Space News: What’s up for November 2024

What’s up for November?

When to look for Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars this month, a NASA spacecraft swings by Venus on its way to the Sun, and the tricky business of seeing the Moon hide a bright star. And stick around until the end for photos of highlights from last month’s skies.

Saturn is visible toward the south for most of the night. For observers in the Americas, it has a close meetup with the Moon on the 10th, when the pair will appear less than a degree apart just after dark, making for a great sight through binoculars. Check the sky again around midnight, and you'll see the Moon has visibly shifted a couple of degrees west of Saturn, showing evidence of the Moon's orbital motion in just a few hours.

Jupiter is rising in the east early in the night, together with the bright stars of the constellations Taurus and Orion, and working its way across the sky by dawn. By the end of November, it's rising just as the sky is getting dark. Mars follows behind Jupiter, rising about three hours after the giant planet.

As in October, early risers will find the Red Planet high overhead in the morning sky before dawn. In the evening sky, Venus is low in the southwest following sunset throughout the month of November. It's blazing bright and unmistakable if you find a relatively unobstructed view. It appears much higher in the sky for those in the Southern Hemisphere, who'll also be able to easily observe Mercury after sunset this month. And on the 4th, a slim crescent Moon will appear just below Venus for a beautiful pairing as the glow of sunset fades.

Now, staying with Venus, one of NASA's intrepid solar system explorers is headed for a close encounter with this Earth-sized hothouse of a planet on November 6th. Parker Solar Probe studies our planet's nearest star, the Sun. Its mission is to trace the flow of energy that heats the Sun's outer atmosphere and accelerates the million-mile-per-hour stream of particles it emits. It makes its measurements from super close to the Sun, within the region where all the action happens.

To do this, the spacecraft was designed to fly within just 4 million miles of the Sun's surface, which is 10 times closer than the orbit of the closest planet, Mercury. No other spacecraft has ever gotten this close to the Sun before.

In the six years since its launch, the spacecraft has made a bunch of approaches to the Sun, using flybys of the planet Venus to shape its orbit. The November 6th flyby is the final such maneuver, intended to send the spacecraft toward its three closest-ever solar approaches, starting on December 24th.

During this last Venus flyby, the mission will capture images of the planet. Previous views returned by Parker showed that the spacecraft could actually see features of the Venusian surface through its dense cloud cover. So look out for Venus in the evening sky, as the brilliant planet helps a craft from Earth to touch the face of the Sun.

In the couple of hours before sunrise on November 27th, skywatchers in the eastern half of the U.S. and Canada will have the chance to witness an occultation – an event where the Moon passes in front of, and temporarily hides, a bright star – in this case Spica.

Observers in other parts of the world will see the Moon pass extremely close to Spica, but won't see it cover up the star. This occultation is one of a series that began in June and will continue monthly through late next year.

These happen as the Moon's orbit slowly shifts northward and southward across the sky, and every so often, its path crosses in front of Spica monthly for a time. But each occultation is only visible from a small portion of Earth.

For example, while this November event favors North American viewers, South American observers will get their chance next April. For U.S. skywatchers, this November occultation is the last good opportunity in this series to see the Moon occult Spica until 2032, when a new series of monthly occultations will begin for locations across the globe. Now, if you miss this event, don't worry!

The Moon also passes in front of three other bright stars from time to time. This means that no matter where you're located, you'll have the opportunity before too long to witness the impressive sight of a bright star briefly disappearing behind the Moon.

Watch our video for views of what some of the highlights we told you about in last month's video actually looked like.

Stay up to date on all of NASA's missions exploring the solar system and beyond at science.nasa.gov.

Preston Dyches works for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Lakeport water and sewer main replacement project moves forward

LAKEPORT, Calif. — The city of Lakeport reported that it has made significant progress in the ongoing 2024 water and sewer main replacement project.

The project’s goal is upgrading critical infrastructure across key locations in the city.

With work on Lakeport Boulevard nearing completion, the next phase will move to Martin Street beginning Monday, Nov. 4.

The city said the extensive project “is a crucial effort” to replace aging water and sewer lines along Lakeport Boulevard, K Street, Martin Street, Armstrong Street, Lakeshore Boulevard, and parts of Tenth and Tunis streets.

The city’s team is completing final touches on Lakeport Boulevard, where sewer mains and laterals have been fully replaced.

Crews are now focused on wrapping up water main, service and fire hydrant replacements from S. Forbes Street to Bevins Street. Final trench paving is expected by mid-November.

What residents can expect:

• Daytime work on Martin Street will commence on Nov. 4, with temporary lane closures and detours.
• Street excavations will include safety trench plates.
• Trench paving will occur on affected streets as each project phase concludes.
• Full pavement resurfacing will be scheduled for all areas upon project completion.
Project Significance: This essential project not only strengthens the city’s infrastructure but also delivers multiple benefits to the community:
• Replacement of aging lines reduces potential system failures.
• Improved water pressure ensures reliable service.
• Reduced risk of sewer overflows helps protect the environment.
• Enhanced capacity at the wastewater treatment plant supports future city growth.

The city of Lakeport said it “appreciates the community’s patience and understanding as we work to bring these infrastructure improvements to fruition.”

For updates on the project, or for additional information, contact the Lakeport Utilities Department at 707-263-5615, Extension 405.

Governor proclaims Native American Heritage Month

On Friday, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a proclamation declaring November 2024, as Native American Heritage Month.

The text of the proclamation is published below.



Home to the largest population of Native Americans in the United States, California has long been a land of opportunity for Native Americans from across the nation and continues to be a beacon of hope for those seeking both community and a voice on a national stage.

This Native American Heritage Month, we grapple with the duality of a history of violence and oppression while Native people, despite all odds, continue to persist as shining examples of exceptionalism. In this spirit, we look back to celebrate the forebears of this place and embrace them as their full selves — successful, talented Native luminaries — in ways they may not have been at the time. We also venerate those who are blazing trails and lighting others’ torches throughout American society today.

This year, the nation learned more about the devastating legacy of federal Indian boarding schools — with twelve sited in California alone — including how many students were lost, the inhumane treatment of children, and the practice of funding those schools with the sale of tribal lands. Last month, we witnessed — for the first time in history—a United States President issue a formal apology for the atrocities committed at federal Indian boarding schools across the nation. We hope that this important acknowledgment of pain, of lost years, and of intergenerational trauma will help Native communities in processing a national campaign designed to destroy cultures, community and identity — one we know was ultimately unsuccessful.

A testament to the enduring resilience of Native people, this year we witnessed several beautiful celebrations of the truth-telling, heart-wrenching stories of the loss and dispossession of generations of Native communities. The Reservation Dogs — who finally did make it to the stunning shores of California — were nominated and awarded several times over for their unflinching depiction of the continuum all Native people walk in, honoring and embodying the ancestors while grappling with the harsh realities of our time. The Oscars — for the first time — featured Osage singers performing the award-nominated “Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People)” in Osage language, and Piegan Blackfeet and Nez Perce actor Lily Gladstone went home with a Golden Globe for Best Actress for her role in “Killers of the Flower Moon.” All of this took place within miles of where two young Osage sisters, Maria and Marjorie Tallchief, once trained to become the world’s premier ballerinas.

This fall, Native fashion designers like Luiseño/Shoshone-Bannock artist Jamie Okuma and Diné designer Orlando Dugi showcased the arts of their ancestors in new, unexpected ways at a groundbreaking Indigenous futurism fashion show at the Getty. And we’ve seen these designs make their way onto the national stage, beautifully worn by the likes of Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and Minnesota Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan.

Today, as we reflect on the tenacity of Native people in the face of practices aimed at their destruction and bent on making them small and unseen, I call on all Californians to find meaningful opportunities to uplift, validate and engage with Native trailblazers—past and present — across the nation.

NOW THEREFORE I, GAVIN NEWSOM, Governor of the State of California, do hereby proclaim November 2024, as “Native American Heritage Month.”

IN WITNESS WHEREOF I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of California to be affixed this 1st day of November 2024.

GAVIN NEWSOM
Governor of California

ATTEST:
SHIRLEY N. WEBER, Ph.D.
Secretary of State