Astroblog: Southern Skywatch January 2021 edition is now out!

Saturday, January 09, 2021

Southern Skywatch January 2021 edition is now out!

Morning sky on Tuesday, January 12 showing the eastern sky as seen from Adelaide at 5:46 am ACDST (30 minutes before sunrise). Venus is getting lower to the horizon and is less than a finger-width from the thin crescent Moon. You will need a level, unobstructed horizon to see this. Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (30 minutes before sunrise), click to embiggen.

The January edition of Southern Skywatch is now up.

In January most of the planetary action is low in the twilight.

January 12; crescent Moon close to Venus.. January 10; Moon at perigee. January 14; The crescent Moon close to the pair of Jupiter and Mercury, low in the evening twilight sky. January 21; Mars and waxing Moon close, with Uranus in between Mars and the Moon. January 21; Moon at Apogee (Apogee "mini" First quarter Moon).

Mercury is difficult to see low in the evening twilight. It is close to the Moon on the 14th, with Jupiter below.

Venus is close to the crescent Moon on the 12th low in the morning twilight..

Mars is close to the Moon on the 21st, with Uranus in between

Jupiter is low in the evening twilight. On January 14 the crescent Moon is close to the pair of Jupiter and Mercury, low in the evening twilight sky. You will need a flat, unobstructed horizon like the ocean or desert to see this, and may require binoculars to see the planets clearly.

Saturn is lost to view early in the month.

January 10; Moon at perigee. January 21; Moon at Apogee (Apogee "mini" First quarter Moon).

Labels: southern skywatch