November 22
Perseus at His Height
Sun Position
The Sun enters Sagittarius around this date, near -20° declination. Northern Hemisphere days remain short; Southern Hemisphere is near its pre-solstice warmth.
Sky Highlight
The Alpha Monocerotid meteor shower occasionally produces brief, intense outbursts around November 21–22, with rates in past years reaching hundreds per hour for 15–30 minute windows. Most years it is negligible, but when an outburst is predicted, it can be spectacular. Radiant in Monoceros, best from either hemisphere after midnight.
Deep Sky Object
M34, open cluster in Perseus, about 1,400 light-years away. With Perseus at its highest for northern observers and near-transit altitude, M34 is conveniently placed for an evening sweep. The cluster contains roughly 100 stars in a loose arrangement, with several wide double stars visible at low magnification. Best from northern latitudes.
Featured Star
Mirfak (α Persei) is a yellow-white supergiant 592 light-years away, spectral class F5Ib. When Perseus is near its meridian transit in November evenings, Mirfak is one of the most prominent stars in the north-overhead sky, embedded in the loose swarm of the Alpha Persei Moving Cluster whose members all drifted from the same molecular cloud.
Around This Date
- November 22, 1682Edmond Halley first observed the comet that would be named for him, noting its similarities to previous comets from 1531 and 1607 and predicting its return.
- November 24, 1639Jeremiah Horrocks made the first observed transit of Venus, predicted using Kepler's tables and observed from Much Hoole, Lancashire.
Perseus is overhead and Mirfak anchors its cluster tonight, a hero at his highest and best.