November 11
The Near Shore
Sun Position
The Sun is in Scorpius near -20° declination. Northern Hemisphere is past the midpoint between equinox and solstice, nights are now substantially longer than days. Southern Hemisphere days are approaching their summer maximum.
Sky Highlight
The North Taurid meteor shower peaks around this date. Combined with the still-active South Taurids, the composite shower offers the best Taurid display of the year. Rates remain modest by meteor shower standards, but the fireball frequency is genuinely higher than most showers. Best after midnight from either hemisphere.
Deep Sky Object
M33, the Triangulum Galaxy, spiral galaxy in Triangulum, about 2.7 million light-years away, the third-largest member of the Local Group. Under excellent conditions it is just barely detectable with the naked eye, making it one of the most distant objects visible without optical aid. A low-power, wide-field view in binoculars or a rich-field telescope reveals its broad, diffuse disk. Best from northern latitudes.
Featured Star
Rana (δ Eridani) is an orange subgiant 29.5 light-years away, spectral class K0IV, an evolved star that is swelling toward its red giant phase while still close enough to be resolved in any telescope with ease. It's one of the nearest stars in November's evening sky, and a reminder that most of the naked-eye sky is composed of stars far more distant.
Around This Date
- November 11, 1572Tycho Brahe made careful naked-eye measurements of the new star in Cassiopeia (Tycho's Supernova), comparing it to nearby reference stars and noting it showed no parallax, placing it beyond the Moon.
- November 13, 1971Mariner 9 entered orbit around Mars, the first spacecraft to successfully orbit another planet.
Rana is close enough that its photons have spent less than a human lifetime in transit, a short trip, by astronomical standards.