📝 Steven Burr

The Moon

The full Beaver Moon arrives on the 5th of November.  According to the Farmer’s Almanac, it is the time of year for beavers to begin taking shelter in their lodges and it was also the season to trap beavers for their thick winter pelts.  This full moon is a supermoon or a perigean full moon which only means the moon is at its closest point to earth in its orbit.  On the 12th, we have the last quarter moon followed by the new moon on the 20th.  A first quarter moon arrives on the 28th of the month.

The Planets

As the elongation between Venus and the sun decreases, this planet will become harder to spot in the morning twilight.  Mars is now becoming too close to the sun to spot in the evening twilight. Jupiter is now rising before midnight and remains a prominent throughout most of the night.  On the 11th, Jupiter begins its retrograde motion and thus will move westward along the ecliptic for the next four months.  Saturn remains an evening planet with the best views of seeing the rings edge on this month. On the 1st of November, the waxing gibbous moon and Saturn pass within 3° of each other.

Leonids Meteor Shower

The Leonids peak on the evening of 17th/18th November. To observe this meteor shower, look to the east just after midnight on the 17th and find the constellation Leo.  The meteors will be radiating from this constellation.  The Leonids owe their origins to debris left over by the Comet Tempel-Tuttle which orbits the sun every 33 years.

Constellation Perseus

Perseus - Urania's Mirror 1825

Perseus now high in the evening sky can be located just south of the constellation of Cassiopeia (the asterism W).  According to Greek mythology, Perseus was the son of Zeus and the mortal Danae.  He was subsequently sent against Gorgon Medusa but after killing Medusa, he came across Andromeda chained to a rock and being sacrificed to the sea monster Cetus. In the end, Perseus rescued Andromeda and slew the monster.  In the night sky we find the constellations Perseus, Andromeda, Cassiopeia (Andromeda’s mother) and Cepheus (Andromeda’s father) grouped together.  The California Nebula is an emission nebula located in Perseus and is named for its resemblance to the State of California. At a distance of over 1,000 light years, you will require a telescope to view this object.

Perseus Double Cluster - Greg Lisk

 

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References (for October and November Blog):

Boeckmann, Catherine, Full Moon Names 2025 [online]. Almanac, updated January 2025 [cited 3 January 2025]. Available from: https://www.almanac.com/full-moon-names

Burnham, Robert, Burnham’s Celestial Handbook Vol 3 (New York: Dover Publications, 1978)

Draconids Meteor Shower 2025 [online], Timeanddate, [cited 24 January 2025]. Available online from: https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/meteor-shower/draconid.html

Edgar, James S. ed., RASC Observer’s Handbook 2025, ed. by James S. Edgar (Marquis Book Printing, 2024)

Hard, Robin, Eratosthenes & Hyginus: Constellation Myths (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015)

Leonids Meteor Shower 2025 [online], Timeanddate, [cited 24 January 2025]. Available from: https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/meteor-shower/leonids.html

Mortillaro, Nicole, RASC 2025 Night Sky Almanac (Richmond Hill: Firefly Books, 2024)

Orionids Meteor Shower 2025 [online], Timeanddate, [cited 24 January 2025]. Available online from: https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/meteor-shower/orionid.html

White, Gavin, Babylonian Star-Lore: An Illustrated Guide to the Star-Lore & Constellations of Ancient Babylonia (London: Solaria Publications, 2014)