From: bcollins@utdallas.edu (Arlin B. Collins)
Subject: S&T Weekly News Bulletin
Organization: Univ. of Texas at Dallas
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1992 17:52:38 GMT

***
 SKY & TELESCOPE NEWS BULLETIN
 NOVEMBER 7, 1992
 
 FINDING SWIFT-TUTTLE 
 The Moon becomes full on November 10th at 9:20 Universal time. That
 dazzling disk is a big plus for romantics but not so hot for those
 interested in observing deep-sky objects. It's also going to pose some
 strong competition for Comet Swift-Tuttle, even though the comet has
 brightened to better than magnitude 5.5. Still, the comet is within
 easy reach of binoculars, and its location in Hercules is well away
 from the Moon anyway. You'll need to look for the comet in early
 evening, before it sets in the northwest. Here are the comet's
 positions for 0 hour Universal time and equinox 2000 coordinates: 
 
         R.A. (2000) Dec.
         ================
 Nov 07  17h 17m +35.8 deg.
 Nov 09  17h 29m +33.0 deg.
 Nov 11  17h 40m +30.1 deg.
 Nov 13  17h 51m +27.3 deg.
 
 TAURIDS WASHED OUT? 
 This week marks the peak activity of a meteor shower called the
 Taurids. It's going to be even tougher to spot them with the Moon so
 bright. But if you have a clear dark sky, on November 9th you might be
 able to pick out a Taurid meteor every 5 minutes or so. These flecks of
 cosmic debris have been shed by Comet Encke, and they have a reputation
 for producing meteors that are brightly colored, with especially
 vibrant yellows. 
 
 MARS IN THE MORNING 
 For those of you who don't usually get up before the Sun, you might
 take a morning or two to observe Mars. The red planet will be making
 one of its biannual close approaches to Earth in mid-January, so it's
 currently growing in size and brightness. This week, for example, the
 planet's disk is about 11 arc seconds across, about a third that of
 Jupiter, and it shines at magnitude -0.3. It will brighten to about
 -1.4 by January, but even now it has become quite noticeable. For those
 of you who just aren't early risers, the planet now rises a little
 north of east in late evening and climbs higher in the sky until dawn.
 You'll find a complete guide to observing Mars in the November issue of
 SKY & TEL. 
 
 ----- THIS WEEK'S "SKY AT A GLANCE"
 
 NOV 8 -- SUN
 *
 
 NOV 9 -- MON
 Full Moon (exact at 4:20 a.m. Eastern standard time Tuesday morning). 
 
 Mercury is 2.5 degrees from Antares. 
 
 NOV 10 -- TUE
 The orange-red Mira-type variable stars U Orionis and T Cephei should
 be at maximum brightness (6th magnitude) around this date. 
 
 NOV 11 -- WED
 The waning gibbous Moon is near Aldebaran after it rises in the
 evening. 
 
 NOV 12 -- THU
 *
 
 NOV 13 -- FRI
 Saturn's brightest moon Titan is visible in a small telescope 3 or 4
 ring lengths east of the planet tonight through the weekend. 
 
 NOV 14 -- SAT
 Mars is about 5 degrees north of the Moon. 
 
 After fading all evening, the eclipsing variable star Algol reaches
 minimum light (magnitude 3.4 instead of its usual 2.1) around 1:40 a.m.
 EST Sunday morning. 
 
 ----- THIS WEEK'S PLANET ROUNDUP
 
 MERCURY is nearly hidden in the glow of sunset, barely above the
 west-southwest horizon at mid-twilight. It's far to the lower right of
 Venus. Fainter Antares is also nearby. By late in the week Mercury is
 gone. 
 
 VENUS is low in the southwest as twilight fades, getting higher and
 brighter each week. It's on its way up to a grand apparition as the
 "evening star" this winter. 
 
 MARS, in Gemini, rises around 9 p.m. and shines high overhead by dawn.
 
 JUPITER, in Virgo, is the brightest "star" in the eastern sky before
 dawn. 
 
 SATURN, in Capricornus, is the lone bright "star" in the
 south-southwest after dark. 
 
 URANUS and NEPTUNE, faint at 6th and 8th magnitude respectively, are
 getting low in the southwest right after dusk. 
 
 PLUTO is hidden behind the sunset. 
 
 -----
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 CompuServe.
-- 
Arlin B Collins     CompuServe:  INTERNET:bcollins@utdallas.edu   :-)