I wouldn't say that 2021 is off to a good start but hopefully we can take some solace in the night sky above. The fun this week is happening in the twilight skies as several of the planets will hang out all close together.
Look toward the dusk twilight skies this week to find Jupiter, Saturn and Mercury having a party in the same binocular field of view. You may actually need binoculars to see Saturn and Mercury as they will be dimmer and a little bit lower in the sky. If you are going to use binoculars in this region of the sky make sure the Sun has fully set below the horizon. There is no way you want to look at the Sun through binoculars or even the unaided eye. The map below shows the party of planets at 4:50pm local time. Look for this Sunday and Monday evening this week!
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| Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn Conjunction |
If you are a morning person check out the dawn sky before the Sun rises. If you can find Venus on Monday morning put it in binoculars and see if you can see the waning crescent Moon. The Moon will actually be dimmer than Venus at this time due to it being so very close to a New Moon, reaching this phase late Tuesday night. Again do not use binoculars if the Sun is moments from rising above the horizon. The map below is for approximately 7:50am local time Monday morning.
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| Moon, Venus Conjunction |
Several days later on the evening of Thursday, January 14 you may catch the slight waxing crescent Moon in the dusk twilight. The planets Mercury, Jupiter and Saturn have spread out a little bit from the other evening and the Moon is now in the mix forming a line down to the Sun. After the Sun has gone down look around this area with binoculars to see if you can catch all 4 objects in our twilight sky. The map below is for 5:00pm local time.
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| Moon, Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn Conjunction |
There isn't too much else special happening in the sky. Uranus will be stationary on the 14th which isn't very exciting except for sounding inappropriate at dinner parties. It will once again begin its prograde motion and appear to move eastward relative to the background stars. It can still be found within the borders of Aries pairing up in the same binocular field as our red friend Mars. Look directly above around 7:00pm local time to find Mars shining brightly. Put Mars in your binoculars and see if you can see Uranus in the same field to the east.
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| Mars, Uranus Conjunction |
I use the term 'conjunction' rather loosely as a close combination of objects throughout this blog and should clarify. A true conjunction between two astronomical objects occurs when they have the same right ascension or the same ecliptic longitude as observed from Earth. This happened with Jupiter and Saturn a few weeks ago.
Astronomy is a great hobby and profession that you can enjoy all over the world. It can be enjoyed during a pandemic and during more regular times. Follow me on Facebook for all the latest astronomy news and online events that you can freely participate in!
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