A complete lunar eclipse and the Leonid meteor bathe

The moon turns fully purple, plus the Leonid meteors.

The Leonids will likely be battling moonlight this yr, however anybody with a view of the moon on the morning of November 8 can benefit from the lunar eclipse.

• november 8 – Full moon
• november 8 – Complete lunar eclipse just a few hours earlier than dawn
• november 11 – The moon seems instantly in between[{” attribute=””>Mars and bright blue-white star Elnath in the west before sunrise
• November 20 – In the hour before sunrise, find the crescent Moon above bright star Spica in the southeast
• November 18 – Look straight overhead for Leonid meteors after midnight. The Moon is about 35% full, and will diminish the fainter meteors.
• November 23 – New moon
• November 28 – The crescent Moon hangs beneath Saturn in the southwest after sunset
• All month – The Leonid meteor shower is active throughout November, and peaks between midnight and dawn on the 18th.

What’s in retailer for November? Lunar Eclipse, Moon and Planets, and Leonid Meteors.

A complete lunar eclipse is on the best way within the early morning hours of November 8 to supply a bit celestial magic. The eclipse will likely be seen to viewers in North America, the Pacific area, Australia and East Asia, the place the Moon is above the horizon whereas the eclipse happens.

The Moon strikes from proper to left by the penumbra and the umbra, abandoning an eclipse diagram with the instances of the completely different phases of the eclipse. The penumbra is the a part of the Earth’s shadow the place the Solar is simply partially lined by the Earth. The umbra is the place the Solar is totally hidden. The planet[{” attribute=””>Uranus is about 3 degrees (six Moon widths) north of the Moon during totality. It’s normally a bit too dim to see with the naked eye, but binoculars and small telescopes reveal it as a small, mint-green dot. Credit: NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio

For observers in the Eastern time zone of the U.S. and Canada, the partial eclipse begins a little after 4 a.m. It reaches full eclipse at about 5:15 a.m. local time, and the Moon then sets while still in eclipse for you. For observers on the West Coast of North America, that translates to the partial eclipse beginning just after 1 a.m., and reaching full eclipse by about 2:15 a.m. You’ll be able to see the entire eclipse unfold before sunrise, weather permitting, as the Moon exits the dark part of Earth’s shadow (called the umbra) a few minutes before 5 a.m.

During a lunar eclipse, you’ll likely notice that you can see a lot more faint stars, as the usually brilliant full moon dims to a dull red.

During a lunar eclipse, you’ll likely notice that you can see a lot more faint stars, as the usually brilliant full moon dims to a dull red. And during this eclipse, viewers with binoculars can spy an extra treat – the ice giant planet Uranus will be visible just a finger’s width away from the eclipsed Moon.

Check the video map below to find out if the eclipse is visible from your area, and find lots more eclipse info from NASA at moon.nasa.gov.

This animated map exhibits the place the November 8, 2022 lunar eclipse will likely be seen. The contours mark the sting of the area of visibility on the contact instances of the eclipse. Map centered on 168°57’W, sublunar longitude at mid-eclipse. On November 8, 2022, the Moon enters Earth’s shadow, creating a complete lunar eclipse, the primary since Could. This animation exhibits the a part of the Earth the place this eclipse is seen. This area strikes westward throughout an eclipse. Observers close to the sting of the seen area can see solely a part of the eclipse as a result of for them the Moon is setting (on the japanese or proper edge) or rising (on the western or left edge) whereas the eclipse is happening. Contour traces mark the sting of the visibility area at contact instances. These are the instances when the Moon enters or leaves the umbra (the a part of the Earth’s shadow the place the Solar is totally hidden) and the penumbra (the half the place the Solar is simply partially blocked). For observers situated on the horizon, contact happens at moonrise (west) or moonset (east). Credit score: NASA Science Visualization Studio

At daybreak on the eve of November 11, you will discover the Moon instantly between Mars and the brilliant blue-white star Elnath. Elnath is the second brightest star within the constellation Taurus, after the reddish Aldebaran, and it types the northern horn of the bull. You will discover that Elnath is about the identical brightness as Bellatrix’s star in close by Orion, the place it types one of many Orion’s shoulders.

On November 20, an hour earlier than dawn, look southeast to discover a skinny, crescent moon hanging above the brilliant bluish star Spica. It’s a large star, 10 instances the dimensions of our Solar and 12,000 instances brighter. Fortuitously, it’s 260 gentle years from Earth.

And within the night sky on November twenty eighth, a good looking crescent moon hangs under Saturn within the south after sundown.

The Leonid meteor bathe is energetic all through November. It peaks after midnight on the 18th at round 15 to twenty meteors per hour below clear, darkish skies.

This yr, the moon will likely be about 35% full in the course of the peak of the Leonids, which means it can intrude together with your means to see the fainter meteors.

The bathe’s title comes from the constellation Leo, from which its meteors appear to radiate. Meteorites are dusty bits of particles left behind by Comet Tempel-Tuttle because it orbits the Solar. This comet was truly found twice by itself.

This yr, the moon will likely be about 35% full in the course of the peak of the Leonids, which means it can intrude together with your means to see the fainter meteors. Nonetheless, Leonid meteors are sometimes vibrant, with trails (additionally referred to as trains) that persist for a number of seconds after showing within the sky.

And earlier than the Moon rises in Leo within the east round midnight native time, it is truly finest to take a look at the sky away from the obvious level of origin of the meteors, mendacity again and looking out straight up, as any meteor trails will seem. longer and extra spectacular.

Listed here are the Moon Phases for November.

Keep up-to-date on all of NASA’s missions to discover the photo voltaic system and past at nasa.gov. I am Preston Deichs from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and that is it for this month.