November 16, 2008
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Night Sky Update…
Here is just a quick update on some fall astronomy happenings! The night viewing has been great here… the skies have been clear and the air has been crisp! Perfect for hot cocoa and few minutes in the lawn chair staring in awe at God’s amazing creation!
Enjoy,
BeeEVENING PLANETS: When the sun goes down tonight, step outside and look
southwest. The two brightest planets, Venus and Jupiter, are shining
through the twilight side by side. You’ll want to keep an eye on these
two because they are drawing noticeably closer together every night.
Venus and Jupiter are converging on a patch of sky in Sagittarius where
they will have a spectacular double-conjunction with the Moon at the
end of the month. Don’t wait until then, though. Visit
http://spaceweather.com for sky maps and start watching now.
LEONID METEOR WATCH: The Leonid meteor shower peaks this year on Nov.
17th and 18th. Bright moonlight will probably spoil the show, but not
necessarily. Researchers who study Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle, the source
of the Leonids, say Earth is going to pass through one or two of the
comet’s dusty filaments. Peak rates of 20 to 100 meteors per hour are
possible during the early hours of Nov. 17th and again during the
waning hours of Nov. 18th. These times favor sky watchers in Europe,
Africa, and Asia. Smaller numbers of Leonids could appear between the
anticipated peak times. Meteor enthusiasts everywhere should monitor
the sky on Nov. 17th and 18th; the hours before local dawn are usually
best.
