Astronomy: January Skies 2009

JANUARY SKIES 2009

January is the first full month of Winter. Since we are past the Winter Solstice (1^st day of winter), the Sun continues to move higher in the sky and days lengthen. All the prominent Winter stars and constellations are now easily visible at night, along with the Winter Milky Way.

An infrequently visible meteor shower, the “Quadrantid Meteor Shower” should be observable from Arizona during the pre-dawn hours of January 3^rd (see separate information below). This meteor shower has often generated over 40 meteors per hour during a narrow, several-hour wide time period. If skies are clear the MORNING of January 3^rd, it may prove worthwhile to brave the cold and observe the shower!

The Sun begins January in the Zodiac constellation of GEMINI the Twins. It remains there until January 20^th, when it enters CANCER the Crab, where it remains for the rest of the month.

The 1^st QUARTER MOON occurs the morning of January 4^th in PISCES. 

January’s FULL MOON occurs near moonrise (just after sunset) on the 10^th in GEMINI. 

The Moon reaches 3^rd QUARTER phase the morning of the 21^st in AQUARIUS.

January’s NEW MOON occurs on the morning of January 2^nd in GEMINI.

The Evening Sky
Early January sunsets occur about 5:30p.m, while sunset on the 31^st will be 25 minutes later. 

The Moon: The Moon is only seen in January near two naked-eye planets: High above VENUS on the 1^st night of the New Year. Near SATURN overnight the 14^th – 15^th. 

Moon & Prominent Stars: A very thin crescent Moon glides below Regulus in Leo on the 5^th. The Full Moon stands near Castor and Pollux in Gemini overnight the 10^th-11^th. Near-Last Quarter Moon near Spica in VIRGO the morning of the 17^th. Thin Crescent Moon near Antares in Scorpio just before dawn January 21^st.

Evening Planets:  MERCURY, VENUS, JUPITER and SATURN. 

MERCURY begins January low in the Southwestern sky at sunset. Look for this speedy planet during the first week of the month slightly above and to the left of Jupiter a few minutes after 6p.m.  During the first week of January, Jupiter moves about one degree (2 full moons) toward the Sun while Mercury remains in nearly the same position above the horizon. However, the Sun continues to set later each evening, so by the 10^th at 6p.m., Mercury will be very much harder to find in the sunset glare. Mercury then reverses direction, moving toward the Sun. By January 17^th, Mercury has caught up with Jupiter, and on the 20^th Mercury passes the Sun and moves into the morning sky.

VENUS, the brightest object in the evening sky after the Moon, begins January in Aquarius and moves into Pisces on the 24^th.  Venus stands high in the Southern sky after sunset and moves higher in the sky by the end of the month!  Just like our Moon, Venus shows phases and when viewed through a small telescope, Venus’ appearance changes from a bulging “gibbous” phase on January 1^st to a fat crescent on the 31^st.

JUPITER begins the month in Sagittarius and moves into Capricornus on January 3^rd.  Jupiter is quite bright and can be easily seen low near the southwest horizon just after sunset early in the month. However, it is approaching the Sun and will likely be very hard to spot in the sunset glare by the 7^th.  Jupiter passes by the Sun on the 23^rd and, like Mercury then moves into the morning sky.

SATURN remains in LEO and easily observed all month. It rises at 11p.m on the 1^st, but much earlier, at 8:55p.m., on the 31^st.  Seen through a small telescope, however, Saturn will not be easy to recognize: Its famous rings will be unusually difficult to see since Earth passes through the plane of the rings this year. (Saturn’s rings are very thin, so they are nearly invisible when seen edge-on.)  Watch the Moon pass by Saturn the nights of the 13^th, 14^th, and 15^th.

The Morning Sky
Sunrise occurs about 7:37a.m. the first half of the month. Sunrise creeps gradually earlier, until  the Sun rises at 7:29a.m. on the 31^st. 

Morning Planets:  MERCURY, MARS, JUPITER.

Mercury enters the morning sky on the 20^th, and quickly moves westward away from the Sun. It should be visible low in the dawn twilight by the 27^th. From the 28^th through month end, Mercury rises in a dark sky and appears in a small telescope as a waxing (growing) crescent.

Mars remains close to the Sun all month and should be invisible at least through the 25^th of the month. It will be very difficult to observe until at least late February.

Jupiter is too near the Sun to be visible in the morning sky until mid-February.

What Else to See?
January evenings remain chilly, as do the early morning hours before dawn.

Winter Milky Way:  During January choose an evening or morning when moonlight will not interfere 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 the Milky Way from a dark sky location, a pair of binoculars will reveal many star clusters spread irregularly along its path.

In the southern sky, Orion is high above the horizon when twilight ends. Its famous “Orion Nebula” (aka “M42″) is seen as the fuzzy middle “star” in Orion’s “sword” (hanging below the 3 prominent Belt stars).  M42 is actually a huge young 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 (“Seven Sisters” star cluster.  Following Orion’s Belt the other direction downward, we find Sirius, the brightest star in our sky, in the constellation Canis Major. One binocular field directly below (south of) Sirius is the compact star cluster M41. High and to the left (East) of Orion lies the constellation of Gemini with bright stars Castor and Pollux and the planet Saturn.  In the upper foot of Gemini, binoculars will show the star cluster M35.

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

Observers with binoculars or small telescopes may want to watch the Moon occult (eclipse) or approach very close to stars of 6^th magnitude or brighter on the mornings of January 10^th, 11^th, and 14^th. More information is available here.

2009 Quadrantid Meteor Shower
The International Meteor Organization predicts this shower will be visible from Arizona between midnight January 2^nd and dawn January 3^rd in the northeastern constellation of DRACO.  The predicted peak of this brief shower is near 5:50 a.m. MST the morning of the 3rd.  However, each year’s observing is a gamble: Some years, few meteors are seen, while in other years over 100 meteors per hour may be spotted. Typically, the shower occurs during daytime hours, moonlight interferes, or clouds prevent those of us in Arizona from seeing meteors.

Fortunately, in 2009 the shower peak occurs on a moonless morning! Weather permitting, we may see 40 to 100 meteors per hour.  If you spot a  Quadrantid meteor, you should be able to trace its path backward toward the northeastern region of the sky.  If not, it’s not a Quadrantid, but a random – or sporadic – meteor.

Star Parties – Two public local Star Parties are planned for January:

1. Phoenix Astronomical Society Quadrantid Meteor Shower Party
   January 3rd (MORNING):  Paradise Valley Park,  17642 N. 40^th St., Phoenix.   RSVP to 602-971-9129 by 2pm Jan. 2nd if you plan to attend.
2. January 9 (EVENING): East Valley Astronomy Club at Riparian Preserve Observatory, Gilbert AZ (adjacent to Gilbert AZ Public Library).

Note:  Weather permitting, of course. Star parties usually feature several different telescopes for public sky viewing. Be sure to check the organizations’ websites below for driving maps and up-to-date information.

Good Luck Observing!

Helpful Internet Astronomy Resources
Free January Star Map:  http://www.skymaps.com/
Sky and Telescope Magazine     http://www.skyandtelescope.com
Phoenix Astronomical Society   http://www.pasaz.org
East Valley Astronomy Club      http://www.eastvalleyastronomy.com

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