If you happen to be standing outside beside your mailbox reading this, there’s a chance you can still catch the really nice conjunction of the Moon, Venus and Saturn on the western horizon a half hour after sunset. The forecast is not great, but check just in case. Available today only, and from 6pm to 6:45 only; the planets will have set by 7.
If you’re late and missed it, or any time you just find yourself wandering about aimlessly at night for the next few months, look up anyway. The forecast for clear skies later in the week is promising (as I write this, anyway), so I’ve arranged a little entertainment for whenever you find yourself out and about in a dark spot.
Early November is the time of the annual Taurid Meteor Showers. The night of November 4th-5th is the peak of the South Taurid Meteor Shower, with the North Taurids peaking the night of the 11th-12th.
No rush on this one. Each shower runs for two weeks on either side of their peak dates. Also, the word ‘peak’ is a bit of an exaggeration, with each shower averaging seven meteors an hour every day, with no real increases at the peaks or when showers overlap. However, on the up side, the Taurid showers are fireball rich, so there’s a good chance your patience will be rewarded with an exceptionally bright shooting star which will instantly justify your standing around waiting for something to happen.
Meteors from both showers will appear to radiate from the constellation Taurus, found low in the south east at 8 p.m., and high in the south after midnight.
If it’s Saturday that you’re out, the Moon and Mars will make a nice pair in the south, although the presence of the Moon will make meteor sighting much more difficult. Guess you can’t have everything.
Although the Taurids are a bit of a challenge, especially from urban skies, things are looking up (so to speak). The night of November 16th-17th marks the peak of the Leonid Shower this year, with a normal expectation of 10-15 meteors per hour, and picking up toward dawn. Not bad, but on November 17th, 1966, lucky observers were treated to thousands of meteors per minute for a period of 15 minutes. Other years have brought unexpected outbursts as well, so when it comes to the Leonids, you are almost forced to check, just in case. The Leonids are followed, in mid December, by the generally dependable 120 meteor per hour Geminid Shower.
Unfortunately this year, each shower will be somewhat hampered by the Moon around their peak dates, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be up and out as well. Meteor showers require no equipment or investment other than time, and they’re available as close as your own back yard.
