I’ve had several viewers ask about our weekend sky (so crisp and clear!) and just what is off to the side of the crescent moon. That’s Venus and it will pass to the other side tonight. All month you’ll be able to see Venus up there and as the month progresses Saturn and Jupiter show up also:
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You’ll find plenty of information at earthsky.org.
TAURID METEOR SHOWER
The Taurid meteor shower can come with ‘fireballs’ also. Most meteors that make it into Earth’s atmosphere are the size of a raisin and still show a nice flash across the sky. Taurid meteors can be as big as grapes and produce more dramatic “fireballs.” Find a dark spot, especially after midnight, and look for the show pretty much all month. Here’s more from space.com including a great video.
THE FULL BEAVER MOON
This month’s Full Moon occurs on the 19th although it will look full a couple of nights before and after. And at 3 a.m. on the 19th, just as it shows up, the moon will also undergo an almost full lunar eclipse, turning it to a copper color. Sometimes this is called a “Blood Moon” -- a more effective title when this happens around Halloween! For true sky watchers, this will be a nice treat if skies cooperate and stay clear.
The name of this moon came to be because the beavers know this is the time to start shoring up those dams for protection against the oncoming winter. The Old Farmer’s Almanac has a nice article on the Beaver Moon and the Lunar Eclipse.
They also advise the best harvesting days in late November. This rings a personal note because my grandfather was a farmer and when my dad asked permission to marry his daughter he said they’d have to wait until the crops came in so he could pay for it! They married Nov. 28, 1953! I lost them both in the past year and think about them every day. They were wonderful parents and I am a lucky guy to have had them!
Enjoy those November skies!
Frank