The sky of Tokyo, Calendar, Planets (November, 2018)
The sky of Tokyo
Calendar (November)
| 1 | Last Quarter Moon |
| 3 | Culture Day [Bunka-no-hi] (national holiday) |
| 7 | Greatest Eastern Elongation of Mercury |
| 8 | New Moon |
| 12 | Northern Taurid Meteor Shower peaks around this time. (The best time to observe is before midnight in the latter part of November. On the order of 2 meteors per hour are expected.) |
| 14 | Venus at stationary point |
| 15 | First Quarter Moon |
| 17 | Mercury at stationary point |
| 18 | Leonid Meteor Shower peaks around this time. (The best time for viewing is before dawn on the 18th. On the order of 2 meteors per hour are expected. Conditions are not so bad.) |
| 23 | Labor Thanksgiving Day [Kinro-kansha-no-hi] (national holiday) / Full Moon |
| 25 | Neptune at stationary point |
| 26 | Jupiter at conjunction |
| 27 | Mercury at inferior conjunction |
| 30 | Last Quarter Moon |
The days for the peak activities of the meteor showers are based on the predictions of IMO（International Meteor Organization).
Planets
- Mercury
- Mercury reaches its greatest eastern elongation on November 7. It can be found relatively easily in the lower southwestern sky for several days before and after this day. Its elevation is less than 10 degrees at 30 minutes after sunset. After the middle of the month, its apparent location is close to the Sun, making observations difficult. Mercury reaches inferior conjunction on the 27th.
- Venus
- Venus is positioned low in the southeastern sky before sunrise. In the beginning of November, its apparent location is close to the Sun, making observations difficult. From the middle to the end of the month, its altitude rises, making it easy to observe. Its brightness is -4.1 magnitude to -4.7 magnitude.
- Mars
- At the beginning of November, Mars is located in the constellation Capricornus and moves east (direct motion). In the middle of the month, it moves to the constellation Aquarius. It can be seen after sunset in the southern sky and sets around midnight. Its brightness is -0.6 magnitude to -0.1 magnitude.
- Jupiter
- At the beginning of November, Jupiter is located in the constellation Libra and moves east (direct motion). At the end of the month, it moves to the constellation Scorpius. Its apparent position is close to the Sun, making observations difficult. It reaches conjunction on the 26th.
- Saturn
- Saturn moves east (direct motion) in the constellation Sagittarius. It can be seen low in the southwestern sky after sunset. In the end of November, it sets two hours after sunset. Its brightness is 0.6 magnitude to 0.5 magnitude.
Reference: 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.