Viewing the Fall and Winter Sky

Planets
The planets Jupiter and Saturn can be found rising in the eastern sky shortly after sunset, both within the constellation Taurus the Bull. Jupiter, the brighter of the pair, gleams with a whitish glow, while dimmer Saturn may appear slightly yellowish. Meanwhile, brilliant Venus can be glimpsed low in the western sky right after sunset. As autumn fades into winter, Venus will continue to appear higher in the western sky after sunset, as the apparent distance between it and the Sun continues to increase from our vantage point.

November Meteors
Mark the morning of November 17 on your astronomical calendar, because that is the date of the annual Leonid meteor shower. Unfortunately, strong moonlight will interfere with the view, but the Leonids could well be this year's finest meteor shower nonetheless.

Meteor showers are caused by the Earth passing through the debris trail left behind from a passing comet. While the Earth passes through the Leonid debris field each November, every 33 years, the density of debris is especially rich. When this happens, the number of meteors rises dramatically, from a mere 15 per hour to perhaps 1,000 or more! That's just what happened in 1999 for stargazers in Eastern Europe and Asia. Unfortunately, by the time the radiant in Leo the Lion rose over North America, most of the big show was over. Will we see another outburst this year? Only time will tell.

December Meteors
One of the year's best meteor showers peaks in the early-morning hours of December 14. The Geminid meteor shower traditionally generates as many as a meteor a minute when viewed from dark skies, far from light pollution. The shower's radiant, in the constellation Gemini, rises shortly after the sunset glow has faded, and is well up in the northeast by local midnight. Unfortunately, once again the light from the nearly Full Moon will spoil the view this year, washing out all but the brightest shooting stars.