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Here is what’s happening in the skies of Southern California:

Standard Time goes into effect on Sunday morning, November 6. 1:59 a.m., P.D.T will be followed by 1:00 a.m., P.S.T. Don’t forget to turn back manual clocks before sleeping on Saturday night. Daylight Saving time will return on March 11 next year. One of many ways that you will notice the time change is that sunset on Saturday, November 5 will happen in Los Angeles at 5:57 p.m., P.D.T., and on the next afternoon sunset is at 4:56 p.m., P.S.T.

The moon will appear in waxing gibbous phase all this week. Its setting time advances from 12:49 a.m., P.D.T. on Thursday to 5:20 a.m., P.S.T. on Wednesday, November 9.

The brightest planet, Venus, is easy to find low in the southwest starting half an hour after sunset. Over the next two weeks, use binoculars to spot the innermost planet, Mercury, only 2 degrees to the lower left of Venus. The planets will appear paired for the next two weeks.

Jupiter, in Aries the Ram, is visible in the east-northeast as the sky grows dark, and transits nearly 68 degrees high in the south at midnight, P.D.T., or 11:00 p.m., P.S.T. Jupiter presents a fine sight in nearly all telescopes, and its four largest moons can be spotted close the the brilliant planet even with binoculars. The waxing gibbous moon appears near Jupiter on Saturday the 5th and the following night.

The orange planet Mars, in Leo the Lion, is the brightest member of an attractive triangle that also contains Leo’s brightest star, Regulus, and gamma Leonis, a telescopic double-star. Notice how the color of Mars contrasts with the bluish hue of Regulus. The trio rises at about 1:30 a.m., P.D.T.–or 12:30 a.m., P.S.T.– and is nearly 60 degrees high in the southeast when dawn starts.

The International Space Station makes a pass high over Los Angeles on the evening of Saturday, November 5. The largest artificial satellite will outshine Jupiter as it crosses the sky from northwest to southeast between 6:54 and 7:00 p.m., P.D.T. From Griffith Observatory, the ISS will pass only 15 degrees southwest of overhead at 6:57 p.m.

Free public viewing of the sun during the day and of the moon, planets, and other celestial objects at night, is available in clear weather five days a week (Wednesday through Sunday) through Griffith Observatory’s telescopes before 9:45 p.m. Check our website for our schedule. The next public star party of the Los Angeles Astronomical Society and the Sidewalk Astronomers is scheduled for Saturday, November 5, between 2:00 p.m. and 9:45 p.m.

The Sky Report is updated every Wednesday. From Griffith Observatory, I’m Anthony Cook, and I can be reached at griffithobserver@gmail.com.