Solar System

Planets of the Month: JANUARY

By Erich Karkoschka

planet-of-the-month-venusVenus. After the start of morning twilight, Venus rises, but does not come up very high before dawn gets too bright. By the end of the month, Venus will appear dim. On the 11th, the think Moon illuminated only 3 percent, will be just 4 degrees from Venus.

planet-of-the-month-jupiterPlanet Parade Evening Sky (Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury, Moon). Jupiter and Saturn will still be closer than 2 degrees from each other until the 8th. The 7th or 8th is the last day Saturn is visible by naked eye. But don’t neglect these planets the following days! On the 9th, Mercury will be only 1.5 degrees from Saturn. To spot
Mercury, you might also need binoculars, but the close trio is easy to find because of bright Jupiter. The planet-of-the-month-saturn

following evening, Mercury will be closer to Jupiter than to Saturn and probably visible by naked eye. After the 10th, you will see Mercury and Jupiter separating very quickly. On the 13th, the Moon will be next to planet-of-the-month-mercuryJupiter and Mercury, but Saturn will be too low to add to the small configuration. Jupiter will eave the scene at the middle of the month, while Mercury will hold out until the end of the month.

 

planet-of-the-month-marsAfter these three planets have set, Mars remains up until after 1 am It moves from Pisces into Aries in an area without bright stars. With Mars transiting 70 degrees high around 7 pm, it is placed conveniently to be viewed in a telescope. It still shows features at 10 arc-seconds diameter, but not like in October when it was twice as large. On the 21st, Mars passes 1.7 degrees planet-of-the-month-uranusnorth of Uranus, a good opportunity to easily find Uranus in binoculars.

 

 

planet-of-the-month-neptune

Neptune is further west and lower. It is also fainter and more difficult to find.

 

 

Vesta, minor planet number 4, is magnitude 7 in Leo and getting ready for naked eye visibility in February and March.

planet-of-the-month-sunriseDuring January, sunset shifts by 26 minutes. It further shifts for the following five months, but the shift each month will be less than in January. On the other hand, sunrise on the 31st will be only 7 minutes earlier than on the 1st, far eclipsed by the 38 minute shift during March.