January 1999

by Steve Stefanik

January began the month with a full moon and this morning the earth is as close to the sun (91.4 million miles) as it will get in this new year. A second full moon will occur on January 31 because the lunar cycle is only 29 and one third days. This happens only occasionally in a month or "once in a blue moon".

Although January ushers in the new year some familiar "old faces" are featured. The planet Mercury is finishing a fine morning apparition in the east. It rises about an hour and a half before the sun and gets about 5 degrees above the horizon but by mid-month it will be lost in the sun’s glare.

In the west as the sun sets, the planet Venus can be seen heralding in the new year. Its hard to mistake this brilliant -3.9 magnitude "evening star". Its the brightest object in the nighttime sky other than the moon of course. Through binoculars or a small telescope you’ll notice that its size will increase as its phases will diminish as it speeds toward us in the weeks and months ahead.

Jupiter is about 55 degrees to the east (left) of Venus. Look for the jolly Jovian gas giant high in the soutnern sky about the time Venus is setting. Its the second brightest object at -2.2 magnitude other than the moon. It is closing in on Venus with each passing night. By months end, it will be only 23 degrees from it on its way to a spectacular conjunction next month.

The twin planets Uranus and Neptune pass Venus on their way westward. Neptune will be within 2 degrees of Venus on January 5, while Uranus will be less than a degree form it on the 13th. They set about 80 minutes after sun down. Neptune is too dim to see with the naked eye, but you may catch a glimpse of 6th magnitude Uranus if you have a dark sky.

Saturn is high in the southeast as the sun sets. It is about 30 degrees east (to the left) of Jupiter. Although not as bright as Jupiter at magnitude +0.3, it stands out among the dim third and fourth magnitude stars of the constellation Pisces the fish. Through even a small telescope its rings are tipped to the south toward earth. It reaches quadrature on January 17 when the planet will cast its longest shadow upon its rings.

The mystical planet Mars doesn’t rise until half an hour after mid-night. It spends most of the month near the bright first magnitude star Spica, in the constellationVirgo. The best time to view it is just before dawn when it will be high in the southern sky. Look for the red-orange planet near the blue-white star during the second week of the month. The pair will be separated by only 4 degrees on the morning of the 11th.

A slim waxing crescent moon will appear lower and to the right of Venus on the night of January 18. The next night it will be higher and to the left of the planet. On the night of the 21st, a somewhat fatter waxing crescent moon will position itself just a couple of degress to the lower left of Jupiter. The first quarter moon will station itself to the lower right of Saturn on the 23rd and to its left on the following night.