The Night Sky in January 2006

Looking at the night sky with the naked eye or using a telescope is fascinating and each month these notes keep you up-to-date with unfolding events.

Maps of the current night sky can be seen by clicking HERE

Phases of the Moon

New Moon Sunday 29	First quarter Saturday 7	Full Moon Saturday 14	Last quarter Sunday 22

Click HERE to see the phase of the Moon on each day of the month.

 

Monthly Highlights

Firstly we would like to wish you a 'Happy New Year' from all at the NSO. Now that the shortest day is behind us we will start to see the days getting longer and longer. However, sunset remains in the late afternoon throughout January, so there is still ample opportunity to wrap up warm, get outside and look at the heavens. If we are lucky, we may spot some of the following monthly highlights:

January 8th - Mars conjunction with the Moon

Stellarium Image showing the Mars/Moon occultation at 7.25 pm on the 8th Jan 2006.

It you look high toward the southern horizon on the evening of the 8th January, you should be treated to the spectacle of the waxing (getting fuller) Moon passing very close to the planet Mars. Mars will be in conjunction with the Moon at 7.25 pm when they will be within a degree of each other - less than a fingers width at full stretch. If you look at and draw Mars and the Moon shortly after sunset (weather permitting) and then again a few hours later, you should see a noticeable movement.

In astronomy terms, the word conjunction means a joining up or combining. In effect, this means that the planets and/or moon line up with our line of sight. It is rare that one object will block out the light from another (i.e. Mars passing behind the Moon) but when it does the event is called an occultation.

Occultations of planets with 'fixed' stars are useful to astronomers because they allow us to measure how fast a planet is travelling or indeed to confirm how large the planet is.

January 27th - Saturn reaches opposition

The second largest planet in our solar system, Saturn, will reach opposition on the 27th January, providing those with access to binoculars or a telescope with the perfect opportunity of seeing the full majesty of this ringed planet. Opposition is the point in an outer planets orbit where it lies on the other side of the Earth to the Sun. By outer planet we mean one whose orbit is outside that of Earth's i.e. Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto.

Points of planetary opposition and conjunction.

The two rocky planets that orbit inside Earth's orbit, namely Mercury and Venus, can never reach opposition. Instead, when they line up with the Sun and Earth they pass through points we know as inferior and superior conjunction.

When at opposition, the face of a planet is fully lit up by the Sun. In addition, the planet will be at its closest to the Earth. These two factors combined mean that planets at opposition will appear bigger and brighter than at any other point during Earth's orbit. This is the reason why astronomers try to observe planets close to this time.

The Planets

Click HERE and start the Electric Orrery to see where all the planets are today in relation to each other.

Mercury Mercury will be hard to spot during January as it is currently moving around the back of the Sun and will pass superior conjunction (i.e. on the other side of the Sun to Earth) on the 26th January. As a result, it will be lost in the Sun's glare for most of the month. However, if you're determined to catch a glimpse you will need to look carefully in the east-southeast during morning twilight and you might see a starlike object appear less than 30 minutes before the Sun. You may need a pair of binoculars to see Mercury but be careful not to look at the Sun. Venus Venus will pass inferior conjunction (i.e. between us and the Sun) on the 14th January, so will prove a difficult object to see for most of the month. In early January you can see it toward the southwest for about 30 minutes after sunset, whilst in late January you will need to get up around 6.00 am, rub your eyes and look to the southeast. If you can brave the cold, you should be rewarded with a good hour of Venus watching before the Sun joins the party. Why not use the electric orrery to watch how Venus passes between us and the Sun during January. Mars Mars remains prominent throughout this month but continues to diminish in size and brightness as Earth moves away. It can be found high above the eastern horizon shortly after sunset and spends the whole night crossing the sky before finally setting in the west-northwest around 3.30 am. If you are still up, try looking south around 8 o'clock on the evening of the 8th January and you may be treated to the spectacle of Mars passing within a degree of the waxing (getting fuller) moon. Now is still a good time to look at Mars using the Liverpool telescope, as you should be able to make out some surface features. Jupiter Jupiter is now visible again after its travels around the far side of the Sun. It starts the month rising in the east-southeast around 3 am, reaching low above the southern horizon by sunrise, some 4 hours later. This will get earlier as the month moves on, such that by the end of January it will rise closer to 2 am. Jupiter regains its status as the second brightest planet (after Venus) and will remain a good target for much of 2006, although April, May and June will be the best months for observing with the Liverpool telescope. Saturn Saturn continues to become more prominent in the night sky, rising in the east-northeast around 6:30 pm and reaching high above the southern horizon around two in the morning. Over the month, this will move earlier into the evening as we slowly start to catch up Saturn because of our inside orbit. As mentioned above, it will reach opposition around the 27th January and this will be the best opportunity to observe this year using the Liverpool Telescope through Go Observing. Still passing slowly through the constellation of Cancer, Saturn will remain a reasonable target for the next few months and should provide a wonderful picture with its tilted ring systems.   Constellation of the month Each month, new constellations are highlighted for you to identify in the night sky. This month we are going to revisit one of the most prominent and easily found winter constellations, namely that of Orion, which from mythology is said to take the form of a hunter. At UK latitudes, Orion (shown below) can be found in the southern sky during early evening in winter and spring. January Night Sky Orion contains some amazing stars including Betelgeuse (top left 'shoulder'), a red star hundreds of times the size of our Sun, and Rigel (bottom right 'knee'), the seventh brightest star in the heavens. Orion's belt (the three stars in the middle) also contains a very famous and beautiful object known as the Great Nebula in Orion (or M42 to its friends). A nebula is a vast starlit cloud of dust and gases where new stars are being born. The Great Nebula in Orion (M42) Image of the Great Nebula in Orion (M42) where stars are being born.  © Stefan Seip Finally, try and spot the Seven Sisters star cluster (indicated on the above Skymap). On first glance it looks like a fuzzy patch just above and to the right of Orion. Using the naked eye we can see around 6 or 7 stars in this patch, however, a telescope will reveal that there are closer to 400 stars in this open cluster. In astronomical terms these stars are comparitively young at only 100 hundred million years old (the Sun is middle-aged at 4500 million years) and have only recently formed from a large cloud of dust and gas similar to M42 above. Mythology: Orion There are many fables about the origins of the constellation of Orion. In greek mythology Orion, the son of Poseidon and the gorgon Euryale, became a great hunter who fell desperately in love with Merope, whose father rejected him. Orion tried to abduct her but was blinded and put to sleep by the god Dionysus. His sight was only restored after having been told by an oracle that he must travel East and let the first sunrays fall on his eyes. Orion then settled on Crete where he fell in love with Aurora. For this he was killed by the the jealous Artemis, to whom he had dedicated himself, and was then turned into a star constellation. It is said that his shadow continues to hunt wild animals in Hades (Hell). During his lifetime Orion had also persecuted the Pleiades sisters, but they managed to turn into doves to escape him. When he still followed them, they turned into stars, making the constellation with the same name. Orion's punishment is that he will chase them through the night sky for all eternity but will never be able to catch them.