Tomorrow morning the waning crescent Moon has passed both Venus and Saturn and now appears closer to the horizon in the pre-dawn sky. This might be your last chance to see it before it turns to New Moon and then re-appears in the evening twilight around the 11th next week. In addition, pay special attention to the two planets. Note the distance between them and then look again the next day on Friday to see how things have changed. The pair will be at their closest on Saturday the 9th.
Canis Major, the Larger Dog, is well placed in the evening sky. At night, Orion’s other canine companion, Canis Minor, the Smaller Dog, also rises. Traditionally, these dogs represent the faithful hounds that follow their master on his winter hunts. You can find the tiny constellation by drawing a curved line through Bellatrix and Betelgeuse, the stars that mark the shoulders of Orion. This will lead you to Procyon, the eighth brightest star in the sky and one of only two main stars in the constellation.
The small planet Mercury is visible in the evening in the constellation Capricornus and best seen from 4.40 pm onwards low on the horizon and before Sun set. The bright Venus is in the constellation Virgo and best seen from 2.10 am onwards. So is the red planet Mars which will be visible from 2.10 am. The giant planet Jupiter is best seen from 22.20 pm until Sun rise. Worth a watch as the giant planet will be very bright! The planet with the rings, Saturn is best seen from 5.40 am on and is in the constellation Ophiuchus.
As we are around New Moon, the sky will not be lit up and is rather dark. Why not try to spot the comet called Catalina. The comet will be in the constellation Bootes and in the mornings.
Wednesday 6 January
An Iridium flare appears at 5.14 pm in the South South West at an altitude of 22° in the constellation Aquarius. Iridium flares are satellites in orbit around the Earth which can be observed with the naked eye. They pass in the sky and lights up by a sudden as a flare.
Get your telescope out or try to see with a binocular. At 11.04 pm the Jupiter Moon Io begins its eclipse. At 11.11 pm the Great Red Spot will transit the disc of the giant planet Jupiter.
At 2.28 am the Jupiter Moon Io reappears from its occultation. At 5.13 am the Jupiter Moon Ganymede is in Western elongation, which means it is at its furthest end of the planet. The Jupiter Moon Callisto is at about 6 am at the opposite side and in Eastern elongation.
The bright planet Venus is about 3° South of the Moon before Sunrise. Look in the mornings for this nice view and take some pictures. The Moon phase is only 9%.
The International Space Station, called ISS, appears in the morning skies at 6.29 am. ISS passes and is close to the bright star Spica. The separation is only 0.137°, so nearly crosses the star for our locations! Culmination or highest point in the sky of ISS is at 6.32 am. ISS disappears in the East at 6.37 am.
The Moon is close to the planet with the rings Saturn before Sunrise and at 6.35 am. They are about 5 lunar diameters separated. Look for the Earthshine visible on the Moon. And on top of this all, just at Sun rise the bright planet Venus is close to the bright star Antares. They are 6° separated. A nice picture indeed!
Another Iridium flare appears at 7.32 am in the North North West at an altitude of 67° in the constellation Draco.
After one orbit of about 90 minutes, ISS appears again at 8.03 am in the West South West. Culmination is at 8.08 am in the South at an altitude of 65°. ISS disappears at 8.13 am in the East.
Thursday 7 January
Today in 1610 Galileo dated his first letter describing telescopic observations in which he saw the Moon's cratered surface using his twenty-powered spyglass.
The bright planet Venus is close to the bright star Antares . Closed is at 3.59 pm, daytime. But look in the mornings. The pair is 6° separated.
After midnight, at 2.55 am the Great Red Spot will transit the giant planet Jupiter.
Jupiter is getting in retrograde at 4.35 am. The planet will move now in a different direction in our night sky. The Great Red Spot will transit the planet at 4.58 am.
The Moon is in maximum libration South at 5.02 am. The South Pole of the Moon is tipped into the view of the Earth.
ISS appears at 5.38 am in the South at about 19° altitude. Culmination is at the same time at 5.38 am in the South South East at 20°. ISS disappears a few minutes after at 5.43 am at the Eastern horizon. One orbit after, ISS appears again at 7.10 am in the West South West. ISS passed the bright star Arcturus at 7.14 am. Separation is only 1.4°. Culmination is at 7.14 am in the South South East at 55°. ISS disappears at 7.20 am in the East.
An Iridium flare appears in the North North West at 7.26 am. The altitude is about 64° and is visible in the constellation Draco.
Look out for the Lunar crescent at 7.30 am and 41 hours before New Moon. The Moon is 3.7% illuminated and rises at 6.23 am, 115 minutes before the Sun.
Friday 8 January
At about midday, at 11.02 am the Moon is in maximum libration West. The Crater Grimaldi is tipped into the Earth's view.
A bright Iridium flare appears at 5.11 pm in the South South West at an altitude of 19° in the constellation of Aquarius.
At 5.35 pm the small planet Mercury is in perihelion. The distance to the Sun is 0.3075 AU. One Astronomical Unit (AU) is the average distance of the Earth to the Sun.
The Great Red Spot will transit the giant planet Jupiter at 0.49 am. Use a small telescope of binocular. At 2.01 am the Jupiter Moon Ganymede reappears from its occultation.
Watch the dance of the planets in the early morning. Venus is close to Saturn at 4.15 am. The separation is only 5'. So very very close and worth a watch!!! Send in your pictures. Can you see the rings of Saturn in your binocular?
ISS appears at 4.47 am in the East South East at 11° altitude. After a few minutes, ISS disappears already at 4.50 am in the East. After one orbit of about 90 minutes ISS appears again at 6.19 am in the South West at 21° high. Culmination at 6.21 am in the South South East at 43°. ISS disappears at 6.26 am in the East.
A very bright Iridium flare appears at 7.20 am in the North North West at an altitude of 64° in the constellation Draco.
Look out for the tiny small Lunar crescent before Sun rise. You might need a binocular as it is only 17 hours before New Moon. The Moon is only 0.8% illuminated and the Moon rises at 7.17 am, 61 minutes before the Sun.
ISS appears once more at 7.52 am in the West. Culmination is at 7.57 am in the South at 70° altitude. ISS disappears at 8.03 am in the East.
Saturday 9 January
Did you notice how bright the giant planet Jupiter got? It apparent diameter grows to 40 arc sec and its brightness is now -2.3 magnitude. Look from before midnight onwards. Worth a watch!
At 6.22 pm an Iridium flare appears in the South South East at an altitude of 35° in the constellation Cetus.
It is New Moon today at 1.30 am. Take advantage of the dark and clear skies!
ISS appears at 5.28 am in the South East at 30° and already disappears at 5.33 am in the East.
The Great Red Spot on Jupiter transits at 6.36 am.
ISS appears after one orbit at 7.01 am in the West South West. The culmination is at 7.04 am in the South at 67° ISS disappears at 7.09 am in the East.
An Iridium flare will appear at 7.14 am in the North North West at an altitude of 61° in the constellation Draco.
Sunday 10 January
Today in 1863 the London's Metropolitan, the world's first underground passenger railway, opened to fare-paying passengers. The four mile, 33-min route had seven stations between Farringdon St. and Paddington. “Mind the Gap” springs to mind …
The Lunar crescent is visible from 4.35 pm onwards. This is only 15 hours after New Moon, so you might need a binocular to find. The Moon is only 0.6% illuminated. The Moon sets at 5.13 pm, 61 minutes after the Sun.
A bright Iridium flare appears at 5.08 pm in the South South West at an altitude of 16° in the constellation Aquarius.
Get your telescope or binocular out and look for Jupiter after midnight. At 0.42 am the Jupiter Moon Callisto ends the shadow crossing. At 2.21 am the Jupiter Moon Europa begins it shadow crossing. And at 2.27 am the Great Red Spot is transiting the giant planet Jupiter.
ISS appears at 4.37 am in the East at about 10° altitude. ISS disappears already after a few minutes at 4.40 am in the East.
Back to Jupiter. At 4.37 am the Jupiter Moon Europa begins its transit. And at 5.11 am the Jupiter Moon Europa ends its shadow transit.
A few more passes of the International Space Station this morning. At 6.10 am ISS appears in the South West at 40°. The culmination is at 6.11 am in the South South East at an altitude of 59°. ISS disappears at 6.16 am in the East. After one orbit ISS appears again at 7.42 am in the West. Culmination at 7.47 am in the South at an altitude 64°. And ISS disappears at 7.52 am in the East South East.
Monday 11 January
Today in 1954 the first in-vision weather forecaster broadcast on BBC television.
The Lunar crescent is visible from about 5 pm onwards and 40 hours after New Moon. The Moon is now 3.5% illuminated.. The Moon sets at 6.24 pm and 131 minutes after the Sun.
A rather bright Iridium flare appears at 6.10 pm in the West North West at about 12° altitude in the constellation Hercules. Another Iridium flare appears at 6.14 pm in the South South East at an altitude of 35° altitude in the constellation Cetus.
The ISS appears at 5.18 am in the East South East at 29° altitude and disappears after a few minutes at 5.23 am in the East. A nice challenge.
At 6.29 am the Jupiter Moon Io begins its eclipse.
ISS passes once more after one orbit and appears at 6.51 am in the West at 16° high. Culmination is at 6.54 am in the South at 70°. ISS disappears at 6.59 am in the East.
Tuesday 12 January
From 5.40 pm onwards the Moon is visible with Earthshine. Send in your pictures!
An Iridium flare appears at 5.46 pm in the West North West at an altitude of 16° in the constellation Lyra. Another brighter flare is visible at 5.55 pm in the West North West at an altitude of 14° in the constellation Hercules.
Take your telescope or binocular and look for Jupiter. At 2.19 am the Jupiter Moon Europa reappears from its occultation. At 3.49 am the Jupiter Moon Io begins its shadow transit of the planet. At 4.06 am the Great Red Spot will be in transit over the planet.
ISS appears at 4.27 am in the East and disappears already after a few minutes.
And at 4.54 am the Jupiter Moon Io begins its transit.
One more orbit around the Earth and ISS appears at 6 pm in the South West at an altitude of 62°. Culmination just then and there a few degrees higher and ISS disappears at 6.05 am in the East.
At 6.05 am the Jupiter Moon Io ends its shadow and at 7.08 am the Jupiter Moon Io ends its actual transit.
And once again another ISS orbit and appears at 7.32 am in the West. Culmination is at 7.36 am in the South Sout West at 50° altitude. ISS disappears at 7.42 am in the East South East.
Wednesday 13 January
Today in 1610 Galileo Galilei discovered Callisto, the fourth satellite or Moon of Jupiter. Galileo originally called the Jupiter's Moons the “Medicean planets,” after the Medici family and referred to the individual Moons numerically as I, II, III and IV.
A rather bright Iridium flare appears at 5.09 pm in the South West at an altitude of 12° in the constellation Capricornus. An Iridium flare is a slow passing satellite in the sky but flares up or get suddenly brighter at the position given earlier.
Look for the Moon and you might see the Earthshine at about 5.40 pm onwards.
At 6.07 pm another Iridium flare appears in the South at an altitude of 34° in the constellation Cetus.
Take a small telescope or binoculars and look for the bright Jupiter in the sky. At 11.57 pm the Great Red Spot will transit the giant planet. At 0.57 am the Jupiter Moon Io begins its eclipse and at 4.18 am the Jupiter Moon Io reappears from its occultation.
The International Space Station, called ISS, appears at 5.08 am in the East and comes out of the Earth's shadow at an altitude of 24°. ISS disappears after a few minutes in the Eastern horizon. ISS is easy to see with the naked eye and moves, as a satellite through the night sky at the positions described.
It takes ISS approximately 90 minutes to orbit around the Earth and is visible again at 6.41 am in the West at about 21°. The highest point it reaches, what we call culmination, is at 6.43 am in the South at an altitude of 62°. ISS disappears at 6.48 am in the East South Eastern horizon.
Get in touch with me via www.patrickpoitevin.weebly.com if you need more information.