SkyEye

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

Brief Calendar of Events

2 Thu New Moon
4 Sat Quadrantids meteor shower
Earth at perihelion
Saturn passes in front of M1, the Crab Nebula
5 Sun Saturn passes in front of M1, the Crab Nebula
10 Fri First Quarter Moon
11 Sat Moon at apogee
Venus at greatest elongation west
Mercury at inferior conjunction
18 Sat Full Moon
23 Thu Moon at perigee
25 Sat Last Quarter Moon
30 Thu Uranus at conjunction

The Sun and Moon

There are no eclipses this month.

Because the orbit of the Earth around the Sun is elliptical instead of circular, the distance between our planet and our star varies during the year. Perihelion, when the Earth is closest to the Sun, always occurs in the first few days of January.

As seen from the Earth, the Sun is moving from the constellation Sagittarius to the constellation Capricornus.

The Moon occults the red planet Mars during daylight hours on 27 January.

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 sinking fast in the west after sunset and is soon gone from view with inferior conjunction occurring on 11 January. It reappears by the end of the month in the eastern sky just before sunrise and is best seen from the southern hemisphere. Mercury spends the month of January in the constellation Sagittarius.
Venus
The "morning star" is high in the east before sunrise and like its fellow inferior planet, is best viewed from the southern hemisphere. Greatest elongation west takes place on 11 January. Venus moves from the constellation Libra to Ophiuchus.
Mars
The red planet is another early morning object, rising just before the brighter Venus. Look for Mars as it journeys from the constellation Libra to Scorpius to Ophiuchus, and compare its colour to that of the nearby first-magnitude star Antares, the "rival of Mars."
Jupiter
Found in the constellation of Cancer, the largest planet in the solar system is up virtually all night as it approaches opposition early next month.
Saturn
The ringed planet is also up most of the night and can be found between the "horns" of the bull Taurus. It will provide a spectacular telescopic show on 4-5 January when it passes in front of the Crab Nebula.
Uranus
This distant gas giant is approaching conjunction early next month and so is very difficult to spot as it moves from the constellation Capricornus to Aquarius.
Neptune
Neptune reaches conjunction on 30 January and is hard to see in the constellation Capricornus.
Pluto
This smallest of the planets is in the constellation Ophiuchus and rises just before Saturn sets.

Minor Planets, Comets and Meteors

Minor Planets
A number of interesting minor planets populate the solar system.
Comets
There are no naked-eye comets visible this month.
Meteors
A nearly New Moon means dark skies for the Quadrantids meteor shower. The expected peak late 3 January/early 4 January favours observers in Europe and the near East.

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 your favourite amateur astronomy magazine 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. Used with permission.

Obliquity Valid HTML 4.01! Copyright © 1995-2003 by David Harper and L.M. Stockman
All Rights Reserved
Designed and maintained by Obliquity
Last modified on 31 December 2002
https://www.obliquity.com/skyeye/archive/2003/jan2003.html