2017 Week 47: (November 19-25)

It has been quite a week with the snow followed by cold sunshine.  However, we may be in for a chinook this weekend followed by moderate November temperatures.

Date	Event
November 20	Mercury 7°S of Moon
November 20	Saturn 3°S of Moon
November 22	Neptune stationary
November 23	Mercury greatest elongation East

Mercury will be at its greatest elongation East this week which may give you the opportunity to spot it.  After the Sun goes down watch the horizon.  It may be useful to use binoculars to see if you can see our smallest planet.  If you can find the barely visible waxing crescent Moon just after sunset on the 19th you will find Mercury two binocular fields to the South.  If you are unable to find it, try again the next night.  The more visible Moon will be in the same binocular field as Saturn with Mercury two fields below.

The maps below may help you to find this inconspicuous planet.  The grey region is below the horizon.

November 19 at Sunset

The map below is sunset on the 20th where the Moon and Saturn will be in the same binocular field.

November 20 at Sunset

If you have been watching Neptune's orbital motion (yes people actually watch it, I did in 2016) throughout the night sky it will once again begin its prograde motion.  Neptune will be stationary on the 22nd and continue moving eastward through the constellations, albeit slowly.  It will spend thirteen years in the constellation of Aquarius, finally moving into Pisces sometime in 2023.  Interestingly enough, as you can see in the maps above, Saturn will move to reside in Sagittarius as of November 18.  The last time Saturn spent any quality time in Sagittarius was when Calgary hosted the Winter Olympics in 1988; I was younger than my kids.

Enjoy some of the Winter constellations in the later evening.  Orion and Taurus were absolutely beautiful the other night with their associated naked eye Messier objects (M42 and M45).  If you stay up even later, Gemini will start to appear following the Bull.