I know I am loving watching Mars in the sky right now...I thought this would be of interest...Nadiya




Sky Watch - January 2008
by Verena Donath
Meteor showers
In the night from January 3-4 the QUADRANTID METEORS will come and go in a flash with an incredible short and fast maximum peak of 40 or more meteors possible, emanating from near and north of the bright star Arcturus in the constellation of Bootes, rising in the northeast about midnight.
The DELTA CANCRID METEORS have their peak in the night from January 15-16 in the constellation of Cancer. They rise in the east about the same time the Sun sets in the west with their radiant slightly west of the bright and well known star cluster Prasepe or the ‘beehive’. Only about 4 meteors per hour can be seen from this shower under good conditions, but this year’s first quarter moon, setting after midnight, will not interfere in viewing of this shower throughout the late night.
Coming from the Coma cluster the COMA BERENICID METEORS will peak on January 18. Unfortunately, only a couple of these swift interlopers will create streaking meteors per hour and shortly before the full moon the opportunity to view them will be very limited.
Planet data
The elusive but bright planet Mercury will pop out in bright dusk skies after sunset around the second week of this month. Look for the star-like object low in the southwest skies, nearly on the horizon about thirty minutes before darkness. By late month Mercury will be much easier to spot, being in slight ascendancy over the west-southwest horizon thirty minutes after sunset.
On January 7 Mercury will enter the tropical sign Aquarius.
On January 22 Mercury will be at greatest elongation at 18.6448 degrees east of the Sun.
On January 27 Mercury will be at perihelion (28.589.354 miles)
On January 28 Mercury will turn retrograde at 23:52 tropical Aquarius
Brilliant Venus will again dominate the dawn skies this month as an early morning object. During the first week she will be sparkling high in the southeast skies, perched near the two ‘pinchers’ of the scorpion, just above the bright red star Antares. A spectacular sight will be presented on the morning of January 5 when the Moon, Venus and Antares will team up to show us a beautiful triangle. Reddish Antares will be placed just above the thin crescent Moon with bright, white Venus looming above them. On the last day of the month, January 31, only forty minutes before sunrise, Venus and Jupiter will be poised very close together like you have never seen them – only 1.5 degrees apart – with yellowish and slightly dimmer Jupiter below Venus.
On January 24 Venus will enter the tropical sign Capricorn
At dark, reddish Mars is high above the eastern horizon and rises a bit earlier each night this month. After his close approach to our planet in December, Mars still dominates our evening skies, but is receding rapidly and thereby dimming during January. Occurring in the evening dusky skies of January 19, look for the waxing first quarter Moon’s nice pairing with Mars very early after sunset.
On January 30 Mars will turn direct at 24:04 tropical Gemini.
Jupiter, the mightiest of our planets, is now rising in the early morning skies.
The ringed planet Saturn will be visible almost all night long throughout this month, positioned high overhead after midnight. Saturn will be joined by the bright gibbous Moon as they rise in the sky together in the evening of January 24.
Pluto will enter the tropical sign Capricorn on January 25 at 10:45 pm EST.
Earth will be at perihelion on January 03 (0.983 AU from the Sun).
Moon Data
January 03: Moon is at apogee or at farthest distance from Earth (251.893 miles)
January 08: New Moon at 17:33 tropical Capricorn at 06:37 am EST
January 08: Moon becomes an evening object
January 15: First Quarter Moon at 25:02 tropical Aries at 02:46 pm EST
January 19: Moon is at perigee or at closest distance to Earth (227.752 miles)
January 20: Moon occults Mars
January 22: Moon becomes a morning object
January 22: Full Moon at 01:54 tropical Leo at 08:35 am EST
January 30: Last Quarter Moon at 09:40 tropical Scorpio at 00:03 am EST
January 31: Moon is at apogee or at farthest distance from Earth (251.394 miles)
Sky Maps Available in the OCA Main Public Library
New Year Sky at 12:00 a.m. on January 1, 2008 displaying the position of Mars and Saturn
January 15, 2008 at 6:45 a.m. dipcting Jupiter, Venus & Mars in the morning sky
January 20, 2008 at 6:30 p.m. showing Mercury, Uranus, Mars & Moon in the evening sky
Happy stargazing! Have fun by exploring the OCA website and don't forget to join our Cyber New Year's Eve Party in our new videochatroom! Looking forward to seeing you there! OCA Wishes everyone a Happy, Healthy, Prosperous & Blessed 2008!
Verena Donath
Media Director & Instructor OCA
ONLINE College of Astrology
Celebrating 10 Years of Astrological Education