Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share January 2017
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
January 2017
To see a video of this information, go to my YouTube Channel
Welcome to Observing With Webb, where the armchair astronomer figures out what they’re looking at, why it’s so cool, and what they should check out next. Don’t forget to check out my Podbean page, YouTube Channel, and Twitter feed.
January would not be so exciting if it weren’t for the two times we can see a close encounter between the Moon, Venus, and Mars. Also visible this month are Jupiter, Saturn, and maybe Mercury.
PLANETS...well, the ones visible with your naked eye
Planets you can see around Sunset – Venus (SW), Mars (SW)
Planets you can see throughout the night – None
Planets you can see in the Morning – Jupiter (S), Saturn (SE), Mercury (SE)
Mercury – Best bet is to look SE after 6:30am but before sunrise, starting on the 10th. Bring some binoculars, as it will only be about 10˚ above the horizon, and down and to the left of Saturn.
Venus – Look SW after sunset, and Venus will be about 30˚ above the horizon, very bright, and will set by 8:30pm. If you have a telescope, check out how it looks like a half moon.
Mars – Look SW after sunset and find Venus. Mars will be the ruddy red object up and to the left of bright brilliant Venus. In the beginning of the month Mars will be about a fist-width away (10˚) from Venus, and get to about 5˚ away by the end of the month.
Saturn – Look SE in the mornings before sunrise. In the beginning of the month, it will only be about 10˚ above the horizon, but by the end of the month it will be about 20˚ above the horizon, much brighter than anything else around it.
Jupiter – Catch Jupiter in the eastern sky in the morning after 1:30am in the beginning of the month, and midnight at the end of the month. Just look for the very bright object low in the East if you’re staying up late, or look to the South, halfway up the sky if you’re getting up early in the morning.
EVENTS...
1st–3rd – Close Encounter – Moon, Venus, Mars – Look to the SW between 5pm and 7:30pm and you can catch a thin crescent Moon close and to the right of bright Venus on the 1st, in between Venus and Mars on the 2nd, and above Mars on the 3rd.
First Quarter Moon – 5th (Visible until midnight)
Full Moon – 12th (Visible all night)
Last Quarter Moon – 19th (Visible from midnight into the morning)
19th – Close Encounter – Moon, Jupiter – Look SE after 12:30am and before sunrise (7:23am). Jupiter will be the very bright point only 2˚ away from the last quarter Moon.
24th – Close Encounter – Moon, Saturn – Look SE after 5am and before sunrise (7:19am). Saturn will be the very bright point only 3˚ down and to the right of the thin waning crescent Moon.
New Moon – 28th (darkest skies)
31st – Close Encounter – Moon, Venus, Mars – Look to the SW after sunset, but before 8:30pm and you can catch another thin crescent Moon near Mars and Venus. Venus will be 5˚ to the right of the Moon, with Mars 3˚ up and a little to the right.
CONSTELLATIONS</
View all episodes
By Rob Webb
5
11 ratings
To see a video of this information, go to my YouTube Channel
Welcome to Observing With Webb, where the armchair astronomer figures out what they’re looking at, why it’s so cool, and what they should check out next. Don’t forget to check out my Podbean page, YouTube Channel, and Twitter feed.
January would not be so exciting if it weren’t for the two times we can see a close encounter between the Moon, Venus, and Mars. Also visible this month are Jupiter, Saturn, and maybe Mercury.
PLANETS...well, the ones visible with your naked eye
Planets you can see around Sunset – Venus (SW), Mars (SW)
Planets you can see throughout the night – None
Planets you can see in the Morning – Jupiter (S), Saturn (SE), Mercury (SE)
Mercury – Best bet is to look SE after 6:30am but before sunrise, starting on the 10th. Bring some binoculars, as it will only be about 10˚ above the horizon, and down and to the left of Saturn.
Venus – Look SW after sunset, and Venus will be about 30˚ above the horizon, very bright, and will set by 8:30pm. If you have a telescope, check out how it looks like a half moon.
Mars – Look SW after sunset and find Venus. Mars will be the ruddy red object up and to the left of bright brilliant Venus. In the beginning of the month Mars will be about a fist-width away (10˚) from Venus, and get to about 5˚ away by the end of the month.
Saturn – Look SE in the mornings before sunrise. In the beginning of the month, it will only be about 10˚ above the horizon, but by the end of the month it will be about 20˚ above the horizon, much brighter than anything else around it.
Jupiter – Catch Jupiter in the eastern sky in the morning after 1:30am in the beginning of the month, and midnight at the end of the month. Just look for the very bright object low in the East if you’re staying up late, or look to the South, halfway up the sky if you’re getting up early in the morning.
EVENTS...
1st–3rd – Close Encounter – Moon, Venus, Mars – Look to the SW between 5pm and 7:30pm and you can catch a thin crescent Moon close and to the right of bright Venus on the 1st, in between Venus and Mars on the 2nd, and above Mars on the 3rd.
First Quarter Moon – 5th (Visible until midnight)
Full Moon – 12th (Visible all night)
Last Quarter Moon – 19th (Visible from midnight into the morning)
19th – Close Encounter – Moon, Jupiter – Look SE after 12:30am and before sunrise (7:23am). Jupiter will be the very bright point only 2˚ away from the last quarter Moon.
24th – Close Encounter – Moon, Saturn – Look SE after 5am and before sunrise (7:19am). Saturn will be the very bright point only 3˚ down and to the right of the thin waning crescent Moon.
New Moon – 28th (darkest skies)
31st – Close Encounter – Moon, Venus, Mars – Look to the SW after sunset, but before 8:30pm and you can catch another thin crescent Moon near Mars and Venus. Venus will be 5˚ to the right of the Moon, with Mars 3˚ up and a little to the right.
CONSTELLATIONS</