Red Dirt Astronomy: Skies & Space for November
October 31, 2022
Planets
Mercury – Mercury is too close to the sun to be visible this month.
Venus- Like Mercury, Venus will also be too close to the sun to be seen this month.
Mars – The planet will be in the constellation of Taurus for the next 2.5 months. It will brighten a little as the month progresses while increasing the size of the planet’s disk along the way. The waning gibbous moon will pass close by Mars on the 11th.
Jupiter – The giant planet will dominate the evening sky after sunset in the constellation Pisces. The waxing gibbous moon passes close by on the 4th.
Saturn- In Capricorn as the sun sets, Saturn will make two passes close to the planet this month: Nov. 1st and 28th/29th.
Uranus- Uranus reaches its closest to the Earth for 2022 on the 9th, still 2.6 light hours away, 1.8 billion miles!
Neptune- Neptune will be well placed for observing this month in the constellation Aquarius.
Sky & Space Anniversary Events for November 2022
Nov. 1: First Quarter moon
Nov. 2: Space Shuttle ATLANTIS arrives at Kennedy Space Center (2012)
Nov. 3 : “Laika” the space dog was launched into space by the USSR (1967)
Nov. 4: Jupiter north of the Moon
Nov. 6: Daylight Savings Time Ends
Nov. 8: Full Moon
Nov. 11: Mars near Moon
Nov. 11: STS 5, Space Shuttle COLUMBIA, launched (1982)
Nov. 16: Last Quarter Moon
Nov. 19: STS 87, Space Shuttle COLUMBIA, launched (1987)
Nov. 23: New Moon
Nov. 24: STS 113, ENDEVOUR Space Shuttle ENDEVOUR, launched (2002)
Nov. 30: First Quarter Moon