Derekscope

Mars and Jupiter“”

• Night sky photo showing Mars and Jupiter close together above silhouetted houses at 1:30 am.
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The Moon at apogee

• The Moon reaches apogee ~ the farthest point in its orbit from Earth.
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• The Moon appears slightly smaller and dimmer in the sky compared to perigee.
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• A quick smartphone capture looking toward the south-eastern horizon in the early hours of Friday, 13th November 2026 (03:30 am), showing Mars and Jupiter shining closely together in the pre-dawn sky just above the rooftops.
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Minimum brightness times for Algol Minima

• Here’s a list of upcoming minimum brightness times for Algol (Beta Persei).
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• Read more – Algol
  – How to find Algol in Perseus?
  – Deaf astronomer John Goodricke
  

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Close approach of Mars and Jupiter

• The two celestial objects appear near one another from our viewpoint on Earth, offering an interesting sight for observers with a clear sky.

• The closest approach occurs during the daytime in the UK, so look for the pairing when the objects are above the horizon and the sky is dark enough to observe them.

• Also this month ~ the Moon makes another close approach to Mars on Monday 30th November 2026.
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• Captured two planets coming out to view through the morning mist at 6am by smartphone – looking up, I can still see Jupiter making a close approach to Mars.
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• They are steadily moving closer together in the pre-dawn sky, heading toward their official conjunction on Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th November 2026, when they will sit roughly 1 degree apart.
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Minimum brightness times for Algol Minima

• Here’s a list of upcoming minimum brightness times for Algol (Beta Persei).
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• Read more – Algol
  – How to find Algol in Perseus?
  – Deaf astronomer John Goodricke
  

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Conjunction of the Moon and Venus

• Look towards the eastern sky before sunrise to see the delicate crescent Moon alongside dazzling Venus in the morning twilight.
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• The Moon will be only a few per cent illuminated, making this a beautiful observing opportunity, although the thin crescent may be challenging to spot as the sky brightens.
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Minimum brightness times for Algol Minima

• Here’s a list of upcoming minimum brightness times for Algol (Beta Persei).
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• Read more – Algol
  – How to find Algol in Perseus?
  – Deaf astronomer John Goodricke
  

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Mercury at inferior solar conjunction

• Mercury passes between Earth and the Sun, reaching inferior solar conjunction.
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• At this point, Mercury is generally lost in the Sun’s glare and is not safely observable.

• Following conjunction, Mercury moves from the evening sky into the morning sky, becoming a morning object later in November as it approaches its greatest western elongation on Saturday 21st November 2026.