The Planets:
Mercury:  About 45 minutes before sunrise, look to the east-southeast for a spectacular view of the planet Mercury sitting within one degree of Venus.   You will be able to see this spectacular sight for the first seven days of November.  (A degree is the width of your index finger held at arm's length against the sky!)  Get out your binoculars or small telescope and compare the two planets.  Mercury, though not as bright as Venus, is beautiful nonetheless.  Mercury will then slowly move away, to be lost in the solar glare for the rest of the month.

Venus:  Don't miss the view of Venus with nearby Mercury for the first week of November.   Venus appears lower in the eastern sky each morning, disappearing by the end of November into the sun's glare.

Mars:  Mars is visible in the south every night of the month at sunset, setting in the west-southwest by about 11 PM.  Mars is dimming as Earth moves away, going from magnitude of 0 (bright) to a dimmer .4 by month's end.

Jupiter:  Jupiter remains in the constellation Gemini the entire month, rising around 8 PM on November 1 and by 6 PM at month's end.    Normally, Jupiter's position in the sky shifts daily from west to east relative to the background.  When Jupiter goes into retrograde motion on November 2, it will appear to move from east to west.  Here's how retrograde works:  Earth, with its smaller orbit, overtakes Jupiter.  At that point, Jupiter appears to stop movement, and then begins to move east to west against the background stars.  After earth has progressed further in its orbit, Jupiter will then appear to loop back, moving west to east again.  Conduct your own experiment by marking the position of Jupiter against the background stars for the next few months, or take a series of photographs.

Saturn:  Saturn, which is currently in retrograde, stays in the constellation Taurus the Bull this month, rising around 8 PM at the beginning of the month, and by 6 PM at month's end.  The tilt of the planet allows for a spectacular view of its ring system through a small telescope.

The Moon:
You might notice we have two full moons this month.  The November 30 full moon will pass in front of the planet Saturn in the eastern sky at sunset.  A waning gibbous moon stands next to Jupiter on November 5.  You will find a waxing crescent next to Mars at dusk on November 21.  Fortunately, the moon will be almost new at the time of the Leonid meteor shower, and won't interfere with viewing.

Meteor Showers:
When Comet Temple-Tuttle passes through our solar system every 33 years, it leaves ribbons of dusty debris.  Earth, revolving around the sun, crosses through this cometary debris, resulting in this month's famous Leonid meteor shower. The shower radiates from the constellation Leo the Lion, whose head is shaped like a backward question mark.  The shower is estimated to peak in the predawn hours of November 18. A better view can be obtained by turning off all exterior lights.  Of course, the best viewing is away from the light pollution of the city. 

Constellations:  Andromeda, Cassiopeia, Phoenix, Pisces, Sculptor, Tucana

Looking for a Little More?  If this Skyline whets your appetite, try this website:  skymaps.com/downloads.html.  It offers a two page pdf brochure that you can print out for free.  It has a basic skymap and short lists of visual, binocular, and small telescope objects.  It is really good--check it out!