NOVEMBER 2019 OBSERVING
Celestial Calendar
50 NOVEMBER 2019 • SKY & TELESCOPE
Oct. UT Nov. UT
3 1:23 3 14:19
5 22:12 6 11:08
8 19:00 9 7:57
11 15:49 12 4:46
14 12:38 15 1:35
17 9:27 17 22:24
20 6:15 20 19:13
23 3:04 23 16:02
25 23:53 26 12:51
28 20:42 29 9:40
31 17:30
These geocentric predictions are from the
recent heliocentric elements Min. = JD
2445641.554 + 2.867324E, where E is any
integer. For a comparison-star chart and
more info, see skyandtelescope.com/algol.Minima of Algol
Action at Jupiter
JUPITER SHINES LOW in the south-
west at dusk this month. By early
December, it will be unobservable.
Though Jupiter hangs low, this is
still a good time to seek out its satel-
lites. Any telescope shows the four big
Galilean moons, and binoculars usually
show at least two or three. They orbit
Jupiter at different rates, changing
positions along a straight line from our
point of view. Use the diagram on the
facing page to identify them by their
relative positions.
Since late 2016, the tilt of Jupiter’s
axis has been such that its outermost
Galilean moon, Callisto, hasn’t passed
in front of or behind the planet from
our perspective. That changes on
November 9th with the beginning of a
3-year eclipse series. Between now and
August 10, 2022, Callisto will be hidden
by Jupiter 61 times.
All of the November interactions
between Jupiter and its satellites and
their shadows are tabulated on the fac-
ing page.
Features on Jupiter appear closer to
the central meridian than to the limb
for 50 minutes before and after transit-
ing. Here are the times, in Universal
Time, when the Great Red Spot should
cross Jupiter’s central meridian. The
dates, also in UT, are in bold. (Eastern
Standard Time is UT minus 5 hours.)
October 1: 4:18, 14:14; 2: 0:10,
10:06, 20:02; 3: 5:57, 15:53; 4: 1:49,
11:45, 21:41; 5: 7:37, 17:32; 6: 3:28,
13:24, 23:20; 7: 9:16, 19:11; 8: 5:07,
15:03; 9: 0:59, 10:55, 20:51; 10: 6:46,
16:42; 11: 2:38, 12:34, 22:30; 12: 8:26,
18:21; 13: 4:17, 14:13; 14: 0:09, 10:05,
20:01; 15: 5:56, 15:52; 16: 1:48, 11:44,
21:40; 17: 7:36, 17:32; 18: 3:27, 13:23,
23:19; 19: 9:15, 19:11; 20: 5:07, 15:02;
21: 0:58, 10:54, 20:50; 22: 6:46, 16:42;
23: 2:37, 12:33, 22:29; 24: 8:25, 18:21;
25: 4:17, 14:12; 26 : 0:08, 10:04, 20:00;
27: 5:56, 15:52; 28: 1:48, 11:43, 21:39;
29: 7:35, 17:31; 30: 3:27, 13:23, 23:18;
31: 9:14, 19:10.
November 1: 5:06, 15:02; 2: 0:58,
10:54, 20:49; 3: 6:45, 16:41; 4: 2:37,
12:33, 22:29; 5: 8:24, 18:20; 6: 4:16,Ready for the Big Time?
Comets are unpredictable, but by the end of November, we should have some
idea of how Comet PanSTARRS (C/2017 T2) is going to behave. This particular
Comet PanSTARRS won’t reach perihelion until May 2020, when it’s predicted
to reach 7th magnitude, but it should begin brightening before that and could
be as bright as 10.5 by the end of this month. That’s still a telescopic target,
but from November 20–30, the comet travels between Alpha (α) Aurigae (Ca-
pella) and the trio of Epsilon (ε), Eta (η), and Zeta (ζ) Aurigae, making it relative-
ly easy to locate. Moving westward, PanSTARRS crosses into Perseus in early
December and may reach magnitude 9.5 by New Year’s Day.Poor Year for the Leonids
NOVEMBER IS THE MONTH Earth passes through the dust trails that Comet 55P/
Tempel-Tuttle leaves behind when it travels through the inner solar system. We
experience this interaction as the Leonid meteor shower, which this year is pre-
dicted to peak on the night of November 16–17. Shower meteors start to be visible
after the radiant, near Gamma (γ) Leonis, rises above the horizon, around mid-
night for mid-northern latitudes. Unfortunately, the dark skies required for view-
ing are nonexistent this year, as the Moon rises mid-evening and doesn’t set until
mid-morning. The waning gibbous Moon, approximately 77% lit, stands high in
the east by the time the shower radiant reaches a decent altitude.Asteroid at
Opposition
ASTEROID 4 VESTA is conveniently
placed this month, rising in early eve-
ning sunset and remaining above the
horizon almost the entire night. In the
fi rst week of November, Vesta shines
at magnitude 6.6, easily within range
of small scopes and 10×50 binoculars.
Look for it in western Taurus, less than
1° from Omicron (ο) and Xi (ξ) Tauri.
The minor planet brightens slightly, to
magnitude 6.5, just before it crosses
the northeastern border of Cetus on
November 7th. Vesta reaches opposi-
tion on November 12th, just two nights
after its closest approach — 1.56 a.u. —
to Earth.