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SKY HAPPENINGS

Moab UT (at City Hall)
38O34’ N Latitude 109O33’ W Longitude
4048 ft - 1234 m

The Sky for November 2014
By Faylene Roth

 

Sunrise-Sunset
For November 2014

DATE

SUNRISE

SUNSET

1

7:45am

6:18pm

2

6:46am

5:17pm

3

6:47am

5:16pm

4

6:48am

5:15pm

5

6:49am

5:14pm

6

6:50am

5:13pm

7

6:51am

5:12pm

8

6:53am

5:11pm

9

6:54am

5:10pm

10

6:55am

5:09pm

11

6:56am

5:08pm

12

6:57am

5:07pm

13

6:58am

5:07pm

14

6:59am

5:06pm

15

7:00am

5:05pm

16

7:01am

5:04pm

17

7:02am

5:04pm

18

7:03am

5:03pm

19

7:05am

5:02pm

20

7:06am

5:02pm

21

7:07am

5:01pm

22

7:08am

5:01pm

23

7:09am

5:00pm

24

7:10am

5:00pm

25

7:11am

4:59pm

26

7:12am

4:59pm

27

7:13am

4:59pm

28

7:14am

4:58pm

29

7:15am

4:58pm

30

7:16am

4:58pm

Locate the Great Square in the center of Pegasus in the overhead night sky as twilight fades. Trace a line southward from the two stars on the western side of the Square to the 1st magnitude star shining brightly on the southern horizon. The star is Fomalhaut—mouth of the fish—in the constellation Pisces Austrinus (Southern Fish). Fomalhaut, often called the loneliest star in the southern sky during the fall season, is surrounded by the faint constellation Sculptor to the east and three faint constellations above—from east to west—Cetus, Aquarius, Capricornus.

Twilight extends the period of daylight in three stages at each end of the day. Morning twilight begins with astronomical twilight—about 1-1/2 hours (nearly 2 during summer months) before sunrise—as the eastern horizon brightens. Nautical twilight continues—as the overhead sky turns blue and color returns to the surrounding landscape—for another 30-40 minutes. The final stage—civil twilight—provides adequate light for most outdoor activities for the half hour before the sun crests the horizon. The opposite progression occurs after sunset.

The period of daylight continues to diminish—by 53 minutes this month—as the sun drops deeper below the equator. Evening activity by natural light comes to an abrupt halt on Sunday, November 2, when Mountain Standard Time resumes. Set clocks back one hour.

MOON HAPPENINGS
November 6– Bright skies throughout the night after the full moon (at 3:23pm) rises at 5:23pm.
November 14– Dark evening skies until after midnight when the waning last quarter moon rises.
November 22– Dark sky period for several days before and after the new moon at 6:32am.
November 29– Bright evening skies until after midnight when the waxing first quarter moon sets.

(The moon rises later each day—as little as 30 minutes to as much as one hour. Time of moonrise and moonset may also be delayed in mountainous terrain.)

VISIBLE PLANETS
Jupiter – The eastern horizon brightens as Leo and Jupiter present themselves in the eastern sky around midnight. Jupiter’s brilliant yellow orb (shining at -2 magnitude) forms a triangle with the sickle-shaped head of Leo and 1st magnitude blue-star Regulus at Leo’s heart. Jupiter rises about one hour after midnight at the beginning of the month. By month’s end, it rises about one hour before midnight and is high overhead as morning twilight spreads across the eastern horizon.

Mars – If Sagittarius is visible low on the southwestern horizon at evening twilight, then look for Mars, a small bright-red disk above it. Mars sets about two hours after astronomical twilight darkens the night sky. (Magnitude +0.9)

Apparent magnitude values range from -4 to +6 for most planets and visible stars. The lower the value the brighter the object. A decrease of 1.0 magnitude is 2.5 times brighter.

Primary Sources: USGS; U.S. Naval Observatory; Your Sky at http://www.fourmilab.ch/yoursky/
To find out when the space shuttle and International Space Station are visible from your location, go to: http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/index.html and click on Sighting Opportunities.

MAJOR CONSTELLATIONS this MONTH


Overhead
Ursa Major
Ursa Minor
Cepheus
Cassiopeia
Andromeda
Pegasus
Aries
Pisces
Aquarius
Piscis Austrinus

Eastward
Perseus
Auriga
Gemini
Taurus
Orion

Westward
Draco
Cygnus
Lyra
Aquila
Capricornus


The star chart approximates the sky from astronomical twilight to midnight. As the night and month progresses, the constellations shift toward the northwest. The celestial equator is measured in hours (h). The ecliptic is measured in degrees

Note: Hold your hand at arm’s length to measure apparent distances in the sky. The width of the little finger approximates 1.5̊. Middle, ring, and little finger touching represent about 5̊. The width of a fist is about 10̊. The fist with the thumb extended at a right angle equals 15̊. The hand stretched from thumb to little finger approximates 20̊-25̊. The diameter of both the full moon and the sun spans only 0.5̊. Adjust for the size of your hand.

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