November 2nd - The Moon will be at apogee (furthest from the Earth) at 5hr UT.

November 3rd - The Moon will be near Jupiter at 23hr UT in the evening sky with a magnitude of -2.1.

November 5th - The Taurid Meteor Shower peaks tonight from the comet 2P/Encke.

November 13th - The Moon will be hovering close to the Pleiades in the midnight sky.

November 14th - The Moon will be at perigee (cloest to the Earth) at 10hr UT.

November 15th - Venus will be at its greatest declination South.

November 17th - The great Leonid meter shower peaks tonight! Expect about 10 to 15 meteors per hour, however bright mooon light will interfear will make for tough viewing conditions.

November 17th - The Moon will be near Pollux at 9hr UT.

November 18th - The Moon will be near the beehive cluster (M44) at 9hr UT.

November 19th - The Last Quater Moon will take place tonight at 21:31UT.

November 20th- The Moon will be near Regulus at 1hr UT.

November 21st - The Moon will be near Saturn at 14hr UT in the morning sky.

November 24th - The Moon will be near Spica at 6hr UT in the morning sky.

November 25th - Mercury will be at Superior Conjunction with the Sun at 17hr UT.

November 27th - We will have our New Moon at 16:55 UT.

November 29th - The Moon will be at apogee (farthest from the Earth) at 17hr UT.

One of the most exciting shows we have this month is that of the great Orionid Meteor Shower. This is one of the most exciting and antisipated showers of the year. During this time of year, the weather is changing for us in the Northern Hemisphere and in my opinion, it is one of the best times to observe. So you might be asking, what can we expect to see from the great Orionids?

However, before we touch on this we must first know where to look for the Orionid Meteor Shower. As you might have guessed Orionid is like Orion. So this shower will be originating from Orion the Hunter. However, if you are new to meteor showers, the first rule is not to look directly at the constellation. Instead, I recommend to find a nice soft spot on the ground, lay down, and point your toes directly at the constellation. This will give you a good starting point. From here, you must look at all points in the general area of the constellation. From here, it will seem as though the meteors are shooting out of the constellation of Orion the Hunter

Now that we have discussed how to find the great conestellation of Orion, you can now sit back and observe one of the greatest meteor showers. Since we will be at a first quater moon we will be treated with a great sky for a night of observing. From a dark location expect any where from 20-30 meteors per hour. From a suburb location you should be able to see about 10-20 meteors per hour. Do your best to get out to a great and dark location!

We always love to hear how you made out with your observing adventures. We would also like to hear your tips and tricks that helped you to observe the meteor shower. Use the Contact link on the left side of the page to submit your observing reports to the Rittenhouse Astronomical Society!

Good luck and happy hunting.