Eyes on the Sky Update
Monday, Nov. 27 – Sunday, Dec. 3
Monday, Nov. 27 – Full Moon occurred this morning at 4:16 a.m. It will rise late this afternoon over the northeastern horizon just after 4:20 p.m. At just about the same time the sun will set in the southwest, opposite the full moon. The November full moon is known as the Beaver Moon in folklore.
Tuesday, Nov. 28 – Look for Venus in the east-southeastern sky anytime between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m. Venus appears near the blue-white star, Spica, the brightest star of Virgo. The separation gap between Venus and Spica will narrow for one more day then begin to widen.
Wednesday, Nov. 29 – Saturn will reach its highest point in the sky in the south just after 5:30 p.m. About a half hour later the 17-day old, waning gibbous moon rises in the northeast. Jupiter will reach its highest in the south just before 9:45 p.m. and the moon will do the same before 1:30 a.m.
Thursday, Nov. 30 – When the bright waning gibbous moon rises just after 7 p.m. over the northeastern horizon, it appears next to the star Pollux, the brightest star of Gemini the Twins. Above Pollux is the other twin star, Castor. For about an hour starting around 11:30 p.m., the moon’s motion will make these three objects form a straight line in the eastern sky.
Friday, Dec. 1 – The stars of Orion are visible by 8 p.m. and are spanning low from the east to the east-southeast. Meanwhile, the tip of the Big Dipper’s handle, the star Alkaid, is “dragging” along the northern horizon.
Saturday, Dec. 2 – Tonight, the twenty-day old waning lunar gibbous is flooding its light over the faint cluster of stars in central Cancer the Crab as well as the rest of this dim constellation.
Sunday, Dec. 3 – The moon, less than two days before Last Quarter, rises at 10:20 p.m. and shines adjacent to Regulus, the “King Star,” the brightest star of Leo the Lion.
Editor’s Note: Richard Monda, assistant professor of Physics and Astronomy in the Biology, Chemistry and Physics Department, publishes updates to his HVCC Eyes on the Sky, a YouTube video series, each week.