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the COSMOS

Star Gazer’s Guide {January 2016}

Happy Wednesday, friends! I decided to try something a little different this month with respect to the Star Gazer’s Guides. Instead of doing a weekly post (past weeks here), I decided to put the top events for the entire month all in one place. In addition, I’ve provided links for daily satellite passings near the top if you are interested in viewing those too! Let me know what you think of this new format! And without further ado…

Here are this month’s best astronomical events that you can view right from your backyard. Below is a spectacular image of the Lagoon Nebula, a beautiful gas rich region where new stars are born. More information here if you are interested! I hope you find some time to observe the stars this month. Happy exploring!

I am one of those who think like Nobel, that humanity will draw more good than evil from new discoveries. –Marie Curie

Lagoon Nebula

image

You can use the star chart provided here. And for any terms or units you may be unfamiliar with, I’ve provided a glossary at the end of the guide for your convenience. All events were calculated based on Boulder, CO (latitude 40⁰ N), but should provide good approximations for most cities near the same latitude. If you would like, you can change your location on the linked sites for each event. Let me know if you have any questions. I’d love to know what you see this month!

Daily Sightings

Daily ISS Passings: here

Daily Iridium Flares: here

Daily Bright Satellite Passings: here

 

Monday 1/4

24:00 Local          Quadrantid Meteor Shower

The Quadrantid meteor shower will reach its peak activity tonight. Shooting stars associated with the shower should be visible from January 1st through January 6th. The maximum rate of visible meteors is expected to reach 80 per hour; however, this zenithal hourly rate is dependent on many factors, such as sky conditions, light pollution at the observer’s location, and altitude of the meteor shower’s radiant in the sky. The Moon will be 24 days old at the peak, and so will present significant interference in the early evening sky. At midnight, the shower’s radiant will appear 14⁰ above the north-eastern horizon, with the meteors traveling directly outward from this point. In order to see the most meteors possible, it is best to look at any dark patch of sky 90⁰ around the radiant, rather than at the radiant itself. This is because the meteors will typically appear brightest at these locations. It is so named the Quadrantid meteor shower because of its radiant’s location within the constellation formarly known as Quadrans Muralis. More information here.

 

Thursday 1/7

04:37 MST          Moon-Venus Conjunction

The Moon and Venus will be very close, passing within 3⁰04’ of each other. The Moon will have a magnitude of -10.2, while Venus will have a magnitude of -4.4. Both will be located in the constellation Ophiuchus. From Boulder, the pair will become visible around 04:37 MST and reach an altitude of 20⁰ above the SE horizon. The pair will fade from view as dawn breaks around 07:04 MST. More information here.

 

Saturday 1/9

04:42 MST          Venus-Saturn Conjunction

The Venus and Saturn will be very close, passing within 0⁰05’ of each other. Venus will have a magnitude of -4.4, while Saturn will have a magnitude of 1.2. Both will be located in the constellation Ophiuchus. From Boulder, the pair will become visible around 04:42 MST near dawn, 19⁰ above the SE horizon. The pair will fade from view as dawn breaks around 07:05 MST. More information here.

 

Sunday 1/10

All Night          New Moon (not visible)

A New Moon occurs when the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun, such that its lighted side is facing directly away from the Earth (sun-side). While the New Moon can be seen during a more rare solar eclipse, most months the Moon passes just above or below the Sun as seen from the Earth. The New Moon rises and sets with the Sun, and this is why we are unable to see the New Moon–it is hidden in the glare of the Sun during the day. More information here.

 

Friday 1/15

24:00 Local          M47 is well placed

The open star cluster M47 will be placed for observation in the constellation Puppis. It will be visible between latitudes of 55⁰ N and 84⁰ S. From Boulder, M45 will become visible around 20:43 MST as it rises 18⁰ above the SE horizon. It will reach its highest point around midnight local time at an elevation of 35⁰ above the Southern horizon. It will become inaccessible around 03:22 MST. At a magnitude of 4.4, M47 is best viewed through binoculars or a small telescope. More information here.

 

Saturday 1/16

17:15 MST          Moon-Uranus Conjunction

The Moon and Uranus will be very close, passing within 1⁰23’ of each other. The Moon will have a magnitude of -11.8, while Uranus will have a magnitude of 5.8. Both will be located in the constellation Pisces. From Boulder, the pair will become visible around 17:15 MST as the dusk sky fades, 55⁰ above the Southern horizon. The pair will reach its highest point 55⁰ above the Southern horizon around 17:19 MST, and will remain visible until 22:57 MST when they sink below the western horizon. More information here.

 

Sunday 1/24

17:23 MST          Full Moon

The Moon will reach full phase, lying almost directly opposite the Sun in the sky. Full moons are traditionally given names according to the season in which they occur. Because this Moon occurred in January each year, it was associated with the hungry howls of wolves. Thus, it is called the Wolf Moon. More information here.

 

Thursday 1/28

21:34 MST          Moon-Jupiter Conjunction

The Moon and Jupiter will be very close, passing within 1⁰20’ of each other. The Moon will have a magnitude of -12.4, while Jupiter will have a magnitude of -2.4. Both will be located in the constellation Leo. From Boulder, the pair will become visible around 21:34 MST as the dusk sky fades, 7⁰ above the Eastern horizon. The pair will reach its highest point 54⁰ above the southern horizon around 03:10 MST, and will remain visible until 06:56 MST when dawn breaks. More information here.

 

Sunday 1/31

24:00 Local          Beehive Open Star Cluster is well placed

The open star cluster M44 and NGC 2632 (the Beehive Cluster) will be well placed for observation in the constellation Cancer. It should be visible for latitude between 89⁰N and 50⁰ S, reaching its highest point in the sky around midnight local time. In Boulder, the Beehive Cluster will become visible around 18:20 MST when it rises 15⁰ above the Eastern horizon. It will reach its highest point in the Boulder sky around 00:05 MST, 69⁰ above the Southern horizon. It will become inaccessible around 05:46 MST when it sinks above the Western horizon. The star cluster will be too faint to see easily with the naked eye, but is visible through binoculars or a small telescope. More information here.

 

Glossary

Arcminute: An angular measurement, defined as 1/60 of one degree. Denoted by ‘. (approx. 1 inch at a distance of 100 yards, the Moon is approx 31’)

Arcsecond: An angular measurement, defined as 1/60 of an arcminute. Denoted by “. (approx. dime at a distance of 1 mile )

A great resource for understanding and approximating angular measurements in the night sky, here. The Moon is approx 1/2⁰. Your outstretched hand is approx 20⁰, with each finger approx 1⁰. Your closed outstretched palm is approx 10⁰.

Conjunction: An alignment of two celestial bodies such that they present the least angular separation as viewed from Earth.

Iridium Flare: Iridium fares occur when sunlight is reflected off the antenna (of one of the 66 active telecommunication sats in LEO, known as the Iridium constellation) directly down at Earth. This reflection causes an illuminated spot on the surface of the Earth. To an observer on the ground, the event appears to be a bright flash, or flare in the sky, which lasts for a few seconds.

ISS: International Space Station. More information here.

Magnitude: A logarithmic measure of the brightness of an object. Brighter objects have a lower (more negative) magnitude. More information here.

Radiant: The point in the sky where meteors of a meteor shower appear to originate.

 

Time Conversions from MST

Eastern Daylight Time, EST = MST + 2:00

Central Daylight Time, CST = MST + 1:00

Mountain Daylight Time, MST

Pacific Daylight Time, PST = MST – 1:00

Alaska Daylight Time, AKST = MST – 2:00

The standard for astronomical times is UTC if you happen to come across it, where MST = UTC – 6:00.

 

Sources used here, here, and here.

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