This Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2023 Nov. 4 – Nov. 11
This Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2023 Nov. 4 – Nov. 11
The Pleiades star cluster is rising now in the early evening. Also known as M45 or the Seven Sisters, and sometimes mistaken to be the Little Dipper, this compact eye-catcher represents the shoulder of Taurus the Bull. Over the next two hours the rest of the constellation clears the eastern horizon; in particular, the V-shaped Hyades star cluster anchored by orange Aldebaran, and the two stars marking the tips of the bull’s long horns.
In mythology, Zeus changed himself into a beautiful white bull to attract the attention of Europa, a princess of Sidon. She was taken by its gentleness and made the mistake of climbing on its back. Bully Zeus took off to the nearby seashore and swam all the way to Crete, where he changed back into his godly form and completed his conquest. The result was a baby boy who was named Minos, and he grew up to become the first King of Crete.
One of the horn stars of Taurus had been shared with the constellation Auriga. This star, Elnath, was officially assigned to Taurus when the constellation boundaries were set by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in the late 1920s. Taurus is one of the zodiac constellations, as the ecliptic passes between the Pleiades and Hyades and also between the horn-tips. Since the Moon’s orbit is tilted to the ecliptic by about five degrees, at times it can be seen passing in front of the Pleiades and Aldebaran.
This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 8:03 and sunset will occur at 6:00, giving 9 hours, 57 minutes of daylight (8:07 and 6:07 in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 7:13 and set at 4:51, giving 9 hours, 38 minutes of daylight (7:16 and 4:59 in Saint John). Note that the clocks go back to Standard Time this Sunday at 2 am.
The Moon is at third quarter phase this Sunday and it is near Venus Thursday morning. Try to spot them together with binoculars halfway up the southern sky at 9:30, and then try for a daylight view of Venus with just your eyes. Jupiter appears higher in the east each evening after sunset, and telescope users might see its Red Spot around 7:30 Wednesday and 9 on Friday. Saturn is at its best for observing in the early evening. We could see some extra shooting stars emanating Taurus, between the Pleiades and Jupiter, over the week as the South Taurid and North Taurid meteor showers peak this weekend and next, respectively.
The Saint John Astronomy Club meets this Saturday in the Rockwood Park Interpretation Centre at 7 pm. The Sunday Night Astronomy Show from Saint John and Hampton airs at 8 pm Sunday on the Facebook page and YouTube channel of Astronomy by the Bay.