Sunday, November 17, 2024

Leonids Meteor Shower Peaks (pre-dawn)

The annual Leonids Meteor shower, derived from material left by repeated passages of periodic Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle, is active from November 6 to 30. The peak of the shower, when up to 15 meteors per hour are predicted, will occur from Saturday night, November 16 into Sunday morning, November 17 in the Americas, when Earth will be traversing the densest part of the comet's debris train. While you should see a few Leonids after dusk on Saturday evening -
many with persistent trains - more of them will be apparent on Sunday in the hours before dawn, when the radiant in the head of Leo will be high in the southeastern sky. Unfortunately, a bright moon will shine all night long
during this year's shower, obscuring the fainter meteors.

(Data courtesy of Starry Night)
--- SBBSecho 3.20-Linux
* Origin: CJ's Place, Orange City FL > cjsplace.thruhere.net (954:100/61)

Monday, November 18, 2024

Venus Crosses the Milky Way (early evening)

During the middle part of November this year, the eastward orbital motion of the brilliant planet Venus will carry it across the Milky Way, allowing
imagers and telescope-owners telescopes to see the planet paired with several bright deep sky objects, including the globular star cluster Messier 28 on November 16 and the larger, brighter globular cluster Messier 22 on Monday, November 18. In both cases the planet and the cluster will share the field of view of a low power eyepiece, but the clusters will show better with bright Venus tucked just out of sight. At mid-northern latitudes, the sky will darken nicely before they set, but observers at southerly latitudes will get a better view.

(Data courtesy of Starry Night)
--- SBBSecho 3.20-Linux
* Origin: CJ's Place, Orange City FL > cjsplace.thruhere.net (954:100/61)