November 2
The River Runs Quiet
Sun Position
The Sun is in Scorpius near -15° declination. Northern days continue to shorten; Southern Hemisphere is gaining afternoon light steadily toward summer.
Sky Highlight
The South Taurid meteor shower remains active, producing its characteristic slow, bright meteors from a radiant in Taurus. Rates are modest (around 5 per hour) but the meteors are worth watching for their unhurried pace and occasional fireballs. Visible from both hemispheres after midnight.
Deep Sky Object
NGC 869 and NGC 884, the Double Cluster (h and χ Persei), two open clusters in Perseus, each about 7,500 light-years away and separated by only a few hundred light-years in space. A binocular showpiece: two rich, compressed knots of young blue stars sitting side by side. Best from northern latitudes but accessible from the Southern Hemisphere as well.
Featured Star
Angetenar (τ² Eridani) is an orange giant 210 light-years distant, spectral class K1III, a cool, evolved star that has expanded well beyond its original size. It marks a quiet bend along the winding river Eridanus, one of the sky's longest constellations.
Around This Date
- November 2, 1885Ernst Hartwig discovered the first supernova observed in another galaxy, S Andromedae in M31, though its extragalactic nature was not understood until decades later.
- November 5, 1967The Arecibo telescope produced the first pulsar timing measurements precise enough to rule out white dwarf models, supporting the newly proposed neutron star interpretation.
Angetenar holds its place on the river's bank while the Taurids drift overhead without urgency.