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Friday, January 17
While Jupiter and Mars have been prevalent in the eastern sky, there’s more to observe than merely planets. Already positioned 50° high an hour post-sunset, the luminous star Capella, with a magnitude of 0.1, is situated above Mars and to Jupiter’s upper left. This star is the alpha of the constellation Auriga, which rises above Gemini early this evening.
Auriga hosts various deep-sky marvels, inclusive of three Messier objects: M36, M37, and M38. All these open star clusters are aligned in a rough southeast to northwest direction, with M37 at the southeastern point and M38 at the northwestern point, while M36 is positioned around the midpoint.
We will begin with M37, a magnitude 6.2 cluster that spans about 24’, or half the diameter of the Full Moon. It’s the most luminous of the trio and contains the most stars, totaling around 500, with over 100 suns brighter than mid-12th magnitude. You’ll find it located just under 7° northeast of the 1.7 magnitude Elnath (Gamma [γ] Aurigae).
From M37, navigate northwest for 3.7° to arrive at M36, which has a slightly dimmer magnitude of 6.3 and is roughly half M37’s size, spanning merely 12’. This cluster harbors about 60 stars, with several bright, noticeable points of light amidst its fainter stars.
Lastly, proceed 2.3° north-northwest of M36 to spot M38, which is approximately a full magnitude fainter (magnitude 7.4) and nearly the size of M37, stretching over 21’ of the sky. Some observers believe the brightest stars in this cluster resemble a distorted cross or even the Greek letter pi (π). The brightest star reaches 8th magnitude, and this final cluster appears broader and more dispersed than the earlier two.
You can appreciate all three of these targets using binoculars or any telescope, especially during the early evening before the Moon rises and the sky darkens.
Sunrise: 7:19 A.M.
Sunset: 5:02 P.M.
Moonrise: 9:06 P.M.
Moonset: 9:35 A.M.
Moon Phase: Waning gibbous (85%)
*Times for sunrise, sunset, moonrise, and moonset are noted in local time from 40° N 90° W. The Moon’s illumination is listed at 12 P.M. local time from the same location.
Saturday, January 18
This evening, let’s explore a small, lesser-known constellation lingering in the northwestern sky post-sunset: Lacerta the Lizard.
Around 7 P.M. local time, you’ll find this constellation approximately 40° high, positioned above the descending figure of Cygnus and below the extensive presence of Andromeda. It lies next to Pegasus on its left and Cepheus on its right during this time of night.
Lacerta is regarded as a relatively “young” constellation, first appearing on star maps in 1690. Its most luminous star, Alpha (α) Lacertae, has a modest magnitude of 3.8. You can locate it 8.5° south-southeast of Zeta (ζ) Cephei, the southeastern star at the base of the house-like constellation Cepheus.
The prominent feature of the Lizard is the open cluster NGC 7243, situated roughly 2.6° west of Alpha Lac. With a magnitude of 6.4, it is best observed using binoculars or a small scope; it spans about 20’.
Sunrise: 7:19 A.M.
Sunset: 5:03 P.M.
Moonrise: 10:07 P.M.
Moonset: 9:55 A.M.
Moon Phase: Waning gibbous (78%)
Sunday, January 19
Venus crosses 3° north of Saturn at midnight EST. The duo shines together in the early evening sky, still 30° high in the southwest an hour post-sunset and remaining visible for several hours, ultimately setting around 11 P.M. local time.
Venus is considerably brighter with a magnitude of –4.6, positioned just to the upper right of 1st-magnitude Saturn. Both are found in Aquarius, close to the boundary of that constellation with Pisces and situated below the Circlet asterism.
Be sure to utilize your telescope to observe the two, although you’ll need to examine them one at a time. (To view both simultaneously, glance through your telescope’s finder scope or employ a pair of binoculars.) Venus’ disk is larger — 27” — and it showcases a crescent phase that is nearly half illuminated at 45%. Saturn’s disk, in contrast, appears only 16” wide due to its increased distance from Earth, although its rings extend nearly 37” across, making its total size larger than that of Venus. Those rings are inclined about 3.4° toward us, with the northern side illuminated.
Saturn’s most significant and luminous moon, 8th-magnitude Titan, is positioned slightly more than 2.5’ east of the planet tonight. However, there is a rarer sight to behold: Saturn’s moon Iapetus, now approximately 11th magnitude and situated about 1’ southwest of the planet. Tomorrow, Iapetus will be less than an arcminute due south of the ringed planet, so be sure to return for a look then.
Sunrise: 7:18 A.M.
Sunset: 5:04 P.M.
Moonrise: 11:07 P.M.
Moonset: 10:14 A.M.
Moon Phase: Waning gibbous (69%)
Monday, January 20
The Moon reaches apogee, the furthest point from Earth in its orbit, at 11:54 P.M. EST. At this moment, our satellite will be 251,219 miles (404,298 kilometers) away from our planet.
This evening, ensure to return to Saturn in the southwest post-sunset with a telescope to observe its bi-colored moon Iapetus situated 47” directly south of the ringed planet. This moon takes about 79 days to orbit Saturn; it is
brightest at western elongation and weakest at eastern elongation, as tidal synchronization with Saturn leads it to spin in unison with its orbital journey, and its luminous or subdued side turns toward us, respectively. When it is midway through its orbit and looks south or north of Saturn, it glows around magnitude 11, then intensifies to magnitude 10 at western elongation and diminishes to magnitude 12 at eastern elongation. The finest moments to observe this moon are when it is positioned closely to the planet, as it is tonight.
The Moon travels 0.1° south of the brilliant star Spica (Alpha Virginis) at midnight EST. People in certain regions of Africa will witness the Moon eclipse this bright star, while the rest of us will simply observe our satellite glide near its illumination. Nonetheless, since the duo is visible in the pre-dawn sky, we will include them in tomorrow’s installment — so continue reading for additional information.
Sunrise: 7:18 A.M.
Sunset: 5:05 P.M.
Moonrise: —
Moonset: 10:33 A.M.
Moon Phase: Waning gibbous (60%)
Tuesday, January 21
Pluto aligns with the Sun at 7 A.M. EST, making it undetectable in the night sky.
The Moon and Spica ascend early this morning (shortly after midnight on the 20th, rendering them visible in the several hours leading up to today’s sunrise) positioned close together in central Virgo. Spica, the alpha star of the Maiden, is a blue-white B-type star shining at magnitude 1. Early this morning, the growing Moon appears to suspend directly beneath the star, gradually shifting to its lower left as the hours pass and dawn draws near.
The Moon’s surface should seem nearly half illuminated this morning: the Last Quarter Moon happens at 3:31 P.M. EST.
If you prefer observing in the evening, there’s another close encounter awaiting you in the nighttime sky: Mars passes 2° south of Pollux in Gemini at noon EST, appearing to the lower right of the star in the post-sunset sky. This region is visible nearly all night long, as Mars reached opposition less than a week prior. At magnitude –1.3, the Red Planet is significantly brighter than the 1st-magnitude star.
Pollux is one of two luminous stars in Gemini; hovering above it as the constellation rises is Castor, slightly dimmer (at magnitude 1.6) than Pollux’s magnitude of 1.2. However, Castor is a considerably hotter star — see if you can discern its color, which should manifest as blue-white, especially when compared with Pollux’s yellower shade. And, naturally, Mars should look distinctly red, attributed to the high amounts of iron oxide in its surface.
Sunrise: 7:17 A.M.
Sunset: 5:07 P.M.
Moonrise: 12:06 A.M.
Moonset: 10:54 A.M.
Moon Phase: Waning gibbous (51%)
Wednesday, January 22
With no Moon present in the evening sky, it’s time for us to seek fainter targets. We’ll commence with asteroid 15 Eunomia, currently lingering just within Taurus’ boundary near where this constellation meets that of Auriga.
Visible for most of the night, Eunomia is positioned 65° high two hours post-sunset, ready for observation. Two bright points of light will assist in navigation, as Eunomia currently forms the apex of a flattened triangle, with the magnitude 1.7 star Elnath 6.5° to its east-southeast and magnitude –2.6 Jupiter 8° to its southwest.
Ninth-magnitude Eunomia is best observed with a telescope, though it should be one of the brighter objects in your field of vision as it traverses a part of the sky concealed by bands of light-blocking dust. Just under 4° north of Eunomia lies Barnard 29, one of numerous dark nebulae cataloged by E.E. Barnard.
Sunrise: 7:16 A.M.
Sunset: 5:08 P.M.
Moonrise: 1:08 A.M.
Moonset: 11:18 A.M.
Moon Phase: Waning crescent (42%)
Thursday, January 23
Once more, our concentration remains on dimmer targets as the Moon stays out of the evening sky. The distant planet Neptune resides in Pisces the Fish, moving slowly against the background stars there.
To enhance your chances of spotting it, wait for the sky to become fully dark after sunset. Locate the Circlet of Pisces, an oval-shaped asterism of seven stars about 30° high in the west 90 minutes after the Sun fades. The southeasternmost star in the Circlet is magnitude 4.5 Lambda (λ) Piscium. You can find magnitude 7.8 Neptune using binoculars or any small telescope approximately 4.7° southeast of this star. The ice giant’s small, 2”-wide disk may display a bluish tint and appear somewhat like a round, “flat” star.
You might also observe that Venus is not far off — the planet just entered Pisces today and will approach Neptune’s location, concluding the month with about 3.5° separating the two.
Sunrise: 7:16 A.M.
Sunset: 5:09 P.M.
Moonrise: 2:11 A.M.
Moonset: 11:47 A.M.
Moon Phase: Waning crescent (33%)
Friday, January 24
The stick-figure-dog-shaped constellation Canis Major the Big Dog is simple to recognize, standing on the tip of its tail in the southeast a few hours after sunset, directly beneath Orion the Hunter. Canis Major contains the brightest star in the sky, magnitude –1.4 Sirius, marking the dog’s nose.
Yet Orion has two hunting dogs, and Canis Major is merely one of them. Nearly 26° to the northeast of Sirius is another bright star: magnitude 0.4 Procyon, the most luminous star (and also a nose) of Canis Minor the Little Dog. This star is among the nearest to our Sun, ranking 14th in distance. Like Sirius, it is a multiple-star system, containing a companion white dwarf less than 5” from the primary.
Procyon is one of only two stars in Canis Minor; the Little Dog’s beta star is Gomeisa, which shines at magnitude 2.9 some 4.3° to Procyon’s northwest.
Today, the Moon passes another illustrious, well-known star, gliding 0.3° south of Antares at 7 P.M. EST. Once again, however, the duo is better viewed in the early morning sky, so keep an eye out for next week’s column for observing suggestions to catch them early on the 25th.
Sunrise: 7:15 A.M.
Sunset: 5:10 P.M.
Moonrise: 3:15 A.M.
Moonset: 12:22 P.M.
Moon Phase: Waning crescent (24%)
Sky This Week is presented in part by Celestron.
This page was created programmatically; to read the article in its original location, you can visit the link below:
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