Monthly Night Sky Report: January 2023

Introduction

    Utah ended 2022 with a few rain/snow storms and cloudy skies, less than ideal weather for stargazing. The week leading up to the stormy weather was quite pleasant with a few nights allowing astronomers to peer at the stars between the clouds. I was able to continue to see the Belts of Venus in the morning and Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars in the evening. The winter constellations were easy to pick out, especially Orion. Unfortunately, the Geminids and the Ursids were unable to be viewed at my location due to cloudy weather. 

    A new year is upon us once again, offering many of the same sights as 2022 but also a few chances to see sights that are out of the ordinary. A future post will discuss the upcoming highlights in 2023. I will slow down on the Messier objects for the next few posts as we wait for the Spring constellations to climb higher in the early evening sky. January will offer a conjunction between Venus and Saturn, the Quadrantid Meteor Shower, a string of planets, and another chance to watch the Moon occult Mars.  

             

Mercury

      Mercury starts the year off as an evening star which will remain above the western horizon about 20 minutes after sunset. The innermost planet will likely become too dim to view by the 3rd of January and will reach inferior conjunction four days later on the 7th. By the middle of the month, Mercury will return to the sky but will be found above the eastern horizon shortly before sunrise. Mercury will increase its magnitude during the time it spends in the early morning sky. A thin, crescent Moon will pass close by on the 20th.

  

Venus

    Brilliant Venus will remain in the evening sky throughout January. Venus will be found about 15° above the horizon as the month begins and will slowly rise higher in the sky each evening, ending the month about 25° above the horizon. As Venus climbs higher, Saturn will sink closer to the horizon with the two meeting on the 22nd. The pair of planets can be found in a single field of view while using a telescope. The Moon will join Venus and Saturn the following evening, being about 4° away.

    

Mars

    Mars reached opposition on the 8th of December and will continue to be a favored target of many observers. The Red Planet is nearly 70° above the horizon, placing it in an ideal location for telescopic views. Mars can also be found near Aldebaran and less than 10° from M45 (Pleiades) in Taurus. The Moon will join Mars in the sky on the 3rd and 30th of this month. During the encounter on the 30th, the Moon will occult Mars for those below 37° north latitude. For those above this latitude, like Utahns, the Moon and Mars will be less than a degree apart.

Jupiter

Saturn

     

    Jupiter will remain a great target this month as it can be found high in the sky after sunset. Jupiter shines brightly and will be easy to spot on clear nights. The Galilean Moons can easily be seen through a pair of binoculars while a telescope will offer observers the chance to see the shadow of these moons transit the surface of the planet, as well as the cloud band features and the Great Red Spot. The Moon will join Jupiter in the sky on the 25th.

    Saturn is best viewed during the first week of January as it can be found higher in the sky. By the second week of the month, Saturn will be found too low in the sky, allowing the Earth’s atmosphere to interfere with views through a telescope. Saturn will be in conjunction with Venus on the 22nd, a highly recommended event to see. A day later, the Moon will pass close by this pair of planets. Saturn will be in conjunction with the Sun next month.

   

       

Neptune

Uranus

    

    The two outermost planets can be viewed through a pair of binoculars but will look their best through a telescope. Uranus can be found in southern Aries this month. This time around the Sun, Uranus will be a hard target to locate unless an observer is using a Go-To telescope or an app. The Moon can help observers on the 1st and 28th when Uranus can be found less than 1° below.

   

    Neptune can be found just 8° to the left of Jupiter, in a region of the sky that does not have any bright stars. Use this information to help find the most distant planet. The best chance of viewing this planet is earlier in the month when it can be found high in the sky. The Moon will pass close by on the 25th. 

Meteor Shower 

   January brings the return of one of the best meteor showers of the year, the Quadrantids. This shower will peak on the 3rd of January. Typically, observers would be able to see over 100 meteors per hour, but unfortunately, a nearly Full Moon will be in the sky. Observers willing to brave the cold temperatures could be rewarded by some bright meteors during the Quadrantids. Interested observers should dress warmly, get away from as much light pollution as possible, and look towards Boötes above the eastern horizon around midnight. More meteors will become visible as this constellation rises higher in the sky.  

Spot Me....🕵️  

    I am nearing the end of the Messier objects which are best viewed during the winter months so I will only highlight one constellation for the next few posts. This month I will highlight the Lepus constellation which can be found near Orion. The image below shows the night sky at midmonth as an observer looks southeast.

 

Looking southeast after sunset around mid-January.

    The following image is the same as above only with constellation lines and labels to help identify the location of Lepus.

Looking southeast after sunset with constellation lines and labels to help identify Lepus.

    The only Messier object belonging to Lepus is M79 (aka NGC 1904). This object is a globular star cluster like M13 (Great Globular Cluster in Hercules) but does not look quite as big through a telescope. To find M79, connect the two central stars with an imaginary line and extend this line away from Lepus. By extending about the same distance that is between these two central stars, an observer should come across the location of M79. See the images below for the location of the Messier object belonging to Lepus.

Location of M79 in Lepus.

Location of M79 in Lepus with constellation lines and labels.

    

    The images in the "Spot Me..." section are provided by Stellarium, a free planetarium software. Here is an updated file of the Messier Catalog. Be sure to come back around the 15th of January for a new post!

Monthly Breakdown

January 01: Moon passes within 1° of Uranus 
January 03: Moon passes within 1° of Mars

January 03: Quadrantid Meteor Shower peaks. Look towards Boötes
January 06: Full Moon 🌕 
January 07: Mercury reaches inferior conjunction with the Sun 
January 14: Last Quarter Moon🌗
January 20: Moon passes within 7° of Mercury
January 21: New Moon 🌑
January 22: Conjunction of Venus and Saturn 
January 23: Moon passes within 3° of Venus
January 23: Moon passes within 4° of Saturn
January 25: Moon passes within 2° of Jupiter
January 25: Moon passes within 3° of Neptune
January 28: First Quarter Moon 🌓

January 28: Moon passes within 1° of Uranus 
January 30: Moon passes within 1° of Mars 

 

       

    Remember to follow me on Instagram @CosmicLure01 to receive notifications for new posts.  You may also follow me on Twitter @CosmicLure.  

    

Now get outside and look up!

Planet images were taken by NASA.

Andrew vs. the Cosmos was taken by Jeff Greenland.

    

Midmonth Check-In: December 2022 with Cancer and Monoceros

 

Introduction and Monthly Reminders   

    

    December started off with cloudy skies, fog, rain, and snow over much of Utah. Of course, the precipitation is good for the state, but the cloudy skies prohibit astronomers from enjoying the wonders of the night sky. Through the break in the clouds, I could spot Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars, as well as view the brighter constellations like Orion, Taurus, Ursa Major, and Cassiopeia. 

    Observers will still be able to watch the Ursid Meteor Shower which peaks on the 23rd with a New Moon. Mars reached opposition a few short days ago and will still shine brightly in the night sky after sunset. Of course, many of the Messier objects mentioned will also be able to be viewed, if an observer can catch a break in the stormy weather.

Messier Targets 🔭

    

    The Messier Catalog contains 110 objects to view throughout the year. Most of these objects require a telescope or a pair of binoculars. As with all DSOs, observing from a location with minimal light pollution will enhance your views. If using a telescope, I recommend using a low-power eyepiece to help find the object, then increasing the power to bring out more detail. So far, I have highlighted the Messier objects belonging to Hercules, Draco, Lyra, Serpens, Scorpius, Scutum, Ophiuchus, Sagittarius, Cygnus, Vulpecula, Aquarius, Andromeda, Cassiopeia, Capricornus, Cetus, Pegasus, Perseus, Triangulum, Orion, Gemini, Taurus, Auriga, and Pisces. 

    This December mid-month post will highlight the Messier objects belonging to Cancer the Crab and Monoceros. Both of these constellations can be found rising above the eastern horizon between 9:00 and 10:00 PM. The longer an observer waits, the higher these constellations will be in the night sky, providing a better view of the Messier objects associated with them. See the images below for what the night sky will look like at this time.

 

The night sky as an observer faces East during December.

December night sky with constellation lines and labels.

   This post will begin its journey with Cancer the Crab which contains two Messier objects. The first is M44 (aka Beehive Cluster, NGC 2632) which is one of my favorite open star clusters. The Beehive Cluster can be found between the two stars that make up the body of Cancer. I recommend using a low-power, wide field-of-view eyepiece for this object which will allow more stars to be visible. See the image below for the location of M44.

Location of M44 in Cancer the Crab.

    The other Messier object in Cancer is M67 (aka Golden-Eye Cluster, Pac-Man Cluster, King Cobra Cluster, NGC 2682) which is also an open star cluster. This cluster is more compact than the Beehive Cluster and will allow an observer to use a higher-power eyepiece to "zoom" in on its stars. The Pac-Man Cluster can be found near the back, right leg of The Crab. See the image below for the location of M67.  

Location of M67 in Cancer the Crab.

    We will end our journey this month in the constellation of Monoceros. Here, we can find M50 (aka Heart-Shaped Cluster, NGC 2323) another open cluster. Like the Pac-Man Cluster in Cancer, M50 can be viewed with a higher-powered eyepiece to "zoom" in on its stars. See the image below for the location of M50. 

Location of M50 in Monoceros.

    The images below can be used as a quick guide for finding the Messier objects discussed in this post.

Messier objects of Cancer and Monoceros.

Messier objects of Cancer and Monoceros with constellation lines and labels.

    The January Monthly Night Sky Report will continue to highlight the Messier objects which are best viewed during the winter months. All of the above images were provided by Stellarium, a free planetarium software that can be found online, downloaded, or installed as an app on your favorite mobile device. My updated Messier list can be found here. 

     

Remember to follow me on Instagram @CosmicLure01 to receive notifications for new posts.  You may also follow me on Twitter @CosmicLure.  

    

Now get outside and look up!