Prime Planet Viewing at FAU Observatory’s Nov. 8 Public Event

November is an excellent month for stargazing, and several planets are on dazzling display, including Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Don’t miss the next public viewing at Florida Atlantic’s Observatory on Friday, Nov. 8, beginning at 7:00 p.m. 

Among the special sights in store will be the opportunity to spot a spotted spot! Since Earth is orbiting closer to Jupiter, it is more noticeable in the sky. Its height from the horizon also means that there will be less atmosphere in the way, and viewers can expect exquisite and detailed views of it. Jupiter’s Great Red Spot, an anticyclonic hurricane that is as big as Earth, will be visible.  Jupiter’s moon, Io, will appear to transit the huge planet. Io’s shadow on Jupiter will appear to precede the moon and later, the shadow will cast upon the superstorm itself.  So, for that hour, stargazers will have a chance to “spot a spotted spot!”  

Other target observations for the Nov. 8 session: 

• Almost first quarter Moon
  
  
• The Ring Nebula and the nearby bright star Vega and its stellar spectra
   
• Cygnus’s Veil Nebulae, the “Blue Snowball” and the “Saturn Nebula” planetary nebulae, as well as the globular “Jellyfish Cluster” and the Sculptor Galaxy, which is 10 million light years away
  
  
• A near edge on ringed Saturn will be transited by its moon Enceladus, with its shadow appearing immediately below its rings, while the planet will occult its moons Tethys and Dione
  
  
• Pale blue Uranus will be seen near the Pleiades and possibility four of its moons
  
  
• Blue Neptune and a chance to see its doomed moon, Triton

The Observatory is located in the FAU Science Building SE-43, room 434, on the Boca Raton campus. This event is free to all members of the public and the FAU community. No advance registration is required. For directions, parking information, and event details, click here.