Category Archives: Saturn

Thin Waxing Moon in Conjunction with Saturn

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   Saturday evening December 8th the 1.6-day young waxing crescent Moon will be in conjunction with the outer ringed planet Saturn. The two will be within about 3o from each other. Joining the Moon and Saturn is the Dwarf Planet Pluto, and further to the east are the planets Uranus, Neptune, and Mars.

   Within the field of view of 7×50 binoculars, in addition to the Moon and Saturn, are several Messier Objects, M-22, M-25, and M-26. These may be a challenge to see given that they are low over the western horizon and by the time the sky is darker they will have set or are just about to set.

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Click here to go to the Qué tal in the Current Skies web site for monthly observing information, or here to return to bobs-spaces.


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First Quarter Moon Conjunction with Mars

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   Over the next two evenings, November 15th – 16th, the first quarter Moon will pass by the planet Mars coming within about 1-2o. The animated graphic is set for 5:30 pm CST on November 15th – 16th.

   
   
   

Click here to go to the Qué tal in the Current Skies web site for monthly observing information, or here to return to bobs-spaces.


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November Moon at Apogee

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   Our Moon reaches apogee, (greatest distance from Earth), on Wednesday November 14th. At that time the Moon will more or less be at a distance of 31.70 Earth diameters 404,341 km (251,246 miles) from the Earth.

   Does our Moon actually go around the Earth? From our perspective on the Earth the Moon appears to circle around the Earth. However, in reality, the Moon orbits the Sun together with the Earth*

   On the day of the apogee the 7.5-day old waxing crescent Moon, at sunset local time (5:05 pm CST), will be over the southern horizon and joined by several planets. Just over the western horizon are the naked-eye visible planets from west to east: Jupiter, the inner planet Mercury, Saturn, and finally Mars. Neptune is shown however at 8th requires optical assistance or a camera to become visible.

*Click here to read my 2006 Scope on the Sky column “The Real Shape of the Moon’s Orbit”. (PDF)

Read this very informative article about the Earth-Moon system and their orbital motions, written by Joe Hanson. “Do We Orbit the Moon?”

   
   
   

Click here to go to the Qué tal in the Current Skies web site for monthly observing information, or here to go to bobs-spaces.

November Moon at Descending Node

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   Tuesday November 13th the 6-day old waxing crescent Moon will be crossing the plane of the ecliptic moving south. This is known as the descending node, one of two intersections the Moon’s orbital path (dark green line) has with the ecliptic.
   
   
   


   On the day of the node crossing the 6-day old waxing crescent Moon will be over the southern horizon about an hour after the Sun sets.

   
   
   
   
   

Click here to go to the Qué tal in the Current Skies web site for monthly observing information, or here to return to bobs-spaces.


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Moon in Conjunction with Saturn

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   Sunday evening November 11th the 3.5-day old waxing crescent Moon will be within 2-3o east (left) of the outer ringed planet Saturn. The two should look good through a wide-field eyepiece at ow magnification, and through binoculars.
   Click here to go to a previous posting showing the daily position of our Moon over a 1.5 week period.

   
   
   

Click here to go to the Qué tal in the Current Skies web site for monthly observing information, or here to return to bobs-spaces.


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Our Moon in Motion

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Moon in Motion November 7-18

   During the evening hours between Wednesday November 7th – 18th the Moon will orbit eastward passing several planets and bright stars as it goes from a thin waxing crescent shape to just past first quarter and the waxing gibbous shape by the 18th.
    (The animated graphic is set to 1-day intervals.)
    In addition to the Moon moving along in its orbit the Earth is also moving eastward along its orbit around the Sun. As the Earth revolves the sky shifts toward the west gradually moving the stars closer to the western horizon. Even the planets gradually shift toward the western horizon and out of sight.

   
   
   

Click here to go to the Qué tal in the Current Skies web site for monthly observing information, or here to return to bobs-spaces.


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Mercury at Eastern Elongation

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orbital-positions    On Tuesday November 6th Mercury, the innermost planet, will reach its orbital position known as greatest eastern elongation. At that moment Mercury, the Sun, and the Earth, would be arranged in something close to approximating a right angle as this graphic shows.
   From our perspective the orbits of Mercury and Venus appear to move from one side of the Sun to the other – from superior conjunction, behind the Sun, out to the left (east) from the Sun to eastern elongation, then reverse and move westward through (inferior conjunction) between the Earth and the Sun to western elongation. From there the inner planet moves eastward going behind the Sun (superior conjunction) and eventually reappearing on the eastern side of the Sun for an eastern elongation. Repeat over and over – do not stop!

   Currently Mercury is visible over the western horizon at sunset local time. Joining Mercury to the right (west) is the planet Jupiter, and further east the planet Saturn, and not shown in this graphic but is there over the southeastern horizon the planet Mars. A few degrees to the left (east) from Mercury is the reddish star Antares in Scorpius the Scorpion.
   
   
   

Click here to go to the Qué tal in the Current Skies web site for monthly observing information, or here to return to bobs-spaces.


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