Lighting Advice for Borrego Springs
You can help protect Borrego's night sky from the increasing problem of light pollution.
Making small improvements to lighting can lead to huge improvements in the quality of our dark night sky.
courtesy Yorkshire Dales UK National Park Authority
Sky Calendar: October and November 2024
By Dr. Randolph Baron
| Oct 9 Wed | Draconid Meteor Shower (see below) |
| Oct 14 Sun | Conjunction of Moon and Saturn visible around 6:43 p.m. 25 degrees above SE horizon |
| Oct 17 Thurs | Full Hunter Moonrise 6:19 p.m. |
| Oct 21 Mon | Orionid meteor shower (see below) |
| Oct 21 Mon | Conjunction Moon and Jupiter visible around 9:42 p.m. in eastern sky |
| Oct 23 Wed | Conjunction of Moon and Mars visible around 12:17 a.m., Mars just SE of Moon |
| Oct 27 Sun | Perseid double cluster almost overhead at midnight (see below) |
| Early November | Sunrise 7:04 a.m., Sunset 5:53 p.m. |
| Nov 3, Sun | Daylight Savings Time ends 2 a.m. |
| Nov 4, Mon | Conjunction of Moon and Venus visible around 5:06 p.m. PST. 17 degrees above SW horizon |
| Nov 10, Sun | Conjunction of Moon and Saturn visible around 5:18 p.m. 38 degrees above SE horizon |
| Nov 11, Mon -Nov 12 | Northern Taurid Meteor Shower (see below) |
| Nov 15, Fri | Full Beaver Moonrise 4:29 p.m. |
| Nov 17, Sun | Leonid Meteor Shower (see below) |
| Nov 17, Sun | Conjunction of Moon and Jupiter visible around 6:47 p.m. in eastern sky |
| Nov 20, Wed | Conjunction of Moon and Mars visible around 10:02 p.m. in eastern sky, Mars SE of Moon |
| Nov 30, Sat | Sunrise 6:31 a.m., Sunset 4:38 p.m. |
THE PLANETS IN OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER
Venus is a brilliant “evening star” visible in October and November in the west after sunset.
Jupiter is a brilliant evening planet in Oct. and Nov. approaching opposition on Dec 7,
when Earth is directly between Jupiter and the Sun.
Saturn is also an evening planet, just past opposition, setting before Jupiter each night.
Mars is a brightening morning planet located in Gemini.
The Orionid Meteor Shower occurs as the Earth enters a stream of dust left behind by the famous Halley’s Comet. The waning gibbous moon may be some hinderance to the average 20 meteors per hour, sometimes up to 30 or 40 per hour, but watch predawn on Monday, Oct. 21 for some of the best viewing. Look just to the north and east of Orion; then find the three brilliant stars in a row as Orion’s belt, and you’re close enough.
The Double Cluster in Perseus consists of two open star clusters near each other that reside in the northern part of the constellation Perseus, quite close to the constellation Cassiopeia the Queen. Find Cassiopeia, the constellation has a distinctive M or W shape, and look for Perseus, too. Then scan with your binoculars between them. The Double Cluster, a breathtaking pair of clusters, each containing supergiant suns, will be there. Both clusters are around 7,000 light years away, meaning the light entering your eyes has been traveling 7,000 years. Visible to the naked eye from a dark location as dim smudges, with binoculars they become breathtaking clusters of hundreds of stars! Find the Perseid Double Cluster almost directly overhead at midnight on Sunday, Oct. 27.
The Northern Taurids occur over much the same period as the Southern Taurids, but seem to have a more defined peak predicted to occur the night of Monday, Nov. 11 through the predawn hours of Nov. 12. A bright waxing gibbous moon may obscure all but the brightest meteors.
The Leonid Meteor Shower is predicted on the night of Sunday, Nov. 17. It’s worth a look as soon as it gets dark, however, the radiant in the constellation Leo does not rise until around 11 p.m. During a typical Leonid shower one can see upwards of 15 meteors per hour, although, this year a brilliant moon just two days past full will put a damper on our visibility. Debris from periodic Comet Tempel-Tuttle, officially known as 55P/Temple-Tuttle, is responsible for the Leonid Meteor Shower. William Tempel of Marseilles Observatory in France discovered this comet on the evening of December 19, 1865. The comet orbits our sun once every 33 years and will produce an intense meteor shower or even a meteor storm 33 years apart. One occurred in 1966 and another one in 1998. We await 2031!
Is Your Home Dark Sky Friendly?
You can reduce light pollution by ensuring that your exterior lighting is neighbor, and dark sky friendly.
Most people will find that a few simple changes can lead to home lighting that is both beautiful and functional,
without contributing to excessive light pollution. The International Dark Sky Association has a Dark Sky
Friendly Home Certification for just that purpose!
Learn more
