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November 2004 Astronomical Calendar

Dave Mitsky

Note: All times in UTC (EST - 5)

Times and dates for the lunar light rays predicted to occur in November are available at http://www.lunar-occultations.com/rlo/rays/rays.htm

Mercury (-0.3 magnitude) can be seen with difficulty very low in the southwest (about 5 degrees above the horizon) after sundown during the second half of November. It is much better placed for southern observers during this apparition.

As -4.0 magnitude Venus heads eastwards towards the Sun it converges on Jupiter in the closest planetary appulse of 2004. Both planets are visible simultaneously through a telescope on November 4 when they will be just 0.55 degree apart. By month's end Venus is about 3 degrees directly above Mars an hour before sunrise.

In the second half of November Mars, tiny and dim at magnitude +1.7, travels from Virgo to Libra. It rises in the east-southeast about two hours before the Sun at the end of the month.

This month Jupiter occupies Virgo. It shines at -1.8 magnitude and rises nearly four hours before the Sun in the east-southeast by mid-month. On the morning of November 9 Jupiter is occulted by a thin crescent Moon.

Saturn, in Gemini, rises by 02:00 as the month begins. It increases in magnitude to -0.1 as it retrogrades towards opposition in January.

Both Uranus (magnitude +5.8) and Neptune (magnitude +7.9) reach eastern quadrature in November. They are conveniently positioned in the southern sky in Aquarius and Capricornus respectively at sunset.

Pluto is nearing conjunction with the Sun in December and is not observable.

Comet C/2003 K4 (LINEAR) is the only moderately bright comet visible this month. It appears low in the southeast in Corvus at the beginning of November.

Asteroids 4 Vesta (magnitude 7.4) and 9 Metis (magnitude 10.2) continue to track across southern Aquarius this month.

Binary and Multiple Stars for November

Otto Struve 514, Alpha Andromedae (Alpheratz), Struve 3, h1947, Struve 19, Struve 24, 26 Andromedae, Struve 40, Pi Andromedae, Delta Andromedae, Struve 47, Eta Andromedae, Struve 79, Beta Andromedae, Struve 108, Struve 179, South 404 (Andromeda); 1 Arietis, Struve 178, Gamma Arietis, Lambda Arietis (Mesarthim) (Aries); Struve 3053, Struve 3057, Struve 16, Struve 30, Otto Struve 16, Alpha Cassiopeiae (Schedar), Struve 59, Eta Cassiopeiae, Burnham 1, Struve 70, Otto Struve 23, h1088, Struve 163, Struve 170, Struve 182 (Cassiopeia); 34 Piscium, Struve 8, 35 Piscium, Struve 15, 38 Piscium, 42 Piscium, 49 Piscium, 51 Piscium, 55 Piscium, 65 Piscium, Psi Piscium, Otto Struve 22, Struve 98, Otto Struve 26, Phi Piscium, Zeta Piscium, h636, Otto Struve 30, Struve 122, Struve 132, Otto Struve 31, 100 Piscium, Struve 145, 107 Piscium, h644 (Pisces); h5440, Kappa-1 Sculptoris, h1949, h3442, h3379, Tau Sculptoris, Epsilon Sculptoris (Sculptor); Struve 143, Struve 183 (Triangulum)

Challenge binary star for November: 36 Andromedae

Deep-sky objects for November:
Andromeda:
	M 31	[info]	M 32	[info]	M 110	[info]
	NGC 252	[info]	NGC 404	[info]	NGC 752	[info]
Aries:
	NGC 680	[info]	NGC 691	[info]	NGC 697	[info]
	NGC 772	[info]
Cassiopeia:
	Cr 463	[info]	IC 1747	[info]	K 14	[info]
	M 103	[info]	NGC 129	[info]	NGC 133	[info]
	NGC 146	[info]	NGC 185	[info]	NGC 225	[info]
	NGC 281	[info]	NGC 278	[info]	NGC 381	[info]
	NGC 436	[info]	NGC 457	[info]	NGC 559	[info]
	NGC 637	[info]	NGC 654	[info]	NGC 659	[info]
	NGC 663	[info]	Tr 1	[info]
Cepheus:
	NGC 40	[info]	NGC 188	[info]
Cetus:
	NGC 151	[info]	NGC 175	[info]	NGC 178	[info]
	NGC 210	[info]	NGC 227	[info]	NGC 245	[info]
	NGC 246	[info]	NGC 247	[info]	NGC 274	[info]
	NGC 337	[info]	NGC 578	[info]	NGC 584	[info]
	NGC 596	[info]	NGC 615	[info]	NGC 636	[info]
	NGC 681	[info]	NGC 720	[info]	NGC 779	[info]
Pegasus:
	NGC 7814	[info]
Perseus:
	M 76	[info]	St 4	[info]
Pisces:
	M 74	[info]	NGC 128	[info]	NGC 194	[info]
	NGC 488	[info]	NGC 524	[info]
Sculptor:
	NGC 24	[info]	NGC 55	[info]	NGC 134	[info]
	NGC 150	[info]	NGC 253	[info]	NGC 254	[info]
	NGC 288	[info]	NGC 289	[info]	NGC 439	[info]
	NGC 613	[info]
Triangulum:
	M 33	[info]	NGC 672	[info]

Challenge deep-sky object for November: IC 59 (Cassiopeia)