Category: Sky Events
Sky events
The Moon and Jupiter
This evening sky-watchers will note Jupiter directly beside a bright Moon. The pair will be very close separated by only 1°09′ as of sunset here in Hawai’i. Accounting for the radius of the Moon this will mean that the planet will be only 55′ off the limb of the Moon.
Observers further east and south will be able to see an occultation, with the Moon passing in front of Jupiter. Here in Hawai’i the occultation will be over before sunset. It is no use observing during the daytime either, as the planet will pass north of the Moon for our latitude.
The proximity of the two does provide a nice opportunity to see Jupiter in the daytime, as the Moon will provide a signpost to the location of the planet. The pair will rise about 14:00HST and be well up before sunset. Look just to the north of the Moon (left as they rise) for a pinpoint of light. At -2.6 magnitude the planet should be easy to spot as long as the sky is clear and not hazy.
Postcard from the Universe – Comet C/2012 K5 (LINEAR)
Another product of imaging earlier this week. Comet C/2012 K5 (LINEAR) is fading, but still bright enough to image. Right beside Orion it was well placed to target from my driveway. Just refreshing my comet hunting skills, getting ready for the show over the next few months as C/2011 L4 (PanSTARRS) comes into view.
Mercury at Superior Conjunction
Today Mercury passes through superior conjunction, passing behind the Sun as seen from the Earth. The planet will appear in the sunset early next month, reaching maximum elongation on February 16th.
New Moon
The Moon and Venus
Tomorrow morning will find a razor thin crescent Moon about 5° from a brilliant Venus just above the rising Sun. The Moon will rise about 05:50HST, with Venus already in the sky. With sunrise at 06:59HST the pair should rise about 13° above the sunrise. This is enough to allow the the Moon, only 1.9% illuminated to be spotted fairly easily given a clear eastern horizon.
The Moon and Saturn
Tomorrow morning will find a nice crescent Moon near Saturn. The Moon will be 33% illuminated and about 5° away from the ringed planet shining at 0.6 magnitude. The pair will rise about 1:40HST and be high in the sky by dawn.
Looking Ahead to a Starry 2013
I am a bit behind in entry of all the significant astronomical events for 2013. Never fear! Everything important has been entered for January, so I am still ahead of the posting schedule! A few more evenings of blogging and I will have the whole year done.
While C/2011 L4 PanSTARRS is a good comet, comet C/2012 S1 ISON is likely to be a great comet. This comet will pass incredibly close to the Sun and reasonably close to the Earth. If we get lucky, and luck is a significant factor with comets, this could be the comet of a lifetime. Predictions for this comet indicate a possible magnitude well into the negative numbers during November and December. These sort of numbers indicate the comet may be visible in the daytime, and spectacular after sunset. Unlike comet C2006 P1 McNaught in early 2007, this comet will favor viewers in the northern hemisphere!
No great eclipses this year. There are no total lunar eclipses to be seen anywhere, just a partial and two minor penumbrals. An annular solar eclipse visible in the South Pacific that will be visible as a modest partial solar eclipse here in Hawai’i. A hybrid solar eclipse will be visible across the Atlantic and central Africa.
Meteor showers are a mixed situation for the year, some good news, some bad. We will be able to observe the Persieds in a dark sky after the setting of a waxing crescent Moon. The Leonids will occur during full Moon, but are not predicted to be great this year. The Geminids also occur during a full Moon, damping this reliable shower.
2013 will be a great year for watching the sky. Stay tuned to Darker View for alerts on any significant event occurring overhead.
Perihelion
Today the Earth is closest to the Sun, a point called perihelion. We will be about 147,099,000km (91,403,000miles) from the Sun. Compare this to the 152,096,000km (94,508,000miles) we will be at aphelion on July 4th, a difference of about 4,996,000km (3,104,000miles) occurs throughout one orbit.
It may seem odd that we are actually at the closest for the middle of northern winter, you just have to remember that proximity to the Sun is not the cause of the seasons. The seasons are caused by the axial tilt of the Earth, creating short and long days throughout the year, with a resulting change in the angle and intensity of the sunlight.
| 2013 Solstices and Equinoxes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UT | HST | |||
| Perihelion | Jan 2 | 00:59UT | Jan 1 | 14:59HST |
| Spring Equinox | Mar 20 | 11:02UT | Mar 20 | 01:02HST |
| Summer Solstice | Jun 21 | 05:04UT | Jun 20 | 19:04HST |
| Apehelion | Jul 5 | 18:59UT | Jul 5 | 08:59HST |
| Fall Equinox | Sep 22 | 20:44UT | Sep 22 | 10:44HST |
| Winter Solstice | Dec 21 | 17:11UT | Dec 21 | 07:11HST |
| Source: NASA Sky Calendar | ||||
Quadrantid Meteor Shower
The first meteor shower of 2013 is the annual Quadrantid meteor shower. The Quadrantids are a reliable shower, producing 60-120 ZHR, one to two meteors per minute. The Quadrantids are named for the obsolete constellation Quadrans Muralis, now part of the constellation Boötes.
Unlike other showers where activity can occur for days or even weeks, the Quadrantids have a sharp peak, activity falls off rapidly on the preceding and following nights, or even a few hours away from the peak. Thus it is important to observe the Quadrantids quite near the peak prediction. For 2013 the peak is predicted for January 3rd around 13:33UT, or 03:33HST on this side of the globe, excellent timing. This is the good news for observers here in Hawai’i. The bad news is that the peak will be sullied by the light of a bright last quarter Moon.
Watching meteors requires no more equipment than your eyes and a dark sky, and can be enjoyable for just about anyone. While the viewing conditions for this year’s Quadrantids are possibly spoiled by moonlight, it may still be worth a peek. Set the alarm early?