2020 Week 2: (January 5-January 11)

This week in the sky we have a lot going on that you're going to want to check out.  The Earth will be at its closest position in its orbit to the Sun early in the morning on Sunday.  Since the Earth orbits the Sun in an elliptical shape with the Sun at one node we experience a perihelion and an aphelion.  It is the tilt of the Earth that affects the seasons and not the proximity of the Earth to the Sun, unlike what my grade 6 teacher may have thought.  See below for more highlights!

Date	Event
January 5	Earth at Perihelion
January 9	Moon 4°S of M35 @Midnight
January 10	Mercury in Superior Conjunction
January 10	Full Moon
January 10	Penumbral Lunar Eclipse
January 11	Uranus Stationary
January 11	Moon 2°N of Beehive Cluster (M44) @8pm

Around midnight during the transition between January 8-9 the Moon will be in the same binocular field as the open cluster M35 at the foot of Castor, one of the brothers in Gemini.

The next day Mercury will be in superior conjunction with the Sun and will position itself in a line behind the Sun as viewed from the Earth.  We may be able to catch the diminutive planet in the evening twilight by the end of January.

The Moon will be full that same day and will shine brightly only 3 days from its perigee.  This is certainly not the best time to crack out the high aperture telescope to search for distant objects.

Full Moon

A penumbral eclipse will occur at this time for many observers.  However, it will not hit Calgary, but if it did, it's a penumbral eclipse.  Penumbral eclipses are difficult to see even to the most experienced observers.

Uranus will become station and then, once again, begin its prograde motion as it will move east compared to the background stars in Aries.

The same evening, watch as the moon rises.  Put that into your binocular field and see the beautiful Beehive Cluster sitting right next door.

Also, don't miss the free event coming up at the Calgary Public Library.  The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada is hosting Amanda Obodovsky who will be talking about Impact Craters in Seismic Data.  See below for more details!

https://calgary.rasc.ca/speakers2020.htm#janGM

https://www.facebook.com/events/518298638759999/