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S*T*A*R
C HART
November/December
* 2018 *
THE PLANETS
MERCURY reaches its greatest
elongation east of the Sun, shining
low in our western evening sky on
November 6.
* NOV 15 * First-quarter Moon visible less than 2° from Mars in the evening sky
VENUS shines at its most brilliant in
early December, reaching a magni-
tude of -4.9.
* in conjunction in the eastern morning sky
MARS appears as a reddish-orange
“star” in the southern sky, decreasing
in apparent size and brightness from
magnitude -0.6 to 0.5 over the next
two months.
*
JUPITER emerges from behind the Sun
in late December, shining in the
eastern morning twilight.
* SPACE STATION SIGHTINGS
SATURN can be spotted very low in
the southwestern evening sky in
throughout November and December.
Check our calendar for more details:
www.ontariosciencecentre.ca
OBSERVING TIP:
Need a night-sky friendly flashlight?
Cover a flashlight's lamp with brown
or red paper to dim its light and
preserve your night vision.
MOON PHASES
NOV 23 (12:39 a.m.)
Full DEC 22 (12:49 p.m.)
NOV 7 (11:02 a.m.)
New DEC 7 (2:20 a.m.)
THE CONSTELLATIONS
The star groups linked by lines are the
constellations created by our ancestors
thousands of years ago as a way of mapping the
night sky. Modern astronomers still use the
traditional names, which give today’s stargazers a
permanent link to the sky myths and legends of
the past. This autumn, look for the ‘W’ shaped constellation of
Cassiopeia high in the North Eastern sky. According to the ancient
Greeks, the five bright stars represented an Ethiopian Queen seated in
her chair. Midway between Cassiopeia and the Big Dipper, you can find
the North Star, a helpful tool for orientation in the sky.
OBSERVING HIGHLIGHTS
NOV 4 Daylight saving time ends
NOV 6 Mercury at greatest elongation angle away
from the Sun low in the southwest evening sky
NOV 17 Leonid meteor shower peaks
DEC 3 * Waning crescent Moon and Venus appear
DEC 8 Crescent Moon and Saturn appear less than 4°
apart low in the evening sky
DEC 13 * Geminid meteor shower peaks in a moonless sky
DEC 21 Solstice (5:23 p.m. EST); winter officially begins in the northern
hemisphere
* Impressive or rare event
As the space station orbits the Earth, sunlight reflects off of its giant solar arrays.
From Earth, it appears as a bright object moving high across the night sky. Visit
www.heavens-above.com to get a list of upcoming ISS passes over your community.
*ASTRONOMY EVENTS AT THE
ONTARIO SCIENCE CENTRE*
These programs are offered in collaboration with the Royal Astronomical Society
of Canada: Toronto Centre.
Thursday November 1st, 7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.: Great Conversations: Learn life lessons from Canadian
astronaut Dr. Dave Williams. IMPERIAL OIL AUDITORIUM
Wednesday November 7th, 7:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.: Recreational Astronomy Night: Learn what celestial
objects can be seen in the sky this month. STUDIO 2
Saturday November 24th, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.: Solar Observing: Spot sunspots and solar flares through
specially filtered telescopes. TELUSCAPE
Wednesday November 28th, 7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.: Great Conversations: Explore gravitational waves with
physicist and Nobel laureate Dr. Rainer Weiss. IMPERIAL OIL AUDITORIUM
Wednesday December 12th, 7:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.: Recreational Astronomy Night: Learn what celestial
objects can be seen in the sky this month. STUDIO 2
Saturday December 22nd, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.: Solar Observing: Spot sunspots and solar flares through
specially filtered telescopes. TELUSCAPE
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OUR CHART SHOWS the major stars, planets and constellations visible
from Canada and the northern United States within one hour of these times:
EARLY NOVEMBER: 11:30 P.M.; LATE NOVEMBER: 10:30 P.M.
EARLY DECEMBER: 9:30 P.M.; LATE DECEMBER: 8:30 P.M.

NORTH

W
E

WEST
EAST

S
E W
S

Download our most recent star chart:

www.ontariosciencecentre.ca/tour/default.asp?demoid=75
SOUTH

Cartography and design by Glenn LeDrew. Base chart data derived from maps drawn by Roy Bishop for the Observer’s Handbook, published by The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.

ROTATING NIGHT SKY: During the night, the Earth’s rotation on its axis slowly
shifts the entire sky. This is the same motion that swings the Sun on its daily east-
to-west trek. The rotational hub is Polaris, the North Star, located almost exactly
above the Earth’s North Pole. Everything majestically marches counter-clockwise
around it, a motion that becomes evident after about half an hour.
Download our most recent star chart:
http://www.ontariosciencecentre.ca/exhibitsandshows/
TO USE THIS CHART: Hold the chart in front of you and rotate it so the direction
you are facing (N,S,E,W) is at the bottom of the chart. The edge of the chart
represents the horizon; the overhead point is at centre. On a moonless night in the
country, you will see more stars than are shown here; deep in the city, you will see
fewer. The ecliptic line is the celestial pathway of the Moon and planets. The star
groups straddling this line are known as the zodiac constellations. The Moon is
shown for selected dates.
Prepared for the Ontario Science Centre by SkyNews,
the Canadian Magazine of Astronomy & Stargazing. SkyNews.ca

SkyNews.ca 1-866-759-0005