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Astronomy Club of Asheville

Asheville, NC

November 2002 Highlights

MASP: The Mid-Atlantic Star Party ( www.masp.org ) near Robbins, NC is Oct 29-Nov4. Many club members will be there during the scheduled club Star Gaze on Friday November 1, so attendance at Mt. Pisgah will be light. Come join us at MASP!!!!!

Moon

New Moon: November 4^th.

First Quarter: November 11^th.

Full Moon: November 19^th.

Last Quarter: November 27^th.

Planets

Neptune:  is at +7.9 magnitude and located in the western part of Capricornus.

Uranus:  is at +5.8 magnitude and located in the eastern part of Capricornus.

Saturn:  is at +0.2 to-0.4 magnitude and rises early evening in the east.

Jupiter:  is at –2.1 to –2.3 magnitude and rises about 4 hours after Saturn.  It lies in Cancer.

Mars:  is at +1.8 to +1.7 magnitude and rises about 2.5 hours before sunrise.  

Venus:  is at –4.0 to –4.6 magnitude and rises an hour before sunrise November 9^th and by month’s end rises 3 hours before sunrise. It will look remarkable through the telescope, as it will be a few percent illuminated showing a hairline crescent from 5% to 20% by the 30th.

Constellations

At zenith: Cassiopeia, Cygnus, Andromeda, Pegasus, Lacerta & Delphinus.

East: Taurus, Auriga & Pisces.

The best nights in November to view without interference from the moon’s light are between November 1^st to November 11^th.

Highlights

 The Taurid  south meteor shower on November 5^th.

The Taurid north meteor shower on November 12^th.

The Leonid meteor shower peaks on November 19^th about 0530 am.  You may still see meteors this year even though the moon will be full.  There is also a penumbral eclipse of the moon on the 19^th  (see page 64 in November Astronomy magazine).

A few deep sky objects to view this month are:  M31 (the Andromeda Galaxy), M33 in Triangulum, M52 in Cassiopeia, M15 in Pegasus, M34 in Perseus & M77 in Cetus.

Club Stargaze

The November stargaze is Friday, November 1, 2002.  This will be at Mt. Pisgah trailhead parking area. The turn off the parkway is at about mile 407. Drive up to the 2^nd parking lot, which is a paved  & at a dead end.  You can check the Yahoo group for "AstroAsheville" or call Tim Barnwell @ 251-0040 or John Chappell @ 667-9268 for a go/no-go decision.

Blue Ridge Parkway Information Line is 828-298-0398 and go to Road Conditions on the menu.

Club Meeting

The November club meeting is Thursday, November 7, 2002, at 6 p.m. at Sim’s Group located at

230 Short Coxe Ave., Asheville, NC.

Clear Skies! and  Happy Starwatching!

 Taken from Sky & Telescope Magazine, Astronomy Magazine & Astronomical Calendar 2002.