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Once again, the Moon’s phases are in sync with the calendar this month, starting with a new Moon on November 1st. That leaves the evening sky relatively Moon-free for the first days and last half of November — great opportunities to get out under the crisp, crystal-clear night skies of late autumn. And the return to standard time in the U.S. and Canada on November 3rd means that you can get in some casual stargazing before dinnertime.
November will be one of those months when you have a chance to see all five bright planets — though not all at once. Venus has been lurking low in the evening twilight, but this month it starts to climb higher and hangs around longer. As November opens, this brilliant “Evening Star” sets 2 hours after sunset, but that stretches to more than 3 hours by month’s end.
By mid-November, Venus will be joined by Mercury. But spotting this fast-moving planet will be a challenge. Listen to this month’s Sky Tour podcast for tips on where and when to see it. Planet #3 is Saturn. Face south and look about halfway from the horizon to overhead. Saturn isn’t stunningly bright like Venus, but it is by itself in that part of the sky and easy to spot.
Now make another quarter turn, to face east. Brilliant Jupiter rises by about 8 p.m. early in November and by 6 p.m. late this month. You won’t have any difficulty realizing that you’ve spotted Jupiter — it’s not as bright as Venus, but it does outshine every star in the night sky by a lot. To spot Mars, note where Jupiter is in the sky, and look at that same location about 3 hours later.
Stellarium
Meanwhile, mythic drama is playing out in the northern sky these evenings. Look high in the northeast for a group of five medium-bright stars crudely shaped like a “3” or like a broad “M” tipped up on its right corner. This is the constellation Cassiopeia, who is a queen in Greek mythology. The somewhat dimmer stars of Cepheus, her husband, are just to the Queen’s left. They look a bit like an upside-down house.
Ancient poets say Cassiopeia was queen of either Ethiopia or Joppa, the city now called Jaffa in Israel. In any case, she was both beautiful and boastful. This angered the gods and led to forcing Andromeda, the royal couple’s daughter, to be chained to a rock. Luckily, the hero Perseus was on his way home from having killed Medusa. He swoops in to save Andromeda, then claims her in marriage. Meanwhile, Cassiopeia’s misdeeds landed her up in the sky, doomed to hang upside down half the time and clinging to her throne so she doesn’t fall off.
All these mythological players are in the same part of the sky, and you’ll be able to identify them all with the gentle guidance of our podcast. Of course, there’s lots more to explore in November’s night skies — the Moon’s cover-up of a bright star, the solitary star named “Mouth of the Fish,” and a trio of modest meteor showers. Track them all down by listening to this month’s Sky Tour!