Here are this week’s best astronomical events that you can view right from your backyard. Happy exploring!
Two things inspire me to awe–the starry heavens above and the moral universe within. — Albert Einstein
You can use the star chart provided here. And for any terms or units you may be unfamiliar with, I’ve provided a glossary at the end of the guide for your convenience. All events were calculated based on Boulder, CO (latitude 40⁰ N), but should provide good approximations for most cities near the same latitude. If you would like, you can change your location on the linked sites for each event. Let me know if you have any questions. I’d love to know what you see this week!
Thursday 11/5
24:00 MST Taurid Meteor Shower
The Taurid meteor shower will reach its peak activity tonight. Shooting stars associated with the shower should be visible from October 20th through November 30th. The maximum rate of visible meteors is expected to reach 10 per hour; however, this zenithal hourly rate is dependent on many factors, such as sky conditions, light pollution at the observer’s location, and altitude of the meteor shower’s radiant in the sky. The Moon will be 23 days old at the peak, and so will present minimal interference. At midnight, the shower’s radiant will appear 63⁰ above the southern horizon, with the meteors traveling directly outward from this point. In order to see the most meteors possible, it is best to look at any dark patch of sky 90⁰ around the radiant, rather than at the radiant itself. This is because the meteors will typically appear brightest at these locations. It is so named the Taurid meteor shower because of its radiant’s location with the constellation Taurus. More information here.
Friday 11/6
01:51 MST Moon-Jupiter Conjunction
The Moon and Jupiter will be very close, passing within 2⁰08’ of each other. The Moon will have a magnitude of -10.9, while Jupiter will have a magnitude of -1.9. Both will be located in the constellation Leo. From Boulder, the pair will be visible at dawn, rising at 01:51 MST and setting at 06:16 MST around sun rise. They will attain an elevation of 46⁰ above the SE horizon. More information here.
18:06 MST Iridium Flare (Iridium 11)
The Iridium 11 satellite will cause an iridium flare of magnitude -0.6 that will be seen as a bright flash across the sky. The flare will begin at an elevation of 39⁰ in the SSE. More information here.
20:12 MST Asteroid 39 Laetitia at Opposition
Asteroid 39 Laetitia is well placed for observation in the constellation Cetus and will be well above the horizon for much of the night. Regardless of your location, 39 Laaetitia will reach its highest point in the sky at midnight local time. From Boulder it will be visible between 20:12 MST and 03:56 MST. It will rise above the eastern horizon and reach its highest point at 00:06 with an elevation of 51⁰ above the southern horizon. When 39 Laetitia is directly opposite the Sun (at opposition), it is actually at its closest approach to Earth (1.539 AU from Earth). This is why it appears at its brightest today, reaching a peak brightness of 8.9 magnitude. Even at its brightest, 39 Laetitia is too faint to see with the naked eye. A telescope and good star chart are needed. More information here.
Saturday 11/7
02:32 MST Moon-Mars Conjunction
The Moon and Mars will be very close, passing within 1⁰43’ of each other. The Moon will have a magnitude of -10.6, while Mars will have a magnitude of 1.4. Both will be located in the constellation Virgo. From Boulder, the pair will be visible at dawn, rising at 02:32 MST and setting at 06:16 MST around sun rise. They will attain an elevation of 39⁰ above the SE horizon. More information here.
02:43 MST Moon-Venus Conjunction
The Moon and Venus will be very close, passing within 1⁰10’ of each other. The Moon will have a magnitude of -10.5, while Venus will have a magnitude of -5.0. Both will be located in the constellation Virgo. From Boulder, the pair will be visible at dawn, rising at 02:43 MST and setting at 06:17 MST around sun rise. They will attain an elevation of 37⁰ above the SE horizon. More information here.
06:33 MST Iridium Flare (Iridium 23)
The Iridium 23 satellite will cause an iridium flare of magnitude -8.3 that will be seen as a bright flash across the sky. The flare will begin at an elevation of 68⁰ in the North. More information here.
14:50 MST Moon at Apogee (farthest from Earth)
The Moon will reach the furthest point in its orbit from Earth. The Moon’s distance from the Earth varies because its orbit is not perfectly circular. Instead, the Moon traces out an ellipse with Earth at one of its foci. The Moon’s distance varies by 10% throughout its orbit (between 363,000 km and 405,000 km), which means its size in the night sky varies by nearly 13%. Tonight the Moon will appear to have an angular size of 29.39′, as compared to its average angular size of 31.07′. It should also be noted that the Moon’s apparent size in the sky will also vary depending on its vicinity to the horizon. For instance, the Moon will appear much larger when it is closer to the horizon. More information here.
Sunday 11/8
04:35 MST Iridium Flare (Iridium 64)
The Iridium 64 satellite will cause an iridium flare of magnitude 0.8 that will be seen as a bright flash across the sky. The flare will begin at an elevation of 27⁰ in the North. More information here.
04:58 MST ISS Passing
The ISS will make a visible pass (magnitude -3.1) starting at 52⁰ elevation in the South and moving ENE. More information here.
Monday 11/9
04:29 MST Iridium Flare (Iridium 67)
The Iridium 67 satellite will cause an iridium flare of magnitude -1.3 that will be seen as a bright flash across the sky. The flare will begin at an elevation of 25⁰ in the North. More information here.
05:39 MST ISS Passing
The ISS will make a visible pass (magnitude -2.4) starting at 20⁰ elevation in the WNWand moving NE. More information here.
Tuesday 11/10
04:49 MST ISS Passing
The ISS will make a visible pass (magnitude -2.1) starting at 33⁰ elevation in the NNE and moving NE. More information here.
17:51 MST Iridium Flare (Iridium 11)
The Iridium 11 satellite will cause an iridium flare of magnitude -7.4 that will be seen as a bright flash across the sky. The flare will begin at an elevation of 38⁰ in the South. More information here.
Wednesday 11/11
10:49 MST New Moon
A New Moon occurs when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, such that its lighted side is facing directly away from the Earth (sun-side). While the New Moon can be seen during a more rare solar eclipse, most months the Moon passes just above or below the Sun as seen from the Earth. The New Moon rises and sets with the Sun, and this is why we are unable to see the New Moon–it is hidden in the glare of the Sun during the day. More information here.
17:45 MST Iridium Flare (Iridium 94)
The Iridium 94 satellite will cause an iridium flare of magnitude 0.6 that will be seen as a bright flash across the sky. The flare will begin at an elevation of 38⁰ in the South. More information here.
Glossary
Apogee: The point in the orbit farthest away from the Earth.
Apehelion: The point in the orbit farthest away from the Sun.
Arcminute: An angular measurement, defined as 1/60 of one degree. Denoted by ‘. (approx. 1 inch at a distance of 100 yards, the Moon is approx 31’)
Arcsecond: An angular measurement, defined as 1/60 of an arcminute. Denoted by “. (approx. dime at a distance of 1 mile )
A great resource for understanding and approximating angular measurements in the night sky, here. The Moon is approx 1/2⁰. Your outstretched hand is approx 20⁰, with each finger approx 1⁰. Your closed outstretched palm is approx 10⁰.
AU: Astronomical Unit, Defined as the distance between the Sun and Earth.
Conjunction: An alignment of two celestial bodies such that they present the least angular separation as viewed from Earth.
Elongation: The angle between the Sun and a planet, with Earth as the reference point. The greatest elongation of a planet occurs when this separation angle is at its largest. More information here.
Iridium Flare: Iridium fares occur when sunlight is reflected off the antenna (of one of the 66 active telecommunication sats in LEO, known as the Iridium constellation) directly down at Earth. This reflection causes an illuminated spot on the surface of the Earth. To an observer on the ground, the event appears to be a bright flash, or flare in the sky, which lasts for a few seconds.
ISS: International Space Station. More information here.
Magnitude: A logarithmic measure of the brightness of an object. Brighter objects have a lower (more negative) magnitude. More information here.
Opposition: When a celestial body is opposite the Sun in the sky.
Perigee: The point in the orbit closet to the Earth.
Perihelion: The point in the orbit closest to the Sun.
Radiant: The point in the sky where meteors of a meteor shower appear to originate.
Time Conversions from MST
Eastern Daylight Time, EST = MST + 2:00
Central Daylight Time, CST = MST + 1:00
Mountain Daylight Time, MST
Pacific Daylight Time, PST = MST – 1:00
Alaska Daylight Time, AKST = MST – 2:00
The standard for astronomical times is UTC if you happen to come across it, where MST = UTC – 6:00.
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