Monthly Highlights

It’s sort of an inside joke amongst amateur astronomers that some of the best nights for viewing planetary and deepsky wonders are also the most bitter cold.  This January is sure to not disappoint.   This month we can enjoy some of the most easily recognized constellations (Orion, Sirius, Gemini and some of the brightest stars in the urban skies (Betelgeuse, Rigel, Sirius) – all high in the sky well before midnight.  January is also the month for the Quadrantid meteor shower which will appear to radiate from the constellation Bootes.

As the sun is setting – we still get to enjoy the showing of the two brightest planets as seen from Earth with Jupiter high in the sky near zenith, as it day by day speeds toward Venus in the West.  Venus sets soon after full dark, but look for it to pass just 1.2-deg south of Neptune on the 13^th.  Mars begins its rise late in the evening an on the 25^th, will stand still from Earth’s perspective as it begins its retrograde motion.  Uranus is our other evening planet.  Look for it in the western sky in the constellation Pisces in the early evening.  Well after midnight Saturn begins its rise in the constellation Virgo and Mercury is in the southwestern sky just before dawn.

Fall is finally here, and the draining 100˚+ temps are finally gone for the season.  The nights are getting longer, and on the 6^th we “fall back” meaning night-time observing sessions can begin an hour earlier in the evening.  It’s a great time of year because it’s not yet bitter cold, and we can get in a great evening’s worth of observing without having to stay up too late.

November is the month that giant Jupiter (in Aries) really shines.  It reached opposition in October, but beginning in November, it’s high enough in the sky at full dark for reasonably steady viewing, and Jupiter is an impressive sight even in binoculars (able to see the 4 Galilean moons) or small scopes (able to pick out equatorial cloud banding).  Early in the month, we get to enjoy a special treat as Jupiter and Venus square off right at dusk.  Look for Jupiter rising in the east, and Venus setting in the west.  Mercury forms an impressive triad remaining around 2 south of Venus the first two weeks of the month.  On the 14^th, Mercury reaches it’s greatest eastern elongation (furthest from the sun from our vantage point), then begins moving toward the sun and lower in the sky each night for the remainder of November.  Neptune in Aquarius and Uranus in Pisces are at their highest to the south for the first few hours after dark, while little Pluto (still in Sagittarius) is slowly disappearing into the sunset.  Saturn is the morning star, rising around 5 am at the beginning of the month and as early as 2:30 am by the end of the month.  Though not very high in the sky by sunrise – views will be worth the effort as the rings will be increasing their opening from about 12˚ at the beginning of the month to as much as 14 by the end.  Finally, Mars begins its return to the evening sky rising around midnight early in the month and as early as 10:30 PM by the end of November.  Look for the red planet as it passes bright blue-white Regulus in Leo on the 10^th and 11^th.

The winter constellations are beginning to move into prominence with Andromeda and the great square of Pegasus already approaching zenith by full dark.  Look for M31 – the Andromeda galaxy with your naked eye if you have a dark sky.  The Pleiades is already above the roof tops by 9:00 or 10:00 with Taurus trailing close behind.  By midnight – Orion the hunter (easily recognized by the 3 stars that make up his belt) and the Gemini twins are both fully above the horizon.

Welcome to September.  Though it doesn’t feel like it yet with high temperatures still over 100 – Autumn will be here by the end of the month, and while football fans are dreaming of one kind of Fall line-up, we star gazers have another sort in mind.  Days are finally getting shorter, and we are able to begin our enjoyment of the night skies shortly after 8 PM.

September is the last month you’ll get to enjoy Saturn until it returns in the morning later in the year, but be sure and catch it just above the western horizon early as it’ll set shortly after 9 PM.  Venus is still too near the sun for viewing in the northern hemisphere until October.  Jupiter (in Aries) is rising around 10:30 PM, though it still won’t be above 20˚ (roof top height for most of us urban observers) until nearly midnight.  Uranus (in Pisces) precedes Jupiter by a couple of hours, cresting rooftops around 10:00.  Uranus reaches opposition (position closest to Earth) in late September.  It will be viewable in binoculars, but you’ll need at least a small telescope to fully appreciate its beautiful blue coloration.  Neptune (in Aquarius) will be viewable in binoculars and small telescopes by mid-evening.  Mars is still not up until well after midnight, but for you night owls and early birds – it should be interesting to watch as it moves through the constellation Gemini on its way to Cancer by the end of the month.  As it traverses Gemini, look for some spectacular combinations between the red planet along with Castor and Pollux.  Finally, little Mercury appears one to two hours before dawn, but never rises above the horizon by more than 10˚.

The summer triangle is now high in the sky at full dark.  Look for Vega (in the constellation Lyra) near zenith.  Slightly south and east, you'll find the constellation Hercules sporting the spectacular globular star cluster M13.

Scorpius and Sagittarius still rule the south, but the giant scorpion is sinking below the horizon by late evening.

By full dark, the great square, formed by the constellations Pegasus and Andromeda are above the horizon.  By late evening, you should be able to spot the core of the Andromeda Galaxy (naked eye in dark skies) and perhaps some of the surrounding nebulosity in binoculars.

Summer heat is in full swing so suburban viewers (like myself) will have our best viewing high above the horizon as we avoid the turbulent atmosphere above neighboring rooftops.  July is a special month for astronomers as we get to enjoy not one, but two new Moons.

On the 12^th, we celebrate the “birthday” of Neptune, as it completes its first revolution of the sun since its discovery 165 years ago.  You can spot Neptune with binoculars in the early morning in the constellation Aquarius.  The evening planets this month are Mercury and Saturn.  To catch Mercury, look low to the west just after sunset.  Saturn (still paired up with Gamma Virginis (Porrima) is gradually sinking into the west, but it’s not too late to enjoy the gas giant well into the night.  The rings are open to 7.5 deg. So you can easily spot their shadow on the planet and the shadow of the planet on the rings as they pass behind.  With steady skies, sharp eyes will be able to make out the Cassini division on the far left and right of the rings in even smaller back yard scopes.

Jupiter (in Aries) is up next, but doesn’t crest the horizon until well after midnight.  Look for it in the Northeast between 02:30 and 03:30.  Mars and Venus are the morning planets with Mars appearing in the Northeast between 04:00 and 05:00, and Venus just before sunrise.

It’s still not too late to catch the trio of Messier galaxies in Leo, but look early in the evening as it is setting in the west.  The summer constellations are all completely above the horizon by full dark (but maybe not the rooftops or treetops).  Look for the summer triangle asterism formed by Vega (in the constellation Lyra), Deneb (in the constellation Cygnus), and Altair (in the constellation Aquila) in the northeast.  Hercules (sporting the impressive globular star cluster M13) is high in the sky near zenith.  Panning south, you’ll spy the teapot of Sagittarius and Scorpius, both rife with fine targets for binoculars and small scopes. 

Summer is nearly here, and so we begin to see our old friend Vega rising in the east in the early evening just ahead of the Milky Way which will span the entire eastern horizon by early morning.  Leo is riding high in the sky to the south west, and the Gemini twins are hovering just above the western horizon.  If you have a southern view that's clear above at least 11-deg, don't miss your chance to catch the giant globular cluster Omega Centauri (viewable even with modest binoculars).  Later in the evening, Hercules and Scorpius will be fully on display with Sagittarius trailing to the south east.

Saturn is at its peak just after twilight in a fine pairing with the double star Gamma Virginis (Porrima) for most of the month.  Tiny Pluto (located just above the dome of the Sagittarius tea pot) reaches opposition and will be its brightest for the year on the 28th.  Jupiter is emerging from behind the sun to join Venus and Mars in a fine show just before dawn.

Jupiter is at conjunction passing behind the sun (from our perspective here on Earth).  It will return to the early morning sky in a few weeks.  Mercury is now very close to the sun so will only be spotted just after sunset.  It will return just before dawn by month's end.  Saturn (in Virgo) is at its best this month as it reaches opposition (opposite the Earth from the Sun) on April 3.  This is when it is brightest, and closest to Earth on our annual revolution.  It will be viewable all through the night, so don't miss an opportunity to enjoy this majestic sight.

Venus rises about 1.5 hrs before the sun in early April and an hour before the sun by the end of the month on its way to conjunction.  Mars will be above the eastern horizon just before dawn, but will be low on the horizon.  Look for the red planet with binoculars - but it probably won't be viewable naked eye. 

Early evening (before midnight) Orion is high in the sky to the south, and Leo is prominent in the south east with Regulus shining brightly.  Look for Messiers 95, 96, and 105 below the belly of the Lion (viewable in binoculars and small telescopes).  The Big Dipper (Ursa Major) is now fully above the horizon and well on its way to describe its arc over Polaris, so now is a good time to begin your hunt for your favorite Ursa Major Messier objects (M101/102, M40, M97/108, and M81/82).