2018 Week 48: (November 25-December 1)

We are now in the 48th week of the year and December is soon approaching.  Comet 46P/Wirtanen is currently averaging at 5.6 magnitude and still making its way through the Lacaille constellation of Fornax.  The table below shows everything happening in our sky this week.

Date	Event
November 25	Neptune Stationary
November 26	Jupiter in Conjunction with Sun
November 27	Mercury at Inferior Conjunction
November 27	Moon 0.7°S of Beehive (M44)
November 29	Last Quarter
December 1	Venus Greatest Illuminated

Neptune will be stationary as it begins its prograde transit East through the sky.  Our furthest planet still sits in the middle of Aquarius less than 2° from Lambda Aquarii.  This is a worthy target for any beginning or intermediate visual astronomers.

Neptune (Cell Phone Through Telescope Capture)

The following two days we will have two planets in conjunction with the Sun.  Jupiter will be aligned behind the Sun and Mercury in front.  These planets will not be visible until they move further away from the large star in the middle of our Solar System.  Perhaps you will catch a glimpse of Jupiter in the early morning close to the New Year.

The moon is continuing its progression through its waning gibbous phase and approaches the Beehive Cluster on November 27th.  This may be a good target for skilled astrophotographers.  Two days later the Moon will be at its previous month's Halloween phase of Last Quarter.

Beehive Cluster (M44)

Something you should not miss is Venus at its greatest illumination.  In the southeastern sky during morning twilight you will see Venus shining brightly near Virgo's shining star Spica.  It will be -4.7 magnitude -- the brightest object in the sky besides the Sun and Moon.  This is nearly 20 times brighter than the brightest star -- Sirius.  In dark sites, Venus is known to cast shadows in the absence of the Moon.

There will be a couple rocket launches occurring this week.  The Falcon 9 with the multi-satellite payload has been rescheduled to November 28.  The next day India will be launching an imaging satellite with a few smaller payloads.  The time for this launch is yet to be determined but you can watch all flights at: https://spaceflightnow.com/

Date	Event
November 28	Falcon 9 - Spaceflight SSO-A (11:31)
November 29	PSLV - HySIS

I promise to write a full article on Comet 46P/Wirtanen as I am running out of time before it reaches perihelion during the middle of December.  Stay tuned for how you may be able to see it with your naked eye in our northern skies!