November 9
The Two Signs
Sun Position
The Sun is in Scorpius near -19° declination. Northern Hemisphere days are short; Southern Hemisphere summer conditions are building.
Sky Highlight
The North Taurid meteor shower peaks around November 11–12, so tonight is near the combined maximum of both Taurid branches. Expect 10–15 slow meteors per hour from a dark site, with the best show after midnight when the radiant is high. Taurids are visible from both hemispheres.
Deep Sky Object
NGC 752, open cluster in Andromeda, about 1,300 light-years away. An older open cluster, scattered and wide, with evolved orange and yellow stars mixed among younger members, a good example of a cluster old enough to have aged some of its stars off the main sequence. Best from northern latitudes.
Featured Star
Sheratan (β Arietis) is a main-sequence A-type star 59.6 light-years away, spectral class A5V, a spectroscopic binary whose two components orbit each other too closely to separate visually. With Hamal and Mesarthim it forms the head of Aries; in ancient tradition, Sheratan and Mesarthim together were called "the two signs," markers of the vernal equinox in an earlier era.
Around This Date
- November 9, 1934Walter Baade and Fritz Zwicky first publicly proposed the neutron star concept, presenting it at a meeting of the American Physical Society.
- November 10, 1970The Soviet Luna 17 lander delivered Lunokhod 1 to the Moon's surface, the first remotely operated rover to successfully operate on another world.
Sheratan and Mesarthim once held the gate of spring; precession moved the equinox on, but the stars stayed where they were.