-by John Hlynialuk
The Milky Way remains the main attraction for a while longer in the SW sky and there you also find Saturn the ringed planet, but most of the planetary action has switched over to the morning sky for the next month or two. To top it off, on two occasions, an earthly visitor, the International Space Station (ISS), joins the display in mid November.

If you rise before sunrise and look east, you may have noticed a bright light in the east, Venus, the brightest planet in the sky, only out-shone by the Moon. Venus is now a Morning Star, Phosphorus, by her Greek name, but also called the Evening Star, Hesperus, when she is on the other side of the Sun (Helios). The Greeks probably knew that both were the same object, but enjoyed a good riddle as much as anyone, I suppose. (Q: Is that bright light Hesperus or Phosphorus? Ans: Yes)

The action heats up in the second week of November and requires a score card, -a star map that shows planets and Moon positions. Have a look on the LINKS page at the website of the Bluewater Astronomical Society for some of these. My favourite is Starry Night and no.2 is Sky Safari, but there are many other good apps for smartphones, tablets and computers and many of them are inexpensive and even free.

I always like a crescent Moon on the scene and by 6 am EST, Nov. 12, a crescent Moon (4 days before new) sits below Leo, with its reverse "question mark" for a head and mane. By 6:30 am, with the sky still in deep twilight, the planets Venus and Jupiter appear just above the horizon. About halfway between these, look for a not-too-bright reddish "star". That is the planet Mars and right now it is on the opposite side of the Sun from Earth and relatively dim. Venus and Jupiter are also across the solar system from us, but they are so bright, it hardly makes a difference in their appearance. Mars makes a dramatic comeback in brightness (and media interest) in the summer of 2018 when Mars and Saturn will be the planets to observe in the summer sky.

The next morning, Nov 13, the Moon will be closer to Mars, but a more interesting sight will be the pairing of Venus and Jupiter. On that morning, the two planets will be so close that they will not likely be distinguishable as separate objects to the naked eye. If you use binoculars, you can separate them, but to the naked eye they will appear as one very bright object. You can compare the separation to the size of the crescent Moon, -half a degree of arc across, the equivalent of a pencil width held at arm's length. The two planets will be much closer, about one-quarter of that or about the thickness of a toonie! Good luck splitting them with just your eyes!

That is the backdrop for two more interesting events that happen Nov 14 and Nov 15. The ISS (with a crew of 6 aboard) will be visible each morning crossing the sky from west to east. Look northwest and halfway up to the zenith on Nov 14 around 5:56 am EST. That morning the ISS is due to appear as a very bright moving point of light (as bright as Venus) and it will track across the sky towards the crescent Moon in the east. For most of us in Grey and Bruce, it will just miss the Moon, but if you are on the Cabot Head Rd about 4 km south of the lighthouse, you will see it pass right across the lunar crescent!

Then, again on Nov 15 at 5:08 am EST, the ISS will repeat the transit, this time a wider audience can get a view, anywhere from Miller Lake to Cape Croker. To spot ISS that morning, just look at the crescent Moon and the space station will appear right above it and slowly drop down to cross the Moon's narrow crescent. Those of you living in Lion's Head can see it from home if you have a low enough eastern horizon where the Moon can be seen above the trees. (I suggest the Isthmus Bay Road).

There is detailed information on our website www.bluewaterastronomy.com including a link to a website that will give you ISS viewing information specific to your location. Check the BAS WEBLOG for the article describing the Nov 14 and 15 events, a highlight of the year, weather permitting (sigh).