Observing

Comet 2021 A1 (LEONARD) has broken out of the cometary pack to brighten up and shine close to naked-eye magnitude. All the indications look good for it at the very least to become a nice object through a pair of binoculars.

There’s a partial eclipse of the Moon on 18/19 November which is a favourable event for observers in North America. Lasting for 208.4 minutes (the deeper, umbral part of the eclipse) it is the longest since 1440.

The famous Leonid meteor shower returns this week, with its activity predicted to peak between 09h and 11h UT on November 17.

Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, visited by the European Space Agency’s Rosetta probe, is well placed for observation now; indeed, it’s been under constant scrutiny by amateur astronomers since late spring, when it shone feebly at nineteenth-magnitude in the pre-dawn sky from the UK.

Venus has been blazing brilliant as an ‘evening star’ since around late May. On 29 October Venus finally pulls out to greatest eastern elongation from the Sun, signalling a welcome gradual improvement in its visibility.

A major new sunspot has just rotated into view at the south-eastern limb area of the Sun’s photosphere. Officially designated sunspot AR2887, it was first seen peeping around the Sun’s limb on 22 October.

Mercury reaches greatest elongation west of the Sun on 25 October, providing an opportunity to observe the elusive innermost planet’s best showing of the year before sunrise.

The Orionid meteor shower peaks on 21/22 October. Unfortunately the shower will be severely affected by glare from a near-full Moon. Orionids often leave persistent trains, or trails, so its brightest meteors might slice through the glare.

With autumn beckoning, our lengthening nights will thankfully soon be blessed again with twilight-free skies. Provided you’re observing from a site free from major light-pollution, you’ll enjoy getting reacquainted with the multitude of deep-sky delights that are on show now and throughout the autumn.