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[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

January 2006 Monthly Summary

All times are UT (subtract 6 hours and when appropriate 1 calendar
day for CST)

1/1 The Moon is at perigee, subtending 33'02" from a distance of
361,751 km, at 23:00

1/2 Neptune is 3.8 degrees north-northwest of the Moon at 15:00

1/3 The peak of the Quadrantid meteor shower (40 to 200/ hour) occurs
at 18:00

1/4 Uranus is 1.8 degrees north-northeast of the Moon at 2:00; a
minimum lunar libration of 4.6 degrees occurs at 7:00; Earth is at
perihelion (147,103,622 km from the Sun) at 15:00; the latest sunrise
at latitude 40 degrees north occurs at 12:22

1/5 Asteroid 4 Vesta (magnitude 6.2) is at opposition at 23:00

1/6 The Moon is at the ascending node (longitude 8.3 degrees) at
5:00; First Quarter Moon occurs at 18:56

1/8 The latest onset of morning twilight occurs today; Mars is 1.3
degrees south of the Moon at 19:00

1/9 A double Galilean satellite shadow transit (Ganymede and Europa)
occurs from 11:02 to 11:56

1/10 Mercury is at aphelion at 0:00; the Moon is 0.2 degrees
southwest of the bright open cluster M45 (the Pleiades)

1/11 An unusual alignment of the Galilean satellites Io, Europa, and
Callisto occurs at 4:31; a maximum lunar libration of 8.1 degrees
occurs at 14:00

1/14 Venus is at inferior conjunction with the Sun at 0:00; the Moon
is 1.9 degrees south-southwest of the first magnitude star Pollux at
8:00; Full Moon, known as the Old Moon or the Moon After Yule, occurs
at 9:48

1/15 The Moon is 2.8 degrees north-northeast of the bright open
cluster M44 (the Beehive Cluster) at 12:00; Saturn is 4 degrees south
of the Moon at 13:00

1/17 The Moon is 2.6 degrees north-northeast of the first magnitude
star Regulus at 10:00; the Moon is at apogee, subtending 29'26" from
a distance of 405,884 km, at 19:00

1/18 The Sun enters Capricornus at 18:00; a minimum lunar libration
of 3.4 degrees occurs at 15:00

1/20 Mars (heliocentric longitude 84.4 degrees) and Pluto
(heliocentric longitude 264.4 degrees) are at heliocentric opposition
at 8:00; the Moon is at the descending node (longitude 186.6 degrees)
at 12:07

1/21 The vernal equinox occurs in the northern hemisphere of Mars at
12:00; the Moon is 0.54 degrees northeast of the first magnitude star
Spica at 23:00

1/22 Last Quarter Moon occurs at 15:14

1/23 Jupiter is 5 degrees north of the Moon at 20:00

1/24 Venus is at perihelion at 23:00

1/25 The Moon is 0.03 degrees north-northwest of the first magnitude
star Antares at 12:00; a maximum lunar libration of 9.5 degrees
occurs at 13:00; SAO 98054 (magnitude 8.2) is occulted by the rings
of Saturn at approximately 18:45; SAO 98054 reappears from
occultation by the disk of Saturn at 20:55

1/26 Mercury is in superior conjunction with the Sun at 22:00

1/27 Saturn (magnitude -0.2, 20.4") is at opposition at 22:00

1/28 The Moon is 1.9 degrees south of the asteroid 1 Ceres at 6:00;
Io, Callisto, and Europa (in that order) form a dogleg to the west of
Jupiter at 10:00

1/29 New Moon (lunation 1028) occurs at 14:15; Mercury is 2.1 degrees
north-northwest of the Moon at 18:00

1/30 Neptune is 3.7 degrees north-northwest of the Moon at 2:00;
Mercury is at its greatest latitude south of the plane of the
ecliptic (-7.0 degrees); the Moon is at perigee, subtending 33'24"
from a distance of 357,777 km, at 8:00 - high tides are expected

1/31 Uranus is 1.6 degrees north-northwest of the Moon at 13:00; a
minimum lunar libration of 3.8 degrees occurs at 15:00

Times and dates for the lunar light rays predicted to occur this
month are available at www.lunar-
occultations.com/rlo/rays/rays.htm

The planets on January 1: Mercury (-0.7 magnitude, 5.0", 92%
illuminated), Venus (-4.3 magnitude, 57.9", 6% illuminated), Mars (-
0.6 magnitude, 12.1", 92% illuminated), Jupiter (-1.8 magnitude,
33.3", 99% illuminated), Saturn (-0.1 magnitude, 20.1", 100%
illuminated), Uranus (5.9 magnitude, 3.4", 100% illuminated), Neptune
(8.0 magnitude, 2.2", 100% illuminated), and Pluto (14.0 magnitude,
0.1", 100% illuminated).

Mercury is potentially visible in the morning twilight in early
January. The innermost planet is at inferior conjunction on January
26.

Brilliant Venus remains prominent in the southwest during evening
twilight in early January, becoming an increasingly thin crescent but
growing in apparent size to 62" as it approaches the Earth and
inferior conjunction on January 13-14. Venus returns to the morning
sky on January 17. From January 9 to January 18, the planet is only
1% illuminated.

Located in Aries, Mars continues to decline in both apparent size and
magnitude this month. Its apparent size drops below 10" on January
19. Mars won't be this prominent again until October 2007.

Jupiter rises by 1:00 a.m. at month's end. On the night of January
11, it is 49' due north of Alpha Librae (magnitude 2.7), better known
as Zubenelgenubi. Jupiter is less than 1 degree from Zubenelgenubi
from January 9 to January 17.

Still residing in Cancer, Saturn is at its best in January. It rises
at sunset, is on the meridian at midnight, and sets at sunrise. The
planet's rings extend some 46 arc seconds, over twice its apparent
diameter. Saturn's retrograde (western) motion takes it from 2.5
degrees to less than a degree from the center of the naked-eye open
cluster M44 during the course of the month.

Uranus can be found in Aquarius in the early evening, nearly midway
between the stars Lambda and Sigma.

Neptune is less than well-placed for observation this month.

Pluto is still too close to the Sun to be readily observed.

Asteroid 4 Vesta reaches opposition on January 5 at approximately 1/3
of the distance from Delta to Epsilon Geminorum. It may be visible to
the naked-eye from a very dark site.

Comet C/2005 E2 (McNaught) passes through Aquarius and enters Pisces
by the end of the month. On the evening of January 20, the tenth
magnitude comet appears just to the south of the twelfth magnitude
spiral galaxy NGC 7351 in Aquarius.

Variable star for January: U Orionis (maximum magnitude 6.3 on
January 10)