Moon
Full 3rd, in the sky from 21:07 to
04:24
Last Quarter 11th, in
the sky from 00:00 to 14:22
New 19th,
from 05:30 to 21:00
First Quarter 26th, in the
sky from 14:30 to 23:40
Planets.
Mercury will be visible on the 1st of the
month as it sets from sunset to about 10:30pm, at mag 0.6. If you can find it
as it goes down in the WNW, it should exhibit a phase of 39%. It should be
visible till about the 14th, when it’ll be getting too close to the
Sun. It will be fading gradually and showing a more and more slender crescent.
This will only be apparent through a telescope, so be careful to seek it only
after the Sun has set.
Venus will rise on the 1st,
at 3:10am, in Taurus, in the company of Jupiter 5° ahead and Ceres, also 4°
ahead but further south. Jupiter, at mag –2.1, will be difficult to miss, but
Ceres, at mag 9, will not be easy to see in the dawn twilight. Venus will be
big, 45 arcsec and bright, mag –4.4, and present a 16° phase, a very thin crescent.
Worth a photograph, though it will be very low and in murky air. These three
will keep together for the rest of the month, but spreading, with Venus lagging
behind Ceres, which will be lagging behind Jupiter. By the end of the month
Venus will have shrunk to 28 arcsec but will still be as bright. Its phase will
be 40%.
On the 1st,
Mars will be in the sky as it darkens, in Virgo, shining at mag 0.9, but small
at 9 arcsec. It’s always brighter than it’s size suggest so needs filters to
see detail on the disc. It will set soon after midnight. By the end of the
month it’ll have shrunk to 6 arcsec and mag 1.1, and will set at 10:45pm.
Through the month it’ll be in the good company of Saturn, starting the month
23° apart and ending it within 6° of each other.
Jupiter will rise on the
1st, at 2:45am, as a 34 arcsec disc shining at mag –2.1. It will be
easily seen, in the ENE, till the dawn twilight extinguishes it at 5am-ish. At
the end of the month it’ll rise at 1am, slightly brighter at mag –2.2 and
bigger at 36 arcsec.. On the 15th, it’ll rise very close to the thin
waning crescent Moon. Here in Doncaster it just skims over the edge of the Moon
and should be visible throughout the whole passage, which will last from 2:55am
to 3:35am. The moons Callisto and Ganymede may be occulted, so watch for that.
A telescope will be needed of course, so will an early wake up call. This night
and several either side of the 15th, there is much to see in this
part of the sky, with Venus there and the Hyades immediately below with Ceres
in the middle of the cluster. and the Pleiades 8° above. If you do observe this
graze, I’d appreciate a report or photographs.
Saturn, also in Virgo,
will be available from sunset on the 1st, till soon after 1am.
Easily seen at mag 0.7, and unmistakable as a yellow point till you see it in a
telescope. Nearby Mars will be a bit more orange, but you judge. By the 31st,
it will be setting at 11pm, just as the sky is getting dark, sadly.
Uranus rises on the 1st,
at 00:45, in Pisces. It will be at mag 5.8 so, easy to see with binoculars,
though a small blue disc at 3 arcsec. Asteroid Pallas will be 3° above it but
will need a telescope, as it’ll be mag 9.8. On the 31st, Uranus will
rise at 10:45 pm. Palles will be to the left and within 2°. Both will be
available till dawn.
Neptune will rise, in
Aquarius, on the 1st, at 11:45pm, at mag 7.9 and 2 arcsec, a tiny
blue disc. Not easy to find without a Goto telescope. It will be available till
dawn. It only rises 24° above the horizon, but is available all night, though
only 24° above the horizon at its highest. At month’s end it will rise at 10pm.
Meteor Showers.
None of any note.
Comets.
Again none of any promise. The recent Garradd is too
close to the Sun and has faded to 12th mag.
For sky charts etc. get in touch with our gnome in the dome.