Rishi Shah

The night skies of this month would offer sky-gazers opportunities to observe the planets, stars and constellations along with other celestial entities. The elusive planet Mercury would reach its greatest western elongation from the Sun on 10 November. It could be located low in the eastern sky shortly just before sunrise. Mercury would be rushing across the starry field of Virgo (maiden) and Libra (scales). The romantic Venus would be seen shining splendidly in eastern sky before sunup. It would be shimmering subtly among the stars of Virgo.

Venus' Rotation
The so-called rotating ellipsoidal variable spectroscopic binary star Spica (Chitra) could be cherished compellingly below Venus. Spica would be sheer 250 light-years away. It would consist of two stars-systems that are cramped so close together that they would be egg-resembling rather than spherical.
The red planet Mars would mesmerize Mars-lovers with mellow yellowish marvels and mysteries from late evening in southeastern sky till very late at night over the western horizon. It could be marked in the starry expanse extending towards west and be staying serenely between the alluring star Alrescha (meaning the cord in Arabic) and the charming circlet-asterism (star-pattern) of constellation Pisces (fishes). The baffling binary star Alrescha would be occupying the southernmost tip of the V-shaped Pisces and be circa 311 light-years away.
Above Pisces the superb square of constellation Pegasus (winged horse) would be soaring in the evening sky with coruscating stars and globular cluster M15. Its northern-most stars would guide us to arrive at famed Andromeda Galaxy M31 nestled nonchalantly in constellation Andromeda (legendary chained princess), which would be designated as our next nearest major barred spiral galaxy lying 2.5 million light-years away. In Greek mythology, Pegasus had fetched frequently thunder and lightning from Mount Olympus for Zeus.
Planets Uranus and Neptune would be glowing gorgeously between Mars. The majestic planet Jupiter and ringed planet Saturn could be wowed emphatically after sundown in southwestern sky for few hours. They would be mingling with the stars residing in the northeastern region of iconic teapot-depicting constellation Sagittarius (archer). The distant diminutive dwarf planet Pluto could be discerned delightfully between these two giant planets, preferably with patience through good telescopes. The far-flung greenish planet Uranus could be perceived after sunset in southeastern sky till late midnight in southwestern sky.

New Moon
The new moon would befall on 15 November. The full moon dubbed beaver full moon would occur on 30 November. Its moniker has been derived from the fact that during this time of the year the beaver traps would be put around swamps and frozen rivers. Its other sobriquet has been the frosty or the dark full moon. The popular festivals of Bhai Tika and Chaat would be cheerfully celebrated on 16 and 20 November respectively. The new Nepal Sambat 1141 would ceremoniously commence also on 16 November 2020.
The long-running minor meteor shower Northern Taurids has been producing sparsely five to ten meteors per hour during its uttermost instance, which would be experienced from the night of the 11 till daybreak of 12 November in the northeastern sky. The Northern Taurids shower has been allegedly caused by grains left behind by Asteroid 2004TG10, when they crash through and disintegrate in our atmosphere.
It would be displaying higher than normal percentage of fulgent fireballs. The thin crescent moon would not be disturbing the viewing of fiery flashes of the shooting stars, which would be seemingly emanating from the radiant in constellation Taurus. 2004TG10 has been acknowledged as an eccentric asteroid, classified as near-earth object and potentially hazardous asteroid of the Apollo group. It could be questionably intrinsic fragment of 2P/Comet Encke and the progenitor of Northern Taurids.
An average Leonid meteor shower would be exhibiting exclusively up to fifteen meteors per hour at its peak from the night of 16 till the glimmering twilight of 17 November. The waxing moon would set early leaving tenebrous skies for relishing the super meteor shower show.
The resplendent meteors would be ostensibly emerging outwards from the vicinity of luminous binary star Algieba (Shringa) that would be resting at the sickle-asterism on imaginary lion-mane. Leonids tend to churn out most meteors during predawn hours. Astounding Algieba is presumed to be 131 light-years away.
Stunning stars Regulus (Magha) and Denebola (Uttar Phalguni) would be sparkling stealthily below Algieba. They would be 79 and 36 light-years away. Leonids has been considered unique due to its cyclonic maximum that would repeat queerly every thirty-three years, when hundreds of meteors per hour would be evident. The last one of these meteor-storms had been recorded in 2001.

Mammoth Meteor Storms
However, one of the mammoth meteor-storms in history and at least one in living memory happened with thousands of meteors per minute during fifteen minutes on the morning of 17 November 1966. Leonids originate when earth would plough through the path containing copious dusty debris left behind by comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle with orbital period of thirty-three years. It was discovered in 1865 by German astronomer Wilhelm Tempel and American astronomer Horace Tuttle in 1866 independently.
With the primary goal of snagging scant sixty gram-sample from the confounding carbonaceous near-earth menacingly dangerous asteroid 101955 Bennu and bringing back these treasured trophy to earth for detailed analysis NASA’s spacecraft OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer) had lifted-off in September 2016 from Cape Canaveral US Air Force Station in Florida as asteroid-study and sample-return mission.
It flew past earth in September 2017 and rendezvoused with Bennu and began zooming around it from 31 December 2018. After reconnoitering and finding suitable site nicknamed Nightingale for amassing asteroid-materials, OSIRIS-REx successfully executed incredible maneuvers flawlessly but remotely with command signals requiring slightly 18.5 minutes one way in unprecedented manner and accumulated substantial asteroid-stuff (whooping four hundred grams) on 20 October 2020.
It is scheduled to fly-back with the precious-cargo stowed safely inside Sample Return Capsule (SRC) for delivering it with parachutes to experts who would be waiting for its retrieval at Utah's west desert in USA on 24 September 2023. Postulated as time-capsule the pristine rocky regolith with dust and pebbles would enable to unlock the secrets linked to the formation of our Solar System, its initial phases and stages of planets-configuration along with unraveling the source of organic compounds that could have led to the evolution and seeding of life on earth.
Epitaph Bennu would be acclaimed as the ancient Egyptian mythological bird associated with Sun, creation and rebirth. Osiris has been revered as the deity of fertility, agriculture, afterlife, dead, resurrection, life and vegetation in ancient Egyptian religion.

(Shah writes on astronomy)