Mount Washington Valley Astronomy Sky Calendar – January 2012

January 2, 2012

Sky Watch for January 2012

Mercury– will be at it at its bestearly in the month low in the predawn southeast sky. On the 1st it will shine at magnitude -0.4 and rise about 90 minutes before the Sun does.

For the latest images and other details, see: http://messenger.jhuapl.edu/

Venus– will be in the southwestern sky just after sunset all month. It will be blazing at magnitude -4.0 and hard to miss. It will be climbing higher in the sky all month. Very early in the month it will set more than three hours after sunset. During the month Venus will shrink in phase slightly but grow in diameter slightly. Venus is so bright that it will probably better to target it through your telescope during the twilight, before it gets completely dark.On the evening of the 12th the much dimmer Neptune will be 1.2º to the north of Venus. This will be a good time to spot the often hard to find Neptune.

Mars– will continue to get higher in the sky while getting larger and brighter. It will brighten from magnitude 0.2 to magnitude -0.5 this month. The best time to observe it is a few hours after midnight when it will be high in the sky. Mars’ reddish color will set it apart from any stars in the area. Mars will be growing in size and brightness for the next few months. This month Mars will grow large enough so that surface details will start to be observed in calm skies.

For the lastest information on NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander visit: http://phoenix.lpl.arizona.edu/

Jupiter– will be a great target this month. It will be sitting high in the sky as it gets dark. At magnitude -2.5 it’s at it’s biggest and brightest of the year. Jupiter will be easy to find. Just look generally due south as soon as it as it gets dark. Jupiter will be the brightest object in that area of the sky. Jupiter will be large enough to show detail through even a small telescope. With its banded surface and four easily visible moons, Jupiter is usually a great telescope target.
(see October & November Offer Great Views Of Jupiter for more details).For detailed postions of Jupiter’s Moons click here.

Saturn– is about halfway up in the southeast sky just before it starts to get light. This means the best time to observe it is an hour or so before it gets light. It will climb higher as the month goes on. It will be shinning brightly at magnitude 0.7 and will sit around 7º from the star Spica. Saturn’s famous rings will be tilted open around 15º. This is as wide as they have been for years.

For the latest images from Cassini, see:http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfmFor detailed postions of Saturn’s Moons click here.

Uranus– will be good for observing in the early evening this month. It will be easy to spot through binoculars and from a dark site it will possible to spot it with just your eyes. The best time to observe it will be just as it gets dark when it will be high in the sky in the southwest. This would be when you are looking through less of he Earth’s atmosphere. Uranus sits south of Pegasus in southern Pisces very close to the ecliptic and the celestial equator.Using the constellation Pegasus can help to spot Uranus. Locate the big square shape in Pegasus then find the two eastern stars that define the square (Algenib and Alpheratz). An imaginary line going south through these stars, at about the same distance apart as these two stars, and slightly to the southwest, you should see Uranus. Binoculars will help a lot. Uranus will be magnitude 5.9 this month.

A finder chart for Uranus can be found Here.At least four of Uranus’ moons can be seen with larger amateur scopes.

A chart detailing the moons can be found Here.

Neptune– will be fading fast in southern Aquarius in the southwest sky at sunset. It will fade in to the sunset glare completely by the end of the month. The best time to observe it would be just as it is getting dark. A good time to look for it will be on the 12th. That evening Neptune will be very close to the very bright Venus. Find the impossible to miss Venus in binoculars or a small telescope. Neptune will be around 1.2º to the north. Neptune will shine at magnitude 8.0.

A finder chart for Neptune can be found Here.

Pluto– will be too close to the Sun to be seen this month.A finder chart for Pluto can be found at: Here.

Eris (pronounced “EE-ris”)– formerly known as Xena, 2003 UB313, and “the tenth planet” – is magnitude 19 in central Cetus, high in the south during evening.

For detailed information please visit Astronomical Delights

Meteor Showers for January 2012

January 3-4 – QUADRANTID METEORS- The moon will be a very strong waxing gibbous phase and dominate the skies for most of this evening for this year’s showing of this meteor shower. Always a chance for quite a show…the best that January has to offer each year, and in 2012 the moon will not in any way hamper observation of these meteors. With an incredible short and fast maximum peak of 40 or more meteors possible, it will come and go in a flash (about the time that the sky reaches peak darkness after sunset on the 3rd. In some years under dark skies, observers have seen up to 600 members of this stream per hour, all traveling at a medium speed of about 41 kps. Most are very faint, remember, and distinctly blue in color, so fast film is desired if photographing these meteors. The meteor shower emanates from near and north of the bright star Arcturus in the constellation of Bootes, rising in the northeast about midnight.

January 15-16 – DELTA CANCRID METEORS- Sounding more like a disease than a meteor shower, the Delta Cancrids rise in the east about the same time the sun sets in the west…thus it is nearly directly overhead at midnight each year, in the constellation of Cancer. The shower radiant is actually just slightly west of the bright and well-known naked eye star cluster, Prasepe or the “beehive.” Only about four meteors per hour can be seen from this shower under good conditions, and this year’s nearly third quarter moon will dominate early morning skies, hampering viewing of this shower after it rises about midnight ; I suggest setting up around 9 p.m. local time on Jan 15 for best views. Cold, but fun!

January 18 – COMA BERENICID METEORS – Also coming from very close to a naked eye cluster, the Coma cluster, this meteor shower rises about 10 p.m. and is directly overhead at pre-dawn. These are among the fastest meteors known….65 kps (compare to the Quadrantids, above)…BUT expect only a couple of these swift interlopers per hour. The moon is last quarter the night of this meteor shower in 2012 and will with light on the peak of this shower if you observe after 1 a.m. local time, so this is a poor year for observing this shower; perhaps some splendid streaking meteors might be visible for those who brave the typically cold nights of January.

Comets for January 2012

Comet c2009 P1 (Garrard)- this has been the brightest of the comets throughout the late months of 2011 and is still a dominant comet which is “almost circumpolar.” In the constellation of Hercules, the comet will set in northern latitudes right after dark in the NW skies, but will rise again around 3 a.m. local time in the NE the following morning! The comet is almost naked eye, at about magnitude 7, which can be detected in binoculars and certainly in a low power wide field small telescope; CCD imaging of this comet shows a beautiful green and large diffuse coma with a slight north-western facing tail.

Comet c/2010 X1 (Elenin)- Just an update on this one…..expected to be the brightest comet of 2011, this one apparently disintegrated from a solar outburst in September of 2011 and left only a ghostly cloud of a reminder of itself. It is overhead about 8 p.m. local time in the constellation of ARIES, but not visible visually and only a hint of a large diffuse cloud remains for deep imaging.

Comet p2006 T1 (Levy) – keep looking for this comet, which is SUPPOSED to be magnitude 7.1 this month; high in the sky at dark in the constellation of PISCES, this comet has not been recovered even though predicted at nearly naked eye brightness this month…..so keep searching for this one!

about the author:
Michael Muracco is a Freelance Web Designer and PHP Programmer. He is the owner of Muracco Enterprises and founder of Mount Washington Valley Astronomy. His personal blog, Mike's Place, is a soundboard for environmental and political issues. He is also an avid amateur astronomer.