On the morning of November 6th, skywatchers have a celestial treat in store. Just before sunrise, look west to witness the nearly full moon (94% illuminated) nestled near the constellation Taurus and the famous Pleiades star cluster. The moon will be roughly halfway up the western sky, with the Pleiades appearing as a faint patch of light about 5 degrees above and to its left.
Think of holding your three middle fingers out at arm’s length; the width they span approximates 5 degrees in the night sky. This makes finding the Pleiades trickier than usual because of the moon’s brightness, though binoculars will help bring them into sharper focus. These binoculars will reveal not just the seven brightest stars known as the “Seven Sisters” (Merope, Electra, Maia, Taygete, Asterope, Alcyone and Celaeno), but also countless fainter stars that make up this impressive cluster containing over 1,000 stars.
Keep your eyes trained on the sky a few degrees below and to the left of the Pleiades – there you’ll find Uranus. This icy giant, though incredibly distant (1.72 billion miles away!), is worth searching for. While invisible to the naked eye even under ideal conditions due to its faintness (+5.6 magnitude), a telescope with an aperture of at least 8 inches should unveil it as a tiny blue dot against the backdrop of space. Imagine what you’re observing – a world four times Earth’s size, making this small dot in your telescope a marvel of cosmic proportions!
For those eager to delve deeper into stargazing, consider exploring upcoming telescope deals and our comprehensive November skywatching guide for more celestial discoveries throughout the month.
