Venus and Jupiter, the two brightest planets, pair up in the early evening sky for November. The two planets will draw closer and closer to each other as the month goes on. They start November about 30 degrees apart from each other; by the end of the month, Venus and Jupiter are separated by a mere two degrees, or the width of your finger held at arm's length.

Since mid-August, Venus has been a brilliant dot of light in the western sky at dusk. Throughout November, Venus continues to blaze away in the west. Venus will be roughly a quarter of the way up the western sky when it gets dark enough to see the planet clearly (about a half-hour after sunset). Venus sets just after 8 p.m. at the start of November, around 8:30 p.m. in the middle of the month, and at 8:45 p.m. at the end of November.

Jupiter is also in the west at dusk in November. Look for Jupiter about 45 degrees above the horizon at dusk in early November (that's about halfway up in the western sky). It's above, and to the left, of Venus. By the end of the month, Jupiter will be about 30 degrees above the western horizon when it gets dark enough to see the planet. By then it will be right next to Venus. Jupiter sets by 10:20 p.m. at the start of November, around 9:40 p.m. in the middle of the month, and by 8:50 p.m. at the end of the month.

CONJUNCTION

As November goes on, Venus and Jupiter will draw closer and closer. They start off about 30 degrees apart, with Venus as the brighter and lower of the two. (Thirty degrees is about three clenched fists, held at arm's length.) Every day in November, these two dots will move one degree closer to each other. By Nov. 30, the two planets will be less than two degrees apart. Venus will be to the left and slightly below Jupiter, and about six times brighter than Jupiter.

Venus and Jupiter have a conjunction like this about once a year, but sometimes the conjunctions occur when the planets are lost in the sun's light. This is the last good gathering of these two planets until May 2011. This November's conjunction is nicely placed in the evening sky. Adding to the sight, the bright stars of Sagittarius the Centaur form a backdrop to this gathering of the two brightest planets.

Adding to what will already by a lovely sight, the moon visits this grouping of Venus and Jupiter as well. Tonight, when the two planets are still 30 degrees apart, the crescent moon will appear between the two planets; look for it around 7 p.m. Tomorrow, the moon will be just right next to Jupiter. On Nov. 29 and 30, with Venus and Jupiter now in conjunction, look for the crescent moon below the two planets. The crescent moon on Nov. 29 is of particular importance, since it starts off the new Hawaiian year (see section on Pleiades below).

OTHER PLANETS

Mars is completely out of view for the entire month. Mars is behind the sun and will not appear in our skies at all until the end of 2008.

However, if you are an early riser, the November early morning sky provides a good view of Saturn. Saturn rises in the east at 3 a.m. in early November and is nearly halfway up in the eastern sky by the time it gets too bright to see the planet. Saturn shines at first magnitude, as bright as a bright star. At the end of the month, Saturn rises around 1:15 a.m. and is two-thirds of the way up in the east (66 degrees) by the time day starts to break. Look for the waning moon next to Saturn early in the mornings of Nov. 20 through 22.

Mercury makes a brief, bright appearance in the November morning sky. Mercury rises in the east at 5:30 a.m. today. However, you have only 30 minutes to spot it before day begins to break, and you'll need a really flat horizon to spot the planet. By Nov. 5 or so, Mercury will be completely lost in the sun's glow.

END OF DST

Daylight saving time ends for much of North America today at 2 a.m. local time. As of today, the East Coast will be five hours ahead of Hawai'i (not six hours ahead, as it is during DST) and the West Coast will be only two hours ahead of us (not three hours, as during DST).

MAKAHIKI SEASON

From Honolulu the tiny star cluster of the Pleiades, known in Hawaiian as makaiki ("the little eyes"), rises in the east at 5:48 p.m., exactly at sunset, on Nov. 17. This is a marker for the start of the new Hawaiian year, or makahiki. The new year begins with the first "hilo" moon after this sunset rising of the Pleiades. The hilo moon is the visible crescent of the moon after the new moon. While the Pleiades rise at sunset on Nov. 17 every year in Honolulu, the time of this hilo moon can vary from year to year by nearly a month. Depending on atmosphere conditions there is an outside chance that the hilo moon will be visible around 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 28, just before the moon sets. More likely, this slim crescent will not become visible to the next day, Nov. 29, starting off the new Hawaiian year.

LEONID METEOR SHOWER

The Leonids peak every 33 years. Its peak in November 2001 was the most brilliant meteor shower in recent memory. However, the shower had dropped off substantially, and we don't expect a big show from the Leonids again till 2034. Here in 2008, we will also have interference from the third-quarter moon. If you want to try your luck, stay up late on the evening of Nov. 16, and as it turns to Nov. 17, search the skies. Viewing, as usual with meteor showers, is better after midnight.

THE NOVEMBER SKY MAP

The most distinctive constellation in this sky is Orion the Hunter. Orion is the easiest constellation to find; its hourglass shape, famous belt and two bright stars (Betelgeuse and Rigel) make the constellation practically jump out of the sky at you. Follow the belt of Orion up higher in the sky and it will direct you to Taurus the Bull and then to the Pleiades.

In the western edge of this map, look for the Summer Triangle. As wintry Orion pops into the eastern sky, we can still see this last reminder of summer. The triangle is made up of one bright star from each of three separate constellations: Vega (in Lyra, the Harp), Deneb (in Cygnus, the Swan), and Altair (in Aquila, the Eagle).

In between the Summer Triangle and Orion, we have the great square of autumn almost exactly overhead. This is one of the names for the square of four stars at the heart of Pegasus, the Flying Horse.

In the southern portion of the map, look for two bright and lonely stars. First magnitude Fomalhaut is high in the south. Achernar is low in the South. It's quite bright, and is part of the constellation of Eridanus the River, though the rest of the constellation has not risen yet.

THE SKY TONIGHT

At 8 p.m. on the first Friday of each month we offer The Sky Tonight, an hour-long tour of the current night sky in the Watumull Planetarium at Bishop Museum. The next shows are on Nov. 7 and Dec. 5. Reservations are required; call 848-4168. Admission is $4 for adults, $3 for children 4-12 years old, and is free for Bishop Museum members and members of the Hawaiian Astronomical Society. Afterward, weather permitting, we open our observatory.

Use this map by holding it over your head so its northern horizon points toward the northern horizon on Earth. This illustration represents the sky at about 10 p.m. in early November, 9 p.m. in mid-November and 8 p.m. in late November.