Wednesday, January 13
New Moon occurs at 12:00 A.M. EST. Our satellite less than a day old by sunset, but if you have a clear view of the southwestern horizon, it’s worth trying to see it. (Keep in mind, however, that this is a very difficult observation, and unlikely to bear fruit unless conditions are perfect.)
By sunset, our Moon is a less-than-1-percent-lit crescent. Search for it 20 to 25 minutes after sunset, when it will be just 1° above the horizon. Mercury, Jupiter, and Saturn are nearby — Mercury is just 6.5° northeast of our satellite, and the innermost planet is now located to the upper right of Jupiter, nearly 3.5° to Mercury’s lower right. Saturn is another 2.5° west of Jupiter, to the gas giant’s lower right. The three form a roughly straight line. Mercury will continue to pull away from the larger planets over the next several days, as the slowly waxing Moon does the same.
The Moon passes 3° south of Jupiter at 8 P.M. EST, when both have sunk well below the horizon.
Sunrise: 7:21 A.M.
Sunset: 4:57 P.M.
Moonrise: 7:59 A.M.
Moonset: 5:31 P.M.
Moon Phase: Waxing crescent (0.5%)
Thursday, January 14
The Moon passes 2° south of Mercury at 3 A.M. EST; both are below the horizon at that time. Pluto is in conjunction with the Sun at 9 A.M. EST.
Also at 9 A.M. EST, Uranus is stationary against the background stars. The penultimate planet in our solar system is located in Aries the Ram, visible after sunset. You can easily pick out its magnitude 5.8 glow with binoculars or a small scope. Its 4"-wide disk will likely appear as a “flat” gray star.
Just 3.3° west of the ice giant is a much brighter planet: Mars, also making its way through Aries, shines at magnitude 0.1. Now 9" across, Mars is moving away from Earth along its orbit outside our own. Over the course of January, it will remain in Aries but shrink another 1" and dim a few tenths of a magnitude. Nonetheless, it remains an excellent evening object this month, readily visible in small and large scopes alike.
If you return to this region of the sky night after night, you’ll see the Red Planet move noticeably northeast each night, passing 1.7° north of Uranus on the 21st. After tonight, Uranus will also begin inching northeast — but because it is much more distant, it appears to move much more slowly across the sky. The ice giant will remain within 4' of its current position all month, even as Mars flies quickly past.
Sunrise: 7:20 A.M.
Sunset: 4:59 P.M.
Moonrise: 8:44 A.M.
Moonset: 6:38 P.M.
Moon Phase: Waxing crescent (3%)
Friday, January 15
The strangely metallic
asteroid 16 Psyche is located near Aldebaran, the red giant eye of Taurus the Bull, all month. It’s already well above the horizon at sunset. As soon as darkness falls, pull out your telescope and look 1.5° north of the bright star to find Psyche. Depending on your location, a 4-inch scope may be enough to spot it in a dark sky. Those in the suburbs might want a 6-incher or larger.
To positively identify the asteroid, you’ll want to return to this region again and again, noting which point of light has moved. Psyche travels about 6' per day (24 hours), so coming back day after day will show the most motion. The asteroid is currently moving northwest against the background stars. Around the 23rd, it will reverse course, starting to make its way northeast instead.
If you’re observing without a telescope, there’s still plenty to enjoy in the sky tonight. Once you’ve located Aldebaran, just slide your gaze about 14° northwest to spot the sparkling Pleiades star cluster. How many of its brightest stars can you count by eye, and can you make out its tiny “little dipper” shape? (Despite its shape, the Pleiades are not the Little Dipper. You’ll find that in the north, stretching outward from our pole star, Polaris.)
Sunrise: 7:20 A.M.
Sunset: 5:00 P.M.
Moonrise: 9:21 A.M.
Moonset: 7:46 P.M.
Moon Phase: Waxing crescent (8%)