If you look at the sky’s agenda of showings for the month of
November, you would probably think
”
what a dull 30 days of viewing.
”
If you look at the sky’s agenda of showings for the month of November, you would probably think “what a dull 30 days of viewing.” But on the contrary. How about watching as Mercury transits the Sun at midday on Nov. 8? How about watching what could possibly be one of the year’s best meteor showers on the night of Nov. 18? How about staying up late and watching Saturn, which many viewers feel is the jewel of the sky? Not so dull after all, now is it?
In 2004, I was excited to hear that the planet Venus was going to transit (cross in front of) the Sun. This would be my first witness of a transit. But I was disappointed to hear that the event would not be visible from our part of the woods, and that one would have to travel to the East Coast just to witness a small portion of it.
But now, we on the West Coast are privileged to witness a similar event, and that is the transit of Mercury of the Sun’s surface. The transit will occur with first contact on Nov. 8, beginning at 11:12am, and lasting for nearly five hours. Mercury won’t stand out as large as Venus did in 2004, but it will be big enough to witness with the proper safety-filtered telescope. The total blackness of its silhouette can be distinguished from the dark gray of any sunspots that may be present.
And please don’t look at the Sun with your unaided eye to watch this transit – not even for a quick look. The Sun’s rays can burn a permanent blind spot into your retina if you try to observe the sun without proper protection. You’ll need a safe solar filter over the front of your telescope, or you can project the sun’s image out of the eyepiece of a telescope or a pair of binoculars onto a white card. For details, see “How to Watch a Partial solar Eclipse Safely” at the Web site, SkyTonight.com/eclipse.
Let’s hope the weather is good. Mercury’s last transit was May 7, 2003, and the next one won’t occur until May 9, 2016. The next transit of Venus is on June 6, 2012, which will be seen in North America.
On the evening of Nov. 18 and early morning of Nov. 19, the Leonid meteors will show off for us. It will mostly be a weak shower, but at times could feature brief outbursts that you don’t want to miss.
The Leonid meteors come from the comet 55/Tempel-Tuttle. Every 33 years this comet passes through the inner solar system and sheds new filaments of debris, adding to the general meteor stream. When Earth encounters one of these dense new filaments, we can get a very strong display of “Shooting Stars” (if you want to call them that).
The skies should be excellent for the show, with the Moon being out of the picture and, of course, barring any problems with Mother Nature. All you need is your own pair of eyes, some warm clothing and you are ready to go. Give it a try – you just might be surprised.
During the transit of Mercury on Nov. 8, I will set up a couple of telescopes to view this special event. If anyone is interested in catching a glimpse of the transit, call me at my office number at (831) 637-1148. I hope you can make it. I’m looking forward to the event. Clear skies.
David Baumgartner is in local real estate and is an avid amateur astronomer. His Sky Watch column appears monthly.
