2017 Week 46: (November 12-18)

We are nearing the end of the year and it is getting colder.  However, in Calgary, the weather can surprise us giving us a few warm Winter evenings.  This allows for some great observations.  Last night we held our first McKenzie Lake Star Night.  The sky grew foggier as the evening wore on and we were unable to view the sky.  We did have the opportunity to make our own constellations with different types of stars!

What is going on this week!?  Well we have a meteor shower peak in Taurus and Leo!  The Taurid meteor shower was discussed last week and the link is below.

http://simonjastronomy.blogspot.com/2017/11/2017-week-45-november-5-11.html

I hope to have the opportunity to blog specifically about the Leonids later in the week.  The table below highlights all of the sky events for the week.

Date	Event
November 12	North Taurid Meteors Peak
November 12	Venus 0.3°N of Jupiter
November 14	Mars 3°S of Moon
November 16	Vesta 0.4°N of Moon
November 16	Jupiter 4°S of Moon
November 16	Venus 4°S of Moon
November 17	Leonid Meteors Peak
November 18	New Moon

The morning sky offers the best sights this week.  Also of the conjunctions listed below occur pretty close to the Sun so they may be difficult to see.  If you're looking into the twilight with optical aid be careful of the sunrise.  Jupiter is now in the morning sky after spending the last handful of months in the evening.  Saturn is going that way too and will be in conjunction with the Sun just before Christmas.

Andromeda and Cassiopeia are sitting right above our heads at 9:30 in the evening.  This is great for observing with binoculars and difficult for those with Dobsonian telescopes.  It is doable if you book a chiropractic appointment for the next day.

The Summer Triangle is moving off to the West as the Winter Hexagon starts to make its appearance in the East.  I do enjoy the Winter constellations but not so much the snow and cold.

The Leonids will be an interesting meteor shower for those who like early mornings.  The radiant sits right in the head of the Lion as shown below.

Leonid Radiant

If the weather stays clear this evening I think I will set a goal to map one constellation.  With all of the public events occurring over the last few weeks I have not had too much time for my own observing.  As a side order, I may attempt M103 and M52, a couple open clusters, hanging out in Cassiopeia.  With the warm weather and possible clear skies this week, I challenge you to look up and recognize something!