The top sights to observe or image this month
DON’T MISS
Jupiter moon events
BEST TIME TO SEE: 2/3, 6, 10, 18/19 and 27 November
RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT: Small/medium telescope
Jupiter is well-placed throughout November, showing a wealth of atmospheric detail to those with larger instruments. But owners of smaller scopes can enjoy some of the amazing interactions between the planet and its four largest Galilean moons: Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. These moons are bright and easily visible through smaller instruments as points of light. For those with larger-aperture scopes, it may be possible to perceive the moons as tiny discs, the apparent diameters being 1.2 arcseconds for Io, 1.0 arcseconds for Europa, 1.7 arcseconds for Ganymede and 1.5 arcseconds for Callisto.
On 2 November, Europa and Ganymede can both be seen starting to transit the Jovian disc from 20:44 UT. Io is very close to the planet’s western limb at this time, being occulted by Jupiter a few minutes later at 20:50 UT as the other two moons progress with their transit. Europa and Ganymede then appear to race across Jupiter’s disc, Europa eventually catching Ganymede and taking the lead, courtesy of its closer, faster orbit. At 22:30 UT, Europa’s shadow begins its transit, Europa, its shadow and Ganymede all appearing on Jupiter’s disc until the end of Europa’s transit at 23:15 UT. Ganymede’s shadow also makes an appearance at 00:21 UT on 3 November, forming a double shadow transit with Europa’s shadow until 01:00 UT when the smaller shadow leaves the planet’s disc.
On 6 November, an early view of Jupiter through a telescope will show the giant moon Ganymede emerge from Jupiter’s shadow 1.1 arcminutes east of the planet at 16:49 UT. For larger instruments, it may be possible to resolve the curving shadow across Ganymede’s tiny disc.
Europa and Ganymede are in transit again on the morning of 10 November. Between 01:06 UT and 01:38 UT, Europa, its shadow and Ganymede can be seen transiting at the same time.
Between 23:05 UT on 18 November and 00:15 UT on 19 November the outer moon Callisto will appear to almost touch Jupiter’s northern limb. It will appear closest to Jupiter at 23:40 UT.
On the evening of 27 November from 21:00 UT, Ganymede will be occulted by Jupiter. Starting at 21:08 UT, it will take 10 minutes for Ganymede to fully disappear. Again, large telescopes set up for planetary imaging may get a shot of Ganymede’s resolved disc. Short, highframe-rate sequences may even be able to capture the event as a timelapse.
Ceres through the Triplet
BEST TIME TO SEE: 1–10 November
RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT: Large telescope
Dwarf planet Ceres is moving through the constellation of Leo this month, appearing like a mag. +8.8 star but moving over time. On the morning of 1 November at around 03:00 UT it sits 19 arcminutes south of the mag. +6.3 star HIP 54688. From here it makes its way east-southeast through Leo, toward, through and beyond the famous Leo Triplet, a collection of three distinctive galaxies – mag. +9.6 M65, mag. +9.7 M66 and mag. +10.4 NGC 3628 – near the Lion’s back leg.
At 03:00 UT on the morning of 3 November, Ceres sits 1.5° south of Chertan (Theta (θ) Leonis) and 1.2° west-northwest of the Triplet, moving toward the Triplet. On the morning of 6 November it begins its passage between the northern member NGC 3628 and the southern pair M65 and M66. NGC 3628 is known as the Hamburger Galaxy, its distinctive almost rectangular appearance, with a dark dust lane running along its centre, appearing like the popular fast food seen side-on.
The passage is brief, Ceres taking a day to cross the apparent width of NGC 3628. On 7 November at 03:00 UT, it lies around 9 arcminutes from the core of this galaxy. A view of the general area on the morning of 8 November shows Ceres just east of the Triplet and now east-southeast of NGC 3628. At 03:00 UT, it appears separated from NGC 3628 by about the same distance as that between M65 and M66.
Ceres continues east-southeast, a bright Moon now interfering with the view. On 21 November, Ceres lies 40 arcminutes north of mag. +11.4 galaxy NGC 3810.
Leonid meteor shower
BEST TIME TO SEE: Nights of 17/18 and 18/19 November
RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT: Naked eye
The Leonid meteor shower is a popular annual shower despite its relatively low peak Zenithal Hourly Rate (ZHR) of 15 meteors per hour. Bear in mind that this value is for optimal viewing conditions with the shower radiant directly overhead. As conditions aren’t optimal this year and the radiant achieves a maximum altitude of just 58° under dark sky conditions, the visual rate – the number you’ll actually see – will be lower than this.
The shower’s popularity is in part due to a periodic increase in its ZHR every 33 years. At such times the Leonids may produce a storm-level display of 1,000–100,000 meteors per hour. The next interesting period begins around 2032– 2033, so we are in between ‘storms’ at present. However, a prediction has been made for a moderate ZHR enhancement between 05:50 UT and 06:10 UT on the morning of 19 November, as the sky is brightening. Brighter than average meteors are also predicted. A 33%-lit waning crescent Moon in southeast Leo will interfere somewhat on the morning of 18 November. Leonid meteors are swift, entering the atmosphere at 77km/s. Trails appear to emanate from the shower radiant conveniently located in the head of Leo the Lion, within the Sickle asterism.