In the Sky: Fall nights bring shift to winter’s constellations

On Sunday, Nov.3, daylight savings time ends—set your clocks back one hour (“fall back.”) Both Washington and Oregon have passed laws to make daylight savings time permanent, but that is dependent on Federal legislation, which has not yet been enacted.

There is an interesting event on the morning of Monday, Nov. 11, one that will not be repeated until 2032—a transit of the planet Mercury in front of the Sun. On that morning, little Mercury will sit right between Earth and the Sun, and can be seen as a small dot in front of old Sol. The transit will be in progress when the Sun rises, at about 7 a.m. and will end at about 10 a.m. To see it, you’ll need a telescope and a proper solar filter. If skies are clear, I’ll have a telescope set up at the Trout Lake School, 2310 Hgwy. 141, for this event. Remember, never look at the Sun without a filter, whether by using your eyes, binoculars, or a telescope!

Another option for viewing the transit will be the Goldendale Observatory. As you may know, the observatory has been undergoing a major upgrade in the past year and a half and is planning a limited opening in the remainder of 2019. They will be open, by appointment only, on the weekend before the transit (Nov. 9 and 10), on the morning of Monday, Nov. 11, for the transit itself, on Thanksgiving weekend (Nov. 30-Dec. 1), and on Christmas/New Year’s Weekend (Dec. 27-29). Visit the observatory online at www.goldendaleobservatory.com, and go to the “visit” tab to make a request. Remember that the observatory is a Washington State Park, and requires a Discovery Pass to park on-site.

November’s full Moon will be on Tuesday, Nov. 12, followed by the new Moon on Tuesday, Nov. 26. At the start of the month, you can find the waxing crescent Moon located low in the southern evening sky, between the planets Saturn (to the left of the Moon) and Jupiter (to the right). In the early morning of Friday, Nov. 18, the Moon will skirt along the edge of the beehive star cluster in the eastern sky. On Tuesday, Nov. 29, the Moon will again join Saturn, low in the southwestern evening sky, after sunset.

While we can still view Saturn and Jupiter in November, both are getting low in the southwestern evening sky and setting earlier as time goes on. At the start of November, Jupiter will set by about 8:15 p.m. daylight savings, with Saturn following at about 8:50 p.m. By the end of the month, Jupiter will set at about 5:45 p.m., shortly after sunset. Saturn will set shortly after 7 p.m.

Winter constellations are starting to peek over the eastern horizon in November. Look for Taurus, the bull, Auriga, the charioteer, and the Pleiades star cluster, all low in the eastern evening sky. Late in the month, the easily recognizable constellation Orion will be above the horizon by 9 p.m. Check them out when you find a clear November night!