BACKYARD STARGAZER: Beaver Moon, Super Moon in November
Francis Parnell
By Francis Parnell
In November early risers are rewarded with a series of spectacular lunar and planetary gatherings.
Looking southeast one hour before sunrise on the 2nd, the waning lunar crescent is 1 degree to the right of red Mars with bright yellow Jupiter 5 degrees lower left of the Moon.
Facing southeast one hour before sunrise on the 3rd, the thinner crescent Moon is 9 degrees lower left of bright Jupiter.
Forty-five minutes before sunrise on the 7th, face east-southeast to spot brilliant Venus 1.5 degrees to the right of Spica, Virgo’s brightest star.
Forty-five minutes before sunrise on the 16th, look south and high in the sky to see yellow Jupiter with red Mars less than 2 degrees upper left.
One hour before sunrise on the 20th, look east-southeast to spot dazzling Venus about 3 degrees upper left of Spica, Virgo’s brightest star.
Watch the Full Beaver Moon rising on the 24th. And on the 25th, one day past full, the waning gibbous Moon is at Perigee, only 223,285 miles from Earth. It’s a Supermoon one day past full.
One hour before sunrise on the 30th, look high in the south to observe the 59% illuminated Moon with bright yellow Jupiter about 3 degrees upper right, red Mars 5 degrees upper left, and Spica, Virgo’s brightest star, 2 degrees upper left. You can view the entire quartet in a 7×50 pair of binoculars!
FAST FACT: “CHNOPS” stands for Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Phosphorus, Sodium. What everything is made of. Humans are made of 98% to 99% of these elements. When astronomers discover a planet orbiting a distant star, astrobiologists, using spectroscopy, study the light reflected from the planet. If any, or all, of the six elements show up in the spectra, there’s a possibility that some type of life may exist on that planet.
Have a great Thanksgiving and “Keep looking up!”