Each November, the sky offers a quiet reminder that the heavens keep their own schedule, indifferent to our calendars yet generous to anyone willing to step outside. From November 12, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration expects dawn watchers over the country to see Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Mars and Uranus drawn into a loose line across the morning sky, a configuration that exists only in the angle of our view and touches the planets themselves not at all. The same night brings the Northern Taurid meteor shower to its height, and later in the month t
Five Planets Align in Dawn Sky as Two Meteor Showers Peak in November
Five planets, one dawn, and no equipment needed for the meteors
Mark
So what's actually happening on Nov. 12?
Mimi
Five planets, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Mars and Uranus, will appear lined up in the morning sky, and the Northern Taurid meteor shower peaks the same day.
Mark
Can everyone see all five?
Mimi
Not easily. Venus, Jupiter and Mars should be simple. Mercury hangs low over the eastern horizon, and Uranus needs binoculars or a small telescope.
Luke
Worth saying the alignment is apparent, a view from Earth. PAGASA itself says it has no direct physical effect on the planet.
Mark
And the meteors?
Mimi
The Northern Taurids are modest, about five an hour at peak. The Leonids, peaking around Nov. 18, may reach about 15 an hour.
Luke
Those are expected rates under favorable conditions, PAGASA's projections rather than counts. Actual numbers depend on sky darkness and weather.
Mark
When should people look?
Mimi
For the Leonids, around 5 a.m. is best. The Taurids' radiant is up most of the night, and the new moon keeps the sky dark.
Luke
The source doesn't say how high the planets will sit at any given hour or how long the alignment stays visible past Nov. 12, so that's still unknown here.
El Pulso
- Five planets are set to converge in the dawn sky from November 12, but only Venus, Jupiter and Mars will be easy to pick out without help.
- Mercury hugs the low eastern horizon, and Uranus hides until binoculars or a small telescope bring it into view.
- The Northern Taurid shower peaks the same night, offering about five meteors an hour under a thin, moonless sky.
- The Leonids follow near November 18 with roughly fifteen meteors an hour, and watchers are urged to head to dark sites before dawn around 5 a.m.
Each November, the sky offers a quiet reminder that the heavens keep their own schedule, indifferent to our calendars yet generous to anyone willing to step outside. From November 12, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration expects dawn watchers over the country to see Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Mars and Uranus drawn into a loose line across the morning sky, a configuration that exists only in the angle of our view and touches the planets themselves not at all. The same night brings the Northern Taurid meteor shower to its height, and later in the month the Leonids, debris from an ancient comet, will streak through the pre-dawn dark, asking only for patience and a clear horizon.
On November 12, anyone who steps outside before sunrise in the Philippines may see five planets lined up across the morning sky. PAGASA's November astronomical diary places Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Mars and Uranus in that arc, though not all of them will be equally easy to find. Venus, Jupiter and Mars should be simple to spot, Mercury will hover low over the eastern horizon, and Uranus will need binoculars or a small telescope. The agency is careful to note that this alignment is only an effect of perspective from Earth and has no physical influence on the planets.
The same date marks the peak of the Northern Taurids, an annual shower that runs from October 20 to December 10. Expect only about five meteors an hour at its height, but the new moon will leave the skies dark, and the radiant in Taurus stays up through most of the night. The meteors are traced to debris from asteroid 2004 TG10.
Later in the month, the Leonids, linked to Comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle, are expected to peak around November 18 with up to about fifteen meteors an hour under good conditions. Their radiant climbs as the night wears on, so the hours before dawn, particularly around 5 a.m., offer the best view. Neither shower needs equipment. PAGASA's advice is simple: find a dark place away from city lights, wait for clear skies with little moonlight, and look up.
On Nov. 12, anyone who steps outside before sunrise in the Philippines will have a chance to see five planets arranged across the morning sky. Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Mars and Uranus will appear lined up from that date, according to the astronomical diary that the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, or PAGASA, has published for November.
Not all five will be equally easy to find. PAGASA says Venus, Jupiter and Mars should be relatively simple to spot. Mercury is harder because it will sit low above the eastern horizon. Uranus is the most demanding of the group and calls for binoculars or a small telescope. The agency also added a caution: planetary alignments are apparent configurations as seen from Earth, and they have no direct physical effects on the planet.
The same date brings the peak of the Northern Taurid meteor shower. The shower is annual and runs from Oct. 20 to Dec. 10, but PAGASA expects only about five meteors per hour at its height. Its meteors appear to come from a radiant point in the constellation Taurus, which gives the shower its name. The radiant rises above the eastern horizon at around 5:58 p.m., reaches its highest position near midnight, and stays up until about 5:30 a.m. the next day, so viewing is favorable through the night.
Moonlight should not get in the way. PAGASA notes that the peak falls near the new moon, which means darker skies. The Northern Taurids are linked to debris from asteroid 2004 TG10.
The second shower, the Leonids, is active from Nov. 6 to 30 and is expected to peak around Nov. 18. Its meteors appear to radiate from a point in Leo. The radiant rises at around 11:49 p.m. and climbs higher as the night goes on, reaching its highest point shortly after sunrise. For that reason PAGASA identifies the hours before dawn, particularly around 5 a.m., as the best window, when the radiant is high above the horizon.
Under favorable conditions, the Leonids can produce approximately 15 meteors per hour at their peak, roughly three times the Northern Taurid rate. They are caused by debris left behind by Comet 55P/Tempel–Tuttle as it orbits the Sun.
Unlike the faint outermost planet in the alignment, the meteor showers need no equipment. PAGASA says they can be seen with the naked eye, with no telescope or binoculars required. Its advice is to pick a dark site away from city lights and wait for clear skies with minimal moonlight.
The dates to mark are Nov. 12 for the alignment and the Northern Taurid peak, and around Nov. 18 for the Leonids, with the pre-dawn hours the best time to look for both.
Citas Notables
Planetary alignments are apparent configurations as seen from Earth and have no direct physical effects on our planet.— PAGASA
Meteor showers are observable through the naked eye, and no special equipment is needed.— PAGASA
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