Everything you always wanted to know about astronomy
January
By Bruce Dennis

Bruce Dennis is a retired science teacher from Haverling Central School.

On the first day of the New Year, Jupiter and Mars will stand out (along with Antaries) about 45 minutes before the Sun rises, if you look in the Southeast. Saturn will be visible all night – it was just in opposition (on the opposite side of the Sun from Earth). Venus will grace our skies in the early evening, after ‘hiding’ behind the Sun last month. The rest of the year will dazzle us with eclipses of the Sun )March and September),eclipses of the Moon (March and August), Mars becoming very bright (again), Jupiter coming very close to Earth (within 700 million miles), great telescopic viewing, lots of meteors, planets visible during the day, and much more. I’ll keep you informed so you’ll be aware of what’s going on or about to happen.

Venus begins 2007 low in the southwest at nightfall. It reaches higher into the night sky as the month goes on. By the end of January, it is up for about 2 hours after the Sun goes down. It will outshine all the other heavenly bodies but it is still not good to view with a telescope because it is so low in the sky. Check it out in another month or two. The view will be much better.

Mercury, like Venus last month, is behind the Sun during the second and third weeks of January. By the month’s end, it’ll peek out from behind the Sun and appear low in the Southwest just after Sunset. By February 1st, Mercury will climb to the lower right of Venus, a finger-width away. Since it’s on the other side of the Sun, Mercury will appear to be full (to us) but small. It will be joining a thin crescent Moon on January 19th, at the West-southwest horizon about 40 minutes after Sunset. Don’t miss this one! Cloudy skies will be your only excuse.

Saturn is a bright beacon in the Eastern sky late in the evening (around 8 PM). By the later part of January, it’ll rise at about 6 PM. As it rises earlier, notice that it becomes slightly brighter. In its orbit, the Earth is getting a little closer to it. Saturn begins its retro-motion in January and it’ll last until April. During this time, it’ll seem to go Westward relative to the background stars.

Jupiter, low in the Southeast, keeps getting higher upon each pre-dawn in the early morning sky (about 5 AM). This is a good time to view the Giant Planet through your telescope.—the moons, the color bands of gasses on the planet’s surface, the Great Red Spot (what color is it this month?), the smaller spot, the shape, the tilt, and the silence. Makes you want to check it out forever – except it’s too cold. Dress warmer, in layers, but don’t wear cotton – it’ll hold moisture and make you feel colder.

Mars rises earlier and earlier each morning. It’s to the lower left of Jupiter on January 1st, and about a hand-spread (at the end of an outstretched arm) to the left of a crescent moon in the Southeast on January 16th. Mars has been in the news recently – NASA scientists photographed an area in 1999 and the same area in 2006. They found that in the second photo, there was evidence of running water in freshly formed gullies. These gullies were apparently, cut by running liquid water. This is strong evidence for life on Mars – all the ingredients are there: liquid water, a stable heat source, and the necessary chemicals. Present, past, or future life can (does) exist on Mars! Now we know where we can send those out-of-line students.

The Quadrantid Meteor Shower will be washed out by the light of the full Moon on January 3rd. On this date, the Earth is closer to the Sun than it has been all year (about 91 ? million miles). We are closer to the Sun than last year (by a few inches) because our speed of revolution around the Sun is getting slower (the Earth weighs more than it did). Happy viewing.