November 2009 Monthly Sky Guide

November brings the usual suspects of plante, but more on that in a moment. November also brings the Leonids Meteor Shower.

The Leonids Meteor Shower occur when the Earth encounters debris left from comet Tempel-Tuttle and have been described as "the cosmic equivalent of bugs hitting the windshield of an automobile." The Leonids are expected to peak on the 17th.

Jupiter is still well placed for viewing with your telescope. Mars is now rising before midnight and visible through most of the night. Saturn climbs higher in the morning sky while Venus sinks lower. Another treat this month could be the asteroid Vesta in the early morning hours of the 24th.

Check out this map for the month of November, or create your own customized map with our Free Sky Maps tool.

Note: This map is for a median time and location and November have slight differences from your location and viewing time. Planets and moons shown on this map will have the highest probability of appearing in different locations.

Use this handy Sky Map Symbols Key to figure out what you should be looking for.

Check out our Astronomical Events Calendar to learn about other happenings in space and on Earth. Here is a sampling of highlights.

• 1 - Daylight Saving - Set Clock Back 1 Hour (United States)
• 3 - Taurids Meteor Shower Peak
• 5 - Mercury in Superior Conjunction
• 9 - Carl Sagan's 75th Birthday (1934)
• 11 - Rosetta, 3rd Earth Flyby
• 17 - Leonids Meteor Shower Peak
• 20 - Edwin Hubble's 120th Birthday (1889)
• 30 - 55th Anniversary (1954), Sylacauga Meteorite Fall (Hit Woman)

This month, the constellation Leo Minor can be seen high in the sky. Let's take a closer look at Leo Minor.

• The Lesser Lion
• Genitive: Leonis Minoris
• Abbreviations: LMi, L
• Min Right Ascension, (h): 10
• Declination, (deg): 35N

Wernher von Braun, born in Wirsitz, Germany, (now Wyrzysk, Poland) on 23 March 1912, was the second of three sons. He became technical director of the Peenemuende Rocket Center in 1937, leader of what has been called the “rocket team” which developed the V–2 ballistic missile for the Nazis during World War II. Before the Allied capture of the V-2 rocket complex, von Braun engineered the surrender of 500 of his top rocket scientists, along with plans and test vehicles, to the Americans.

Von Braun came to the United States in September 1945 under contract with the U.S. Army Ordnance Corps as part of Operation Paperclip.

Check every day to learn what happened "This Day in History."

• 1: 1995 - Pioneer 11 - USA Jupiter/Saturn Flyby - 259 kg - (April 6, 1973 - November 1995) left the solar system.
• 6: 1500 - Nicolaus Copernicus observed a Lunar Eclipse while in Rome.
• 13: 1577 - Tycho Brahe observed a comet from Uraniborg.
• 24: 1969 - Apollo 12 - USA Lunar Manned Lander (Nov. 14-24, 1969) splashed down.