LISTEN to this week’s Sky Report
This is the Griffith Observatory Sky Report through November 11, 2015. Here’s what’s happening in the skies of southern California.
This is the last full week this year that Saturn can be spotted in the evening sky. Saturn sets about an hour after sunset in the west-southwest, and may be found in evening twilight with increasing difficulty as the nights pass. From Earth’s perspective, Saturn will pass behind the sun on November 29th, and for several weeks on either side of the conjunction the ringed planet is unobservable in the sun’s glare.
The moon is waning crescent and visible in the morning sky until the 11th, when it is new. The moon will join the grouping of the planets Venus, Jupiter, and Mars, currently visible in the east between 3:00 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. On the 5th, the moon is 11 degrees from the highest and second brightest of the planetary trio, Jupiter. Venus is the brightest planet, and is 9 degrees below Jupiter. Mars is the orange object a little over one degree to the upper right of Venus. On Friday the 6th, the moon is located 2½ degrees to the right of Jupiter. On the following morning, Saturday the 7th, the moon is 2½ degrees to the lower right of Venus. At the same time Mars appears 2 degrees above Venus. Through a telescope, Venus displays a gibbous phase, while Jupiter can show its bands of clouds and its four largest moons. Mars is still almost as distant as it can be from earth, and presently is too far away to show interesting visual detail through telescopes.
The International Space Station will appear high in the sky over Los Angeles on Saturday morning, November 7. A rival to Venus in brilliance, the ISS will suddenly emerge from earth’s shadow at 4:47 a.m. while already 64 degrees high toward the south-southwest. A few seconds later, it will reach its apex, 83 degrees above the southeast horizon. The space station will then sink toward the northeast, nearing the horizon at 4:51 a.m.
Free views of the sun during the day and of the moon, planets, and other celestial objects at night are available to the public in clear weather through Griffith Observatory’s telescopes from Tuesday through Sunday before 9:30 p.m. Check our website for the schedule. The next public star party on the grounds of Griffith Observatory, hosted by the Los Angeles Astronomical Society, the Sidewalk Astronomers, and the Planetary Society, will take place on Saturday, November 21.
Follow the Sky Report on Twitter for updates of astronomy and space-related events.
From Griffith Observatory, I’m Anthony Cook and I can be reached at griffithobserver@gmail.com