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This is the Griffith Observatory Sky Report for the period between November 1 and November 30, 2023. Here are the events happening in the sky of southern California.

Mercury sets in the west-southwest at 6:21 p.m., PDT, on the 1^st, and the sun sets at 6:00 p.m., PDT on the 1^st. The planet remains low in the west-southwest through November and is unobservable. Do not observe any planet when it comes close to the sun, for the danger to the eyes is great.

Venus rises in the east-northeast at 3:33 a.m., PDT, on the 1^st, three hours 40 minutes before the sun rises, at 7:13 a.m., PDT. The planet is 55-percent illuminated and 22 arcseconds wide. On the 30^th, Venus rises in the east-southeast at 3:11 a.m., PST, and the sun rises at 6:40 a.m., PST. Venus is 67-percent illuminated and 17 arcseconds wide.  Venus remains in the morning sky until February.

Mars moves behind the sun and so is unobservable. Later, when the planet is visible again, the disk of Mars will remain small until a few months before January, 2025, the time of the planet’s next opposition.

Jupiter is in Aries the Ram. On the 1^st, Jupiter rises in the east-northeast at 6:03 p.m., PDT, and is 50 arcseconds wide. On the 30^th, Jupiter rises at 2:58 p.m., PST, and the planet is 48 arcseconds wide. The planet continues its slow retrograde motion as it moves east to west among the stars. A magnification of 50x will show the Red Spot, and the four bright Galilean moons may be seen moving back and forth, roughly in a line centered on Jupiter.

Saturn is in Aquarius the Water Bearer. On the 1^st, the planet rises in the east-southeast at 2:55 p.m., PDT, and is 18 arcseconds wide. On the 30^th, Saturn rises at 12:03 p.m., PST. Saturn reverses its slow retrograde motion on the 4^th and starts its prograde motion as it changes direction and moves west to east among the stars. A magnification of 50x is needed to see the rings and Saturn’s largest moon Titan.

Uranus is in Aries the Ram. On the 1^st, Uranus rises in the east-northeast at 6:33 p.m., PDT, and at 3:35 p.m., PST, on the 30^th.  On the 15^th, Uranus is at Right Ascension 3^h 14^m 40^s and declination +17° 42ʹ 4ʺ. The planet continues its retrograde motion as it moves east to west among the stars. A magnification of 200x is needed to see its 3.8-arcsecond-wide disk.

Neptune is in Pisces the Fishes. On the 1^st, the planet rises in the east at 4:00 p.m., PDT. On the 30^th, Neptune rises at 1:05 p.m., PST. On the 15^th, Neptune is at Right Ascension 23^h 43^m 43^s and declination -3° 8ʹ 24ʺ.  Neptune continues its retrograde motion as it moves east to west among the stars. A magnification of 200x is needed to see its 2.4-arcsecond-wide disk.

Last quarter occurs on the 5^th, new moon on the 13^th, first quarter on the 20^th, and full moon on the 27^th.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Daylight Saving Time ends on Sunday, November 5, at 2:00 a.m. All clocks must be set back one hour, according to the saying, “Spring forward, fall back.”

Lunar-X will be visible on the 19^th starting at 4:23 p.m., PST. Lunar-X is the raised rim of a few craters that are illuminated by the sun. It appears as a white X-shaped feature on the dark half of the first quarter moon, just west of the terminator, the line between the illuminated and the dark portions of the moon. Lunar-X is visible for only a few hours. Binoculars or a small telescope will be needed to see it.

The Leonid meteor shower peaks from the evening of the 17^th through to the morning of 18^th. The shower is named after the constellation of Leo the Lion, where the meteors appear to originate. The Leonids usually produce ten to 20 meteors per hour with many bright meteors. The moon will be in the evening sky, 23-percent illuminated, and will not interfere with observation this year. The parent object is the comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle.

The Northern Taurid meteor shower peaks from the evening of the 11^th through to the morning of the 12^th. The shower is named after the constellation of Taurus the Bull, where the meteors appear to originate. The new moon will not interfere with observation. The parent object is the comet 2P/Encke. The Northern Taurids might produce ten to 20 meteors per hour, with occasional fireballs.

The Southern Taurid meteor shower peaks from the evening of the 4^th through to the morning of the 5^th. The shower is named after the constellation of Taurus the Bull, where the meteors appear to originate. The last quarter moon will rise after midnight. The parent object is the comet 2P/Encke. The Southern Taurids rarely produce more than five meteors per hour, but many are bright fireballs.

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