November 2024

Hello and welcome to UT Skywatch!

The moon phases for this month are new on the 1st, 1st quarter on the 9th, full on the 14th and last quarter on the 22nd.

The Leonid Meteors join us this month and should peak on the mornings of the 17th and 18th. Under best conditions, with no moon, you might see 10-12 meteors per hour however, the moon is full on the 15th so expect much interference. By all means look but lower your expectations a bit.

The North and South Taurids add to the meteor shower excitement for this month. S. Taurids peak on the 5th and are best viewed around midnight. The N. Taurids peak on the 12th and are also best viewed around midnight. Since these two showers overlap, you might see 5 meteors per hour under ideal conditions.

Venus dominates dusk and early evening in the SW and sets about 8:00 p.m. by mid-month. Venus is joined by a waxing crescent moon on the 4th.

Mercury is tough but look carefully nearly WSW at sunset with binoculars or a telescope. And remember, you are dangerously close to the sun so take care.

Saturn is next up high in the SSE. The rings are moving toward “ring plane crossing” in March, 2025 and are looking more edge-on each day. The ringed planet is joined by a bright waxing gibbous moon on the 10th.

Don’t forget to set your clocks back one hour November 2 so we can say goodbye to daylight saving time for the year. Now we can start earlier.The moon phases for this month are new on the 1st, 1st quarter on the 9th, full on the 14th and last quarter on the 22nd.