regulus passing just 1.3° apart high in the southeast.
Full Moon. The Moon shines between bright Jupiter on its right and the Pleiades on its left.
Friday, Nov. 11
Binoculars show the Pleiades above the bright Moon. Aldebaran sparkles with an orange tint below the Moon.
Saturday, Nov. 12
Jupiter's satellite Io crosses Jupiter's face from 8:15 to 10:24 p.m. EST, followed by its tiny black shadow (more easily visible in a telescope) from 8:39 to 10:49 p.m. EST. Meanwhile, Jupiter's Great Red Spot transits the planet's central meridian around 8:21 p.m. EST.

Celestial Phenomena

Visible Planets in October

Morning: Mars, Jupiter thru the 29th, Saturn on the 31st Evening: Mercury from the 12th, Venus and Jupiter from the 29th

Lunations

October

October 11th Full Hunters Moon @ 18º 24' Libra/Aries @ 8:06 pm MDT
October 26th @ 03º03' Scorpio New Moon @ 1:56 pm MDT

September

September 12th Full Harvest Moon @19º17' Virgo/Pisces @ [3:27am MDT]

September 27th New Moon @04º00' Libra[5:09am MDT]

This Week's Planet

Roundup

Mercury and Venus (magnitudes –0.3 and –3.8, respectively) remain 2° apart just above the southwest horizon in bright twilight. Venus is on top; Mercury, much fainter, is below it. Early in the week look to their left to try to spot twinkly Antares, even fainter at magnitude +1.1. On November 10th all three line up in a diagonal row with Antares on the bottom — if you can see that low in bright twilight! Bring binoculars or a telescope.

Mars (magnitude +1.0, in Leo) rises around 1 a.m. daylight-saving time; midnight standard time. It's shining close to Regulus, which is nearly as bright at magnitude +1.3 and slightly blue. By the beginning of dawn they're high in the east-southeast. Mars and Regulus are 3° apart on the morning of November 5th and are within 1½° of each other from the 9th through 12th.

In a telescope Mars is a tiny blob only 6 arcseconds wide. Mars is on its way to a poor opposition next March, when it will reach a maximum width of only 13.9 arcseconds. Still, that's more than twice as big as it appears now.

Jupiter (magnitude –2.9, in southern Aries) continues blazing unusually brightly now that it's just past opposition. It's low in the east-northeast in twilight, higher in the east to southeast through the evening, and stands highest in the south by the middle of the night.

Jupiter appears an unusually big 49 arcseconds wide. See our guide to observing Jupiter with a telescope.

Saturn (magnitude +0.7) is low in the east as dawn begins, a little higher every morning. Spot sparkly Spica (magnitude +1.0) 5° to its right or lower right.

Uranus (magnitude 5.8, in Pisces) and Neptune (magnitude 7.9, in Aquarius) are well placed in the south and southeast after dark. Use our printable finder chart for both, or see the September Sky & Telescope, page 53.

Cynthia Zehm

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Alacazem Productions LLC
PO Box 111
Redvale, CO 81431
cynthiaz@alacazem.com