November Sky from UK (based around Birmingham) (Krioma.net Blog)

Sky Chart:

Sun

Autumn and spring are the best time for auroral displays produced from the Earth's interaction with the solar wind and so is a good time to look out for these, but in Birmingham you are very unlikely to see these. The Sun is currently in a minima of activity and so the sun spots visible are small in number - nevermind the large cloud formations across the UK!

See spaceweather.com for more information about the Solar activity

Mercury

It is poorly placed for observations. The best chance to observe it is during daylight.

Venus

As always Venus is brilliantly bright in the sky and is excellently placed for early morning observations. It is getting lower in the atmosphere and so will suffer extinction.

Mars

It is very low in the sky and so is basically unobservable from Birmingham's light polluted skies.

Jupiter

Jupiter is becoming easy to observe and is at a decent position in the sky in the early of the month.

Saturn

Saturn and its wonderful rings are great observing targets at the moment particularly at 4am or so when it is at its highest position in the sky.

Uranus, Neptune and Pluto

Both Uranus and Neptune are possible to view during mid evening when they are high in the sky. However this will require a telescope to observe in any detail.

Pluto is in the evening sky and is like always very hard to observe. It is just over 15 degree in altitude at twilight.

Meteors

The Leonids and the Taurids are visible this month. The Leonids over the past few years have produced some excellent showers so we might be in for another good year. Observing is best around the 17th and 18th after midnight. The Leonids emerge from the constellation of Leo and are do to Comet 55P / Tempel-Tuttle.

The Taurids are best around the 5th but are not the best to observe and with fireworks will be very hard to see!

Comets

There are a few comets around however these aren't easily visible but should be better next month.

As always more information about comets can be found on the BAA Comet Section: http://www.ast.cam.ac.uk/~jds/