Jupiter and Saturn also shine in the sky. The second planet of the solar system reaches the best conditions of visibility, especially in the hours of sunset.
Also in November, as it was for the month of October, there are many appointments with the stars and planets of the solar system. Venus, Jupiter and Saturn shine in the sky, and also meet up with the Moon. Shortly after the middle of the month it will be the turn of the Leonids to enchant those who will point their eyes to the sky, although the Moon will bother their vision. November also marks the seventh anniversary of the Rosetta probe's exploration of the famous comet 67/P Churyumov-Gerasimenko, an anniversary that will be celebrated by the National Institute of Astrophysics (Inaf) with a special event.
Venus, Jupiter and Saturn visible in the November sky
In November Venus reaches the best visibility conditions of the year and can be easily observed in the early evening hours. In the aperitif hours, more or less at sunset, the second planet of the solar system arrives to keep us company. Two other giants of the sky take the scene this month: Jupiter and Saturn, in the direction of Capricorn, also show themselves in the hours shortly after sunset. The Moon then does not remain aloof and November 11 is a date to mark because there will be the meeting between Jupiter and Saturn with our satellite in the first quarter for a beautiful conjunction. A few days earlier, on November 8, the Moon will also meet Venus.
The other appointments of the month of November
Slightly after the middle of the month, exactly from November 17 to 19, one of the most famous meteor showers of the year will be visible: the Leonids. The show, however, will be largely disturbed by the presence in the sky of the Moon in full phase. The light of our satellite will reduce enough the possibility to observe the light trails due to the impact with the atmosphere of the dust released by the passage of the comet Tempel-Tuttle transited on the trajectory of the Earth's orbit in 1998.
For fans, there is another unmissable event: the anniversary of the encounter between Rosetta and comet 67/P Churyumov-Gerasimenko, known for being explored closely by the probe. The day of the anniversary is November 12, the date on which seven years ago took place the historic landing of the lander Philae of the Rosetta mission on 67/P. On this same day, this year, the comet will reach its minimum distance from Earth. To celebrate the anniversary, the National Institute of Astrophysics (Inaf), on November 8, organized an "aperitif with the comet", a live streaming with images from the telescopes and many guests connected. All that remains is to pin the dates and get ready to watch the sky.
Stefania Bernardini