What’s Up in the Night Sky? – November 2022

Fred Barrett | Nov 02, 2022

We have a pretty good month coming up. Another decent meteor shower graces our sky - the Leonids, and there is a total eclipse of the Moon on the 8th! Don’t overlook Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. They are easy and extraordinary sights in early and mid evening, especially in binoculars and a small telescope.

I caught a fair number of Orionid meteors last month and most were observed after the peak night for the shower. This month we have the annual Leonid meteor shower peaking in our skies during the night of 17/18 near dawn. It starts about the 6th and runs until the 30th. Get a head start on meteor observing early in November and you can watch their numbers slowly increase to the peak on the night of 17/18. The radiant is a little to the right (westwards) of the very bright star Regulus. The radiant is the source direction from which debris plows into the Earth and this shower material is from Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle that has been slowly disintegrating over many thousands of years. The constellation of Leo the Lion rises up low on the eastern horizon about midnight at the start of November. It rises higher as the night progresses and by dawn it is about 60 degrees high in the southeast. Don’t forget that the radiant doesn’t have to be in the sky to see plenty of meteors. Meteors can be seen all over the sky coming from the radiant direction even though it might be below the horizon. This year’s shower should average about 15 meteors per hour. Unfortunately the brightness of a waning crescent Moon will hinder seeing some of the fainter meteors. To help in seeing some of those meteors, pick a spot where the Moon is blocked – like behind a wall or house. The best viewing is in the early hours of the morning when the Leonid debris is more directly hitting the atmosphere and moving faster. It also comes in trains of several meteors at a time and is known for more fireballs than most showers.. I promise you that if you catch sight of a fireball, you’ll never forget it! Don’t forget to dress warmly! At this time of year, the cool air and little physical movement while observing, will suck the heat right out of you.

A Full Moon occurs about 6:02 am in the early morning of November 8th, but this Full Moon comes with a total lunar eclipse! An eclipse of the Moon can only occur at full moon when the Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon and casts a shadow on the Moon. It is not particularly rare. It happens 2 to 5 times a year but the rarity is that to observe one, you have to be in the right place and the right time on Earth to see it. This total eclipse of the Moon will last about 5 hours. It starts about 3 am EST when the Earth’s weaker outer shadow or penumbra, touches the Moon’s edge and ends about 7:49 EST when it leaves. Totality, when the Moon is entirely within the Earth’s umbra or dark inner shadow, begins at 5:16 am, with max shadow at 5:59. Totality ends around 6:41 am. When the entire Moon is in dark shadow, it often appears a bloody red hue due to the Earth’s filtering of the Sun’s rays. Set your alarm clocks and enjoy the show because the next total lunar eclipse around here won’t happen until 2025. Make sure you have a nice view to the west.

For the planets this month, Saturn is a stunning view in the southeast in early evening. It’s low in the south after sunset by mid month and to the right of Deneb in the constellation Aquarius. Jupiter is prominent in the east after sunset. You can catch it now, as soon as it’s dark, below the great square of Pegasus. It’s a bright gem and hard to miss. Through your telescope, Uranus and Neptune are a relatively easy and short star hop away from Jupiter. Star hopping is when you use a star map and your binoculars or telescope to jump from star to star to find your way to a destination object.

Mars is at its closest to Earth on November 30th. You can find it after 8 pm early in November near Betelgeuse at the top left of Orion as it rises in the east. By the 30th, it is a very bright gem in the south. Follow it through the month as it nears opposition.. A modest telescope will allow you to see details on its surface, especially the prominent ice cap.

Have you seen the Webb telescope’s image of the Pillars of Creation? Spectacular! The Webb is living up to its expectations and more!

It’s been confirmed that the DART satellite that was crashed, on purpose, into a small asteroid to see what affect that would have, managed to actually change the orbit of that asteroid. Good news as a method to help us avoid going the way of dinosaurs!

Remember! Daylight Savings Time ends at 2 am. Sunday, November 6th.

Here are this month’s highlights: Nov. 4: Moon passes 3 degrees south of Neptune 4 am. Moon slips 2 degrees south of Jupiter early evening. Nov. 6: Daylight Savings Time ends 2 am. Nov. 8: Full Moon occurs. Several names come to mind - Deer Rutting Full Moon, Frost Full Moon, and Rivers Freezing Full Moon. Most have in common the word “FREEZING”! The deer, of course, are doing their best to stay warm. There is a Total Eclipse of the Moon in early morning. Nov. 11: Remembrance Day. Moon passes near Mars in early morning. Nov. 14: Moon is at apogee – 402,569 Km. Nov. 16: Last quarter Moon. Nov. 17: Leonid meteor shower peaks. Nov. 23: New Moon. Nov. 26: Moon at perigee – 360,710 Km. Nov. 28: Moon passes 4 degrees south of Saturn at midnight EST. Nov. 30: First quarter Moon. At 9 pm, Mars comes closest to Earth – 80.6 million Km.

That’s a wrap! Layer up, stay warm and keep looking up!

Follow the links below for information and upcoming events at the North Frontenac Dark Sky Preserve:

www.northfrontenac.com/en/open-for-business/dark-sky-preserve.aspx

www.visitfrontenac.ca/en/explore-and-do/dark-sky-preserve.aspx

Also check https://rasc.ca/ottawa-centre for area news and events.

Useful books, star charts and related items for beginners and through to advanced amateurs can be ordered from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada at www.rasc.ca/publications. A subscription to our very own excellent Canadian astronomy magazine “SkyNews” can be arranged at the RASC website.

Fill me in on your observations and send me your questions. I welcome emails and all feedback. You can contact me through this paper or email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Clear Skies!