January Skies 2007

January is the first full month of Winter, which began in the fourth week of December.

By day, January’s SUN moves higher in the sky as Spring slowly approaches.

By night, prominent Winter stars and constellations are all positioned for excellent viewing.

January also brings favorable positioning of the Winter Milky Way and a chance to observe the Quadrantid meteor shower.

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

The Moon:
January’s FULL MOON occurs the morning of the 3rd in GEMINI. A very full and round Moon rises shortly after sunset and rides high in the night sky the evening of the 3rd.
Our 3rd QUARTER Moon occurs the morning of January 11th in VIRGO.
NEW MOON occurs on the afternoon of the 18th in Sagittarius.
The 1st QUARTER MOON occurs the afternoon of January 25th in ARIES.

In January the Moon will lie near four naked-eye Planets:

SATURN: The Moon is near Saturn in LEO the nights of the 5th –6th and 6th – 7th. The Moon eclipses Saturn for Eastern Hemisphere observers January 6th (daytime in AZ).
JUPITER is near the crescent Moon the morning of the 15th.
MARS is near a very thin Moon in OPHIUCHUS the morning of the 16th.
VENUS: In Capricornus below the Moon in a dusk sky the evening of the 20th.

January’s Moon can be seen near these Bright Stars:
Nearly Full Moon near Pollux & Castor in Gemini overnight the 3rd – 4th AND 30th – 31st.
Waning gibbous Moon is near Regulus in Leo overnight the 6th – 7th.
Waning crescent Moon by Spica in Virgo the mornings of the 11th and the 12th.
Waning thin crescent Moon very near Antares in Scorpio the morning of the 15th.
Waxing gibbous Moon approaches the Pleiades in TAURUS the morning of the 27th.

The Evening Sky
Sun: Sunset on January 1st occurs at 5:26p.m.  Each following evening’s sunset occurs later as our Winter days continue to lengthen.  On January 31st, sunset will be 5:53p.m.

Moon: The waxing MOON is seen in the evening sky of January 1st and 2nd prior to Full Moon on the 3rd. The Moon rises later after sunset for a few more days.  We again see the Moon in the evening sky as a thin crescent the evenings of the 20th through the 31st.

Evening Planets: MERCURY, VENUS, and SATURN.
Mercury moves past the Sun and into the evening sky on January 6th but remains very close to the Sun and difficult to observe until about the 23rd.  Mercury is best viewed with binoculars near the Western horizon in Capricornus between the 23rd and the 31st., when it sets 1 ¼ hours after the Sun. Mercury continues to be observable through the 1st week of February.

Venus, begins January lying quite low in the Southwest after sunset and setting before the sky is dark.  Nevertheless, Venus appears as a brilliant white Evening Star! Each evening, Venus moves slightly higher in the sky and becomes easier to spot. By month end the planet does set in a dark sky more than 1 ¾ hours after the Sun.
Venus begins January in Ophiuchus, moves rapidly into Sagittarius on the 3rd, and on into CAPRICORNUS on the 25th.  All month, a telescopic view of Venus reveals a small, nearly round (“full” phase) disk. Look for the Moon near Venus after sunset on the 20th.

Saturn is very accessible to observers in January.  Yellow Saturn resides in LEO the Zodiac lion, rising at about 8:50p.m. on the 1st and about 2 hours earlier on the 31st. Saturn is not only visible in the evening, but also is still seen above the western horizon all month at dawn. Telescopic observers should easily notice Saturn’s prominent ring system and some of its brighter moons.

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.  From a dark sky location, binoculars will reveal many star clusters spread irregularly along the Milky Way.

It is easiest to begin with Orion easily recognizable in the Southeastern sky and rising just before sunset. The famous “Orion Nebula” (aka “M42”) is visible to the unaided eye as the middle star in Orion’s “sword” (hanging below the 3 prominent stars in his Belt).  M42 is also notable as the nearest large (over 1,000 stars) cluster of stars near the Sun. Since it consists of very young stars, many of which are still contracting and heating up, M42 is also called a “Star Formation Region”.

Now, follow the line of Orion’s Belt upwards and to the right to the red star Aldebaran in Taurus and beyond Aldebaran to the Pleiades star cluster (a very small but bright cluster of 40-50 stars). Then, look down below and to the left of Orion’s Belt to Sirius in Canis Major. Sirius is the brightest star in our sky. Immediately below (south) of Sirius is a compact telescopic star cluster named M41. High and to the left (North) of Orion is Gemini with bright stars Castor and Pollux.  In Gemini’s upper foot is the binocular star cluster M35.

Farther 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, 28thand 30th. That list is available here.

The Morning Sky
The Sun:  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 both January 7th and 8th.  By the 31st, sunrise still happens only a few minutes earlier, at 7:28a.m.

The Moon: The waning MOON is visible mornings between January 4th and the 16th.  On January 15th, a very thin crescent Moon lies close to the red star Antares in Scorpio the Zodiac scorpion and several degrees farther south of Jupiter.  The following morning the Moon is close to Mars.

Morning Planets: MARS and JUPITER.
Mars begins 2007 in Ophiuchus, and on the 13th moves eastward into Sagittarius. The red planet is visible most of the night, setting about 3a.m. on the 1st and about an hour earlier on the 31st.  Earth slowly catches up to Mars so the red planet gradually increases in apparent size and brightness. Earth and Mars will be closest (and Mars brightest) next December. Small telescopes will show Mars as a small nearly 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  45 Arietis, and on the 28th, Delta Arietis.

Jupiter remains in LIBRA all month and an easy observing target. 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 its four bright moons orbiting the planet.
Between January 5th and the 9th observers with binoculars or telescopes can observe Jupiter slowly pass the star “Omega Ophiuchi”.

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 January 2nd & the 11th (list here).

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!

Quadrantid Meteor Shower
Each January the Earth crosses the orbit of an former comet, debris from which burns up in the Earth’s upper atmosphere.  Result? The annual Quadrantid meteor shower. These meteors are unique since they all appear to come from a small region (the “radiant”) located in the Northern sky near the boundary between the constellations Draco and Bootes. This annual meteor shower is always brief, and best Arizona results are predicted between midnight the evening of January 3rd and dawn the morning of January 4th.  Up to 100 meteors per hour could enter the Earth’s atmosphere, but we are not very likely to spot many (or any) this year.  In 2007:  1) The radiant point, is low near the northern horizon, remaining less than 10-degrees above the horizon until after midnight;  2) The Full Moon will be high overhead all night, making the sky very bright; and, 3) Early January weather in Arizona is always cold and often cloudy.  These factors make it very unlikely an Arizona observer will see many (or even any) of 2007’s Quadrantid meteors.
Note: An Internet search for “Quadrantid meteors 2007″ should return hundreds of articles on this subject.

Good Luck Observing!