Night Sky: Visible Planets, Moon Phases & Events, January 2013

The night sky tonight and on any clear night offers an ever-changing display of fascinating objects you can see, from stars and constellations to bright planets, often the moon, and sometimes special events like meteor showers. Observing the night sky can be done with no special equipment, although a sky map can be very useful, and a goodbeginner telescope or binoculars will enhance some experiences and bring some otherwise invisible objects into view. Below, find out what’s up in the night sky tonight (Planets Visible Now, Moon Phases, Observing Highlights This Month) plus other resources (Skywatching Terms, Night Sky Observing Tips and Further Reading).

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The night sky is more than just the moon and stars, if you know when and where to look.
CREDIT: Karl Tate/SPACE.com

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Monthly skywatching information is provided to SPACE.com by Geoff Gaherty of Starry Night Education, the leader in space science curriculum solutions. Follow Starry Night on Twitter @StarryNightEdu.

Night Sky Stargazing Guide: January 2013 (Sky Maps)

Jupiter and Moon Dominate January Night Sky (Video)

January Stargazing: Ancient Constellation, Quadrantid Meteors &  More (Video)

Moon Phases

Friday, Jan. 4, 10:58 p.m. EST

Last Quarter Moon

The last or third quarter moon rises around midnight and sets around noon. It is most easily seen just after sunrise in the southern sky.

Friday, Jan. 11, 2:44 p.m. EST

New Moon

The moon is not visible on the date of new moon because it is too close to the sun, but can be seen low in the east as a narrow crescent a morning or two before, just before sunrise. It is visible low in the west an evening or two after new moon. [Moon Phases Explained (Infographic)]

Friday, Jan. 18, 6:45 p.m. EST

First Quarter Moon

The first quarter moon rises around 11 a.m. and sets around 1 a.m. It dominates the evening sky

Saturday, Jan. 26, 11:38 p.m. EST

Full Moon

The full moon of January is called the Wolf Moon. Its Cree name is Gishepapiwatekimumpizun, meaning "moon when the old fellow spreads the brush." Other names are Moon After Yule, Ice Moon and Old Moon. In Hindi it is known as Paush Poornima. Its Sinhala (Buddhist) name is Duruthu. The full moon rises around sunset and sets around sunrise, the only night in the month when the moon is in the sky all night long. The rest of the month, the moon spends at least some time in the daytime sky. [How to Observe the Moon (Infographic)]

Observing Highlights

Thursday, Jan. 3, midnight–dawn local time

Quadrantid meteor shower

One of the finest meteor showers of the year, though a waning gibbous moon will interfere with the view. The Quadrantids take their name from an obsolete constellation, Quadrans Muralis, now part of Boötes.

Thursday, January 10, 

Sunrise, Venus and the Moon

Venus and the Moon will be in a close conjunction low in the southeast at sunrise. Because Venus is on the far side of its orbit, heading towards superior conjunction with the sun on March 28, it will be 95-percent illuminated, while the moon, just a day away from New Moon, will be only 2-percent illuminated.

Monday, Jan. 21, 10 p.m. EST

Jupiter and the Moon

A close conjunction between Jupiter and the moon, flanked by Aldebaran and the Hyades to the left and the Pleiades to the right. The moon will actually pass in front of Jupiter for viewers in the South Pacific Ocean and central South America.

Planets

Mercury will be too close to the sun for observation this month.

Venus is now low in the southeast at sunrise, heading towards superior conjunction with the sun on March 28.

Mars has faded into the west moving behind the sun. It moves from Capricornus into Aquarius on January 29.

Jupiter remains in Taurus, close to Aldebaran and the Hyades. It is high in the eastern sky at sunset and sets in the northwest around 3 a.m.

Saturn is spends the month in western Libra. It rises in the east at around 1 a.m., and is visible the rest of the night.

Uranus is visible in Pisces in the early evening and sets around 10 p.m.

Neptune is in Aquarius all month, becoming lost in the twilight close to the sun.

SKYWATCHING TERMS

• Asterism: A noteworthy or striking pattern of stars within a larger constellation.
• Degrees (measuring the sky): The sky is 360 degrees all the way around, which means roughly 180 degrees from horizon to horizon. It’s easy to measure distances between objects: Your fist on an outstretched arm covers about 10 degrees of sky.
• Visual Magnitude: This is the astronomer’s scale for measuring the brightness of objects in the sky. The dimmest object visible in the night sky under perfectly dark conditions is about magnitude 6.5. Brighter stars are magnitude 2 or 1. The brightest objects get negative numbers. Venus can be as bright as magnitude minus 4.9. The full moon is minus 12.7 and the sun is minus 26.8.
• Terminator: The boundary on the moon between sunlight and shadow.
• Zenith: The point in the sky directly overhead.

NIGHT SKY OBSERVING TIPS

• Adjust to the dark: If you wish to observe faint objects, such as meteors or dim stars, give your eyes at least 15 minutes to adjust to the darkness.
• Light Pollution: Even from a big city, one can see the moon, a handful of bright stars and sometimes the brightest planets. But to fully enjoy the heavens — especially a meteor shower, the constellations, or to see the amazing swath across the sky that represents our view toward the center of the Milky Way Galaxy — rural areas are best for night sky viewing. If you’re stuck in a city or suburban area, a building can be used to block ambient light (or moonlight) to help reveal fainter objects. If you’re in the suburbs, simply turning off outdoor lights can help.
• Prepare for skywatching: If you plan to be out for more than a few minutes, and it’s not a warm summer evening, dress warmer than you think necessary. An hour of observing a winter meteor shower can chill you to the bone. A blanket or lounge chair will prove much more comfortable than standing or sitting in a chair and craning your neck to see overhead.
• Daytime skywatching: When Venus is visible (that is, not in front of or behind the sun) it can often be spotted during the day. But you’ll need to know where to look. A sky map is helpful. When the sun has large sunspots, they can be seen without a telescope. However, it’s unsafe to look at the sun without protective eyewear. See our video on how to safely observe the sun, or our safe sunwatching infographic