The Pleiades – Davide Simonetti, CC 3.0.
Today’s good news comes from the Good News Network. Here it is in its entirety.
November Stargazing: Double Whammy of Pleiades and the Leonid Meteor Shower in the Sky Together
This month’s night sky will feature two extraordinary celestial phenomena appearing in the sky together under a very small moon—leaving nearly nothing to dampen their splendor.
The Pleiades is one of the most regal star clusters visible from Earth with the naked eye and a source of endless fascination among our ancient ancestors.
The Pleiades has many names: the Seven Sisters, Messier 45, or Mul Mul in ancient Mesopotamia, where it was found inlaid of gold on the Nebra Sun Disk from 1,600 BCE.
It is arguably the most famous deep-space object, located about 440 light-years away in the constellation Taurus and consisting of thousands of stars, though 7 stand out in particular.
Around midnight on November 18th, the Pleiades will be in a great spot for viewing—overhead towards the equator. Depending on the light pollution in your area, you won’t need a pair of binoculars, but with them, the Seven Sisters are truly stunning to behold.
It’s also on that night that Earth will pass the peak of the Leonid Meteor Shower, named for the constellation Leo. Leo will be lounging in the northeastern sky for most people, according to Valerie at Space Tourism Guide, and if you can spot the Big Dipper/Plough, you’re in the right part of the sky to spot some shooting stars.
There should be around 15 per hour—a good clip for what should be a pretty cold night. Ideal for this situation, the moon will be only 6 days old.
In other stargazing news.
On the night of November 12th, the Taurid Meteor Stream will peak at around 10 meteors per hour under the complete darkness of a New Moon—optimal time for some star photography.
On November 27th, a full “Frost” or “Beaver” moon will reach opposition at 4:16 a.m. US Eastern Time. The Anishinaabe People of the Northern US/Canada called this “Little Spirit Moon” and was recognized as a time of healing.
The good news here is in times of stress, natural occurrences in nature continue to amaze and delight us. This week’s JohnKu talks about nature’s ability to survive. I hope you have a terrific weekend.
Nature by John W. Howell © 2023
We are all lucky,
That nature continues on . . .
Ignoring us all.
Fiction Favorites 
Nature, as they say, will always find a way.
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Let’s keep hoping that is a fact.
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Fingers crossed.
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Nice post 🖊️
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Thanks.
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I’ll have to put those nights on the calendar, I love watching the stars.
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I do too. Ever since I was a kid I have been fascinated with the stars.
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Great memory as a kid – putting a towel under my door to block the heat and opening the window, sitting on the window sill looking up for hours!
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That is a great memory, GP.
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I love celestial events. The weather usually interferes here, but I’ll be looking up.
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Good idea. We have clouds very rarely but usually on an event night. 😁
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There is much wisdom in your JohnKu.
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Aw. Thank you, Liz 🤗
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You’re welcome, John.
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fingers crossed for clear skies!
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Good idea, Annette.
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Remember using the Pleiades for my first book cover in college. They don’t much attention.
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That is for sure. Good choice though.
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Thank you for sharing, John. With any luck, I might be able to see some of them!
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I hope so.😁
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I’ll be looking.
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Geographically and meteorologically speaking the southern shore of lake Erie has been high tech way before our time. There is a less than exciting chance that like most astronomical events here it will be in the ‘Cloud.’ And not the virtual one. Such is life. And it does improve the quality of one’s drinking time…
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Drinking time enhancements are the best.
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My son’s retirement ceremony from the Army (20 years) is at that time! I love to stargaze because it reminds me of how insignificant we all are in the universe. A sobering reminder!
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Wow. Twenty years. Thank him for me for his service.
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I will. We are tremendously proud of him!
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You have every right.😊
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I was blessed to have witnessed the 1966 Leonid Meteor shower where thousands fell in an hour. It’s a memory I’ll always treasure. I love looking at the night skies.
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I do too, Joan. Thank you.
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Good news, John, and your Johnku sure is a nice compliment of Mother Nature’s beauty. But she herself will determine if I can gawk at these events. Our November weather often hides the skies.
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Great post, John! I am a huge fan of star gazing and meteor showers. Fingers crossed, it’s not cloudy 🙂
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We are in for some awesome celestial occurrences John. I will have my face towards the heavens , thank you for alerting us and for the lovely Johnku.
Despite everything there is still so much beauty in nature both on earth and in the skies above.
I’m sending my best and most fervent wishes for a speedy and complete recovery for Twiggy. I read about her at Resa’s today. My heart is going out to you all.
❤️🐂🐾🐾
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She is doing well, Holly. Thanks you for the good wishes. 🐂
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I’m so glad to hear that John, Very good news 🐂
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Yes we are very happy with her progress.
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👍😊🐾🐾🦴🦴
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😊
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Beautifully said, John. Nature is my solace. Whether earth or sky, the Manifest is beautiful to behold. ❤️
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Thank you, Gwen. 😁
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I always get excited for events like this, but the weather never cooperates. I’ll keep my fingers crossed this time is different.
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Let’s hope it is different.
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Some awesome celestial events to keep an eye on, John. Sometimes in the big city, the lights dim the night sky parade, but I’m going to be watching for these. I love the JohnKu!
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Awesome events for sure, Jan. Yes big city lights are a problem.
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Impressive, dear John! Thank you for the information.👍👍👍🍻🍤🍤🍤
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Is the big dipper in your night sky this time of year?
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It is already the season of the Swan &
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& the Pegasus, dear John. Do you see the big dipper this season?
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Yes we do. It is up there 😁
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It’s incredible how the sky changes!😮
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It is incredible, Maria. 😁
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I have discovered that there is a space mission named Lucy. It explores the Jupiter. It made me remember your Lucy. Let her soul travel somewhere there. Here is the link:
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/lucy/
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Thank you, Dear Maria. This would be the kind of mission Lucy would love. Her head would be out the window with tongue handing out just waiting for an asteroid to show up
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💖💖💖👍👍👍
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🥂🍰
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I love stargazing! Thanks for sharing, John.
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Glad to help the stargazers.
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Nature continues, John – despite us. Great post!
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Despite us is the truth.
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Wow!
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I know right?
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😀
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“Ignoring us all.” Nature is so much smarter than we are. That night will truly be breathtaking!
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I agree, Pam. 😊
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As a city slicker living in an area that is almost permanently cloud covered from now til spring, I probably won’t get to see this marvel of nature.
I do look forward to all the photo postings I’m sure to see.
Still laughing with the JohnKu!
😅X 😂X 🤣X
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Thank you, Resa. Glad you got a laugh.
😅X 😂X 🤣X😁X
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😅X 😂X 🤣X😁X💋
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🌹😅X 😂X 🤣X😁X💋
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💋💋💋💋
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😊💋💋💋💋
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😊💋💋💋💋🃏
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💋🔥
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Super cool! I’ll have to make a note to look for this!
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Thanks for the date of this starry event John. The miracle of nature. 🙂
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I hope you get to see it. (Go on go outside)
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Will do! 🙂
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😁
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Nature can make us look small.
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Very small. Thanks, Steve.
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