SkyEye

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

Brief Calendar of Events

DateEvent
1 Tue Jupiter at opposition
2 Wed Moon at perigee
Earth at perihelion
3 Thu Quadrantids meteor shower
6 Sun Last Quarter Moon
11 Fri Mercury at greatest elongation east (19°)
13 Sun New Moon
14 Mon Venus at superior conjunction
18 Fri Moon at apogee
21 Sat First Quarter Moon
24 Thu Moon occults Saturn
26 Sat Moon occults Jupiter
27 Sun Mercury at inferior conjunction
28 Mon Neptune at conjunction
Full Moon
30 Wed Moon at perigee

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 two largest planets in the solar system this month. From about 13 UT on 24 January, Saturn will slide behind the disk of the waxing gibbous Moon, reappearing several hours later for observers in southeast Asia and India. Two days later, from around 16 UT, the United Kingdom, Scandinavia, and the Arctic regions will witness Jupiter doing the same.

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
Northern hemisphere observers will have the best views of this elusive planet around mid-month as it reaches greatest elongation east on 11 January. It plummets rapidly towards the horizon and is lost in the Sun's glare well before its inferior conjunction with our star on 27 January. Look for Mercury low on the western horizon just after sunset in the constellations Sagittarius and Capricornus.
Venus
Venus is lost to view this month due to its proximity to the Sun. (The planet is at superior conjunction on 14 January.) It will reappear in the western sky just after sunset by the end of the month. Like its neighbour Mercury, Venus passes through the constellations Sagittarius and Capricornus this month.
Mars
The red planet sets before midnight and can be found in the constellations Aquarius and Pisces.
Jupiter
The largest planet in the solar system reaches opposition on the first day of the month so it shines very brightly all night in the constellation Gemini. The Moon occults this gas giant on 26 January.
Saturn
The ringed planet is occulted by the Moon on 24 January. It precedes Jupiter across the sky, hovering just north of the Hyades open star cluster in the constellation Taurus.
Uranus
This distant planet is getting increasingly difficult to observe as it moves closer to the Sun. Look for it in the western sky after sunset in the constellation Capricornus.
Neptune
Neptune is lost to view this month as it reaches conjunction with the Sun on 28 January.
Pluto
This smallest of the planets is in the constellation Ophiuchus which rises in the early morning hours.

Minor Planets, Comets and Meteors

Minor Planets
A number of interesting minor planets populate the solar system.
Comets
Two potentially naked-eye comets reach perihelion this month. Comet 96P Machholz 1 has its closest approach to the Sun on 8 January. It is moving south to north in the sky through the constellation Sagittarius before turning west in Aquila. This comet was discovered in 1986 by California amateur astronomer Don Machholz.

Comet C/2000 WM1 LINEAR is yet another comet discovered by the Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Program. It reaches perihelion on 22 January and can viewed from the southern hemisphere in the constellations Indus and Telescopium.

Meteors
The waning gibbous Moon will interfere with the Quadrantids meteor shower.

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.

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Last modified on 31 December 2001
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