January 2013 Celestial Highlights

January 2: Earth reaches perihelion, its annual closest distance to the sun: 91.4 million miles.

January 3: 3 a.m. Quadrantid meteor shower. Over 60 meteors per hour emanating from the northeast — but the bright waning gibbous moon washes out the sky drastically reducing the number of meteors seen.

January 7: 5 a.m., Waning crescent Moon below Saturn.

January 10: 6:30 a.m., crescent Moon near Venus

January 21, the bright waxing gibbous Moon directly below Jupiter

January 26, full Moon (11:39 p.m.)

Such is our view from Earth...

The Moon's apparent celestial companion

Tonight, as darkness settles, the bright near full Moon has a companion nearly bumping into it. The Moon happens to be in direct alignment with the largest planet of the solar system, Jupiter. While Jupiter is 40 times wider than the Moon, it is over 1500 times farther away, making it appear as a bright pinpoint next to the glaring Moon.

Such is our view from Earth...

The Full Moon slides under Jupiter

Early this morning, the full Moon sat below bright Jupiter, nearly wiping out the planet in its glare. The image shows a greatly overexposed Moon and nearby Jupiter. (Light saturation and consequent spillage causes the Moon to appear much larger than it actually was.) Three of Jupiter's four Galilean moons can be glimpsed, two on the left of the planet and the third on the right. The order from left to right is Europa, Io, Jupiter, and Callisto. The fourth moon, Ganymede, is lost in the planet's glare and lies to Jupiter's immediate right.

Tonight, the Moon will be to the left of Jupiter.

Such is our view from Earth...

December 2012 Celestial Highlights

December 2012 Celestial Highlights

11/29: Full Moon is just below  Jupiter

12/2, Jupiter is at opposition and shines all night. 

12/4: Mercury reaches its farthest point from the sun in the morning sky. If the skies are clear near the southeastern horizon, the little planet can be glimpsed as a "star." Binoculars will help find it in the bright dawn sky.

12/7: Earliest sunset

12/8, The brightest asteroid,Vesta, is at opposition. Binoculars and a finder chart are needed to find this dim object.

12/9: Moon lies just below the bright star Spica in the constellation Virgo. This is visible in the morning sky.

12/10: Moon is next to Saturn in the morning sky.

12/12: Crescent Moon is next to Mercury very low in the sky at 6:50 a.m. Binoculars may be needed to spot Mercury. 

12/13: Geminid Meteor Shower beginning about 8 p.m. and continuing through dawn on the 14th. No moonlight interferes this year, so, over 60 meteors per hour might be glimpsed from a dark location.

12/15: Crescent Moon glows just above Mars at 6:00 p.m. in the southwest. Because of the Red Planet's dimness in the bright evening twilight, binoculars may be needed to see it.

12/21: 6:12 a.m. EST, Winter solstice. The sun reaches it lowest point along its daily arc across the sky and winter officially begins. The length of time of daylight increases, very slowly at first then faster in February. 

12/26: Moon sits just below Jupiter

12/28: Full moon

Such is our view from Earth...

Venus sinks, Saturn rises

Earlier this week, brilliant Venus passed Saturn in our early morning sky. Now, the Earth-sized planet drops closer to the horizon as the Ringed Planet pulls away higher in the sky. As the mornings pass, Venus approaches closer to the not-yet-risen sun, eventually coming between it and us next year.

Look for Venus and Saturn in the southeast at 6 a.m. all this week.

Such is our view from Earth...

November 2012 Celestial Highlights

Nov. 1: Moon next to Jupiter (occultation in South Africa)

Nov. 4: End of daylight saving time

Nov. 11: Moon close to Venus, in morning sky

Nov. 13: Total eclipse of sun, not visible in Virginia

Nov. 16: Moon close to Mars, low in the southwest 60 minutes after sunset.

Nov. 17: Leonids, no moon visible, after 1 am, maybe 20 per hour. (The numbers seem to be declining over the past few years.)

Nov. 24 — Nov. 29: Brilliant Venus passes Saturn in the morning sky. Venus appears to merge with Saturn on November 26. Best seen at 6 a.m.

October 2012 Celestial Highlights

Celestial Highlights for October:

October 3: 5:30 a.m. in the east, brilliant Venus lies next to the bright star Regulus in Leo.

October 5: after 11 p.m., Moon next to bright Jupiter

October 12: 5:30 a.m. in the east, Crescent Moon near Venus giving a pretty sight.

October 18: 7:30 p.m. in the west, Crescent Moon near Mars and the bright star Antares in Scorpius.

October 21: after 11 p.m. in the east, Orionid Meteor Shower. Up to 25 meteors per hour. No moon interferes this year.

This is the best time of year for stargazing, weatherwise. The softly glowing band of the Milky Way arcs overhead as darkness falls. 

Such is our view from Earth...