Astronomy Notes
by Art Paque
Don’t worry about the colder weather; things are warming up in the sky. Mars, Mercury, and Antares perform a pas de trios in anticipation of the November 17th Leonid meteor shower and an old fashioned “Blue Moon” on the 21st. Venus will set the late November early December skies ablaze, reaching a dazzling -4.65 magnitude.
December sky watchers will applaud Mars and Mercury’s weeklong pas de deux, which introduces the Geminid meteor shower on the 13th. This is followed a week later by the “can’t miss” total lunar eclipse on the 21st, the first day of winter. The November and December Mercury events will be very low in the sky; a good view of the southwestern horizon and accurate timing are needed.
Thank you to all of the readers of “The Astronomy Notes”; it has been a special experience to write them for you over the last eight years. Thank you to the Urban Ecology Center for making them available to everyone via the website. This is my last edition of “The Notes”. Best wishes for clear skies and happy sky watching! Art Paque
