Monthly Night Sky Report: January 2024

           Introduction

    Utahns were able to experience clear skies towards the end of 2023. It was cold, but the clear skies offered the chance to view Orion, Jupiter, and Saturn in the evening sky and Venus shortly before sunrise. Although I could not observe the Geminid or Ursid meteor showers due to cloudy skies on the peak dates, several chances to watch were put online by NASA and different universities and others worldwide.   

    January 2024 has already arrived. It feels like 2023 streaked by and fizzled out like a meteor. Only a few astronomy highlights will occur during January. The first is the Quadrantid meteor shower, which will be favored by a waning crescent Moon that will sink below the horizon early in the evening, allowing more meteors to be seen. Mars will return to the morning sky in late January and can be found in conjunction with Mercury. There will also be a (small) chance of a comet reaching unaided-eye visibility. Observers may also notice that the amount of daylight time is increasing and the amount of darkness is decreasing as the Northern Hemisphere of the Earth begins to tilt towards the Sun once again. 

             

Mercury

    Mercury can be found in the morning sky during most of the month. The innermost planet will reach its greatest western elongation on the 12th, a day after the New Moon. On the 9th, a thin, waning crescent Moon can be found less than 10° from Mercury. For the observer that watches the sky every morning, they should notice Mercury and Venus getting closer together from the Earth's perspective. By the 17th, the pair of planets will be just 11° apart. Mercury will begin to sink closer to the horizon throughout the remainder of the month. Before it becomes an evening planet, Mars will join this tiny world in the morning sky around the 19th. With each passing morning, the two planets will move towards each other in a dance until the 27th, when the pair can be found less than a quarter of a degree apart. A clear view of the eastern horizon is a necessity to view this planetary conjunction.    

  

Venus

    Venus will be the easiest of the trio of morning planets to view during January. The Earth's sister planet will rise above the eastern horizon about two hours before sunrise as the month begins. By the end of the month, Venus will rise about 30 minutes later. Venus can be found within 10° of Antares, the bright red star that represents the eye of Scorpius. The Moon will pass within 6° of Venus on Monday the 8th and will occult Antares around 6:30 AM on this same date. A pair of binoculars may be useful as the morning twilight may obscure unaided-eye visibility. Early risers should bundle up to watch this event!      

    

Mars

    Mars returns to the morning sky in late January. The best time to begin watching for the Red Planet will be on the 19th, when it lies just 6° from Mercury. As the month progresses, this pair of planets will move closer together until the 27th, when they can be found less than a quarter of a degree apart. Unfortunately, Mars will be quite dim and require a telescope to see during this rare conjunction.     

Jupiter

Saturn

     

    Jupiter and Saturn will be visible in the evening sky during January. Jupiter, the closer, larger, and brighter of the two, will be found in the southeast after sunset. This gas giant will not sink below the western horizon until after midnight during the month. A pair of binoculars will easily reveal the four Galilean Moons, while a telescope can reveal the cloud bands and Great Red Spot. The Earth's own Moon will pass within 3° of Jupiter on the 18th.

    Saturn lies further west than Jupiter in the night sky and should still be easy to spot against the background stars of Aquarius. A large pair of binoculars and a calm, steady sky can reveal the rings of this planet. A telescope of any size will more readily reveal this majestic feature. The Earth's three-day-old Moon will pass within 2° of Saturn on the 14th.   

   

       

Neptune

Uranus

    

    The two ice giants can be viewed through binoculars but will look their best through a telescope. Uranus can be found close to the midpoint on an imaginary line formed between Jupiter and the Pleiades. A first-quarter Moon will pass within 3° of Uranus on the 19th. 

    Neptune will trail behind Saturn during January. This most distant ice giant shines at a dim 7.92 magnitude nearly all month, placing it in binocular territory. The Earth's Moon will pass less than 1° from this planet on the 15th.   

Meteor Shower, Occultation, and a Comet

     January will bring the return of the Quadrantid meteor shower. This shower is named after a constellation that no longer exists. Instead, look toward the constellation Boötes rising in the northeast sky on the morning of the 4th to catch the Quadrantid point of radiation. A waning crescent Moon will have sunk below the western horizon before Boötes rises above the opposite horizon. For those unfamiliar with the location of Boötes, look for the bright red star Arcturus, the brightest star of this constellation. This shower will allow observers to see up to 80 meteors per hour from a dark sky location on the peak date.

    Utahns will be treated to a rare occultation of Antares during January. On the morning of the 8th, the Earth's Moon can be seen passing in front of this red supergiant star that represents the angry eye of Scorpius the Scorpion. I recommend using a pair of binoculars, although a telescope that can track objects may benefit some. The occultation will begin around 6:35, with Antares completely disappearing behind the Moon less than 10 minutes later. At approximately 7:45, Antares will begin to peek out from behind the Moon but will likely not be visible due to the morning twilight. 

     A periodic comet can be seen passing through Cygnus the Sawn during January. Comet Pons-Brooks was first discovered in 1812 and returns every 71 years or so. Current predictions have this comet reaching a magnitude of 9.44 by the end of January, but outbursts have been known to happen that increase this brightness by four times, making it an unaided-eye comet. For Utahns, this comet can be viewed in the early evening hours above the western horizon or in the late morning hours before sunrise in the eastern sky. A pair of binoculars or a telescope is required if an outburst does not happen. I recommend using a stargazing app on your favorite mobile device to help locate Pons-Brooks as its position changes daily.  

Monthly Breakdown

January 03: Last Quarter Moon🌗

January 04: Quadrantid Meteor Shower peaks🌠 

January 06: Venus passes within 6° of Antares 

January 08: Moon passes within 6° of Venus

January 08: Moon occults Antares; begins at 6:35 AM 

January 09: Moon passes within 7° of Mercury 

January 10: Moon passes within 4° of Mars 
January 11: New Moon 🌑
January 12: Mercury reaches its greatest western elongation
January 14: Moon passes within 2° of Saturn
January 15: Moon passes within 1° of Neptune
January 17: First Quarter Moon 🌓
January 18: Moon passes within 3° of Jupiter
January 19: Moon passes within 3° of Uranus
January 25: Full Moon 🌕 

January 27: Mercury and Mars conjunction

         

Now get outside and look up!

Planet images were taken by NASA.

Andrew vs. the Cosmos image was taken by Jeff Greenland.

The Milky Way and Trees image was taken by Andrew Greenland.

Orion, Taurus, and Pleiades image was taken by Andrew Greenland.