Monday, November 4, 2024

Earthshine Moon under Venus (after sunset)

After 24 hours of orbital motion, the pretty crescent moon will hop east to shine several finger widths below (or celestial south of) Venus on Monday, November 4. Look for the pair in the lower part of the southwestern sky immediately after sunset. They will be close enough to share the view in binoculars and will make a lovely widefield photograph. Take note of Earthshine, also known as the Ashen Glow and "the old moon in the new moon's arms". That's sunlight reflected off Earth and back onto the moon, slightly brightening the dark portion of the moon's Earth-facing hemisphere. The phenomenon appears for several days after each new moon.

Southern Taurids Meteor Shower Peak (late evening)

The Southern Taurids meteor shower, which is active worldwide from September
28 to December 8 annually, will reach its maximum rate of about 5 meteors per hour on Monday night, November 4. Some meteors will appear once the sky
darkens on Monday evening, but the best viewing time in the Americas will be around midnight when the radiant in western Taurus will be highest in the sky. Taurids meteors, which can appear anywhere in the sky, will be travelling away from a point in western Taurus. The long-lasting, weak shower is the first of two consecutive showers derived from debris dropped by the passage of periodic Comet 2P/Encke. The larger-than-average grain sizes of the comet's debris
often produce colorful fireballs. This year, an early-setting moon will not affect the shower, though the bright planet Jupiter will shine near the
radiant all night long.

(Data courtesy of Starry Night)
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