January Skies 2006

By day, the January SUN continues moving slowly higalher in the sky.
By night all prominent Winter stars and constellations are positioned for excellent viewing.
January also brings favorable positioning of the Winter Milky Way.

The Sun:
The Sun begins the New Year in the constellation of SAGITTARIUS.  It remains in Sagittarius until January 19th, when it enters CAPRICORNUS for the rest of the month.

The Moon:
The 1st QUARTER MOON occurs on January 6th in PISCES.
December’s FULL MOON occurs on the 14th of the month in GEMINI.
The 3rd QUARTER Moon occurs late on January 22nd in VIRGO.
The NEW MOON occurs on the morning of the 29th in Capricornus.

In January you can watch the Moon near four naked-eye Planets:
VENUS: The Moon is seen above and South of Venus at dusk on January 1st. The Moon will also be found below and South of Venus at dawn on January 27th.
MARS: near the Moon the night of the 7th
SATURN: far from the Moon in CANCER the nights of the 14th & 15th.
JUPITER: fairly far from the crescent Moon in LIBRA the morning of the 23rd.

The Moon can be seen near these Bright Stars:
Waxing gibbous Moon passes through the Pleiades after sunset the evening of the 9th.
Waxing gibbous Moon appears North (left) of Aldebaran the night of the 10th
Full Moon is near Pollux in Gemini overnight the 13th – 14th
Waning gibbous Moon is seen near Regulus in Leo overnight the 16th – 17th.
Waning crescent Moon very near Antares in Scorpio the morning of the 25th.

The Evening Sky
Sun: Sunset on January 1st occurs at 5:26p.m., and each following evening’s sunset happens a bit later.  On January 31st, the time of sunset will be 5:53p.m.

Moon: A waxing MOON is visible in the evening sky between January 1st and the 15th and rises shortly after sunset for a few more days.  It is again seen as a thin crescent Moon low in the Southwestern sky the evenings of the 30th and 31st.

Early in the evening of January 9th, the Moon eclipses several stars in the Pleiades (or Seven Sisters) star cluster. The Moon will be quite bright, so use binoculars or a small telescope to view the event.

Evening Planets: VENUS, MARS, SATURN, and MERCURY.
Venus begins January as a brilliant Evening Star low in the Southwest setting about 1½ hour after the Sun. However, it quickly passes by the Earth in its orbit and becomes lost to view about January 8th.  Venus ends January in the morning sky as a Morning Star.

In a telescope Venus will appear as a large but very thin crescent. Look for the Moon near Venus after sunset on the 1st.

Mars is very prominent and ruddy colored in the night sky in ARIES the zodiac ram.  The red planet is visible most of the night, setting about 3a.m. on the 1st and about an hour earlier on the 31st.  Mars continues to lag behind the Earth and keeps shrinking in apparent size and brightness as it recedes from Earth. Small telescopes will show Mars as a round orange disk.

During January Mars passes very close to three stars, events which should be easily visible to telescopic observers.  On the 10th, Mars passes near 36 Arietis; on the 18th  it is 45 Arietis, and on the 28th, Delta Arietis.

Saturn, is visible all month in CANCER the Zodiac crab. Saturn rises about 7:30p.m. on the 1st and about 2 hours earlier on the 31st.  All month it is seen above the horizon at dawn. Telescopic observers will easily notice Saturn’s prominent ring system and some of its brighter moons.  Overnight between January 15th and 18th, Saturn slowly passes by the star SAO98098.

Mercury starts January in the morning sky, but passes the Sun heading Eastward on the 26th. Though an evening planet after the 26th, it remains too near the Sun to be sighted in the evening sky until February.

What Else to See?
Winter Milky Way:  During January choose a dark moonless night to view the Winter Milky Way and prominent winter constellations.
The Winter Milky Way passes through the constellations of CASSIOPEIA, PERSEUS, AURIGA, GEMINI, ORION, CANIS MAJOR, MONOCEROS, and PUPPIS.  If you can observe from a dark sky location, a pair of binoculars will reveal many star clusters spread irregularly along the Milky Way.

In the southern sky, is easily recognizable Orion, which rises just before sunset. The famous “Orion Nebula” (AKA “M42”) is seen as the middle “star” in Orion’s “sword” (hanging below the 3 prominent Belt stars).  M42 is actually a huge cluster of stars, many of which are still forming! Follow the line of Orion’s Belt upward to the red star Aldebaran in Taurus and beyond to the Pleiades.  Look below Orion’s Belt toward Sirius, the brightest star in our sky in the constellation of Canis Major. Directly below (south of) Sirius is the compact star cluster M41. To the left (East) of Orion is Gemini with bright stars Castor and Pollux and the planet Saturn.  In the upper foot of Gemini is the star cluster M35.

To the North, the Winter Milky Way extends into Auriga, Perseus and Cassiopeia. A pair of binoculars or small telescope reveals the compact star clusters M37 & M38 in Auriga, and the famous “Double Cluster” midway between Cassiopeia and Perseus).

Some Moon-Planet close approaches (“conjunctions”) are mentioned above.  But observers with binoculars or small telescopes may want to watch the Moon occult (eclipse) or approach very close to stars of 6th magnitude or brighter on the evenings of January 2nd, 18th, 19th, and 24th.

The Morning Sky
The Sun:  Above, we noted January’s sunsets occur later each evening.  But, does this mean sunrises occur earlier each day?  Not EXACTLY!

Earth’s slightly elliptical (non-circular) orbit around the Sun combines with Arizona’s location in the Northern Hemisphere to cause January sunrises all to happen at about the same time each day!  Sunrise on New Year’s Day occurs at 7:35 a.m.  However, the latest sunrise of the year is yet to come — at 7:37a.m. on January 7th and 8th.  Even by the 31st, sunrise happens only 11 minutes earlier,  at 7:28a.m.!
The Moon: The waning MOON is visible in the morning sky between January 16th and the 27th.  On the morning of January 23rd Jupiter will be near the Moon. On the 25th, the Moon will be very close to Antares in Scorpio the Zodiac scorpion.  The morning of the 27th, look closely for Venus a bit to the South (right) of the crescent Moon in the brightening dawn sky.

Morning Planets: MERCURY, JUPITER and VENUS.
Mercury: January is a bad month for observing Mercury. Mercury begins January only 11degrees West of the Sun and is already moving toward the Sun. With binoculars and a sharp eye, one might sight the planet rising in the Southeast after the sky begins to brighten. Mercury begins January in Sagittarius and follows the Sun Eastward into Capricornus on the 23rd.

Jupiter remains in LIBRA all month, and an easy observing target, as it rises about 3a.m. on the 1st and about 1:30a.m. on the 31st.  Telescopic observers will enjoy watching Jupiter’s magnificent cloud bands and four bright moons orbiting the planet. Between January 3rd and the 6th telescopic observers can observe Jupiter slowly pass the star “5 Libri”. Jupiter then passes Alpha Libri on January 10th – 12th.

Venus will begin to emerge from the Sun’s glare late in the month and it remains in the morning sky until late October 2006.  Look for the Moon near Venus in the dawn sky the morning of January 27th.

What Else to See?  Some Moon-Planet close approaches (“conjunctions”) are mentioned above.  But observers with binoculars or small telescopes may want to watch the Moon occult (eclipse) or approach very close to stars of 6th magnitude or brighter on the mornings of January 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 8th, 21st, 22nd, and 24th.

All observers can download a star chart, then plan to stay warm and comfortable while observing during January.  A pool lounge chair with an adjustable back would be ideal.  Face in a direction with no visible streetlights, etc.  for best results – and enjoy!

Free Public Star Parties held during January offer public viewing of many astronomical objects of interest, including Mars, the Moon and Saturn!
Visit the East Valley Astronomy Club on Friday, Dec. 9th for stargazing in Gilbert (see the EVAC website below).

Join the Phoenix Astronomical Society on Thursday evening, January 8th for an evening of stargazing at Paradise Valley Community College (see the PAS website below).

Good Luck Observing!