The January new moon will occur on January 11 at 6:57 a.m. Eastern Time. US Naval Observatoryand one day later the planet Mercury It will reach its greatest separation from the Sun towards the west and reveal itself as a “morning star”.
When do new moons occur? Sun and the moon share the same celestial longitude; This position is also called conjunction. You can’t at the new stage see the moon from Soil Because the illuminated side is not facing us.
New moons are visible only during solar eclipses; The only way to see the new moon is if it passes in front of the sun. solar eclipseit won’t happen this month (the next one is scheduled for April 8).
Relating to: New moon calendar 2024: When is the next new moon?
Visible Planets
TOP TELESCOPE SELECTION:
Are you looking for a telescope to see the planets in the solar system up close? We recommend the Celestron Astro Fi 102 as our top pick in our guide to the best telescopes for beginners.
Next day new month (January 12), the sun rises at: 07:19 Eastern Time in New York. Mercury rising 5:40 amSo at 7 a.m. it will be about 12 degrees high in the southeast. The planet reaches its greatest westerly elongation at 2:18 p.m., according to skywatching site In-the-Sky.org. Mercury will still be difficult to see, but we can use Venus, which is about 19 degrees high, to find it.
Venus It is the single brightest star-like object in the sky and will be above and to the right of Mercury, which is dimmer and can only be seen when the sky begins to lighten. One should try to spot Mercury as soon as possible after it rises, as the brightening sky as sunrise approaches will make it difficult to see.
The probability of observing Mercury increases as you move south because the angle of Mercury’s orbit with the horizon (as viewed from Earth) becomes steeper. For example, if you are in Miami, Mercury rises at 5:29 a.m. and rises at sunrise, which is 7:09 amMercury is at exactly 18 degrees altitude. The innermost planet won’t be visible at this point because the sky is too bright, but it will be about 12 degrees above the southeastern horizon at 6:30 a.m.
The best observation possibilities are near the equator. Sunrise in Quito on January 12 is at 6:15 a.m. and Mercury rises at: 4:38 a.m. local time. At sunrise it is exactly 23 degrees high in the southeast, and at 5:45 a.m., a half hour before sunrise, Mercury is 15 degrees high. As you move towards the Southern Hemisphere, the height of the planet will decrease again; The planet rises in Buenos Aires at: 4:13 am, sunrise at 5:53 a.m. Half an hour before sunrise, the planet is about 12 degrees high in the southeast; As in the Northern Hemisphere, you can use Venus to find Mercury; Venus, about 22 degrees above the eastern horizon, will be above and to the left of Mercury.
On the day of the new moon, Venus is still bright. morning Starand when the moon is not out, it becomes the last celestial body visible to the naked eye; It is a prominent, bright star even if it is relatively close to sunrise. Venus rising January 11, 4:45 a.m. In New York, with the sunrise 6:49 am The planet’s altitude at sunrise is 17 degrees.
As with Mercury, the planet appears higher on the horizon as it approaches the equator, and begins to descend again once it reaches the Southern Hemisphere. In San Juan, Puerto Rico. For example, the planet rises at: 4:27 a.m. local time and as the sun rises (6:59 am) the planet is exactly 30 degrees above the eastern horizon. The planet rises earlier at 3:46 a.m. in Quito, and the planet is visible almost directly above Mercury in the east-southeast. And at sunrise at 6:17 a.m., Venus is 34 degrees above the horizon.
The day of the new moon is also Anthem It will begin to emerge from the sun’s glare at dawn. From New York City (and similar latitude locations) Mars rises at this altitude: 6:23 local time, just 26 minutes before the Sun – consider yourself lucky if you can spot it. In more southern locations Mars rises slightly ahead of the Sun, but not by much; In Quito, for example, the planet rises at 5:12 a.m. local time, but sunrise is at 6:18 a.m. and a half hour before sunrise the planet is only about 8 degrees high. As January progresses, the planet will appear further west of the Sun as the Sun moves eastward in the background starsmaking it more visible and becoming part of a line of three terrestrial (or rocky) planets stretching upwards from the horizon in the pre-dawn hours.
In the evening sky, Jupiter And Saturn both are visible in the evening from locations approximately 41 degrees north (New York, Chicago, Omaha, or Madrid (Spain)), and both are in the southern half of the sky. Around 6:30 p.m., when the sky is completely dark, Jupiter will be a bright yellow-white “star” just west of the south, about 61 degrees above the horizon. Saturn will be fainter and much closer to the southwestern horizon as the planet sets at 8:22 p.m. in New York. Jupiter sets at 01.34 on January 12. For skywatchers in the Southern Hemisphere, the situation is similar at mid-latitudes; For example, in Melbourne, Australia, on the evening of January 11, Saturn sets at 11:05 pm local time, and the planet is about 17 degrees high in the west at 9:30 pm (sunset in Melbourne is at 8:46 pm) Jupiter is in the north- 36 degrees above the horizon in the northwest. Jupiter is in the northern half of the sky because from Southern latitudes the sky is “inverted” (although the stars are actually seen from the opposite side of the equator).
Stars and Constellations
Winter constellations January is in full swing for Northern Hemisphere observers. At around 6 p.m., Orion the Hunter is completely above the Eastern horizon and can watch its stars emerge as the sky darkens. Orion faces Taurus, is above Orion in the early evening (the constellation is actually to the west and north). You can see the Hyades, a cluster of bright stars that are the “face” of the bull.
Looking to the left above Orion’s head, Gemini, Gemini, and two stars are visible Wheel And Pollux. Castor is at the top of the two stars, as it is “on the side” of the Gemini just after they rise above the horizon. To the north and west of the Twins, above them in the early evening, is Auriga the Auriga. Auriga contains the bright star Capella, which never sets from the latitude of New York City and above; This is one of the circumpolar stars.
At around 9 pm on January 21, Orion’s “hunting dogs” Canis Major and Canis Minor cleared the horizon and came to the southeast. Canis Major is below (south of) Orion, while Canis Minor is to the east (to the right of Orion, to the observer’s left). Large Dog Canis Major includes: Sirius, the brightest star in the sky. Look to the left and above Sirius and you will see Procyon, the brightest star of Canis Minor. Procyon, Sirius and betelgeuse Forms the Winter Triangle in Orion asterisk This is easy to see even from light-polluted places in cities and suburbs.
until 23:00 lion leo is completely above the horizon; you can spot it by looking for Sirius, which is almost to the south at that point, and turning left (east) and up; Procyon will be visible in the southeast. Continue left and slightly downhill from Procyon until one faces almost east; One must be able to see Regulus or Alpha Leonis, also called Cor Leonis, the heart of the lion. As you continue diagonally towards the horizon, you come across Denebola, the tail of the Lion.
At this time of night, Orion is completely “upright” and the Belt stars form a line angled slightly upward from east to west; It’s much easier to see the shape that forms Orion’s shoulders and legs. Looking at the three stars of the Belt, Betelgeuse is above and to the left, while Orion’s pillar Rigel is below and to the right. If local city lights are not too bright, a dimmer star can be seen just above and to the right of Rigel; this is the beginning of Eridanus, the River, and the star is called Cursa or Beta Eridani because it is the second brightest star in the constellation. Eridanus’ brightest star, Achernar, cannot be seen at all north of 33 degrees latitude. In the continental US, this means you must be in one of the Gulf Coast states, the southern half of Arizona, New Mexico, or San Diego.
For Southern Hemisphere observers, January is the month when the three constellations that make up the ship, Puppis, Carina, and Vela (connected to Jason and the Argonauts’ famous ship, the Argo), come to the fore. Since it is summer in Australia, the sun does not set until after 20:00; It is necessary to wait until 21.30 for the sky to become completely dark. At this point, an “upside down” Orion is seen in the northeastern sky with the Belt stars above Betelgeuse, below and to the right of Melbourne.
By the way, Rigel is up and to the left, and this time when you follow the River from Cursa you go up exactly 62 degrees and reach a point just west of north towards Achernar. If one uses Betelgeuse and Sirius as “pointers”, a line can be drawn between them to the south (this will be to the right), and above this line lies bright Canopus, the brightest star of Carina, the Spine of the Ark, at an altitude of about 52 degrees. and towards the east. Carina is one of the three constellations that make up the legendary ship Argo, on which Theseus, the hero of Greek legend, sailed. Between Canopus and Sirius is a group of seven faint stars forming an elongated shape like a foot and an ankle; This is Puppis, Poop Deck. Just looking south (right), you can see a ring-shaped group of stars in the shape of Vela, or Sail.
Turning a little further south – to the right – the Crux, the Southern Cross, only 12 to 17 degrees high, can be seen to the south-southeast. From Melbourne’s latitude, Crux is circumpolar; it never sinks. Crux is one of the smallest of the 88 constellations in the sky; It is pointed towards the horizon at that time in January. If you turn south, you will see Rigil Kentaurus, also known as Rigil Kentaurus. alpha centauri. Centaur is mostly below the horizon, but by midnight the constellation is almost fully elevated.
If you’re hoping to look at planets or anything else in the night sky during the new moon, our guides to the best telescopes and best binoculars are a great place to start.
If you want to take photos of any of these, or the night sky in general, check out our guide on how to photograph the moon, how to photograph the planets, as well as our best cameras for astrophotography and our best lenses for astrophotography. .