Post by Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe on Jan 1, 2006 17:59:37 GMT -6
Sunday, January 1
At sunset, the Moon is low in SW, and Venus is about 10 degrees to
Moon's lower right and 19 degrees to Sun's upper left. Binoculars
show Venus as a tiny crescent nearly 1/60 of a degree across and 5
percent illuminated, same phase as the Moon's! This is your last
chance to see the Moon and Venus in conjunction at dusk until
December 21 this year, shortly after Venus begins its next evening
appearance. By this Sat. Jan. 7, Venus will be only 10 or 11 degrees
above the setting Sun.
Monday, January 2
The Moon is higher than last night, Venus a bit lower. Venus is
about 22 degrees to Moon's lower right. As sky darkens, binoculars
show the 3rd-mag. star Deneb Algiedi, tail of the Sea-goat, about 3
degrees above the Moon. Note the beautiful earthshine on Moon's dark
side.
Tuesday, January 3
As evening twilight ends (about 1-1/2 hours after sunset), find the
Moon in SW, and the first mag. star Fomalhaut 18 degrees to Moon's
lower left. Using binoculars, note the 3rd and 4th mag. stars Delta
and Tau in Aquarius, 2.5 degrees apart and close to the Moon's left.
A line from Delta to Tau extended 5 degrees upper right locates 6th-
mag. Uranus about 2 or 3 degrees to Moon's upper right.
Friday, January 6
In today's afternoon and evening sky, look for the First Quarter
Moon 90 degrees or one-quarter circle east of the Sun. Note the
Moon's shape is half full. This phase of the Moon is ideal for using
binoculars or a telescope to examine lunar surface details. That's
because at the terminator (day-night boundary) at the center of the
Moon's disk we see surface features illuminated by a low, rising
Sun. Mountains cast long shadows, and craters look very deep. The
Earth's revolution around the Sun at this time of year carries it
away from Pisces (tonight's location of the First Quarter Moon) and
toward the constellation Virgo, near the star Spica in the morning
sky.
Saturday, January 7
The Moon this evening is noticeably more than half full. As the sky
darkens, note bright Mars 10 degrees to the Moon's east. Look again
on Sunday night.
Sunday, January 8
This evening, the Moon is nearly three-fourths full and has
overtaken Mars. At nightfall note the Red Planet a few degrees to
Moon's right, and the Pleiades star cluster about 14 degrees to
Moon's lower left.
Monday, January 9
This evening, the Moon occults or covers some of the stars of the
Pleiades cluster or its outlying members. Since the Moon is over 80
percent full and very bright, a telescope is recommended to view the
occultations. Alcyone, of 3rd-magnitude, is the cluster's brightest
star. It is covered by the Moon only from southeastern U.S.,
southeast of a line from the lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas to
southeast Virginia. The area of visibility of Alcyone's occultation
includes the TX Gulf Coast, the southeast halves of LA and MS, all
of AL except the extreme northwest, nearly all of GA and NC, all of
SC, and extreme southeast VA. From Miami the star is covered by the
leading dark edge of the Moon at 8:39 p.m. EST, from Atlanta at 8:03
p.m. Atlas at mag. 3.6 is the cluster's second brightest star and
father of the Pleiades, and marks the end of the handle of the tiny
dipper-shaped group. Atlas is covered by the Moon's dark edge in the
U.S. south of a line from southern CA (at dusk) through NV, UT, WY,
SD, MN, northern WI, and northern MI, across Canada to the northern
tip of ME. From East Lansing, MI, the star is covered at 9:52 p.m.
EST. From the northwestern U.S., north of the line just described,
only fainter outlying stars of 5th and 6th magnitude, southeast of
the bright cluster core, are covered by the Moon.
As the evening progresses, use binoculars to watch the Moon
gradually move slowly eastward, away from the cluster. The Moon will
move through the Pleiades, covering more of its stars, on several
occasions this year.
Tuesday, January 10
At dusk note the first-mag. star Aldebaran, eye of Taurus and
follower of the Pleiades, 10 degrees to Moon's lower right. Also
find the Pleiades cluster about 12 degrees to Moon's upper right,
and Elnath, the Bull's northern horn, about 10 degrees to Moon's
lower left. By Wednesday evening, the Moon will have passed Elnath
At sunset, the Moon is low in SW, and Venus is about 10 degrees to
Moon's lower right and 19 degrees to Sun's upper left. Binoculars
show Venus as a tiny crescent nearly 1/60 of a degree across and 5
percent illuminated, same phase as the Moon's! This is your last
chance to see the Moon and Venus in conjunction at dusk until
December 21 this year, shortly after Venus begins its next evening
appearance. By this Sat. Jan. 7, Venus will be only 10 or 11 degrees
above the setting Sun.
Monday, January 2
The Moon is higher than last night, Venus a bit lower. Venus is
about 22 degrees to Moon's lower right. As sky darkens, binoculars
show the 3rd-mag. star Deneb Algiedi, tail of the Sea-goat, about 3
degrees above the Moon. Note the beautiful earthshine on Moon's dark
side.
Tuesday, January 3
As evening twilight ends (about 1-1/2 hours after sunset), find the
Moon in SW, and the first mag. star Fomalhaut 18 degrees to Moon's
lower left. Using binoculars, note the 3rd and 4th mag. stars Delta
and Tau in Aquarius, 2.5 degrees apart and close to the Moon's left.
A line from Delta to Tau extended 5 degrees upper right locates 6th-
mag. Uranus about 2 or 3 degrees to Moon's upper right.
Friday, January 6
In today's afternoon and evening sky, look for the First Quarter
Moon 90 degrees or one-quarter circle east of the Sun. Note the
Moon's shape is half full. This phase of the Moon is ideal for using
binoculars or a telescope to examine lunar surface details. That's
because at the terminator (day-night boundary) at the center of the
Moon's disk we see surface features illuminated by a low, rising
Sun. Mountains cast long shadows, and craters look very deep. The
Earth's revolution around the Sun at this time of year carries it
away from Pisces (tonight's location of the First Quarter Moon) and
toward the constellation Virgo, near the star Spica in the morning
sky.
Saturday, January 7
The Moon this evening is noticeably more than half full. As the sky
darkens, note bright Mars 10 degrees to the Moon's east. Look again
on Sunday night.
Sunday, January 8
This evening, the Moon is nearly three-fourths full and has
overtaken Mars. At nightfall note the Red Planet a few degrees to
Moon's right, and the Pleiades star cluster about 14 degrees to
Moon's lower left.
Monday, January 9
This evening, the Moon occults or covers some of the stars of the
Pleiades cluster or its outlying members. Since the Moon is over 80
percent full and very bright, a telescope is recommended to view the
occultations. Alcyone, of 3rd-magnitude, is the cluster's brightest
star. It is covered by the Moon only from southeastern U.S.,
southeast of a line from the lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas to
southeast Virginia. The area of visibility of Alcyone's occultation
includes the TX Gulf Coast, the southeast halves of LA and MS, all
of AL except the extreme northwest, nearly all of GA and NC, all of
SC, and extreme southeast VA. From Miami the star is covered by the
leading dark edge of the Moon at 8:39 p.m. EST, from Atlanta at 8:03
p.m. Atlas at mag. 3.6 is the cluster's second brightest star and
father of the Pleiades, and marks the end of the handle of the tiny
dipper-shaped group. Atlas is covered by the Moon's dark edge in the
U.S. south of a line from southern CA (at dusk) through NV, UT, WY,
SD, MN, northern WI, and northern MI, across Canada to the northern
tip of ME. From East Lansing, MI, the star is covered at 9:52 p.m.
EST. From the northwestern U.S., north of the line just described,
only fainter outlying stars of 5th and 6th magnitude, southeast of
the bright cluster core, are covered by the Moon.
As the evening progresses, use binoculars to watch the Moon
gradually move slowly eastward, away from the cluster. The Moon will
move through the Pleiades, covering more of its stars, on several
occasions this year.
Tuesday, January 10
At dusk note the first-mag. star Aldebaran, eye of Taurus and
follower of the Pleiades, 10 degrees to Moon's lower right. Also
find the Pleiades cluster about 12 degrees to Moon's upper right,
and Elnath, the Bull's northern horn, about 10 degrees to Moon's
lower left. By Wednesday evening, the Moon will have passed Elnath