A partial solar eclipse occurs on November 25, 2011, but its location on the far south of the globe means that only pieces of South Africa and New Zealand will see a semi-eclipsed sun. Next November a total solar eclipse will pass over parts of New Zealand and Australia.
Two Meteor Showers in November
Both the South Taurid meteors and Leonids peak in November. Neither of these showers are terribly strong, though. First up is the South Taurids, which peak over the weekend of November 4-6. The Taurid meteors seem to emanate from around the constellation Taurus (thus its name) and you can expect 8 meteors an hour at its best.
The second meteor shower, the Leonids, occasionally has some powerful years, but this is not expected to be one. The Leonids peak overnight from November 17-18, with a maximum zenithal hourly rate at about 10 meteors. Look toward the constellation Leo.
Meteor showers are the result of Earth passing through a trail of debris left behind by a comet. The S. Taurid meteors are due to Comet Encke, while the Leonid meteors are due to Comet Temple-Tuttle.
The Planets for November 2011
The brightest planet, Venus, is becoming apparent low in the west at sunset during November while the second brightest planet, Jupiter, is already beaming in the east as it gets dark.
Venus shines at magnitude -3.9 and begins to break out of the twilight glow left by the sun. Just below Venus is a much more challenging planet - Mercury - shining at magnitude -0.3. Mercury will hang close to Venus for the first two weeks of the month before Mercury drops back toward the sun and Venus rises higher into the darkness. Note Venus and the crescent moon on November 26.
Jupiter, at magnitude -2.9, also floats near the moon, on November 8 and 9. The following night, November 10, a full moon occurs at 3:16 p.m. EST as the moon closes in on the Pleiades star cluster. On November 11 and 12, the moon passes farther into Taurus, passing the Hyades cluster and the bright star Aldebaran.
Daylight Saving Time Ends
In the USA and Canada, Daylight Saving Time ends on November 6, when clocks are set back an hour, so the darkness that was coming on at 6 p.m. will now occur at 5 p.m., and it will truly seem that winter is upon us. Ever since the September equinox, the nights have been getting longer than the days, which will not begin to reverse until after the December solstice. The opposite is happening for those in the Southern Hemisphere.
Source: Celestron's The Sky software
Kelly Whitt - I have been a professional writer for more than a decade, covering many topics from science-based articles to do-it-yourself home ...
