~ St. Maarten’s Backyard Astronomy for November 4 & 5 ~
Sun rises at 6:12am
Sun sets at 5:38pm
Moon phase: Full Hunter Moon
Moon rises at 6:40pm, Saturday
Moon sets at 7:25am, Sunday
This weekend the full Hunter’s Moon will grace our skies. A Hunter’s Moon brings visions of autumn woods, and deer with full rack of antlers lurking in the shadows. It’s the 2nd-largest full moon of 2017, and can be seen from around the world. Being full, it is in opposition to the sun. That means the moon is on the opposite side of the sky from the sun, and we here on earth are between them, thus we can view the entire lit side of the moon.
The full Hunter’s Moon is the name for the full moon that immediately follows the full Harvest Moon. And the title of full Harvest Moon belongs to the full moon occurring closest to the autumnal equinox. This year’s full Harvest Moon fell on October 5, nearly 13 days after the September 22 equinox.
We love the full moon nights, but there is a downside. The drenching moonlight can interfere with your ability to see the stars and other celestial sights. For instance, if the moon was less brilliant this weekend, we would be anticipating the glorious peak of the South Taurid meteor shower. The Taurid meteors tend to streak across the sky around the midnight hour, or possibly just after, which is also the time the full moon will be highest in the sky for the night.
The falling stars of the South Taurids generally offer about five meteors per hour at and near their peak. And we can always hope to see a Taurid fireball or two, even in the light of the full or almost-full moon. The good news is that the Taurids – both North and South – are a long-lasting shower. This isn’t something that only happens for one or two nights. Watch for them throughout November.
Thank you for keeping up with the Night Sky articles. If you are out later on in the week, each star rises about four minutes earlier each day than written here, and the moon rises 50 minutes later. Night Sky is researched and compiled by Lisa Davis-Burnett. Earthsky.org is a key resource for information and images. Questions or comments? Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
