The Moon
Last Quarter -- 6th - up from 01:33 to 11:20
New -- 14th - up from 03:46 to 21:09
First Quarter -- 21st - up from 12:11 to 00:58
Full -- 28th - up from 21:26 to 03:35
We lose a bit more night observing time this month, the 16 hours in winter reduced now to about 8, and much of that is twilight and not really dark, but we must make the best of it.
Planets
Jupiter is beginning to show his face again, rising in the east on the 1st at 4.30am in dawn twilight. By the end of the month, it’ll be 2.45am, still in twilight, but dark enough to note the moons’ positions. It will also be accompanied by Uranus, just a degree away.
Venus is the very bright Evening Star in the west, easily visible all month till it sets on the 1st at 11pm at mag –3.9, and an hour later on the 31st at mag –4.0.
Mars is still high enough to study but getting past its prime at 7arcsec and mag 0.7. It’ll set on the first by 3am so time to stare at it’s ruddy disc. It’ll be there all month but getting progressively lower, dimmer and smaller each night.
Saturn will be available all night all month, and at mag 0.8 and 19arcsec, certainly worth watching. It’ll be high enough to seek out the moons and with good seeing you should be able to see up to 7 of them, with suitable optical aid. If you haven’t your own “suitable optical aid” come down to the dome and look through ours. It’s also worth photographing, with a webcam possibly. The rings are gradually widening, but still quite close to edge-on, so look for the Cassini division in good seeing, it should be just visible.
Neptune leads the circuit of the planets, rising before Jupiter and Uranus and the Sun. It rises on the first at 3.45am, but will be difficult then because of twilight. At the end of the month it’ll rise about 2am and you will more easily see it’s small and dim disc at 2arcsec, and mag 7.9, in the darker sky, but will need binoculars to do so.
Uranus accompanies Jupiter all month, being 5° behind at the start of the month and within one by the end. It rises at 4.30am on the 1st and at 2.45am on the 31st. It’ll be a naked eye challenge but binoculars will ease it for you.
Mercury will be in the east all month, but very close to the Sun at the beginning so don’t look for it till later. Even then it will rise no more than 30mins before the Sun, though at a reasonable distance from it, and at mag 0.4, within binocular capability. In all not a good month for Mercury.
Comets. C/2009 K5 McNaught is in Cepheus at mag 9.7 and 81/P Wild is in Virgo at mag 10. Neither is easy being fuzzy too so their light is spread making them more difficult than the mag number suggests. A star chart is available if you need one.
Meteors. The Eta Aquariids, peaking on the 6th of the month is the only one worthy of note. It can send in some 60/hour. It’s associated with comet Halley. The Moon will rise in dawn twilight, but as the radiant is in Aquarius and that also rises at dawn, just after the Moon does, you’ll have to look generally in the east before dawn in the hope of seeing some.
Satellites
ISS
3rd mag –3.0 at 21:46 Hrs starts in WSW to 49° up in SSE
3rd mag –2.9 at 23:21 Hrs starts in W to 49° up in SW
4th mag –3.3 at 22:11 Hrs starts in WSW to 60° up in S
5th mag –3.0 at 21:01 Hrs starts in WSW to 49° up in SSE
7th mag –3.1 at 21:51 Hrs starts in W to 54° up in S
Iridium Flares
11th mag –8 at 22:28:49 Hrs 39° up in NE
15th mag –6 at 22:13:58 Hrs 46° up in NE
16th mag –1 at 22:07:55 Hrs 46° up in NE
19th mag –1 at 21:59:01 Hrs 53° up in NE
20th mag –6 at 21:52:56 Hrs 53° up in NE
A fuller list is available from www.heavens-above.com
If you would like sky charts of any of the above, or more detail, contact the Doncaster Observatory at observatory@donastro.org.uk