November 14-19: The five bright planets – Mercury, Venus, Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars – parade westward during the night. They are not visible simultaneously.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
The visibilities of the planets are described relative to sunrise and sunset. Find those times in local sources.
Five Planets Parade Westward
The five bright planets are visible between sunset and midnight for several nights. Dimmer Uranus and Neptune are part of the westward parade, but at least a binocular is needed to see them. Their visibility depends on the moon’s place in the sky during this nightly parade.
During the six nights, the moon is farther eastward each night, while the planets are in about the same place each evening. The Full Beaver moon occurs in the night of the 15/16th. See the moon section at the end of the article.
Mercury’s Brief Appearance
Mercury is the most elusive planet of the five bright worlds. It shuttles from the western evening sky to the eastern morning sky and back again. It never appears in a dark sky and always during twilight. Further, the angle of the plane of the solar system makes with the horizon affects our view of it.
During autumn evenings, the ecliptic lies low along the southwestern horizon. While Mercury is nearly 25° east of the sun, it is only 8° above the horizon at sunset. Thirty minutes later, it is less than 5° above the southwest horizon. Find a clear horizon and use a binocular to see it. A hilltop or elevated structure helps with the view. The speedy planet sets at about an hour after the sun sets.
After the 19th, sky watchers with spotting scopes or telescopes can track Mercury retreating into bright evening twilight.
The five-planet display occurs again after sunset during late February, but Saturn is challenging to see as it disappears into evening twilight before its solar conjunction.
When Mercury moves to the morning sky next month, it is the final planet to appear in the nightly parade that begins with Venus after sunset and ends with Mercury low in the east-southeast before sunrise.
Venus
Venus is visible over 18° to Mercury’s upper left and is easily visible as the sky darkens further. When Mercury sets, Venus is over 10° above the southwest horizon.
The Evening Star steps eastward against a distant Sagittarius’ starfield, passing the star Kaus Borealis, also known as Lambda Sagittarii, on the evenings of the 16th and 17th.
Venus sets about 150 minutes after sunset.
Saturn
At an hour after sundown, Saturn is less than halfway from the south-southeast horizon to overhead. Tonight, it is the fifth brightest planet, but it outshines all the stars in the region. The star Fomalhaut, meaning the mouth of the Southern Fish, is nearly 20° to Saturn’s lower right.
Saturn’s retrograde ends on the 15th and it begins to slowly move eastward compared to the distant Aquarius starfield. Its eastward trek is slow, so it is nearly in the same place in the sky each night.
Bright Jupiter rises in the east-northeast each evening, appearing about 80 minutes after sundown. During a window that is longer each night, Venus is in the southwest, while Jupiter is in the east-northeast. During this time, three planets are visible simultaneously – Venus, Saturn, and Jupiter. Considerably dimmer Neptune and Uranus are in the sky as well. All of them are along an arc that marks the solar system’s plane.
Jupiter is in front of Taurus, between the Bull’s horns, and near Aldebaran, the constellation’s brightest star.
Mars
Mars, the fifth bright planet in tonight’s parade rises over four hours after sunset and over three hours after Jupiter. Six hours after sunset, it is about 15° above the east-northeast horizon. At this hour only Jupiter and Sirius are brighter. Three bright planets are again in the sky, until Saturn sets after midnight and five hours before sunrise.
Mars is below Pollux, a Gemini, and marching eastward in front of Cancer.
Neptune
Dim planet Neptune is about 15° to the east or left of Saturn. The planet’s visibility is diminished by the bright moon until about the 18th, when the lunar orb rises later. Neptune is in a Pisces starfield without a bright star. A binocular is needed to see it. Attempt to find it in the southern sky about the time Jupiter rises.
Uranus
Uranus is easier to locate through a binocular near the Pleiades star cluster on Taurus back in Jupiter’s region, although the moon’s brightness is an obstacle throughout the parade nights. On the 15th, the planet is in the same binocular field of view with the Full moon and the Pleiades, undesirable for finding the dim world. The planet is best observed when it is high in the southern sky around midnight, although the moon is nearby throughout this five-planet parade.
Jupiter, Mars before Sunrise
Before sunrise, Jupiter and Mars, the end of the nightly parade, are in the sky. Jupiter is in the western sky, below the Bull’s horns and above Aldebaran.
Mars is high in the south-southeast, near Pollux, one of the Gemini Twins.
The Red Planet marches eastward in front of Cancer. It approaches the Beehive star cluster. Look for them together through a binocular before the moon’s light interferes with the view.
Moon after Sunset
Here’s the moon’s location after sunset:
- November 14: The lunar orb, 99% illuminated, is over 20° above the eastern horizon, over 8° below Hamal, Aries’ brightest star.
- November 15: The Full Beaver moon is near the Pleiades after sunset.
- November 15-17: The gibbous moon passes Jupiter.
- November 18–19: The moon passes Gemini’s Castor and Pollux and approaches Mars.
Moon before Sunrise
Here’s the lunar location before sunrise.
- November 15: The moon is low in the west-northwest.
- November 16: The Full Beaver moon is to the upper left of the Pleiades star cluster, after the lunar orb occulted or eclipsed the stars overnight.
- November 17: The gibbous moon is to Jupiter’s right.
- November 18: The moon is above Elnath, Taurus’ northern horn.
- November 19: The moon is near Pollux.
During these evenings, look for the five bright planets parading westward and attempt to see dimmer Neptune and Uranus. Watch the moon appear farther eastward each night.
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