(Viewed 1,137 times)

[Centaur]

On January 4th some lucky observers may have an opportunity to spot the New Moon while it is less than a day old. The Dark Moon will be in geocentric longitudinal conjunction with the Sun on 2011 JAN 04 at 09:03 UT (03:03 CST). For Europe, North Africa and the Near East it will result in a partial solar eclipse. From North America, only those in the far west may want to consider searching for the Moon after sunset on the 4th. The challenge that evening may be more realistic for observers on Pacific islands, Australia and the Far East where the date will be January 5th. The rest of us will likely have to wait until later on the 5th.

I’ve made a graphic previewing the west-southwestern sky from San Francisco after sunset on January 4th. Another one shows the view from Chicagoland on January 5th. They should well serve most North American observers. They can all be seen by clicking: www.curtrenz.com/astronomical then going to the Moon page.

Also on my Moon webpage is a panorama of all Diana’s Bows in 2011. That’s a waxing crescent Moon about 10% illuminated and aged about three days. The name is a reference to the archery equipment of the ancient Roman goddess of the Moon and hunting. There’s a similar graphic for waning crescent Moons.

Photos and descriptions of the January New Moon would be welcome additions to this thread. Please include the date, time, time zone and location. Good Luck!

Below is a photo I took from Arlington Heights, Illinois after sunset on 2008 DEC 28 of a 1.5-day-old Moon with Venus at the top and Mercury in the center.

[Paulie pchris00]

Wednesday afternoon was cloudy, and the satellite images didn’t give me any reason to think that would change before sunset. I went back to sleep, and skipped my first attempt at sighting the new Moon. Thursday, however, I was going to pick up Hillary and go out. I walked out the door, turned around, and saw Luna barely illuminated at 4:34 PM CST. I snapped a picture and headed on my way.



First image of the Moon Thursday evening, home, 4:34 CST.

By the time I got to the railroad tracks outside Ogden Dunes, an Amtrak train was coming, and I had a chance to get another picture.



The Moon again, while I waited for a train.


When Hillary came out, I wanted to grab my Dob out of the back seat, but settled for binoculars instead. I took a look, and was intrigued by what I saw. I handed the binos to Hillary, and told her what to look for. I had to get a better look, so out came the telescope. Near the tip of the southern horn was a valley, a dark rift separating the very tip from the rest of the crescent. I’ve never noticed this before, and I was proud that I caught it first with just binoculars. For anybody who thinks low power binoculars aren’t enough for astronomical use, this demonstrates that a careful eye is just as important as the instrument.




From Hillary's house, sometime around 5:00 PM


From 5:00 to 5:09 PM I captured the valleys in a few pictures, but the wind made moments of good seeing difficult for getting good images. We had to get to the post office, and I wasn’t dressed for the cold wind off the Lake, so I made the observation short. Hillary had Luna keeping her company while we drove to Valpo. Once we were in town, our night of astronomy was over, but we have Luna back in the evening sky for the next two weeks.










I think this last one best shows the valley, or rather two valleys, as it appears.




I was finished observing by 5:09 PM CST. Short, cold, but productive.

[hillimolly]

I like your story paulie, it is good

[Centaur]

Glad you had a good experience, Paulie. Nice description and fine pictures. Thank you for sharing. Is that Hillary darkened by the shade in the lower right of the final picture?

[Paulie pchris00]

No, that is not Hillary. She was sitting in the nice, warm car. But i did see her taking pictures with her phone. I will ask her to post her pictures.

[hillimolly]

Paulie, I send the picture to your gmail.

[Paulie pchris00]

Okay, Hillary is having computer issues, so she sent the picture to me.

It's blurry, but it was quite windy, and I had trouble getting a steady shot too; I just took several knowing that only one or two might turn out.

Hillary's picture from her driveway, 6 JAN 2011, 5:06:23 PM CST.

[hillimolly]

darn it is blurry,

[hillimolly]

i took a bad shot of the new moon. (

[patrickm]

Sometimes better late than never. Here's a couple of HDR shots taken 6 January 19:00 CST from Austin, TX

[Centaur]

Nice shots, Patrick. Thank you for sharing despite Kodak being a little slow in getting the prints back to you. ;D

February 3rd may present an opportunity for Chicagolanders (and Texans) to spot a Moon less than a day old. I’ll initiate a thread with more details as the date grows closer.

[patrickm]

Thanks Centaur!
If my schedule holds, unless I can get it earlier in the day in Chicago, I will be airborne toward Austin on 2/3 at New Moon spotting time. Will have to take a crack 2/4 if I can.
p