Astronomical Information | 2016 | November
The sky of Tokyo
Calendar (November)
| 3 | Culture Day [Bunka-no-hi](national holiday) |
| 8 | First Quarter Moon |
| 12 | Northern Taurid Meteor Shower peaks around the 12th (the best time for viewing is around midnight at the beginning of November, when there is no effect from moonlight. On the order of 2 meteors per hour are expected.) |
| 14 | Full Moon |
| 16 | Occultation of Aldebaran (Disappearance at 2:23, reappearance at 3:27, as seen from Tokyo.) |
| 17 | Leonid Meteor Shower peaks around the 17th (The best time for viewing is before dawn on the 18th. On the order of 2 meteors per hour are expected. The Moon is bright, so conditions are bad.) |
| 20 | Neptune at Stationary Point |
| 21 | Last Quarter Moon |
| 23 | Labor Thanksgiving Day [Kinro-kansha-no-hi] (national holiday) |
| 29 | New Moon |
The days for the peak activities of the meteor showers are based on the predictions of IMO (International Meteor Organization).
Planets
- Mercury
- Mercury’s apparent location is close to the Sun, making it unsuited for observations.
- Venus
- Venus can be seen low in the southwestern sky after sunset. Its brightness is -4.0 magnitude to -4.1 magnitude.
- Mars
- Mars can be seen in the southwestern evening sky, moving from the constellation Sagittarius to the constellation Capricorn. Its brightness is 0.4 magnitude to 0.6 magnitude.
- Jupiter
- Located in the constellation Virgo, Jupiter can be seen in the eastern to southeastern sky before sunrise. Its brightness is -1.7 magnitude to -1.8 magnitude.
- Saturn
- Located in the constellation Ophiuchus, Saturn is positioned low in the southwestern sky after sunset. Its elevation is low, making observation difficult.
Source: Ephemeris Computation Office, NAOJ
With the “Sky Viewer” you can easily explore the appearance of a typical urban night sky (planets and constellations are visible). The Celestial Phenomena section of the glossary explains the planetary phenomena terms: greatest elongation, opposition, conjunction, stationary, etc.