SkyEye

Welcome to SkyEye, your guide to this month's celestial events. All dates are based on Universal Time (UT).

The Sun and Moon

There is a total lunar eclipse on 21 January.

The Earth reaches perihelion on 3 January. As seen from the Earth, the Sun is moving from the constellation Sagittarius to the constellation Capricornus.

The phases of the Moon are

New : 6 January
First Quarter : 14 January
Full : 21 January
Last Quarter : 28 January

The Moon is at apogee on 4 January and at perigee on 19 January.

The Moon occults two planets and one first-magnitude star this month. Neptune slips behind the Moon's disk on 8 January and Uranus follows suit the following day. Both events are visible during daylight hours in Australia. Aldebaran is the Moon's next victim, disappearing briefly on 17 January, but you will have to be in the Arctic to see it.

The Planets

The word planet is derived from the Greek word for "wanderer." Unlike the background stars, planets seem to move around the sky, keeping mostly to a narrow track called the ecliptic, the path of the Sun across the stars.
Mercury
The closest planet to the Sun is at superior conjunction on 16 January. Mercury can be found in the constellations Sagittarius and Capricornus.
Venus
The "morning star" shines brightly in the east before sunrise. Venus is in the constellations Libra, Ophiuchus, and Sagittarius.
Mars
The red planet is an evening sky object this month. Look for it after sunset in the west in the constellation Aquarius.
Jupiter
That bright "star" in the constellation Pisces is no star but a planet. Jupiter reaches east quadrature on 17 January, making this month a good time to observe this giant planet and its largest satellites for interesting shadow effects.
Saturn
The ringed planet can be found in the constellation Aries during the evening hours. It resumes prograde motion on 13 January and like its giant neighbour, reaches east quadrature this month, this time on the last day of January. Look for interesting interplay of shadows cast by the planet, its rings, and its satellites.
Uranus
Uranus is occulted by the Moon on 9 January. However, this elusive planet is too close to the Sun to be seen in the constellation Capricornus.
Neptune
On 8 January Neptune is occulted by the Moon. Near the end of the month, on 24 January, this blue gas giant is in conjunction with the Sun. Like Uranus, Neptune is located in the constellation Capricornus.
Pluto
This smallest of the planets is in the constellation Ophiuchus, but is difficult to view this month because of its proximity to the Sun.

Minor Planets, Comets and Meteors

Minor Planets
On 27 January, 2 Pallas will be at opposition in the constellation Puppis. At seventh magnitude, binoculars or a small telescope will be necessary to see it.
Comets
There are no naked-eye comets visible this month.
Meteors
The nearly New Moon will offer no interference for the observing of the Quadrantids meteor shower which peaks on at 5 UT on 4 January.

The Celestial Sphere

Constellations are patterns of stars in the sky. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) recognises 88 different constellations. The brightest stars as seen from the Earth are easy to spot but do you know their proper names? With a set of binoculars you can look for fainter objects such as nebulae and galaxies or some of the closest stars to the Sun.

Descriptions of the sky for observers in both the northern and southern hemispheres are available for the following times this month. Subtract one hour from your local time if daylight savings time is in effect. (Note: These times are approximate.)

Northern Hemisphere : 45° N

Southern Hemisphere : 30° S

For More Information...

Credits

Much of this information can be found in this month's issue of Sky & Telescope and in other fine amateur astronomy magazines available in your local bookshop. Another excellent source is the current edition of the Astronomical Calendar by Guy Ottewell and published by the Universal Workshop at Furman University.

The image of the Sun in the SkyEye banner is courtesy of the SOHO/EIT consortium. SOHO is a project of international cooperation between ESA and NASA.

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Last modified on 31 December 1999
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