November 2022
Looking North on 24th November 9pm
Mars is in the East and next month it comes alongside us on the same side of the sun (opposition).
Having an orbit outside our own, it takes longer to complete a ‘year’. This means that this passing alongside only happens every 2 to 3 years. As our orbit is closer to the sun we overtake Mars and it appears to travel backwards across the night sky! (retrograde motion). This must have seemed very strange and unsettling for those observing the skies just hundreds of years ago.
Other things to spot is the W shape of Cassiopeia (almost overhead) - seen upside down from the north this month.
There is a very interesting region to the right of the upside-down W and the star Mirfak, shown on this diagram as a fuzzy blotch. It is the Heart Nebula shown below. It is an emission nebula of glowing gas. It has a very red colour and the theory is that a small group of stars inside are generating radiation which fuels the gasses.
Photo: Milan Davidovic (Embsay 2022)
Unfortunately, it’s not really possible to view it with your naked eye but it can be seen with a camera fixed on this area while attached to a telescope. It is 7,500 light years away still within our galaxy. It is huge, almost 100 light years across.
My next target will be its companion, the Soul Nebula that is very close by. Yes, Cassiopeia has both a heart and a soul!
Looking South on 24th November 9pm
As we switch to the view of the south the very bright Jupiter is still clearly visible as it was last month. To the left is Mars and to its right, Saturn, which will shortly disappear below the horizon.
The Constellation of Orion is rising in the East. Orion (the hunter) is holding his club above his head trying to hit the Bull (Taurus). More of this next month when the sky revolves to display more objects related to his story.
The square of Pegasus is a very dominant shape in the sky. In the constellation you will see a Enif, a supergiant orange star. Although in its final stages (with just a few million years left!) its mass is balanced between stars that explode into a supernova or just die off as a white dwarf. It is 300 times bigger than our own Sun and nearly 4000 times brighter. Following the line in the constellation beyond Enif with a pair of binoculars you will see Messier 15- a globular cluster of stars- and at the centre is an intermediate mass black hole. https://freestarcharts.com/messier-15
If you are interested in astronomy then why not install some software to help you discover the night sky. Here are a few, all free.
I use Stellarium and there are many other free utilities that will help you in your interest in astronomy- all free from the above link for your PC / laptop.
Below are some more additional apps for mobile phones which are free cut- down versions or have a cost. Check before downloading.
Full Moon 8th November
New Moon 23rd November
Clear Skies
Milan Davidovic
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