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The night sky for January 2014
Northern Hemisphere
Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the northern hemisphere night sky during January 2014.
Pegasus and Andromeda are setting in the west in the evening, with the nearby galaxies of Andromeda and Triangulum visible under a dark sky. Orion the Hunter looms large in the south, with the red giant star Betelgeuse to his upper left and the blue giant Rigel to his lower right. Between them, the Belt of three stars is above the Sword, which contains the spectacular Orion Nebula. The Belt points down towards Sirius, or Alpha Canis Majoris, the brightest star after the Sun to observers on Earth. Following the Belt the other way leads to Taurus the Bull, wherein lie the beautiful Hyades and Pleiades Clusters. The orange-coloured star Aldebaran appears to be among the Hyades, but is actually closer to us. Above Orion are Gemini, the host of Jupiter this month, and Auriga, containing the bright yellow star Capella. Perseus and Cassiopeia are nearby, with the Perseus Double Cluster among the treasures to be found along the Milky Way that runs between them. Leo rises in the east as the evening wears on, followed by the planets Mars and Saturn in the early hours of the morning.
The Planets- Jupiter is visible throughout the night, crossing the southern sky. It reaches opposition (opposite to the Sun in the sky) on the 5th and attains a maximum elevation of 62 degrees, making this a great month to observe it. With a magnitude of -2.7 and an angular diameter of 46-47", it can be clearly seen in Gemini. It is currently moving west (retrograde) through the constellation as the Earth overtakes it in their orbits around the Sun. A small telescope shows the Galilean moons, as well as the Great Red Spot in Jupiter's South Equatorial Belt.
- Saturn is visible before dawn, rising around 03:00 Universal Time (UT) at the beginning of the month and 01:30 by the end. It shines in Libra at magnitude +0.6, with a disc 16" across. Its rings are now inclined at 20 degrees to the line of sight, but the planet does not rise very high in northern hemisphere skies.
- Mars rises at about midnight UT at the start of January and 23:00 at the end. It brightens from magnitude +0.9 to +0.3 over the month, while it increases from 6.9 to 8.8" in angular size. Using a telescope, markings can be discerned on its surface. Mars is moving down through Virgo, from beneath Porrima to above Spica.
- Mercury reached superior conjunction (behind the Sun in the sky) on the 29th of December, but reappears low in the west-south-west in the second half of January. It is at its greatest angular separation of 18 degrees from the Sun (elongation) on the 31st, when it has a magnitude of -0.6 and an angular size of 7", and lies 10 degrees above the horizon 45 minutes after sunset, alongside a thin crescent Moon.
- Venus passes between the Earth and the Sun (inferior conjunction) on the 11th. Nevertheless, it can be seen low in the south-west after sunset at the very beginning of the month, and low in the south-east before dawn at the end. It forms an extremely thin crescent on New Year's Day, being just 3 percent illuminated, but spans almost 1'.
- Jupiter, high up and far from the Sun in the sky, offers optimal viewing conditions this month. The Great Red Spot has also become more prominent recently.
- Venus lies just below the Moon 45 minutes after sunset on the 2nd, and both bodies show very slender crescent phases. Look out for earthshine, where sunlight reflected from Earth's clouds faintly illuminates the otherwise dark part of the Moon.
- It is a good time to observe the Andromeda and Triangulum Galaxies early or late month, when the Moon is new.
- Jupiter is only 6 degrees from the Moon on the 14th, when the latter is 98.4 percent full.
- Saturn is close to a third-quarter Moon before dawn on the 25th.
- Venus is just 4 degrees above a thin, waning crescent Moon before dawn on the 29th.
John Field from the Carter Observatory in New Zealand speaks about the southern hemisphere night sky during January 2014.
Orion, Canis Manor and Taurus dominate the northern sky after sunset. The planet Jupiter is nearby in Gemini, moving westward (retrograde) relative to the stars. Castor and Pollux, the brightest stars in Gemini, are low in the north-east in the evening and represent the heads of the Heavenly Twins. Castor, the lower of the two, is a multiple star system with a combined magnitude of +1.6 whose two brightest components can be split using a medium-sized telescope. Pollux, a red giant star in the latter stages of its life, is brighter at magnitude +1.1. The open star cluster M35 resides near the star Eta Geminorum, close to Taurus. It can be seen with the naked eye, while binoculars or a small telescope reveal more of its population of some 500 stars. Taurus, in the north, is marked by a V-shape of three stars, representing the head and horns of the Bull. The red giant star Aldebaran is the Bull's Eye. The Pleiades star cluster, on the back of Taurus, is visible to the west of the head.
Orion is between Taurus and Gemini, a Hunter standing upside-down to Southern Hemisphere observers. Commonly known as the Pot in New Zealand, it plays host to the Orion Nebula in the middle of the Sword just below his Belt. This star-forming region looks like a fuzzy star to the unaided eye, or a bat-shaped cloud in binoculars or a small telescope. A telescope of 100 millimetres or more in aperture reveals stars within and around the nebula, including a tight group of four stars called the Trapezium, the brightest of which illuminates the surrounding cloud with ultra-violet radiation. Orion's left foot is the blue giant star Rigel, which is some 18 times more massive than our own Sun.
The Pleiades, the head of Taurus and the Belt and Sword of Orion make up a great Waka, or canoe, to some Maori along the east coast of Aoteroa (New Zealand). In this canoe, called Te Waka o Tamarereti, the mythical figure of Tamarereti sailed across the night sky and placed the stars into the heavens, leaving a wake in the form of the Milky Way. The constellations of Canis Major and Canis Minor are the hunting dogs of Orion, following him through the sky. The larger dog's collar is marked by Sirius, the brightest night-time star. The smaller dog's tail is the bright star Procyon. Canopus, the next-brightest star after Sirius, is almost overhead in the evening.
The planets- Mars rises after midnight NZDT (New Zealand Daylight Time, 13 hours ahead of Universal Time), near to the star Spica in Virgo.
- Saturn comes up around 02:00 NZDT.
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By Jodrell Bank ObservatoryNorthern Hemisphere
Ian Morison tells us what we can see in the northern hemisphere night sky during January 2014.
Pegasus and Andromeda are setting in the west in the evening, with the nearby galaxies of Andromeda and Triangulum visible under a dark sky. Orion the Hunter looms large in the south, with the red giant star Betelgeuse to his upper left and the blue giant Rigel to his lower right. Between them, the Belt of three stars is above the Sword, which contains the spectacular Orion Nebula. The Belt points down towards Sirius, or Alpha Canis Majoris, the brightest star after the Sun to observers on Earth. Following the Belt the other way leads to Taurus the Bull, wherein lie the beautiful Hyades and Pleiades Clusters. The orange-coloured star Aldebaran appears to be among the Hyades, but is actually closer to us. Above Orion are Gemini, the host of Jupiter this month, and Auriga, containing the bright yellow star Capella. Perseus and Cassiopeia are nearby, with the Perseus Double Cluster among the treasures to be found along the Milky Way that runs between them. Leo rises in the east as the evening wears on, followed by the planets Mars and Saturn in the early hours of the morning.
The Planets- Jupiter is visible throughout the night, crossing the southern sky. It reaches opposition (opposite to the Sun in the sky) on the 5th and attains a maximum elevation of 62 degrees, making this a great month to observe it. With a magnitude of -2.7 and an angular diameter of 46-47", it can be clearly seen in Gemini. It is currently moving west (retrograde) through the constellation as the Earth overtakes it in their orbits around the Sun. A small telescope shows the Galilean moons, as well as the Great Red Spot in Jupiter's South Equatorial Belt.
- Saturn is visible before dawn, rising around 03:00 Universal Time (UT) at the beginning of the month and 01:30 by the end. It shines in Libra at magnitude +0.6, with a disc 16" across. Its rings are now inclined at 20 degrees to the line of sight, but the planet does not rise very high in northern hemisphere skies.
- Mars rises at about midnight UT at the start of January and 23:00 at the end. It brightens from magnitude +0.9 to +0.3 over the month, while it increases from 6.9 to 8.8" in angular size. Using a telescope, markings can be discerned on its surface. Mars is moving down through Virgo, from beneath Porrima to above Spica.
- Mercury reached superior conjunction (behind the Sun in the sky) on the 29th of December, but reappears low in the west-south-west in the second half of January. It is at its greatest angular separation of 18 degrees from the Sun (elongation) on the 31st, when it has a magnitude of -0.6 and an angular size of 7", and lies 10 degrees above the horizon 45 minutes after sunset, alongside a thin crescent Moon.
- Venus passes between the Earth and the Sun (inferior conjunction) on the 11th. Nevertheless, it can be seen low in the south-west after sunset at the very beginning of the month, and low in the south-east before dawn at the end. It forms an extremely thin crescent on New Year's Day, being just 3 percent illuminated, but spans almost 1'.
- Jupiter, high up and far from the Sun in the sky, offers optimal viewing conditions this month. The Great Red Spot has also become more prominent recently.
- Venus lies just below the Moon 45 minutes after sunset on the 2nd, and both bodies show very slender crescent phases. Look out for earthshine, where sunlight reflected from Earth's clouds faintly illuminates the otherwise dark part of the Moon.
- It is a good time to observe the Andromeda and Triangulum Galaxies early or late month, when the Moon is new.
- Jupiter is only 6 degrees from the Moon on the 14th, when the latter is 98.4 percent full.
- Saturn is close to a third-quarter Moon before dawn on the 25th.
- Venus is just 4 degrees above a thin, waning crescent Moon before dawn on the 29th.
John Field from the Carter Observatory in New Zealand speaks about the southern hemisphere night sky during January 2014.
Orion, Canis Manor and Taurus dominate the northern sky after sunset. The planet Jupiter is nearby in Gemini, moving westward (retrograde) relative to the stars. Castor and Pollux, the brightest stars in Gemini, are low in the north-east in the evening and represent the heads of the Heavenly Twins. Castor, the lower of the two, is a multiple star system with a combined magnitude of +1.6 whose two brightest components can be split using a medium-sized telescope. Pollux, a red giant star in the latter stages of its life, is brighter at magnitude +1.1. The open star cluster M35 resides near the star Eta Geminorum, close to Taurus. It can be seen with the naked eye, while binoculars or a small telescope reveal more of its population of some 500 stars. Taurus, in the north, is marked by a V-shape of three stars, representing the head and horns of the Bull. The red giant star Aldebaran is the Bull's Eye. The Pleiades star cluster, on the back of Taurus, is visible to the west of the head.
Orion is between Taurus and Gemini, a Hunter standing upside-down to Southern Hemisphere observers. Commonly known as the Pot in New Zealand, it plays host to the Orion Nebula in the middle of the Sword just below his Belt. This star-forming region looks like a fuzzy star to the unaided eye, or a bat-shaped cloud in binoculars or a small telescope. A telescope of 100 millimetres or more in aperture reveals stars within and around the nebula, including a tight group of four stars called the Trapezium, the brightest of which illuminates the surrounding cloud with ultra-violet radiation. Orion's left foot is the blue giant star Rigel, which is some 18 times more massive than our own Sun.
The Pleiades, the head of Taurus and the Belt and Sword of Orion make up a great Waka, or canoe, to some Maori along the east coast of Aoteroa (New Zealand). In this canoe, called Te Waka o Tamarereti, the mythical figure of Tamarereti sailed across the night sky and placed the stars into the heavens, leaving a wake in the form of the Milky Way. The constellations of Canis Major and Canis Minor are the hunting dogs of Orion, following him through the sky. The larger dog's collar is marked by Sirius, the brightest night-time star. The smaller dog's tail is the bright star Procyon. Canopus, the next-brightest star after Sirius, is almost overhead in the evening.
The planets- Mars rises after midnight NZDT (New Zealand Daylight Time, 13 hours ahead of Universal Time), near to the star Spica in Virgo.
- Saturn comes up around 02:00 NZDT.