Venus, queen of the planets in November-December
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The queen of the planets this month will undoubtedly be the planet Venus, also called the Shepherd Star. It will shine brightly in the evening after the Sun sets high on the western horizon. Note a nice rapprochement between Venus and the Moon on December 6, the date on which Venus will be the brightest.
Its extreme brightness is linked to the fact that Venus is the closest planet to Earth and that it is completely covered with clouds Imagine, you would live on the surface, it would be impossible for you to see the Sun or the stars…
Also take advantage of Jupiter and Saturn at the start of the night because the 2 planets will not be visible for very long. They go to bed in the first parts of the night and are not as high as the last few months. To find them easily, Our natural satellite has an appointment in the evening with Jupiter and Saturn on December 7, 8 and 9.
The constellations that we will be able to see during the next month
In November and December, theThe constellations of Perseus, Taurus and the Coachman will be high on the horizon. We will gradually say goodbye to Pegasus, Andromeda to say hello to Orion and the Big Dog. Close to Ecuador and in the southern hemisphere, you can discover the constellations of Eridanus, Dove, Painter or Burin. It is amazing to see the difference between the names of the constellations of the northern hemisphere and the southern hemisphere. Those of the northern hemisphere tell the story of Greek mythology and were named in particular by Ptolemy in the 2nd century AD. Those of the southern hemisphere are much more modern and were named from the 17th century when Europeans left to explore the seas of the southern hemisphere. Among the astronomers who have named the constellations, we can name Johann Bayer, Johannes Hevelius or Nicolas Louis de Lacaille.
Other astronomical phenomena not to be missed
Some beautiful shooting stars during the next 30 days. First of all on the night of November 17-18, there should be some beautiful shooting stars belonging to the Leonid trial, appearing to come from the constellation Leo. The Earth then enters a swarm of dust left by comet Tempel Tuttle. The dust reaches the phenomenal speed of 72 km / s. Finally, do not miss the Geminid swarmes (appearing to come from the constellation Gemini) on the night of December 13th to 14th. You must have seen a few dozen shooting stars per hour. In the middle of the night, there will be no Moon in the sky, so take advantage of the darkest sky to see the thinnest shooting stars.
A new astronomical telescope is once again involved thanks to our partners SSVI and RFI. To participate, send on our Facebook page Astronomy Africa your most beautiful photos or videos or a nice text that you have written. The winner will be announced on January 15th. Good observations. Good heavens everyone and remember: the sky is the biggest screen, just look up.