NOVEMBER NOEMA SKY GUIDE Transit of Mercury Mercury transits the Sun about 13 times each century, and this year, on 12 November, THE SKY TONIGHT we will be able to witness this again. A planetary transit is when a planet moves Pegasus between the Earth and the Sun, making Pegasus is a constellation visible in the its silhouette visible on the Sun’s disc. The north during spring. It depicts the winged inner planets, Mercury and Venus, are the horse, Pegasus, who, in one version of only ones that can undertake solar transits, the Greek myth, sprang from the neck because they are the only planets that of Medusa after she was beheaded. It is easily recognised by the ‘Great Square of orbit between Earth and the Sun. The first Pegasus’, which is made up of three bright transit to be observed was in 1631, when stars in Pegasus and a bright star in the both Mercury and Venus transited within a neighbouring constellation of Andromeda. month of each other. These transits became To see the Great Square and Pegasus, look important to astronomers, because when towards the northern horizon after 10pm. viewed from different locations on earth, the The most northeastern star is Alpha- data could be used to calculate the distance Andromedae, and the remaining three between Earth and the Sun. This distance stars are in the Pegasus constellation. is known as one astronomical unit (AU), and enabled astronomers to learn more about the This region of the sky holds a particularly size of the cosmos. Captain Cook observed interesting deep space object called Einstein’s Cross, which is a gravitationally the transit of Mercury in 1769 when first lensed quasar. With the exception of a visiting New Zealand, after witnessing Venus’ few explosions, quasars are the brightest transit in Tahiti a few months earlier. objects in the universe. Scientists aren’t entirely sure what they are, but they It is dangerous to stare directly at the Sun are extremely remote and let off huge for any length of time, so, to watch this amounts of energy, most likely fuelled transit, you need proper equipment such by super massive black holes. as a solar telescope. There will also be a live feed of the transit online through the Mercury This quasar lies directly behind a galaxy, Rising Project, which aims to bring people so it would normally be blocked from our together to witness this rare event. Learn view. However, the galaxy creates such a more at www.mercuryrisingproject.com strong gravitational field that it bends light from the quasar, allowing ghost images to be seen. Pictured on the cover, this quasar is called Einstein’s Cross, because up to four images of the quasar are visible, a phenomena predicted by Einstein Remember a moment in time with in his general theory of relativity. a personalised star chart from Otago Museum! Each chart shows the position of stars, constellations, NOVEMBER NOEMA SKY GUIDE planets, and the Sun, and the phase of the Moon for the exact time, date, and location of your special event. Save 10% on your chart by enjoying a show in the Perpetual Guardian Planetarium PERPETUAL while you wait! GUARDIAN Place your order at the Museum Shop. PLANETARIUM MOON PHASES NOVEMBER 2019 SUN RISE / SUNSET N 10 350 340 Lacerta Perseus 20 Algol Andromeda Capella 330 Phase Date 30 Deneb Date Rise Set Triangulum Monday 4 November Auriga Cygnus Friday 1 November 6.16am 8.27pm First Quarter 320 40 Full Moon Wednesday 13 November Friday 15 November 5.57am 8.48pm Aries Pegasus 310 Third Quarter Wednesday 20 November 50 Saturday 30 November 5.44am 9.08pm Pisces New Moon Wednesday 27 November Taurus Vulpecula Aldebaran 300
60
Mira CONJUNCTION OF
Equuleus Delphinus Cetus 290 VENUS AND JUPITER PLANETS Sag 70 Aquarius Orion Betelgeuse Alta Eridanus 280 Venus and Jupiter will spend 80 Rigel Sculptor Aquila this month slowly approaching Jupiter Fornax Fomalhaut each other until they reach Hine-i-tīweka Piscis Austrinus Capricornus conjunction on 24 November. W Lepus A conjunction is an apparent before 11.42pm E 1 November Phoenix meeting, or passing, of celestial 15 November before 10.59pm onoceros Grus Microscopium Caelum bodies in the sky as seen from before 10.15pm
30 November Horologium Achernar Sirius 260 Earth. Of course, while Venus Columba
100 Scutum and Jupiter will look close In Ophiuchus Canis Major Saturn Tucana together from our vantage Reticulum Indus Pictor Sagittarius point, Jupiter will still be Hydrus Dorado 250 more than seven times further
110 Canopus Telescopium away from Earth than Venus. Saturn Corona Australis Pavo Mensa
Jupiter240 Conjunctions between these 120 O before 1.14am Volans two planets are particularly 1 November stunning, as they are the 15 November before 12.23am Carina Chamaeleon
Hydra Apus Ara second and third brightest 0
30 November before 11.29pm Pyxis 23 Venus
130 Triangulum Australe objects in the night sky after the Scorpius In Sagittarius Vela Musca Moon. To see this conjunction,
Circinus Norma Antares
220 go out after 10pm and look to Time Guide 140 Acrux Rigil Kentaurus the west. You should see two
This chart is oriented for: Crux
Antlia Gacrux 210 bright celestial objects very Venus Early-November – 12am 150 Lupus
xtansMid-November – 11pm near each other. The higher and Meremere-tū-ahiahi 200
Late-November – 10pm 160 more southern object is Venus,
190 170 S while the lower and more before 9.47pm Centaurus 1 November Copyright © 2019 Heavens-Above.com northern object is Jupiter. 15 November before 10.20pm 30 November before 10.48pm How to use this chart: Hold the chart up to the sky and rotate it, so the direction you are looking matches the In Ophiuchus direction printed on the bottom. For example, if you are looking south, place ’S‘ at the lower edge. Stars rise in the east and set in the west like the sun. As the Earth turns, the sky appears to rotate clockwise around the south celestial pole. The sky makes a small shift to the west every night, as the Earth rotates around the sun.