The Planets
Planet Data For November
Click on any planet below to go straight to its section.
The table below shows key data for the planets this month, including rise, transit and set times, as well as magnitude, apparent size and position data (right ascension and declination).
Events that occur when the sun is below the horizon are shown with a black background and white text. All other events happen when the sun is in the sky and other for not visible for observation.
The month of November lets us see all of the planets except Mercury, which is too close to the sun for us to spy. Venus, Jupiter and Saturn are all evening planets, along with the ice worlds of Uranus and Neptune. Mars begins the month firmly as a morning planet but moves to allow decent late evening viewing as December comes into sight.
All of the images below can be opened full screen in a new tab by clicking on them
Mercury
05th November
Half an hour after sunset and Mercury is barely above the southwestern horizon.
15th November
Although further from the sun at the same time today, the ecliptic is so shallow that we won’t be able to observe Mercury.
25th November
The position is little changed ten days later and 15 minutes earlier.
Mercury only just peeps over the horizon as the sky darkens enough to see it. We’re not going to get any good observations of the nearest planet to the sun this month.
Venus
05th November
At 6:30 in the evening, once the sky is dark, Venus shines brightly low on the southwestern horizon.
15th November
Looking slightly earlier in the evening – 6 pm – we can see the brightest planet neat the Teapot of Sagittarius.
25th November
At the same time ten days later, we’ll find Venus 15° over the southwest horizon.
Venus shines brightly even though its disc becomes less illuminated over the course of the month. When November begins, over 3/4 of the disc is lit. By the 30th November, that has decreased to 2/3.
At the same time, the Venusian disc is increasing in size as it steadily moves closer towards us in its orbit around the sun. Not only do we get to enjoy its waning crescent, but we also – finally – have better views of it. As it gains more distance from the sun, we’ll find it higher in the dark early evening sky.
Mars
05th November
Mars climbs towards the zenith before sunrise. It’s brighter and larger than it’s been for a long time now.
15th November
Ten days later and early morning – this is the view at 5am – is the best time to see the Red Planet.
25th November
However, by November’s end, we can get good enough views watching it before midnight in the eastern sky.
As we come to within two months of its opposition, we’re seeing our views of Mars really improving this month. Its disc grows towards 12 arcseconds across, making it much brighter, and it’s feasible to watch it before midnight. The best views, however, are still the early hours of the morning when it will be highest in the sky.
Jupiter
05th November
We’re happy viewing Jupiter at 10 pm now, with just a month to go until its opposition. Here’s it’s in the horns of Taurus.
15th November
Ten days later we see the large, 46 arcsecond disc midway between the eastern horizon and zenith (overhead) at the same time.
25th November
Also looking at 10pm, find Jupiter even higher now and its disc larger and brighter with less than two weeks until opposition.
December will be Jupiter’s show month, when it reaches opposition. But this November is a close second place. The massive Jovian disc reaches 47 arcseconds across, which is not as large as previous years but still more than enough for some very rewarding observations.
Enjoy gazing at the magnitude -2.8 planet, third in night sky brightness to Venus and the moon. Next month, I’ll be sharing a more detailed breakdown of what to look for when pointing your telescope in its direction.
Saturn
05th November
Opposition is in the rearview mirror for Saturn but it’s still a great view. Here, it is 10pm and we find it high in the southwest.
15th November
At 9pm ten days later, Saturn is still in Aquarius, about 38° over the southwestern horizon.
25th November
Little changes ten days later, although the disc has shrunk by one arcsecond since the start of the month.
Saturn is so far away that how well we see it doesn’t change much over the course of a year. If you’re paying very close attention, you’ll observe the disc getting smaller and fainter over this month, but not in any way that makes a big difference.
What’s more interesting is that the famous rings of this planet are getting more and more flat-on with respect to Earth. By the time Saturn passes around the back of the sun, in March next year, they will be practically invisible.
Uranus & Neptune
15th November – Uranus
This is the view at 9pm. The moon is too close for good observing but note how close the Pleiades are for when you take a look on a moonless Nov eve.
15th November – Neptune
At the same time, Neptune can be found at a similar height over the horizon round in Pisces, in the south.
The two most distant worlds of our solar system are both visible early in the evening this month, midway between the horizon and overhead points around 9pm.
All Planets Viewer
Use the table below to see when each of the planets is observable for each day this month. Click on it for full screen.
A planet is classed as observable when it is more than 10° above the horizon and the sky is dark enough for it to be observed.
Planet ephemeris tables produced with the kind permission of Dominic Ford. Sky images are courtesy of SkySafari Pro 6.