The Night Sky This Month

Constellations, planets, meteor showers etc. on show this month.

To see previous night sky notes, please click here

The night sky in May 2025

by Anne Holt

Sun and Moon

Sunrise   1st:   05.34       31st:   04.47  

Sunset    1st:   20.39       31st:   21.26   

Day Length     1st:  15.05.05     31st:  16.38.53

AstronomIcal darkness   1st:  23.27 to 02.43    13th:  00.44 to 01.25, then none for the rest of the month.

On 31st, astro twilight is 22.36 to 02.36

Full Moon:  12th at 17.55. In Libra, angular diameter 29’ 28” 

New Moon: 27th at 04.03. In Taurus, passes 4 degrees 02’ north of the Sun.   

Lunar Apogee:   11th at 01.46.  406244 km, in Virgo, ad 29’ 23”, phase 98%.  

Lunar perigee:   26th at 02.33.  359022 km, in Aries, ad 33’ 15”, phase 0%  

The most commonly used name for the May Full Moon is the Flower Moon, for obvious reasons. 

It is the Celtic Bright Moon, the neoPagan Grass Moon, the medieval English Hare Moon, the Colonial American Panther Moon, the Chinese Dragon Moon and the Inuit Goose Moon.

Almost all the Indigenous American names refer to the coming of spring. Among the few exceptions are the Assiniboine Idle Moon, the Hopi Moon of Waiting and the Tlingit Moon before Pregnancy.  The Wishram and Zuni tribes appear to have run out of names - for them it is the 9th Moon and No Name Moon respectively.

Highlights

Not much worthy of the name this month. We are rapidly losing astro darkness, 3 hs 16 minutes on 1st, none at all from 14th. By 31st we have only 3 hours astro twilight.

It isn't very good for planets either, Mars is still prominent in the evening sky but Jupiter is now quite low, not visible by the end of May.  Venus remains very low, even when at greatest western elongation, but so bright that it should be seen in the morning twilight by observers with a clear eastern horizon. 

A theoretically naked eye asteroid reaches opposition early in the month.  At mag 5.7 it should be visible in binoculars. 

We have no visible comets predicted but one fairly decent meteor shower, which peaks pre dawn and may include some spectacular Earth Grazers. However the low radiant means that it is much better seen from further south.  

And mid May sees the start of the Noctilucent Cloud season, however they are more likely to be seen in June and July.

Constellations

As the sky darkens at the start of the month Lyra and Cygnus are rising in the north east, followed a couple of hours later by Aquila. In the later part of the night the Summer Triangle formed by Vega, Deneb and Altair, the brightest star in each of these three constellations, should be easily visible. By the end of the month Aquila will be above the horizon by around 11pm. The brightest part of the Milky Way visible to us in the UK runs through the Summer Triangle and down through Scutum and Sagittarius.

The Plough is still very high in the sky for most of the night, standing on its handle, so Cassiopeia, the W shaped 'Lady in the Chair', on the opposite side of the Pole Star is very low down in the north.

Bootes, the herdsman, is now riding high although only Arcturus, the brightest star in the celestial northern hemisphere, is above magnitude 2, so its kite asterism may not be easily visible in our light polluted skies. Arcturus is easy to find though - just follow the arc of the Plough's handle down to the south until you come to Arcturus. Carry on the arc a bit further and you come to the star Spica, the brightest star in Virgo.

At this time of year when you look up to the south you are looking out of the plane of our Milky Way galaxy instead of along it like you do in winter and summer, so there aren't many bright stars, open star clusters and nebulae. However, if you've got a telescope this is a good time of year to hunt down globular clusters like M13, the Great Globular Cluster in Hercules, and faint galaxies like the many galaxies lying in the bowl of Virgo and into Coma Berenices.

Conjunctions

Visible from UK

4th at 00.12:  the first quarter Moon is 2 degrees 04’ north of Mars.

May be visible:

28th at 14.13: the 5% Moon is 5 degrees 12’ north of Jupiter. The planet isn’t easily seen, only 7 degrees in the west at dusk, setting at 22.57. Separation at 21.30 is around 7 degrees.

Not observable from UK

1st at 17.54:  Saturn is 7 degrees 17’ north of Ceres. Both are below the horizon at dawn.

4th at 03.50: Venus is 2 degrees 03’ north of Neptune. Venus rises at 04.03,and only reaches 6 degrees by dawn.  Neptune rises at 04.24, too faint to be seen when so low in the sky.

10th at 17.08:  Neptune is 8 degrees 22’ north of Ceres.

14th, 03.31 to 07.57: lunar occultation of Antares, visible from southern S America and parts of the S Atlantic & S Pacific.

18th: lunar occultation of Pluto, observable from New Zealand and parts of S America, 

22nd at 19.00: the Moon is 2 degrees 48’ north of Saturn.

Planets

Mercury: in Pisces, mag 0.0

Not visible this month.  On 1st it rises at 05.09 and is still below the horizon at dawn. On 13th, when it goes into Aries, and on 24th, when it crosses into Taurus, it is no better. It is at superior solar conjunction on 30th, passing 34’ south of the Sun. On 30th, now at mag -2.4, it still appears close to the Sun and is below the horizon when the sky darkens, setting at 21.39.

Venus: in Pisces, mag -4.5

Low in the east in the morning sky, but so bright that it may be seen by observers with a clear horizon.  On 1st it rises at 04.19 and reaches 6 degrees by dawn. It is no higher on 12th, when it moves into Cetus, or on 14th, when it is back in Pisces. It is at greatest western elongation on 31st, when the separation from the Sun is a little under 45.9 degrees. On this day it is 7 degrees at dawn, 12 degrees at sunrise. It is now marginally fainter at mag -4.3.

Mars: in Cancer, mag 0.9

In the first week of the month it passes close by the Beehive cluster, then moves eastwards towards the head of Leo, the lion. 

On 1st it is visible from a little after 21.30, when it is quite high in the SW, sinking below observable altitude by 01.35 and setting at 03.11. Mid month it becomes visible around 22.15, remaining high until almost 1am. It crosses into Leo on 27th and on 31st is visible from 22.45 until a few minutes after midnight. It sets at 01.40 and has faded to mag 1.3.

Jupiter: in Taurus, mag -2.0

Moving eastwards away from the horns of the bull, still bright but now visible for an increasingly short time.

On 1st it is 25 degrees in the west as the sky darkens, remaining visible  until a little after 23.00, setting at 00.15. After the first few days in May it sets before midnight - 23.58 on 7th. By mid month it is low in the west at dusk, remaining high for less than an hour.  On 26th it is already down to 8 degrees when the sky fades, remaining visible for only a couple of minutes. On 31st, now at mag -1.9, it is only 5 degrees in the evening twilight, setting at 22.48.

Saturn: in Pisces, mag 1.2

A morning object, too low to be seen.

On 1st it rises at 04.36 but is still just below the horizon when the sky brightens. 

On 6th, at 07.09, the Sun crosses the planet’s equator, meaning that it is its equinox. Saturn’s year is approx. 30 Earth years, so equinoxes happen only every 15 years. On this day it rises at 04.36 and is on the horizon at dawn. By mid month it is above the horizon when the sky begins to brighten, but only just, still too low to be visible. On 31st it rises at 02.43 and gets to 6 degrees by dawn, still too low to be seen in the brightening sky.

Neptune: in Aquarius, mag 7.9

A morning object but too low in the pre dawn sky to be observable. 

Dwarf Planets

Ceres: in Aquarius, mag 9.3

Not observable.  Fails to rise above the horizon in darkness throughout the month.

Pluto:  in Sagittarius, mag 15.3

Still unobservable from our latitude.  It won’t reach observable altitude for almost 50 years.

Haumea:  in Bootes, mag 17.3 and Makemake:  in Coma Berenices, Mag 17.1

Both observable throughout the, albeit very short, darkest part of the night. Haumea culminates at 51 degrees, soon after 1am on 1st, and before it becomes observable from 19th. Makemake is a little higher, 57 degrees in the south at around midnight on 1st, culminating as it becomes observable at 23.00 by mid month. 

Eris:  in Cetus, mag 18.3

Still well below the horizon at dawn throughout May.

Asteroids at opposition

4 Vesta:  in Libra, mag 5.7

The largest and brightest asteroid is at opposition on 2nd.  Observable from around 22.30 until dawn.  Culminates, 32 degrees in the south, at 01.20. It crosses into VIrgo on 8th, and by 31st is down to mag 6.3, observable for less than 2 hours, from midnight.

9th. 9 Metis:  in Libra, mag 9.7. Reaches 22 degrees in the south at 01.08..

14th. 3 Juno: in Serpens Caput, mag 10.1.  Reaches 33 degrees at 01.23. 

Comets

Still nothing predicted to reach higher than mag 11 over the next few months.

Meteor Showers

One reasonable shower this month.

Eta Aquarids:  active April 19th to May 28th, peak 6th, 66 kps, ZHR variable 40 - 85.  

From Manchester no more than 10, probably fewer. Rates have been declining in recent years.

The radiant rises at 02.45 and is highest after dawn, peak activity expected around 04.00, so best seen before dawn. They are bright, fast moving meteors, often with long lasting trails.  When the radiant is very low, some may be seen moving almost parallel to the horizon, these are known as Earth Grazers. 

Because the radiant remains low, the shower is better seen from south of the equator.  

On the morning of 6th, the gibbous Moon sets at 03.43, at the end of astro twilight.

Parent body is the most famous of all - comet 1P/Halley.

Eta Lyrids:  active May 3rd to 19th, peak 10th, 43 kps, ZHR 3

The radiant is circumpolar, highest after dawn, peak activity predicted for 18.00 so the best chance of seeing a meteor or two is pre dawn and after dusk on that day. However the almost full Moon doesn’t set until 05.42 on the morning of 10th.

Parent body is comet C/1985 H1 (IRAS-Araki-Alcock).

There are 3 daytime showers early in the month.  These are only observable to anyone who has access to radio or radar equipment. They are all active at the same time, so will be very difficult to differentiate.

NW Cetids: active May 1st - 17th, peak 6th.

SW Cetids:  active May 1st -17th, peak 6th

Southern May Arietids: active May 1st -17th, peak 7th.

The radiant of the antihelion source moves from N Scorpio to S Ophiuchus during May. 30 kps, ZHR 4 - 5.

Credits

Most of the solar system information given here is from: https://in-the-sky.org. More information, exact co-ordinates and finder charts of all solar system objects can be found on this site.

Also quite useful is https://theskylive.com

https://www.imo.net/resources/calendar/

https://www.timeanddate.com

Other information is from various internet sources, including NASA, Britannica, Space Facts, Universe Today and, when all else fails,Wikipedia.

The night sky in April 2025

by Anne Holt

Sunrise:   1st:    06.41       30th:    05.36

Sunset:    1st:   19.44        30th:    20.37

Day length:  1st:   13.02.40     30th:   15.01.15 

Astronomical darkness:  1st:   21.50 to 04.38       30th:   23.23 to 02.48

Full Moon:    13th at 01.22.  In Virgo, angular diameter 29’ 24”  

New Moon:   27th at 20.32.  In Aries, ad 33’ 28”, passes 3 degrees 23’ north of the Sun 

Lunar apogee:   13th at 23.48. 406294 km. in Virgo, ad 29’ 23”, phase 09%

Lunar perigee:   27th at 17.17, 357118 km, in Aries, ad 33’ 26”,phase 0% 

The Full Moon is close to apogee so will appear smaller than average. 

The New Moon is very close to perigee, so the thin crescent before and after will be larger than average.

The most commonly used name for the April Full Moon is the Pink Moon, because it is the colour of the phlox flowers which bloom at this time.

It is the Colonial American Planters’ Moon, the Celtic Grooming Moon or Hare Moon, the Medieval English Seed Moon, the neo Pagan Awakening Moon, the Chinese Peony Moon and the Inuit Seal Moon.

It is also the Old English Ostermanoth Moon, meaning Easter Month Moon.

There are many indigenous American Full Moon names, although it is thought that many of these are relatively modern. Among them are the Hopi Windbreak Moon, the Lakota Moon when wives crack bones for marrowfat, the Shawnee Half Moon, the Wishram 8th Moon, the Taos Ashes Moon and the Zuni Great Sandstorm Moon.

It is the first Full Moon of astronomical spring, so is the Paschal Moon - the one used to calculate the date of Easter. Easter Sunday is the first Sunday after the Full Moon on, or after, the spring equinox.

However, it isn’t quite that simple, the equinox is always said to be 21st even when it falls on a different date. This year it is on 20th, the last time it was on 21st was 2007, the next won’t be until 2101.

As if that wasn’t enough, the date of the Full Moon doesn’t always coincide with the actual one. After 19 years the Moon returns to the same place in the sky on the same date and at the same phase (but not necessarily on the same day of the week).  This is known as the Metonic Cycle. It consists of 254 months of 29 or 30 days, each year having 12 or 13 months - years 3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 17 and 19 in each cycle have 13 months. 

The first day of each month is said to be the New Moon, the 14th day following is the.Ecclesiastical Full Moon.  This sometimes coincides with the actual Full Moon but  can be up to 2 days before or after.

The earliest date for Easter Sunday is March 22nd, this happens when the calculated Full Moon is on Saturday March 21st. This is very rare, the last time it happened was in 1818,the next won’t be until 2285.

The latest date is April 23rd. This occurs when the Ecclesiastical Full Moon is on 20th March and the next, the Paschal Moon is in the week beginning Monday 19th April. This is a little more common - last time was in 1943, the next will be in 2038.

Because there are so many variables in the calculation, the sequence of dates of Easter Sunday only begins to repeat after 5,700,000 years.

In 1928 a law was passed making Easter Day the Sunday after the second Saturday in April. This has never been repealed so could be enforced at some time in the future. If it was currently in use, Easter Sunday this year would be on April 13th - a week earlier than the actual date. 

Highlights

Not much deserving of the name!

We are losing astronomical darkness, 6 hrs 48 mins on 1st, almost exactly half that by month end - when it doesn't begin until well after 11pm.

Most of the planets are now too low in the morning or evening sky, Mars and Jupiter are still easily visible, the latter for only 2 hours by the end of April.  We have one reasonable meteor shower, not badly affected by moonlight but still no observable comets. At the start of the month the Moon passes through the Pleiades

And finally, on 3rd we have our end of season party night. 

Constellations

Now that BST has been forced upon us, we have to wait even longer for the skies to darken each evening. By the time it gets really dark the winter constellations, including the beautiful area around the Winter Hexagon, so rich in bright stars, are sinking slowly in the West.

Ursa Major is now high in the sky with the Plough overhead around midnight in the second half of the month. Follow the curve of the handle down to the orange coloured Arcturus, brightest star in the constellation Bootes the herdsman, and the 4th brightest in the night sky.

The signature constellation of spring, Leo, is still riding high in the south and the Summer Triangle of Vega (in Lyra), Deneb (Cygnus) and Altair (Aquila) is now rising in the east and visible in the early hours.

Conjunctions

Most of this month’s conjunctions are unobservable as they involve planets which are very low or below the horizon at dawn.

25th at 02.21: The very thin crescent Moon is 3 degrees 23’ south of Venus.

25th at 05.23:  The Moon is 2 degrees 17’ north of Saturn.

26th at 02.04:  The moon is 4 degrees 23’ north of Mercury.

28th at 18.35: Venus, Saturn and Neptune are all within 3 degrees 46’.

Visible from the UK:

April 1st. From around 21.45 the crescent Moon passes through the Pleiades cluster, occulting several of the stars over the next couple

of hours. 

3rd at 01.24:  The 32% Moon passes 5 degrees 30’ north of Jupiter.  The planet is visible until around 00.30, when the separation isn’t much more.

5th at 20.00: The gibbous Moon is 2 degrees 09’ north of Mars, 

30th at 18.35:  The 16% Moon is 5 degrees 23’ north of Jupiter.  When the sky darkens around 21.00,the separation is 6 degrees.

Planets

Mercury: .in Pisces, mag 3.0

A morning object but not visible.  Because of the very shallow angle of the ecliptic at this time, it doesn’t rise above the horizon before the sky brightens.  On 4th when it is at its highest point, and on 21st when it is at Greatest Western Elongation separated from the Sun by 27 degrees 20’, it is only 4 degrees at sunrise. By 30th it is at mag 0.0 but no higher in the morning twilight.

Venus:  in.Pisces, mag -4.2

Very low in the morning sky but very bright so might be seen by observers with a clear eastern horizon. 

On 1st it rises at 05.33 and reaches 6 degrees by dawn.  By mid month it has brightened to mag -4.5 but is no higher by sunrise. It is at its brightest, mag -4.536, on 24th and, on 30th, rises at 04.23 but is still only 6 degrees in the morning twilight. 

Mars:  in Gemini, mag 0.4

Now located outside the body of the twins, moving towards Cancer. By mid month it is on a continuation of the line from Castor to Pollux and it ends April close to the Beehive cluster.

On 1st it is 60 degrees in the south when it becomes visible around 20.30, sinking too low in the NW soon after 3am.  It crosses into Cancer on 13th, when it is a little lower at dusk and visible until 02.30. By month end it is in the SW as the sky darkens, remaining above OA until a little after 01.00, now down to mag 0.9.

Jupiter:  in Taurus, mag -2.1

Still shining brightly in the early part of the night, now moving away from the head of the bull. 

On 1st it is fairly high in the SW as the sky darkens, sinking too low for observing soon after 01.30. By 30th it is quite low at dusk, remaining visible for a couple of hours, setting at 00.18

Saturn:  in Aquarius, mag 0.7

Not visible this month.  It is a morning object but fails to clear the horizon by dawn. It moves into Pisces on 20th and on 30th is still one degree below when the sky begins to brighten.

Uranus:  in Taurus, mag 5.8

Now too low at dusk to be observed. On 1st it sinks below OA as the sky begins to darken, setting at 23.50, and by the end of April Is below the horizon at dusk.

Neptune:  in Pisces, mag 8.8

A morning object but failing to clear the horizon by dawn throughout April.

Dwarf Planets

Ceres:  in Aquarius, mag 9.2

Below the horizon at dawn throughout the month.

Pluto: in Sagittarius, mag 15.2

Not observable.

Haumea: in Bootes, mag 17.2

Located close to Zeta Bootis.

High enough for imaging in the darkest part of the night. Reaches opposition on 22nd, when it is 51 degrees in the south at 01.48. 

Makemake: in Coma Berenices, mag 17.0

Between globular clusters M3 and M53, a little closer to the latter.

Also high enough for observing during astro darkness. By month end it culminates, 57 degrees in the south, before midnight.

Eris:  in Cetus, mag 18.7

At solar conjunction on 4th, when it passes 10 degrees south of the Sun.

Asteroids at opposition

Comets

Nothing predicted to reach higher than mag 13 over the next few months.

Meteor Showers

Lyrids: active April 14th to 30th, peak 22nd, 49 kps, ZHR 18 (could be as many as 16 from the darkest areas around Greater Manchester).

This is the oldest known shower, recorded by Chinese astronomers 2,700years ago. It appears to have been much more prolific in the past - in 687 BCE they saw meteors ‘falling like rain’. The shower still has occasional outbursts but nothing on that scale. The radiant is above the horizon throughout the night, highest after dawn, peak activity predicted for 14.00 on 22nd, so best seen pre dawn and after dusk on that day. The highest rates are said to last only a few hours but there could be reasonable activity on the days before and after.

They are bright, medium paced meteors not usually leaving trails but there could be a fireball or two.

On 22nd the crescent Moon rises at 04.18 and sets at 12.57. 

Parent body is Comet C/1861 G1 (Thatcher)

Pi Puppids:  active 15th to 28th, peak 23rd, 18 kps, ZHR variable.

Not visible from the UK, the radiant is too far south.

Parent comet is 26P/Grigg - Skjellerup.

For anyone having radio or radar equipment, there is a daytime shower, the April Piscids, active 20th to 25th, peak 22nd, and could be some activity from the alpha Capricornids on 7th, around 13.53.

The radiant of the Antihelion Source (ANT) moves from S Virgo then through Libra in April. 

30 kps, ZHR 2 - 4 

Credits

Most of the solar system information given here is from:

https://in-the-sky.org

More information, exact co-ordinates and finder charts of all solar system objects can be found on this site.

Also quite useful is https://theskylive.com

https://www.imo.net/resources/calendar/

https://www.timeanddate.com

Other information is from various internet sources, including NASA, Britannica, Space Facts, Universe Today and, when all else fails,Wikipedia.

The night sky in March 2025

by Anne Holt

Please note.  The clocks go forward on 29th at 01.00, so any times given after that will be in BST.

Sun and Moon

Sunrise.   1st:      06.56       31st:   06.44  

Sunset.    1st:      17.47       31st:   19.42

Day length    1st:   10.50.47       31st:   12.58.45

Astronomical darkness   1st:  19.43 to 04.58     31st:  21.48 to 04.36

The March (Spring in the northern hemisphere) Equinox, when the centre of the Sun crosses the celestial equator on its journey northwards, is on 20th at 09.01.  Despite the name, which means equal night, this day is not exactly 12 hours long.  It is the time when the centre of the Sun is above the horizon for exactly 12 hours, whereas sunrise and sunset are when the top edge of the Sun’s disc appears and disappears.  Another few minutes are added to each day because refraction of the Sun’s rays, when it is just below the horizon, means that we can see it for a short time before it rises and after it sets.

The 20th is actually 12 hrs 11 minutes 56 seconds long, the closest to 12 hours is 17th at 11.58.46.

Summer time begins on the morning of Sunday 29th, when 1am becomes 2am.

Full Moon:    14th at 06.54.  In Leo, angular diameter 29’ 44”.   

New Moon:   29th at 10.58.  In Pisces, passes 1 degree 03’ north of the Sun.

Lunar perigee:     1st at 21.21, 361966 km, in Pisces, a/d 32’ 59”, phase 7%.

Lunar apogee:   17th at 16.16, 405752 km, in Virgo,  a/d 29’ 26”, phase 86%. 

Lunar perigee:   30th at 06.25, 358126 km, in Pisces, a/d 33’ 20”, phase 2%

There is a total Lunar Eclipse on 14th, partly visible from Manchester, however the Moon will be only 8 degrees in the west when it enters the Earth’s umbra at 05.10. Totality begins at 06.26 as the Moon is setting and the Sun rising.

On 29th there is a partial solar eclipse also visible from Manchester.  It begins at 10.26 , maximum (38% covered) is at 11.04 and it ends at 12.03.

The most common name for the March Full Moon is the Worm Moon, because it is when the ground becomes soft enough for them to appear.  It could also refer to insect larvae emerging from the bark of trees at this time.

It is the Colonial American Fish Moon, the medieval English Chaste Moon, the Celtic Winds Moon or Seed Moon, the neo Pagan Death Moon, the Chinese Budding Moon and the Inuit Snow Bird Moon.

It is the Assiniboine Snow Crust Moon, the Creek Little Spring Moon, the Shoshone Warming Moon and the Wishram Long Days Moon.

The Assiniboine, Lakota and Sioux people’s Moon names all refer to having sore eyes at this time and for the Cherokee it is the Strawberry Moon. Presumably this is when they plant the fruit, too early to be picking them.

Highlights

A lot of lows this month.  We are losing astro darkness - 9 hours15 minutes on 1st, a little under 7 hours at the end of the month, when it doesn't start until almost 10pm (BST).  

The much hyped ‘Parade of the Planets’ is now no more, we’ve lost Saturn & Neptune and Venus is moving towards inferior solar conjunction and isn't visible in the second half of March. Mars and Jupiter are still high in the early part of the night and Mercury might be spotted, soon after sunset, during the first week or so. 

We have an early morning lunar eclipse, very low in the west around dawn, and a partial solar eclipse at a much more convenient time - on a Saturday morning.  Weather permitting, we’ll be in the park with eclipse glasses and solar filtered scopes so people can watch safely.

Remember: sunglasses do not cut out enough of the Sun’s light.  If you don't have your own eclipse glasses, come to the park and use ours.    

And:  from Sunday 29th, we have Summer Time, so for the next 7 months we have to do everything an hour earlier.

Constellations

We are now losing the winter highlights of Orion, Sirius and Taurus soon after midnight, though they are still prominent in the south in the early part of the night. Auriga, with the bright yellowish-white star Capella, is now overhead soon after sunset, with Gemini and Leo also prominent. The not very obvious zodiac constellation, Cancer, is now well placed. The Plough is overhead by midnight, the handle pointing to the orange hued Arcturus, the brightest star north of the celestial equator, in the constellation of Bootes. By the end of March the Summer Triangle will be above the horizon soon after 2am - or by 1am if you've forgotten to put the clock forward. 

Conjunctions

1st at 04.03:   the thin crescent Moon is 33’ south of Mercury.  The planet is visible for a few minutes around 18.10, low in the SW, when the separation is almost 10 degrees, with Mercury to the west, but the Moon will be very difficult to see.

An occultation will be visible from Australia, New Guinea and parts of the Pacific & Antarctic Oceans. 

1st at 23.18:  the crescent Moon is 6 degrees 23’ south of Venus. Venus is visible until around 20.10, separation at 19.00 is 8 degrees, one degree closer by 20.00.

6th at 11.32:  the 52% Moon is 5 degrees 33’ north of Jupiter. Planet is visible 18.15 to 01.00, separation at 20.00 is around 8 degrees.

9th at 00.27:  the gibbous Moon is 1 degree 40’ north of Mars.

9th at 10.49:  Venus is 6 degrees 20’ north of Mercury.  Mercury is visible 18.12 to 18.40, when the separation is a little less. 

They are closest, 5 degrees 30’ on the evening of 12th, when Mercury is very low, only 8 degrees at dusk.

Planets

Mercury:  in Pisces, mag -1.0

An evening object, low in the west shortly after sunset. 

On 1st it should be visible for a few minutes soon after 18.00, setting at 19.11. It is at perihelion on 4th, when it is at a distance of 0.31 AU.  Mercury has the most elliptical orbit of all the major planets, its aphelion distance is 0.47 AU. It is at greatest eastern elongation on 8th, when the apparent separation from the Sun is 18 degrees 15’.  On this day it should be visible for about 10 minutes from 18.30, when it is 10 degrees in the west.  The following day it is at its highest point in the evening sky but not noticeably higher.  By 10th, now down to mag 0.1, it is only visible for a very short time.  It reaches inferior solar conjunction on 24th, when it passes 3 degrees 10’ north of the Sun at 19.43. It is also at perigee, at a distance of 0.61 AU. It then becomes a morning object but, by 31st, is still below the horizon at dawn. 

Venus:  in Pisces, mag -4.6

Still shining brilliantly after sunset but for an increasingly short time. 

On 1st it should be seen from soon after 18.00 when it is 24 degrees above the western horizon, remaining visible until about 15 minutes after the start of astro darkness - longer for observers with a clear western horizon. After the first few days in March it is only visible in true darkness for those with a low, unobstructed view. The observation period is shortening rapidly, by mid month it is 10 degrees in the west at 18.33, setting at 19.50, and on 17th is only 7 degrees at dusk and down to mag -4.2. The apparent separation from the Sun decreases rapidly until it reaches inferior solar conjunction on 23rd, passing 7 degrees 43’ to the north at 01.03.  It is then at perigee, at a distance of 0.28 AU. It is then a morning object, on 31st it rises at 05.36, less than an hour before the Sun and is very low in the east at dawn.

Mars: in Gemini, mag -0.3

Starts March in the body of the constellation, forming a triangle with Castor and Pollux, then moves eastwards during the month.

On 1st it is high in the SE as the sky fades, culminates at 20.44 and sinks below observable altitude (9 degrees ) in the NW a few minutes after 4am. By mid month it is a little higher as the sky fades, is at its highest point at 19.57 and remains high enough for observing until around 03.10. On 29th it culminates a few minutes before it becomes visible and on 31st, now down to mag 0.4, is high in the south as the sky fades, too low by 03.15.

Jupiter: in Taurus, mag -2.3

Starts the month close to the Hyades, then moves slowly eastwards away from the V asterism. 

On 1st it becomes visible as the sky begins to darken soon after 18.00 and culminates a few minutes later, 58 degrees in the south. It remains on view until a few minutes after 01.15 and sets at 02.28. From 2nd it has already passed its highest point when it becomes visible. By mid month it is high in the SW at dusk, remains visible until around 00.40 and sets at 01.49. On 31st, now marginally fainter at mag -2.1, it is still high in the SW as the sky darkens, remaining visible until around 00.40 and setting at 01.49.

Saturn:  in Aquarius, mag 1.1

Not visible this month. On 1st it is below the horizon when the sky darkens, setting at 18.31. It is at solar conjunction on 12th, when it passes 1 degree 54’ south of the Sun at 10.19. By mid month it is a morning object, rising at 06.32 but still below the horizon at dawn. On 23rd we cross the plane of the rings, so that if we could see the planet we wouldn’t see any rings. On 31st it rises at 06.32 but still fails to clear the horizon in darkness. 

Uranus:  in Aries, mag 5.8

Naked eye object?  I’ve never heard of anyone who has seen it without optical aid, good binoculars or, even better, a small scope are needed.  It is situated between the Pleiades and Pisces’ Circlet asterism, on a continuation of the line from Mars to Jupiter.

It is now an evening object, on 1st it is quite high in the SW as darkness falls, remaining observable until a few minutes after 22.00, setting at 00.45.  From mid month it sets before midnight, on 15th it is 35 degrees in the west at dusk, too low by 21.15. On 31st it is only a little above OA as the sky darkens soon after 21.00 , setting at 23.53.

Neptune:  in Pisces, mag 8.0

Not observable this month.  It is at solar conjunction on19th, when it passes 1 degree 15’ south of the Sun.

Dwarf Planets

Ceres:  in Aquarius, mag 9.1

Not observable this month.

Pluto:  in Capricorn, mag 15.2

Not observable

Haumea:  in Bootes, mag 17.3

Located close to Zeta Bootis.

High enough for imaging from midnight to dawn on 1st, when it culminates, 50 degrees in the south, at 04.43. On 31st it is at OA by 22.20 and is highest at 03.13.

Makemake:  in Coma Berenices, mag 17.1

Located between globular clusters M3 and M53, closer to the former.

Observable mid evening until the sky begins to brighten. Culminates, on 1st, at 02.57, when it reaches 57 degrees.  It is at opposition on 31st, observable from soon after 21.00, highest at 01.58.

Eris:  in Cetus, mag 18.2.

Not observable.

Asteroids at opposition

12th.  8 Flora: in Leo, mag 9.7. 47 degrees in the south at 00.33.

21st. 139 Juawe: in Virgo, mag 10.1.  42 degrees in the south at 00.44.

23rd, 18 Melpomene: in Virgo, mag 10.1. 42 degrees in the south at 00.34. 

Comets

You may have heard about a comet which will reach mag -2.4, or maybe brighter, on 3rd.

Don’t get excited - P2008 Y12 (SOHO) is a sungrazer, latest observed mag (Feb 24th) is 12.8.  On 3rd, when at its brightest it will be only 3 degrees from the Sun.  As it moves away it travels southwards and fades rapidly, so won’t be observable from the UK.  Estimated mag at month end, when it is PIscis Austrinus, is around 20. 

Meteor Showers

Still nothing in the northern hemisphere, maybe a shower for observers in the southern hemisphere.

Gamma Normids. Active 25.02 to 28.03, peak 14th, ZHR not given.

This is not mentioned in this year’s IMO calendar, so has probably not been active recently.

The radiant of the ANT moves across S Virgo in March. 30kps, ZHR 2-3.

Credits

Most of the solar system information given here is from:

https://in-the-sky.org

More information, exact co-ordinates and finder charts of all solar system objects can be found on this site.

Also quite useful is https://theskylive.com

https://www.imo.net/resources/calendar/

https://www.timeanddate.com

Other information is from various internet sources, including NASA, Britannica, Space Facts, Universe Today and, when all else fails,Wikipedia.

The night sky in February 2025

by Anne Holt

Sun and Moon

Sunrise:     1st:   07.53       28th:  06.58     

Sunset:     1st:  16.57        28th:  17.45

Day length:   1st:  8.58.32        28th:  10.46.35

Astronomical darkness:  1st:  18.53 to 05.51     28th:  19.41 to 05.00

Full Moon:   12th at 13.53, in Leo, angular diameter 30’ 25”

New Moon:  28th at 00.45, in Aquarius, passes 1 degree 36’ south of the Sun.

Lunar perigee:   2nd at 02.46.  367456 km, in Pisces, ad 32’ 30”, phase 20%

Lunar apogee:  18th at 01.10.  404881km,  in Virgo, ad 29’ 29”, phase 70%

The most common name for the February full Moon is the Snow Moon, for obvious reasons. It is the Celtic Ice Moon, the Medieval English Storm Moon and the neoPagan Quickening Moon, which marks the end of winter and the renewal of life. It’s the Inuit Seal Pup Moon and the Chinese Budding Moon.

Most indigenous American names refer to the cold and its effects - the Arapaho Frost Sparkling in the Sun Moon, the Kalapuya Out of Food Moon, the Cherokee Bony Moon, the Janic Dark Storm Moon and the Wishram Shoulder to Shoulder around the Fire Moon. It is the Sioux Dark Red Calves Moon - legs or animals, it doesn’t specify.

Highlights

We still have plenty of astronomical darkness, 11 hrs on 1st and a little over 9 and a quarter at month end.  

It remains good for planet observing. At the start of February we have 3 planets and the crescent Moon close together in the evening sky.  

Venus is unmissable soon after sunset, still visible when astro darkness begins throughout the month, Mars is on view for most of the night and Jupiter until the early hours.  However we are losing Saturn, it is too low at dusk from mid February.

But we have no meteor showers visible from the UK and no bright, or even not very bright, comets.

Constellations

Orion and Taurus are now above the horizon as the sky darkens but start to set at around 2am at the start of February and soon after midnight by the end of the month. Gemini and Auriga are still prominent, remaining above the horizon until the early hours. Leo, the signature constellation of Spring, is now high in the sky for most of the night and Bootes, with it's bright red star Arcturus is rising soon after 11, and around 9pm at month end. In the early part of the evening the Plough is low in the North East standing on its 'handle', and Cassiopeia high in the North West as darkness falls. By month end, the Summer Triangle will have risen soon after 3am - summer already? Someone better tell the weather.

Conjunctions

1st at 04.52:  the crescent Moon is 1 degree 05’ north of Saturn.  The planet is visible from around 17.45, when it is low in the SW. 

An occultation is visible from parts of Russia.

1st at 20.22: the crescent Moon is 2 degrees 30’ south of Venus.  The planet is visible until around 20.15, sets at 21.14.

1st at 23.00: the Moon is 1 degree 25’  north of Neptune.

At 18.20 on 1st:

Venus - Moon separation is around 2 degrees 30’

Saturn - Moon       “                  “       10 degrees 

Venus - Saturn      “                  “       11 degrees 30’

Neptune - Moon    “                  “        2 degrees.  

The Moon will be a little to the left of the line between Venus and Saturn, with Neptune to the left of, and slightly higher than, the Moon.  

3rd at 19.51:  Venus is 1 degree 25’ north of Neptune, the latter very difficult to see, only 10 degrees in the east at dusk, setting at 20.30.

5th: the 55% Moon is a little over 4 degrees north of Uranus in the evening sky.  The planet is observable from around 18.25.

7th at 02.36:  The gibbous Moon is 5 degrees 29’ north of Jupiter.  Closest, 5 degrees 25’, at 02.01.  At this time Jupiter will be very low in the north west but separation earlier in the night won’t be much more.

9th at 19.25:  the almost full Moon is 46’ north of Mars. The planet is highest at 22.49, when the separation is around 3 degrees. 

An occultation will be visible from NE Canada, Greenland, Orkney, Shetland, N Scandinavia and parts of central Asia.

25th at 21.26:  Mercury passes 1 degree 39’ north of Saturn.  Neither are visible on this night, both set at 18.44 in nautical twilight.

Planets

Mercury:  in Capricorn, mag -1.1

Not visible for most of February.  On 1st it is on the horizon at dawn, rising at 07.53.  It is at superior solar conjunction on 9th, when it passes 2 degrees 02’ south of the Sun and is 1.39AU from Earth.  It then becomes an evening object but is too low at dusk to be seen.  Its position improves slowly, when it crosses into Aquarius on 12th it has already sunk below the horizon when the sky begins to darken.  It is in Pisces from 26th, when it is 6 degrees at dusk.  On 28th it may be visible for a few minutes around 18.05, very low in the west and setting at 19.05.  Mag now -1.0.

Venus:  in Pisces, mag -4.58

Still unmissably bright in the evening sky, visible from around 20 minutes after sunset - earlier if you know where to look. It reaches its highest point in the evening sky on 10th, when it is 34 degrees at sunset, and is at greatest brightness on 16th, at mag -4.64 (though some sources say -4.8 or even -4.9).  By 28th it is a little lower when it becomes visible but easily seen for at least 2 hours, setting at 21.02.

It can be seen in astro darkness throughout February - around 90 minutes on 1st, down to 20 minutes by the end of the month. 

Mars:  in .Gemini, Mag -1.0

Shining brightly, with an obvious reddish hue.  It forms a triangle with Castor and Pollux at the start of February, moving slowly westwards for most of the month.

On 1st it is observable from dusk, when it is 24 degrees in the east, reaches 62 degrees in the south by 22.48 and remains visible for most of the night. Mid month it is higher when the sky darkens, culminates at 21.45 and sinks below observable altitude by 05.15. It is at its stationary point on 24th, at 02.02, then resumes prograde (W - E) motion. By month end, now at mag -0.3, it is high in the SE as the sky fades, culminates at 20,48 and remains visible until a little after 4am.

Jupiter:  in Taurus, mag -2.5

Moving very slowly eastwards, a little above Aldebaran. 

On 1st it is quite high in the SE as the sky begins to darken, culminates, 57 degrees in the south, at 19.47 and remains visible until a little after 3am, setting at 04.12.  On 4th, at  09.35, it reaches its stationary point then goes back to apparent prograde motion. By mid month it is visible from 17.40, highest at 19.07 and sinks below OA by 02.15.  On 28th, now a little fainter at mag -2.3, it is almost at its highest point when it becomes visible around 18.05, culminates 10 minutes later and is down to 7 degrees in the east by 01.22.

Saturn:  in Aquarius, mag 1.1

Now very low, situated below the Circlet of Pisces and only easily visible in the first week of the month.

On 1st it is in the SW as the sky fades around 17.45, and visible for only 45 minutes, setting at 22.02. The observing time shortens quickly over the next few days, by 10th it is almost down to OA when the sky darkens around 18.00, too low after only a couple of minutes. By mid month it is only 9 degrees at dusk and on 28th is on the horizon as the sky darkens. 

Uranus:  in  Aries, mag 5.7

Situated between the Pleiades cluster and and Pisces’ Circlet asterism.

On 1st it reaches OA about half an hour before it culminates, 54 degrees in the south, at 18.42 and remains visible until a few minutes before midnight. On 5th it is at its highest point when the sky darkens and, by mid month, is observable from around 18.40 until shortly after 23.00, when it sinks below 21 degrees in the west. By 28th it is a little lower when the sky fades, remaining high enough for observing for around 3 hours.

It should be visible in good binoculars but is much easier to see with a scope. Especially one equipped with go-to.

Neptune:  in Pisces, mag 7.9

Might be observed for a few minutes on 1st, very low in SE around 18.20, as the sky darkens. Too low for the rest of the month, by 28th it is only 2 degrees above the horizon as night falls, setting at 19.25..

Dwarf Planets

Ceres: in Capricorn, mag 9.0

Not observable this month.  It crosses into Sagittarius on 11th and 3 days later is at solar conjunction, passing 7 degrees south of the Sun.  It is now 3.96AU from Earth.

Pluto:  in Sagittarius, mag 15.1.

Only above the horizon in daylight this month.

Haumea: in Bootes, mag 17.3

Close to Zeta Bootis, observable in the morning sky, now culminating in darkness, 50 degrees in the south. 

On 1st it is high for a little over 5 hours before the sky begins to brighten. From 20th it reaches OA by midnight and on 28th can be observed from 23.30, culminating at 04.17. 

Makemake:  in Coma Berenices, mag 17.1

A little higher and to the right of Makemake, located between globular clusters M3 and M53. 

High enough for imaging from around 23.30 on 1st, a couple of hours earlier by 28th. Culminates in darkness throughout the month, reaching 57 degrees at 04.48 on 1st and 03.01 at month end.

Eris:  in Cetus, mag 18.7

The cause of Pluto’s demotion, aptly named after the goddess of discord, is very faint, a target for only the very best astrophotographers, using the ‘spot the difference’ technique.

It is located a little below Pisces’ Circlet, an early evening object, too low at dusk for imaging by the last week in February.

Asteroids at Opposition

12th:  29 Amphetrite, in Leo, mag 9.2. Reaches 55 degrees in the south at 00.30

26th:  24 Themis, in Leo, mag 10.7.  Reaches 46 degrees in the south at 00.20

Comets

Nothing brighter than mag 11 predicted for the next few months.

Meteor Showers

Only one minor shower this month - and the radiant is too far south for any activity to be seen from the UK’

Alpha Centaurids:  active Jan 31st to Feb 20th, peak Feb 8th, 58 kps, ZHR 6 (variable)

The antihelion source (ANT) is active in February.  This is not a true shower, it is an area of the sky, on the ecliptic opposite the Sun, where several extremely weak showers have their radiant.

The radiant crosses S Leo in February, 30 kps, ZHR 2 - 3.

Credits

Most of the solar system information given here is from:

https://in-the-sky.org

More information, exact co-ordinates and finder charts of all solar system objects can be found on this site.

Also quite useful is https://theskylive.com

https://www.imo.net/resources/calendar/

https://www.timeanddate.com

Other information is from various internet sources, including NASA, Britannica, Space Facts, Universe Today and, when all else fails,Wikipedia.

The night sky in January 2025

by Anne Holt

Sun and Moon

Sunrise.    1st:     08.24        31st:    07.56

Sunset.     1st:     16.00         31st:    16.50

Day Length.   1st:   7.35.47       31st:   8.54.54

Astronomical Darkness.   1st:  18.11  to  06.14       31st:  18.51  to  05.52

The Earth is at perihelion at 13.28 on Jan 4th, at a distance of 147,103,686 km or .9838 AU.

Full Moon:   15th at 22.26, in Gemini, angular diameter 31’ 18”

New Moon:  28th at 12.37, in Capricorn, passes 3 degrees 50’ south of the Sun.

Lunar perigee:    8th at 00.01,  370171 km,  in Aries,  a/d 32’ 15”, phase 66%.

Lunar apogee:  21st at 04.54,  404298 km,  in Virgo,  a/d 29’ 33”, phase 51%.

The most commonly used name for the January full Moon is the Wolf Moon.  At this time these animals are heard howling, not from hunger as was previously thought, but because they are marking their territory and locating other pack members so they can hunt together.

Other names are the Celtic Quiet Moon or Stay Home Moon, the neoPagan Ice Moon, the Anglo Saxon Moon after Yule, the Colonial American Snow Moon, the Chinese Holiday Moon and the Inuit Dwarf Seal Moon.

Most indigenous American names refer to the cold weather, including the Arapaho Moon when Snow Blows Like Spirits in the Wind, the Kalapuya Stay Inside Moon, the Passamaquoddy Whirling Wind Moon, the Shawnee Severe Moon and the Mohawk Moon of the Big Cold.

However the Ponca must have an improvement in the weather at this time, for them it’s the Snow Thaws Moon. The Hopi also seem to like January, for them it’s the Joyful Moon or Moon of Life at its Best.  The Choctaw have the Cooking Moon but for the Natchez it’s the Cold Meal Moon.

Highlights

We still have plenty of astronomical darkness, a minute short of 12 hours on 1st, a minute over 11 hours on 31st.  And it still begins reasonable early, before 7pm throughout January.

Venus is extremely bright in the early evening sky and Jupiter and Mars are both visible for most of the night, however we are losing Saturn, by the end of January it is only visible for a little under an hour.  But before it goes, it puts on a show, early in the month it is occulted by the Moon - visible from the UK - and, in the later part, is close to Venus.

But the only bright comet isn’t visible from the UK and the one major meteor shower is marred, not by Moonlight for a change, but by sunlight.

Constellations

There isn't much change in the prominent constellations since December, just that everything rises, or sets, a couple of hours earlier. Orion is now well above the horizon by 8pm at the start of the month, with Sirius rising at this time. By month end, Sirius will rise at about 6pm. Auriga, Gemini and Cassiopeia are all high in the sky. The Summer Triangle is now setting earlier as the Winter Hexagon rises. Taurus and the Pleiades are still very prominent and the spring constellation of Leo is above the south eastern horizon by 9pm.

Conjunctions

3rd at 15.25.  The crescent Moon is 1 degree 26’ south of Venus.  Closest, 1 degree 18’, at 16.32. Venus should be easily visible at this time.

4th at 17.22.  The 25% Moon passes 40’ south of Saturn.  An occultation is visible from 17.59 to 18.30. The large moon, Titan, goes behind the Moon 4 minutes after the planet.

5th.  Lunar occultation of Neptune observable from W Russia and E Svalbard.  It can be viewed from the UK in daylight, 13.58 to 14.83.  At 19.00 the separation is around 5 degrees, with the 38% Moon to the north.

9th at 16.00. The gibbous Moon passes 4 degrees north of Uranus. The planet is observable from 17.45, separation at 18.00 is around 7 degrees, one more by 20.00.

10th at 22.13.  The 92% Moon is 5 degrees 25’ north of Jupiter.

14th at 03.42.  The almost full Moon is 13’ north of Mars. A lunar occultation is visible from most of the USA, mid Atlantic and NW Africa.

18th at 17.30. Venus is 2 degrees 10’ from Saturn as they become visible.

20th at 05.50.  Venus is 2 degrees 31’ north of Saturn, separation at 18.00 on 19th is 2 degrees 25’.

The pair are within 5 degrees from 13th to 24th, within 3 degrees from 16th to 21st.

Planets

Mercury:  in Ophiuchus, mag -0.4.

Might be spotted, very low in the SE, just before dawn in the first few days of January. On 1st it rises at 06.45 but only reaches 5 degrees before the sky begins to brighten. It goes into Sagittarius on 5th, when it is only 4 degrees at dawn and by mid month it is on the horizon.  It is in Capricorn from 27th, and, on 31st, rises at the same time as the Sun. 

Venus:  in Aquarius, mag -4.4.

Totally unmissable, weather (and tall buildings) permitting, in the still bright sky not long after sunset. 

On 1st it should be visible in the south before 16.30, is quite low by 19.00 and sets at 20.10. It is at greatest eastern elongation on 10th, when the apparent separation from the Sun is 47 degrees, and it remains easily visible for almost 3 hours. It is in Pisces from 23rd and on 31st is 30 degrees in the south soon after 17.00, remaining visible until about 20.15, even brighter at mag -4.6.

Visible in astro darkness for around 40 minutes at the start of January and well over an hour at month end.

Mars: in Cancer, mag -1.2 

Starts the month midway between Pollux and the Beehive cluster, it is currently retrograde, by mid month it is closer to Pollux and by month end it is a little to its right forming a triangle with Castor & Pollux. 

It is observable for most of the night, on 1st it culminates at 01.44 when it reaches 60 degrees in the south.  It moves into Gemini on 12th, when it is also at perigee, at a distance of 0.64 AU. It reaches opposition at 02.35 on 16th, when it culminates at 00.21.  However,this is known as an aphelic opposition, occurring when the planet is at its furthest from the Sun, so appears smaller and less bright than the 2023 opposition which was when it was close to perihelion. On the plus side it is now much higher in the sky.  By month end it is at 21 degrees in the east when it becomes visible in the evening twilight, culminates at 22.54 and sinks below observable altitude by 23.00. 

Jupiter:  in Taurus, mag -2.7

Moving slowly westwards between the horns of the bull, shining brightly for most of the night.

On 1st it is quite low in the east at dusk, reaches its highest point, 58 degrees, at 22.07 and sinks below OA by 05.15.  Mid month it culminates at 21.07 and remains high enough for observing until 04.15.  By 31st it is high in the SE as the sky darkens, highest at 21.01 and visible until around 3am.

Saturn:  in Aquarius, mag 1.1

An early evening object, low in the SW as the sky darkens, close to Venus in the 3rd week of the month. 

On 1st it is observable until around 2015, setting at 21.47.  By mid month it is lower at dusk, now in the SW, visible for around 2 and a half hours.  By month end it is very low as the sky fades, visible for only 90 minutes. 

Uranus:  in Aries, mag 5.7

Moving very slowly westwards below the Pleiades.

On 1st it is observable from dusk, reaches 54 degrees in the south at 20.46 and is below OA by 02.00. By mid month it is 47 degrees in the SE when the sky darkens, highest at 19.49 and observable until a few minutes after 1am.  It is at its stationary point at 16.16 on 30th, then resumes prograde motion but it moves so slowly against the background stars that the change won’t be immediately noticeable.  By 31st it culminates at 18.46, only 30 minutes after it becomes visible, remaining high enough until midnight.

It might be spotted in decent binoculars but a small scope is needed  to show the small blue/green disc.

Neptune:  in Pisces, mag 7.9

An early evening object, low in the south, below and to the left of the Circlet. 

On 1st it is 33 degrees at dusk, too low for observing by 2015 and sets at 23.04. By mid month it is in the SW as darkness falls and observable for only a couple of hours.  By 31st the observation period is down to only 10 minutes. Should be visible through a small telescope, a larger one is needed to show the bluish disc.

Dwarf Planets

Ceres:  in Sagittarius, mag 7.9

The only one of the 5 officially recognised dwarf planets which is a target for the average amateur astrophotographer.

It is not observable this month as it is very low in the evening twilight.

The rest are extremely faint, only very experienced astrophotographers using the best equipment have any chance of catching them - and even then only as very faint dots on the image.

Pluto:  in Capricorn, mag 15.1

At solar conjunction on 21st at 18.20 when it passes 3 degrees 19’ south of the Sun.

Haumea:  in Bootes, mag 17.3 and Makemake:  in Coma Berenices, mag 17.2

Both observable in the morning sky, Haumea, located close to Zeta Bootis, for 3 and a half hours on 1st, 5 hours on 31st.  Makemake, a little higher, on a continuation of the line from Zeta to Eta, is high for 5 hours 20 minutes on 31st and 7 hours on 31st, when it culminates as it is lost in the brightening sky. 

Eris:  in Cetus, mag 18.7 

Much fainter even than Haumea and Makemake, well out of reach of most amateurs but, in case anyone wants to give it a go, it is an evening object high from nightfall until 22.30 on 1st and until 20.30 at the end of January. 

Though it is in Cetus, it is located a little to the right of Alpha Piscis.

Asteroids at Opposition

 3rd:  14 Irene:  in Gemini, mag 9.6.  53 degrees in the south at 00.12.

12th:  887 Alinda:  in Gemini, mag 9.7,  reaches 60 degrees at 22.41

14th:  79 Eurynome, in Gemini, mag 10.2, reaches 49 degrees at 00.07

Comets

C/2024 G3 (ATLAS)  in Scorpio, mag 3.6  (latest observed, 29.12, is 5.5).

Not visible from the UK, above the horizon in daylight. In Ophiuchus from 2nd then crosses into Sagittarius.  Predicted to reach mag -5.6 on 13th, when it is at its highest in the sky but still below the horizon at dawn.  It then moves quickly southwards so is never visible from the UK.

No other comets are predicted to become brighter than mag 11 over the next few months.

Meteor Showers

Quadrantids: active Dec 28th to Jan 12th, peak 3rd, 41 kps, ZHR 60 - 200, though in recent years the numbers have been closer to the lower figure. 

This shower is named after the former constellation Quadrans Muralis, the Wall Quadrant, which was omitted from the IAU’s official list of 88 published in 1922. It was located at the end of the handle of the Plough. 

The circumpolar radiant, now in Bootes, is highest after dawn, time given for the peak is 15.00, in daylight. It only lasts for about 6 hours so very little is in comparative darkness - astro twilight begins at 17.28. 

Some activity could also be seen in the early hours, when the radiant is high, but the ZHR is unlikely to be more than 25 at this time. 

Quadrantid meteors don’t usually leave long lasting trails but the shower could include the occasional fireball.

Parent body is asteroid 2003 EH1, probably a defunct comet. It is classed as a near Earth object, but it isn’t so near as to pose a threat to us. The crescent Moon sets at 20.25.

Gamma Ursa Minorids: active Jan 10th to 22nd, peak 18th, 31 kps, ZHR 3 (Mc 2 at best).

The radiant is circumpolar, highest after dawn, peak activity predicted for 05.00 so best chance of seeing one or 2 is before dawn.

However the 83% Moon is above the horizon until 10.07.

There could be some activity from the Kappa Cancrids on Jan 9th, around 16.00, when the earth is at the same position in the dust trail as it was when there was an outburst in 2015. Unfortunately this is a few minutes before sunset. 47 kps, ZHR not given.

The Antihelion Source (ANT), meteors not attributed to any specific shower having a radiant on the ecliptic directly opposite the Sun, is active in January, 30 kps, ZHR 2-3. The radiant begins the month in SE Gemini, then moves across Cancer. 

Credits

Most of the solar system information given here is from:

https://in-the-sky.org

More information, exact co-ordinates and finder charts of all solar system objects can be found on this site.

Also quite useful is https://theskylive.com

https://www.imo.net/resources/calendar/

https://www.timeanddate.com

Other information is from various internet sources, including NASA, Britannica, Space Facts, Universe Today and, when all else fails,Wikipedia.

The night sky in December 2024

by Anne Holt

Sun and Moon

Sunrise.     1st:   08.02          31st:   08.25

Sunset.      1st:   15.53          31st:   15.58

Latest sunrise:  29th at 08.29.   Earliest sunset:  13th at 15.49

Day length:      1st:   7.51.08     31st:  7.33.24

Shortest day:   21st:   7.28.26

Astronomical darkness:  1st:  18.01 to 05.55      31st:  18.10 to 06.14

Earliest start:  18.00 on 4th to 16th.   Latest end:  06.14 on Dec 28th to Jan 5th.

Longest:  12 hrs 10 min on 19th - 21st.

The December (winter in the N hemisphere) solstice is on 21st at 09.20.  At this time the Sun is at its lowest point in the sky (highest when seen from S of the equator) and is overhead at noon along the Tropic of Capricorn. 

New Moon:  1st at 06.22, in Scorpio.  Passes 4 degrees 34’ south of the Sun

Full Moon:   15th at 09.01, in Taurus, 370,000 km, angular diameter 32’ 14”

New Moon:  30th at 22.29, passes 4 degrees 56’ south of the Sun

Lunar perigee:   12th at 13.20,  365358 km, in Aries, ad 32’ 41”, phase 92%

Lunar apogee:   24th at 07.24,  404484 km, in Virgo, ad 29’ 31”, phase 32%

The most commonly used name for the December full Moon is the cold Moon - particularly appropriate this year if the long range forecasts prove to be correct.

It is the Celtic Singing Moon, the medieval English Oak Moon, the neo Pagan Long Nights Moon, the Chinese BItter Moon and the Inuit Dark Night Moon. As the last full Moon before Dec 25th (or 21st) it is also the Colonial American Christmas Moon and the Old English/Anglo Saxon Moon before Yule.

Among the non weather related indigenous American names are the Anishinaabe Small Spirits Moon, the Shawnee Eccentric Moon, the Cree Young Fellow Spreads the Big Brush Moon and the Assiniboine Center Moon’s Younger Brother.

Some names seem to suggest that they don't have bad weather at this time: the Choctaw Peach Moon, the Comanche Evergreen Moon, the Haida Ripe Berries Moon and the Kalapuya Not Bad Weather Moon.

Highlights

We have the shortest day or, as astronomers think of it, the longest night with around 12 hours of astronomical darkness throughout the month, beginning soon after 6pm.

It’s a good month for observing the planets, Jupiter is shining brightly for most of the night, brilliant Venus is an evening object, visible in astro darkness from mid month.  Mars is also well placed, ending the month at mag -1.2.  A lunar occultation of Mars will be visible from the UK - in daylight.

Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan - ATLAS) is faint now but still observable for most of the month and we have one of the year’s best meteor showers, unfortunately marred by the almost full Moon close by.

Do we have a Christmas Star this year?  Both Venus and Jupiter will be visible soon after sunset, in the south and east respectively.  It should be quite a spectacle when seen from a site with a long clear east to SW horizon.

And a clear sky.

Constellations

Orion, with the stars of his belt pointing down to the brightest star in the sky, Sirius, is now well above the horizon by midnight, and is a beautiful sight especially from a dark sky site. By month end these will be visible from 10pm - weather permitting. Taurus and the Pleiades precede him across the sky.

Gemini, including the 'twins' Castor and Pollux, and Auriga with the bright Capella are also very prominent. Aries and Pisces, while not particularly bright - or often not even visible in our light polluted skies - are both quite high this month.

Perseus, Andromeda and the Great Square of Pegasus are also well placed for most of the night. The Plough starts the night quite low in the Northern sky, with Cassiopeia high overhead. Because of the long winter nights, these last two will have changed places before dawn as they rotate around the celestial north pole.

Conjunctions

4th at 22.41.  The crescent Moon passes 2 degrees 15’ south of Venus.  Both are visible in the evening twilight, separation at 17.00 is around 3 degrees.

7th at 18.13.  Venus is 53’ south of Pluto.  The dwarf planet is too faint to be observed or imaged when so low in the sky.

8th at 08.55.  The 52% Moon is 18’ north of Saturn, The planet is visible from dusk until 21.45.  Separation at 18.00 on 7th is around 7 degrees, with the Moon to the right, slightly closer the following evening when the Moon will be to the planet’s left.  

9th.  Lunar occultation of Neptune, observable from NE Asia, W Alaska and the N Pacific.

From the UK the pair are closest around 06.00, the planet is observable from dusk until 21.50, separation at 18.00 on 8th is 8 degrees.

14th at 19.42.  The almost full Moon is 5 degrees 48’ north of Jupiter.

18th at 08.48.  The 85% Moon is 54’ north of Mars. The planet is visible on the night of 17th/18th from 19.50 to 07.49.  Separation at 21.00 on 17th is a little over 5 degrees, down to 2 degrees by 3am, when it culminates.  An occultation will be visible from the UK between 09.22 and 10.15,  in daylight. 

Planets

Mercury:  in Ophiuchus, mag 2.7

Not easy to see this month.  It starts December as an evening object, on 1st it sets only 30 minutes after the Sun. It is at inferior solar conjunction on 6th at 02.14, when it passes 1 degree 23’ to the north. It is also at perihelion at a distance of 0.31 AU. It then becomes a morning object but remains very low. It is in Scorpio from 10th and is at its highest point in the sky on 20th but still only 8 degrees when the sky brightens.  It might be seen briefly in the morning twilight as it is now much brighter at mag -0.3. It is back in Ophiuchus from 22nd and at greatest western elongation on 25th, when it appears a little over 22 degrees from the Sun, but is no higher at dawn. By 30th it is marginally brighter but even lower.

Venus:  in Sagittarius, mag -4.2

Shining brightly in the evening twilight.  On 1st it should be easily visible for almost an hour, reasonably high in the south when the sky is still quite bright and setting at 18.40. It crosses into Capricorn on 6th and by mid month is 15 degrees in the south as the sky begins to fade, remaining on view until the start of astro darkness and setting at 19.20.  It goes into Aquarius on 31st, now at mag -4.4 and observable for at least 2 and a half hours, the last 50 minutes in astro darkness.  It now sets at 20.07.

Mars:  in Cancer, mag -0.5

Begins December a couple of degrees above the Beehive cluster. On 1st it reaches observable altitude a few minutes after 21.00 and culminates, 57 degrees in the south, at 04.01 and remains reasonably high until dawn.   It is at its stationary point on 6th at 23.22, then begins apparent retrograde motion, moving towards the twins, Castor and Pollux.  By mid month it is visible from around 20.00 until dawn, highest at 03.06.  By the end of the month it is at mag -1.2 and can be seen from 18.30, culminating at 01.49. 

Jupiter:  in Taurus, mag -2.8

Unmissably bright,  weather permitting, moving slowly westward between the horns of the bull. 

On 1st it rises at 16.12 and is high enough to be easily seen 70 minutes later. It culminates, 58 degrees in the south, at 00.30 and is low in the NW by dawn.  It is at perigee on 6th, at a distance of 4.09 AU, and reaches opposition the following day, when it should be visible from  17.00 until 07.15, highest at 00.03. By the end of the month it is a little higher in the east as the sky fades, culminates at 22.12 and sinks below observable altitude by 05.20.

Saturn:  in Aquarius, mag 1.0

Situated below and to the right of the Circlet of Pisces, now an early evening object setting before midnight. 

On 1st it should be visible from dusk until a few minutes before 22.00,when it sinks too low in the west to be seen easily. It culminates at 18.23, still quite low at 27 degrees.  By mid month it is almost at its highest point when the sky darkens enough for it to be seen and is lost soon after 21.15, setting at 22 47.  On 26th it culminates as it becomes visible and at the end of December can be seen for about 3 and a half hours from dusk, setting at 21,50.

Uranus:  in Taurus, mag 5.6

Situated below, and to the right of, the Pleiades, still well placed following last month’s opposition.

On 1st it is high enough for observing from 17.30 to a few minutes after 4am, culminating at 22.52, at 54 degrees in the south.  By mid month it is a little higher as the sky darkens, is highest at 21.54 and remains observable until a little after 3am.  It crosses into Aries on 29th and on 31st is 38 degrees in the east at dusk, highest at 20.50 and below observable altitude by 2.05.

As always it is a very tricky naked eye object, needs perfect eyesight and a perfectly clear dark sky.  It should be visible in good binoculars but is best viewed through a telescope.

Neptune:  in Pisces, mag 7.9

Now an evening object, low in the sky, moving very slowly below the Circlet asterism.  

On 1st it becomes observable around 17.30, culminates at 19.14 when it reaches 33 degrees in the south, and  remains above OA until 22.20. It is at its stationary point on 7th, at 23.36, then resumes prograde motion. By mid December it is almost at its highest when the sky darkens around 17.30, culminates at 18.16 and remains observable until 21.20, setting at 00.06.  From 18th it sets before midnight and from 28th is past its highest when it becomes observable at dusk.  On 31st it is 33 degrees in the south as darkness falls soon after 17.30 and sinks too low after 3 hours.    

It might be spotted in large binoculars but a scope is needed to show it as a small bluish disc.

Dwarf Planets

Ceres:  in Sagitarius, mag 9.2.

The only dwarf planet which is within the reach of the average amateur is not observable this month, as it is too low at dusk to be seen.

Pluto:  in Capricorn, mag 15.2

Also an evening object, too low for observing or imaging from our latitude.

The rest are very faint, a target for only the very best amateur astrophotographers.

Haumea:  In Bootes, mag 17.3

Situated close to Zeta Bootis, observable for a short time pre dawn - about an hour on 1st, 3 and a half hours by month end when it will reach 47 degrees in the SE before being lost as the sky begins to brighten.

Makemake:  in Coma Berenices, mag 17.2

A little higher than Haumea, located on a continuation of the line from Zeta to Eta Bootis. Observable for about 3 hours pre dawn on 1st, 5 and a quarter on 31st.

Eris:  in Cetus, mag 18.7

Probably out of reach of even the very best amateurs. Situated a little below the mid point between Neptune and Uranus. An evening object, still culminating in darkness - 21.00 on 1st, 19.11 on 31st.

Asteroid at Opposition

14th:  15 Eunomia, in Auriga, mag 8.2

70 degrees in the south at 23.53.

Comets

C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS):  in Aquila, mag 9.1 - though currently 0.4 mags brighter than predicted.

Observable for an increasingly short time in the evening sky. On 1st it is 29 degrees in the SW as darkness falls, remaining above OA for about an hour.  By mid month, predicted mag now 10.1, it is only observable for about half an hour and on 24th this is down to 2 minutes around 17.30.  Estimated mag now 10.6

333P/LINEAR:  in Canes Venatici, mag 10.9, latest observed (25.11) 11.3

Not a great deal fainter, and much better positioned than T-A.

Circumpolar.  On 1st it is high enough for observing from around 00.30 until dawn, when it reaches 71 degrees. From 4th it is above OA from dusk until dawn and, on 5th, moves into Ursa Major. It reaches peak brightness on 8th, predicted mag 10.7, and is observable from around 17.24 and reaches 67 degrees in the NE before being lost as the sky begins to brighten.  It crosses into Draco on 9th and is observable throughout the hours of darkness. It is in Cygnus from 20th, predicted mag now down to 11.3 and observable from 17.30, when it is high in the east, until dawn, when it is 37 degrees in the NE. On 28th it dips below OA between 23.04 and 06.43 - only a few minutes before dawn.  For the rest of December it is only observable in the evening sky, on 31st it is high in the west as the sky darkens, too low by 23.40. It is now fainter at mag 12.4.

Meteor Showers

One (very) major shower this month

Geminids: active 4th to 20th, peak 14th, 35 kps, ZHR up to 150, from Manchester could be as many as 100 - under ideal conditions.

This is usually the strongest, most reliable shower of the year, showing good rates before midnight. They are bright meteors, often not leaving trails, usually white or yellow but sometimes blue, red or green hued. The radiant is above the horizon for most of the night, highest at 02.00.  There is usually a broad peak, this year centred on 2am.

The stream is thought to have originated from the break up of a comet, which spawned several asteroids including the stream’s parent body 3200 Phaethon.

The bad news is that the almost full Moon will be above the horizon for most of the night, causing significant interference.  However the shower does include several very bright meteors which should still be visible. 

There are also several minor showers

Andromedids:  active 1st to 8th, peak around midnight on 4th/5th, very slow moving, ZHR variable.

The shower is sometimes referred to as the Cassiopeids, even though its name has now been changed because of radiant drift.  

The radiant is circumpolar, highest at 21,00.  

The parent body is comet 3D/Biela, which broke up in 1852 producing spectacular meteor storms in 1872 and 1885. The shower now mainly consists of very faint meteors, not visible to the naked eye.  Enhanced rates were predicted for 2023 but I can’t find out whether this actually happened - which probably means that it didn’t.

The crescent Moon rises at 19.42 on the 5th,

Monocerotids:  active Nov 27th to Dec 20th, peak 9th, 41 kps,  ZHR 3  Mc maybe 1, if you’re lucky!

The radiant rises at 18.52, highest at 02.00,  which is also given as the peak time. 

Parent body is possibly comet C/1917 F1 (Mellish)

On the night of 8th/9th the first quarter Moon sets at 00.05.

Sigma Hydrids:  active 3rd to 20th, peak 9th (or maybe 11th), 58 kps, ZHR 7

This shower shows very low rates for most of the period of activity, but could include the occasional very bright meteor. 

The radiant rises at 21.09 highest at 03.00, peak activity given as 23.00, 

Parent body not known, one candidate is comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura).

On the night of 9th/10th the gibbous Moon sets at 01.32. 

Coma Berenicids:  active Dec 5th to Feb 4th, peak 16th, 64 kps, ZHR 2,

This is a very weak but long lasting shower,  some years there is no activity at all. 

The radiant rises at 22.22, highest after dawn. Peak activity time given as 20.00.

Parent body unknown.

The just past full Moon will interfere.

Ursids:  active Dec 17th to 26th, peak 22nd, 33 kps, ZHR 10  Manchester up to 9 - under ideal conditions. 

The radiant is circumpolar, highest after dawn. This shower has a very narrow peak, the time varies from year to year, this year it is given as 10.00, so the activity will be in daylight.  However it has shown outbursts in the past, in 1945 and 1986, and lesser enhanced rates several times in the last 20 years.  This year could see a ZHR of 21 at 23.29 on 21st, when Earth passes through a thin dust filament.  

Parent body is comet 8P/Tuttle.

The 3rd quarter Moon rises at 23.03 on the night of 21st/22nd.

And a couple not visible from the UK:

Phoenicids:  active Nov 28th to Dec 9th, peak 1st, 15 kps, ZHR variable.

These are very slow moving meteors only visible from the southern hemisphere.

The parent body is thought to be defunct comet D/1819 W (Blanpain), now reclassified as asteroid 2003 WY25. The shower was first seen in 1956 when it produced a meteor storm, then nothing until 2014.

Puppid-Velids:  active 1st to 15th, but can vary, peak around 4th, 44 kps, ZHR 10

This one is thought to be a complex of very minor showers. Again only visible to southern hemisphere observers.

Credits

Most of the solar system information given here is from: https://in-the-sky.org

More information, exact co-ordinates and finder charts of all solar system objects can be found on this site.

Also quite useful is https://theskylive.com

https://www.imo.net/resources/calendar/

https://www.timeanddate.com

Other information is from various internet sources, including NASA, Britannica, Space Facts, Universe Today and, when all else fails,Wikipedia.

The night sky in November 2024

by Anne Holt

Sun and Moon

Sunrise    1st:    07.08        30th:     08.00

Sunset     1st:    16.35        30th:     15.54

Day Length      1st:    9.26.40       30th:   7.53.22

Astronomical darkness    1st:  18.34 to 05.11     30th:  18.02 to 05.54

New Moon:   1st at 12.48.  In LIbra, passes 2 degrees 51’ south of the Sun

Full Moon:   15th at 21.28.  In Aries, distance 362156 km, angular diameter 33’.00”

Lunar perigee:   14th at 11.15.  360105 km, in Aries, , ad 33’ 08”, phase 98% 

Lunar apogee:   26th at 11.55,  405314  km, in Virgo, ad 29’ 28”, phase 16%

The most widely used name for the November full Moon is the Beaver Moon because they are very active around this time building their dams, and native Americans were busy trying to trap them. 

It is the Celtic Dark Moon or Oak Moon, the medieval English Snow Moon, the neo Pagan Tree Moon, the Chinese White Moon and the Inuit Moon when white mist fills the igloo.  

Many indigenous American names refer to the onset of cold weather, among the exceptions are the Cherokee Trading Moon, the Hopi Moon of the Fledgling Hawk, the Potawatomi Moon of the Turkey, the Winnebago Little Bear Moon and the Shawnee Long Moon.

Highlights

We have plenty of astronomical darkness, 10 hrs 37m on 1st and almost 12 hours on 30th, when it begins a couple of minutes after 18.00. 

Most of the planets are still on view, Venus should be easily visible in the evening twilight towards the end of November, Jupiter is shining brightly for most of the night and Mars is visible from mid evening until dawn. Saturn is now an evening object and Uranus is at its best as it reaches opposition.  Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan -ATLAS) is still above the horizon in the early evening but fading rapidly, no longer visible to the naked eye. 

We have several minor meteor showers, the best of which will be marred by moonlight, but both Taurid streams are active for most of the month which means a higher than usual possibility of fireballs.

Constellations

If it is clear you will see that the Summer Triangle comprising the 3 bright stars Vega, Deneb and Altair is now sinking slowly in the West, giving way to the stars of winter now rising in the east.

Mid-evening the square of Pegasus, the signature constellation of autumn, is fairly high in the south but not particularly prominent, containing only 2nd magnitude stars. It's an easy star-hop from Alpheratz, the top left star of the square of Pegasus to the Andromeda Galaxy, M31, which is now nicely placed fairly high in the south east.

The Winter Hexagon is a beautifully rich area bounded by Sirius (Canis Major), Rigel (Orion), Aldebaran (Taurus), Capella (Auriga), Pollux (Gemini) and Procyon (Canis Minor). This relatively small region contains half of the ten brightest stars. It will be above the horizon not long after midnight at the start of November and before 11pm by month end.

The Pleiades, just outside the Hexagon are also very well placed and are a beautiful sight in binoculars or a small telescope.

Cassiopeia is still riding high leaving the Plough, on the opposite side of Polaris, low in the Northern sky for much of the night.

Conjunctions

3rd at 07.37: the thin crescent Moon passes 2 degrees 06’ south of Mercury.  Not visible, both are below the horizon at dusk.

4th:  Lunar occultation of Antares visible from a small part of the South Pacific. 

9th at 00.16: the 14% Moon is 3 degrees 06’ south of Venus, both very low after sunset.  At 17.00 on 4th the separation is around 4 degrees, double that on 5th.

11th at 01.42: the 75% Moon is 5’ 18” north of Saturn.  Planet is visible 17.06 to 23.33, separation at 20.00 on 10th is about 2 degrees.  An occultation will be visible from Central America and NW South America.

12th:  lunar occultation of Neptune, observable from eastern USA & Canada.  From the UK the pair will appear close, at 18.00 the separation is around 3 degrees, with the Moon to the north.

15th/16th at midnight: the full Moon is 3 degrees 40’ north of Uranus.

17th at 14.51:  the just past full Moon is 5 degrees 38’ north of Jupiter.  The planet is visible from 18.25, separation at 20.00 is about 8 degrees, with the Moon to the NE..  

22nd at 21.08:  the gibbous Moon is 2 degrees 26’ north of Mars. The planet is visible from 21.45 when the separation is not much more.

Planets

Mercury:  in Libra, mag -0.3

An evening object but too low to be seen in the twilight.  It is at greatest eastern elongation on 16th, when it is separated from the Sun by 22 degrees 30’, but is on the horizon at dusk.   On 24th it reaches its highest point in the evening sky but is only 4 degrees at sunset. By 30th, now at mag 2.1 it sets 30 minutes after the Sun.

Venus: in Ophiuchus, mag -4.0

Still very low in the evening twilight but so bright that it might be seen by observers with a clear south western horizon. 

On 1st it is only 5 degrees at dusk, setting at 17.57.  It crosses into Sagittarius on 8th, when it is 6 degrees as the sky begins to darken and is no higher by mid month. By 20th it should be more easily seen, 8 degrees around 16.30 and on 30th is 10 degrees in the SW soon after 16.15, easily visible for around 45 minutes and setting at 18.37. It will have brightened slightly to mag -4.2.

Mars: in Cancer, mag 0.1

Begins the month on a continuation of the line from Castor to Pollux and ends it a little below the Beehive cluster. 

On 1st it reaches 10 degrees in the NE soon after 22.30.  Highest point, 58 degrees south, is at 05.29, about an hour before it is lost in the morning twilight. By mid month it should be visible from 22.00, culminating at 04.02 and down to 50 degrees in the SW by dawn. On 30th it reaches observable altitude by 21.08, is 57 degrees in the south at 04.05 and 40 degrees in the west as the sky brightens around 07.25. It will have brightened to mag -0.5.

Jupiter:  in Taurus, mag -2.7

Shining brightly as it moves slowly westwards between the horns of the bull.

On 1st it rises at 18.22 and reaches 7 degrees in the NE 70 minutes later. It is at its highest point, 58 degrees, at 02.42 and is down to 35 degrees in the west by dawn.  Mid month it is visible from 18.30 and culminates at 01.42.  On 30th it rises at 16.18, is 7 degrees in the NE at  17.25 and 58 degrees in the south at 00.35.  Magnitude is now - 2.8.

Saturn: .in Aquarius, mag 0.8

Low in the sky, situated below and to the right of Pisces’ Circlet asterism.

On 1st it is 16 degrees in the SE at dusk, 27 degrees in the south at 20.21 and down to 11 degrees in the SW by 00.09. From 4th it sinks below observable altitude before midnight, and on 15th it resumes prograde motion, though it moves so slowly against the background stars that this won’t really be noticeable. On this day it is 20 degrees in the SE at dusk, culminates at 19.25 and is too low for observing from 23.15. From 26th it sets before midnight and by 30th, now at mag 1.0, is observable from dusk until 22.15, highest at 18.27 and setting at 23.43.

Uranus: in Taurus, mag 5.8

Situated below, and to the right of, the Pleiades, on a continuation of the line from Mars to Jupiter. 

On 1st it reaches 21 degrees in the east at 19.40, 55 degrees south at 00.59 and is down to 26 degrees in the west by dawn. It reaches opposition on 17th, when it is above observable altitude from 18.22 to 05.06, culminating at 23.49. On 30th it is observable from 17.39 to 04.12,  

It should be visible through decent binoculars, but will only appear as a faint star, a small scope will show a blue/green disc. A go to is best, because that will find it for you.

Neptune: in Pisces, mag 7.8

Below the Circlet, higher and to the left of Saturn.

On 1st it is above observable altitude from soon after 18.00 until 00.20,  It is at its highest point, 34 degrees, at 21.14.  After the first week in November it sinks too low before midnight.  By mid month it is 24 degrees at dusk, culminates at 20.18 and is too low for observing by 23.24.  On 30th it is 29 degrees in the SE as the sky darkens, highest at 19.18 and below OA from 23.24.

It might be spotted in good binoculars, if you know exactly where to look, but a scope is needed to see the tiny bluish disc. 

Dwarf Planets

Ceres: in Sagittarius, mag 9.1

Not observable this month, too low at dusk throughout.

Pluto:  in Capricorn, mag 15.2

Too low to be observed or imaged from our latitude, and will remain so for some time.

Haumea: in Bootes, mag 17.3, 

Close to the star Zeta Bootis.

Not observable in the first half of November.  On 18th it reaches 22 degrees in the east at 06.07, a few minutes before it is lost in the brightening sky. By the end of the month it should be observable for about an hour from 05.20, reaching 31 degrees in the east by dawn.

Makemake: in Coma Berenices, mag 17.1

A morning object,  On 1st it is observable from 05.25 and reaches 24 degrees in the east by dawn, Mid month it is high enough in the east from 04.31 and 35 degrees by dawn. On 30th it is observable from 03.33 to 06.25, when it is 46 degrees in the SE.

Eris:  in Cetus, mag 18.7.

The faintest and hardest to image of the 5 dwarf planets, probably out of reach of even the best astrophotographers,

On 1st it reaches 21 degrees in the SE at 19.50, 35 degrees in the south at 23.08 and remains high enough for imaging until 02.27.  By mid month it is above OA from 18.34 to 01.31, highest at 22.13, and on 30th from 19.55 to 00.32, culminating at 21.13.

Asteroids at Opposition

4th: 270 Anahita, in Aries, mag 10.7.  Reaches 53 degrees in the south at 23.35

9th:  33 Polyhymnia, in Aries, mag 10.8.  Reaches 54 degrees in the south at 23.41

13th:  11 Parthenope,  in Aries, mag 9.8. Reaches 47 degrees in the south at 23.57

Comets

C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinsan - ATLAS): in Ophiuchus, latest observed mag (30.10) 6.0

Still observable moving eastwards through Ophiuchus and Serpens Cauda into Aquila , but no longer a naked eye object and fading rapidly. 

On 1st, predicted mag 6.5, it is 30 degrees in the SW at 18.00, remaining observable for around 90 minutes and setting at 21.47. It crosses into Serpens Cauda on 10th and by mid month is 31 degrees in the SW as the sky darkens around 17.40, down to 21 degrees by 19.00, mag now 8.0.  It is in Aquila from 24th  and on 30th is 29 degrees in the SW as the sky darkens at 17.26 and drops below 21 degrees by 18.20, setting at 21,56. Predicted mag now 9.2.

C/2024 S1 (ATLAS), the Halloween Comet, is reported to have broken up when it got very close to the Sun. 

Meteor Showers

Southern Taurids: active Sept 20th to Nov 20th, peak Nov 5th, 27 kps, ZHR 5 - 10. (M/c 3 -5)

Many sources still give the peak of these as mid October but the IMO says that this is a smaller, secondary peak.

Best seen after midnight when the radiant is high. They are bright, slow moving meteors, the shower often includes fireballs.  The parent body is given as either asteroid 2004 TG10 or comet 2P/Encke. However both of these are thought to be remains of a much larger comet which broke up over 20,000 years ago,  

No moon interference on this night.

Northern Taurids:  active Oct 20th to Dec 10th, peak Nov12th, 29 kps, ZHR 5 (M/c 4 under ideal conditions. 

This shower is said to show almost peak rates for about 10 days in early to mid November. The radiant is above the horizon all night, highest at 01.00, peak activity predicted for 06.00 on 12th, so best seen 01.00 until dawn.  These are also slow moving, but slightly faster than the southern Taurids  This stream also includes fireballs, so the period from Oct 20th to Nov 20th, when both streams are active is said to be a prime time for these. 

Parent comet given as 2P/Encke.

The gibbous Moon sets at 02.24 on the morning of 12th, so no interference after this time.

Leonids:  active Nov 6th to 30th, peak 17th, 71 kps, ZHR 15, M/c up to 12

The radiant rises at 22.12 and is highest after dawn, peak activity is around noon on 17th, so best seen pre dawn on that day.  They are fast moving meteors often leaving long lasting trails,

Parent body is comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle,

The just past full Moon will be above the horizon throughout the night.

Alpha Monocerotids:  active Nov 16th to 25th, peak 21st, 65 kps, ZHR variable

The radiant, in Canis Minor, rises at 21.45,highest at 04.00, peak activity predicted for noon on 21st,so best seen pre dawn. 

Parent comet is C/1917 (Mellish)

The gibbous Moon rises at 20.10 on 20th, so will interfere.

November Orionids:  active Nov 13th to Dec 6th, peak 28th, 44 kps, ZHR 3 (M/c 2)

The radiant of these is close to that of the N Taurids but meteors should be easy to distinguish as the Orionids are much faster moving.

The radiant rises at 18.07, highest at 02.00, peak activity given as 03.00 so best seen around this time. 

The thin crescent Moon rises at 04.57 so no interference.

Credits

Most of the solar system information given here is from: https://in-the-sky.org

More information, exact co-ordinates and finder charts of all solar system objects can be found on this site.

Also quite useful is https://theskylive.com

https://www.imo.net/resources/calendar/

https://www.timeanddate.com

Other information is from various internet sources, including NASA, Britannica, Space Facts, Universe Today and, when all else fails,Wikipedia.

The night sky in October 2024

by Anne Holt

Sun and Moon

Sunrise.    1st:    07.11      31st:     07.08 

Sunset.     1st:   18.44       31st:    16.37 

Day Length.   1st:  11.33.17        31st:  9.30.32

Astro Darkness.   1st:   20.41 to 05.15        31st:   18.35 to 05.09

The clocks go back one hour on the morning of Sunday 26th, so all times given after this are in GMT

New Moon:  2nd at 19.50,  in Virgo

Full Moon:   17th at 12.26,  in Pisces, angular diameter 33’ 25”

Lunar Apogee:    2nd at 20.30, 406516 km, in Virgo, ad 29’ 22”, phase 0%

Lunar Perigee:  17th at 01.50,  357172 km, in Pisces, ad 33’ 26”, phase 99%

Lunar Apogee:   29th at 22.50, 406163 km, in Virgo, ad 29’ 24”,  phase 3%

There is a solar eclipse on 2nd, visible from southern Chile and Argentina.  Because the new Moon is less than an hour before apogee - the furthest of the year - its disc is smaller than that of the Sun, so doesn’t cover it completely, resulting in an annular eclipse.

The full Moon is only 10 hours 36 minutes after perigee, so could be considered to be a supermoon.

The most common name for the October Full Moon is the Hunters’ Moon. In the northern hemisphere it is the time when animals were hunted and the meat preserved for eating during the winter.

It is the medieval English Wine Moon, the neo Pagan Blood Moon, the Celtic Snow Moon, the Chinese Kindly Moon, and the Inuit Moon when ice forms on the sandy shores of the ocean.

Many indigenous American names refer to the season and preparation for winter.  Exceptions include the Assiniboine Joins Both Sides Moon, the Cherokee Moon of the Wildcat, the Mohawk Time of Poverty Moon, the Algonquin Raven Moon and the Wishram Travel in Canoes Moon.

Highlights

Astronomical darkness is increasing, 8 and a half hours on 1st, a couple more on 31st, beginning at 18.35 as we are back to real time from 26th.

Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are all visible and, for observers using binoculars or a scope, Uranus is observable from late evening until dawn and Neptune until the early hours. We have several very minor meteor showers and one reasonable one, unfortunately severely affected by the gibbous Moon nearby.  Towards the end of October we have a comet low in the sky after sunset.  Unfortunately, as it gets higher and is visible for longer it will fade rapidly.  Will it be a naked eye object or a target only for astrophotographers?  We’ll have to wait and see.

But, best of all, our new season is almost here, the first meeting is on Thursday, Oct 10th, 7 til 9pm in the Bowls Pavilion.

Constellations

The Summer Triangle, made up of Vega in Lyra, Deneb in Cygnus and Altair in Aquila, is losing its dominance in the night sky.  It is still visible during the first part of October high in the south west but by the end of the month all three constellations will have set by 4am. It's place in the southern sky is being taken by the Great Square of Pegasus, autumn's signature constellation.

The beautiful Pleiades star cluster (also known as the Seven Sisters) followed by the rest of Taurus, will be visible by 11pm in early October and by 8pm (now back to GMT) at month end.

By the end of October Orion will be easily visible by midnight, with Sirius just above the eastern horizon at this time.

Perseus and Andromeda are still high in the sky for most of the night, making it a good time to look for M31, the Andromeda galaxy.   If you are at a very dark sky site, it should be visible to the naked eye, especially when using averted vision.

Cassiopeia is now high in the sky for most of the night, so the Plough, on the opposite side of the North Celestial Pole, is low in the north.

Conjunctions

Not visible from the UK:

5th at 21.26.  The crescent Moon is 3 degrees south of Venus.  Planet only 3 degrees at dusk, sets at 19.25.

7th:  Lunar occultation of Antares, visible from St Helena and S Namibia.

Visible from UK:

4th at 1912;  92% Moon passes 6'  45" north of Saturn.  Planet visible from around 19.00.

An occultation is visible from parts of southern Africa, S Arabian peninsula and parts of SW Asia.

15th at 21.00.  The almost full Moon is 1 degree north of Neptune.  The planet is observable from 20.15.

An occultation is observable from the Middle East, and parts of Asia.

21st at 09.05.  The 75% Moon is 5 degrees 48’ north of Jupiter.  On the night of 20th/21st the planet culminates at 04.33 and remains visible until dawn.  Separation at midnight is around 8 degrees, a couple less by 6am.

23rd at 20.56.  The 50% Moon passes 3 degrees 54’ north of Mars.The Planet is visible from a few minutes before midnight, when the separation isn’t much more.

Planets

Mercury:  in Virgo, mag -1.7

An evening object but too low to be visible. On 1st it appears only 1 degree from the Sun and, by mid month, has sunk below the horizon before the sky begins to darken. It moves into Libra on 21st and is at aphelion on 23rd when the distance is 0.47 AU. By the end of the month, now at mag -0.3, it has already set when darkness falls.

Venus:  in Libra, mag -3.9

Still very low in the evening sky. On 1st it is down to 2 degrees when the sky begins to darken, setting at 19.33, only 70 minutes after the Sun.  Not much improvement by mid month, only a degree higher when the sky fades.  It is in Ophiuchus from 25th and, by 31st, is 4 degrees at dusk, setting at 17.57.  Still not easily visible, it might be seen for a short time after sunset by observers with a flat, clear SW horizon.

Mars:  in Gemini, mag 0.5

On 1st it is visible, in the main body of Gemini, from around 00.35 and reaches 57 degrees in the south by dawn. By mid month, a little brighter at mag 0.3, it reaches observable altitude soon after midnight and is 58 degrees in the south by dawn.  From 18th it culminates before it is lost in the morning twilight and, from 22nd, is high enough to be easily seen before midnight. It crosses into Cancer on 30th and, on 31st, now at mag 0.1, is visible from around 22.40 when it reaches 10 degrees in the SE.  It culminates at 05.31 and is a couple of degrees lower by dawn almost an hour later. It now forms a straight line with Castor and Pollux pointing down to it. 

Jupiter:  in Taurus, mag -2.5

Unmissable as it moves slowly between the horns of the bull. On 1st it is visible from a few minutes after 22.30, when it reaches 7 degrees in the NE.  Highest point, 58 degrees, is at 05.48 and it is down to 56 degrees in the SW by dawn. It reaches its stationary point on 9th at 07.54  then begins apparent retrograde (E - W) motion against the background stars. Mid month it reaches observable altitude at 21.40 and culminates at 04.53. By the end of October it should be easily seen around 19.30, reaches 58 degrees at 02.47 and is down to 36 degrees in the west by dawn.

Saturn:  in Aquarius, mag 0.7

Situated below, and to the right of, Pisces’ Circlet asterism.  On 1st it is high enough to be seen from around 19.30 to 03.20, reaching 28 degrees in the south at 23.29.  Mid month it is 12 degrees in the SE as the sky darkens, culminating at 22.30 and down to 11 degrees in the SW by 02.20.  By 31st it is 16 degrees as the sky darkens, reaches 27 degrees in the south at 20.25 and sinks below observable altitude by 00.15. 

Uranus:  in Taurus, mag 5.7

Starts the month about 5 and a half degrees below the Pleiades and about as far to the right of Jupiter as Mars is to the gas giant’s left. 

On 1st it reaches 21 degrees in the east by 21.50, 55 degrees in the south at 04.05 and is down to 50 degrees in the SW by dawn. Mid month it should be observable and culminate about an hour earlier, and be 40 degrees when the sky begins to brighten. On 31st it reaches observable altitude at 19.46, is highest at 01.03 and is 27 degrees in the west when it is lost in the brightening sky. 

In theory it is a naked eye object - just - but unless you have excellent eyesight and a totally dark sky binoculars are needed in order to spot it. A scope will show the small blue/green disc.  A go-to has the advantage of finding it for you. 

Neptune:  in Pisces, mag 7.9

Situated below the Circlet asterism and a little higher, and to the left of, Saturn. If you can see Uranus with the naked eye you might be able to spot Neptune using binoculars but, again, it’s fairly unlikely.  

On 1st it reaches 21 degrees in the SE by 21.15, is 34 degrees in the south at 00.22 and sinks too low for observing by 03.30.  Mid month it is observable from 20.15 to 02.30, culminating at 23.22.and on 31st from 18.10 to 00.25, highest at 21.18. 

Dwarf Planets

Ceres:  in Sagittarius, mag 8.9

Too low to be observed, only 5 degrees maximum in early October, a couple higher by the end of the month.

Pluto:  in Capricorn, mag 15.2

Again too low.  Maximum 12 degrees above the horizon.

Haumea: in Bootes, mag 17.1 and Makemake:  in Coma Berenices, mag 17.3 both reach solar conjunction this month, on 24th and 3rd respectively. Because their orbits are so highly inclined to the plane of the Solar System neither pass very close to the Sun, however Haumea is not high enough to be seen throughout October.  Makemake reaches 22 degrees in the east and may be observed for a few minutes before the sky brightens around 05.30 on the last couple of days.

Eris:  in Cetus, mag 18.6

Reaches opposition on 12th at 20.51 and is high enough for imaging during the darkest part of the night, throughout the month. Culminates, 35 degrees in the south, at 02.15 on 1st and 23.12 on 31st.

However it is so faint that it is unlikely to be within reach of the average, or even well above average, amateur astrophotographer.

Asteroids at Opposition

7th:  39 Laetitia, in Cetus, mag 9.1   

Observable 20.22 to 04.01, reaches 32 degrees in the south at 01.15

17th:  19 Fortuna, in Pisces, mag 9.3

Observable 20.30 to 05.19 reaches  46 degrees at 00.55

22nd:  10 Hygiea, in Pisces, mag 10.5

Observable 19.47 to 05.42, reaches 52 degrees at 00.45

Comets

C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS):  in Leo, predicted mag on 1st now given as 4.1.  Latest observed 2.1 (up from 2.8 on 30th Sept)

First observed on Jan 9th 2023 at the Tsuchinshan (Purple Mountain) observatory in China and confirmed as a comet a few weeks later by astronomers at the ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System) observatory in South Africa.

It starts October as a morning object, too low to be seen by UK observers. It moves into Virgo on 5th, when it appears only 15 degrees from the Sun. It is at perigee on 12th, at a distance of 0.46 AU and now only 12 degrees from the Sun. By mid month it has emerged as an evening object but only 8 degrees at dusk on 15th.  It crosses into Serpens Caput on 16th and is in Ophiuchus from 20th, when it may be seen low in the SW for a very short time, a few minutes before 19.30. By 31st it should be observable for a little over an hour from 18.00, when it is 30 degrees above the western horizon.  Estimated mag on 20th is 5.0, on 31st down to 6.3 but, because comets are so unpredictable, it may be visible to the naked eye, or binoculars could be needed.

Take great care - DO NOT point binoculars towards the west until the Sun has completely set. 

It is currently brighter than recent estimates, so fingers crossed …

Meteor Showers

A few very minor showers and one slightly more active, this month.

Orionids:  active Oct 2nd to Nov 7th, peak 21st, 66 kps, ZHR 15 - 20 (Manchester maybe as many as 10, under ideal conditions)

The radiant rises at 21.52, highest at 05.00, peak activity 07.00 on 21st, so best seen pre dawn. The shower often has a few lesser peaks so there could be some activity on the days before and after the main one. 

Parent comet 1P/Halley.

The gibbous Moon rises at 19.00 on the evening of 20th, so will interfere.

October Camelopardalids: active 5th - 6th, peak 5th, 47 kps, ZHR 5 (Manchester1 or 2)

The radiant is circumpolar, highest after dawn, peak activity predicted for 18.00 on 5th so best chance of spotting a meteor or two is after dusk on 5th and pre dawn on 6th. 

Parent body not yet identified, thought to be a Halley type or long period comet.

Draconids:  active 6th - 10th, peak 8th, 20 kps, ZHR 5

The radiant is circumpolar, highest at 17.00, peak activity predicted for 14.00 on 8th so best seen after dusk.  There could be some additional activity on 8th at 06.30, in nautical twilight when we cross a separate dust trail.  The shower included spectacular outbursts in 1933 and 1940, more recently a ZHR of 300 was recorded in 2011 and 150 in 2018, when it lasted for 4 hours. There are no predictions of the rates for this year.

They are exceptionally slow moving meteors, parent comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner, hence the shower’s alternative name,  the Giacobinids.

The 30% Moon sets at 20.14 on 8th.

Delta Aurigids:  active 10th - 18th, peak 11th, 64 kps, ZHR 2-5 (Manchester maybe 1)

Circumpolar radiant, highest at 05.00, peak activity 05.00 so best seen pre dawn. 

Parent body not known for sure, possibly comet C/1911 K1 (Kiess).

Epsilon Geminids:  active 14th to 22nd, peak 18th, 70 kps, ZHR 3 (Manchester 2)

The radiant rises at 21.07, highest after dawn, peak activity 07.00 on 18th, so best seen before dawn. 

Parent body not known for certain, could be comet C/1987 B1 (Nishikawa-Takamizawa–Tago)

The just past full Moon will interfere.

Leonis Minorids:  active 19th - 27th, peak 24th, 62 kps, ZHR 2 (Manchester 1)

The radiant is circumpolar, highest at 10.00, peak activity predicted for 08.00 on 24th so you might be lucky enough to see one just before dawn.

Parent comet C/1739 K1 (Zanotti)

The 45% Moon rises at 22.09 on the night of 23rd/24th.

Southern Taurids:

There is some discrepancy on this. The IMO now gives the activity period as 20th Sept to 20th November, with a peak on 5th Nov, however some sites still say that the shower is active from early September, peaking on 10th October.  27 kps,  Zhr 5 -7 (Manchester 3)

However all agree that the associated Northern stream is active from October 20th so towards the end of the month, when both are active, is a prime time for fireball activity.

The night sky in September 2024

by Anne Holt

Sun and Moon

Sunrise.    1st:   06.25      30th:    07.09

Sunset.     1st:   19.57      30th :   18.47

Day Length.   1st:  13.38.41     30th:  11.37.39

Astronomical darkness     1st:  22.09 to 04.08     30th:  20.44 to 05.13

The September (Autumnal in the N Hemisphere) equinox is on 22nd at 13.42, when the centre of the Sun crosses the celestial equator on its journey south. Despite the name, which means equal night, this day is not exactly 12 hours. Sunrise and sunset times are when the top edge of the Sun’s disc appears and disappears, rather than the centre. This adds a few minutes to each day.  Also, refraction of the light when the Sun is just below the horizon means that it can be seen for a short while before it rises and after it sets.

Day length on 22nd is 12.11.05, closest to 12 hours is 25th at 11.58.29

New Moon:  3rd at 02.56,  in Leo

Full Moon:   18th at 03.34,  in Pisces, angular diameter 33’ 24”

Lunar apogee:     5th at 15.53, 406214km, in Virgo, ad 29’ 24” , phase 8% 

Lunar perigee:    18th at 14.22, 357283km, in Pisces, ad 33’ 24”, phase 98%

At a distance of 357486km, and occurring only 10 hrs 48 minutes before perigee, this qualifies as a supermoon.

There is also a partial lunar eclipse on his day. From Manchester a maximum of 8% of the Moon will be covered.

Full timings are:

Enters penumbra: 01.42

Enters umbra:  03.14

Maximum:  8%, 03.45.  Altitude 24 degrees in SW

Leaves umbra: 04.16

Leaves penumbra:  05.48

Astro darkness ends at 04.47, so the umbral phase is in darkness, but the bad news is that this day is cloudy 86% of the time.

The most common name for the September Full Moon is the Corn Moon.  As the closest one to the September equinox it is also the Harvest Moon. This is usually in September but once every 3 or 4 years it falls in October.

It is the Celtic Singing Moon or Wine Moon (could there be a connection between these?), the medieval English Barley Moon, the Chinese Chrysanthemum Moon and the Inuit Harpoon Moon.

Many indigenous American names also reference harvesting of crops. Exceptions include the Haida Ice Moon (they are in Alaska!) the Tunica Little Sister of the Hot Moon, the Comanche Paperman Moon, the Tlingit Big Moon and the Mohawk Time of Much Freshness Moon.

Highlights

We have the equinox towards the end of the month so the nights will soon be longer than the days, astro darkness is increasing - almost 6 hours on 1st, 8 and a half by 30th, when it begins before 9pm.

With the exception of Venus, the major planets are all on view, Mercury has its best morning showing of the year and Saturn and Neptune reach opposition. 

We have no bright, or even faint, comets observable and not much in the way of meteor showers.  

There is a (very minor) partial lunar eclipse, with Neptune close by, and the Sun is still active so we could have more auroral displays. 

And:  don’t forget our pre season Open Day will be held in the classroom behind the Stables cafe on Sunday 29th.

Constellations

The Milky Way is still prominent overhead, albeit not in these parts! Find a dark sky site though, and it's spectacular.

The Summer Triangle is high in the southern sky for much of the night in early September.  By month end Aquila is setting in the west at about 2am, with Lyra and Cygnus following just before dawn.

However, on the opposite side of the sky, the Pleiades are climbing above the horizon in the east by 10.30pm at the start of September, and as darkness falls at month end. Capella, in Auriga, and the V shaped Hyades cluster at the head of Taurus the Bull are not far behind.

If you stay up until about 4am (or get up very early) you might see Orion making a welcome return to the night sky.  By the end of September, it should be above the horizon by 2am.

The ecliptic is now slightly higher across the Eastern sky, passing through Capricorn, Aquarius and Aries - though none of these are particularly bright or memorable.

Pegasus, Perseus and Andromeda are still well placed, rising in the east to north east from mid evening, as is the bright W asterism of Cassiopeia higher in the north east.

Conjunctions

Not visible from UK

1st at 10.17:  the 1% Moon passes 5 degrees north of Mercury.  The planet is only 6 degrees at dawn.

5th at 11.16:  The 7% Moon is 1 degree 10’ south of Venus.  Planet only 2 degrees at dusk. An occultation will be visible from parts of Antarctica.

6th:  Lunar occultation of Spica:  visible from parts of W Africa, and NE North America. 

9th at 07.00:  Mercury passes 0.5 degrees north of Regulus.  Neither are visible from the UK.

10th:  Lunar occultation of Antares observable from W Australia and southern Africa.

Observable from UK

17th at 11.21: The gibbous Moon passes 18’ north of Saturn.  The planet is visible 20.36 to 04.26, and reaches 28 degrees at 00.31. Separation at midnight of 17th/18th is around 7 degrees.

An occultation is visible from NE Australia, Indonesia and the west coast of the USA.

18th at 08.00.  The full Moon is around 40’ south of Neptune.  There is a partial lunar eclipse on this day. At the time of the maximum, 03.45, the separation is about 3 degrees with the Moon below and to the right.

An occultation will be observable from most of the USA and Canada.

22nd at 07.00.  The gibbous Moon is 4 degrees north of Uranus.  Planet culminates at 04.41 when the separation is not much more. The Moon & the Pleiades form an almost equilateral triangle with Uranus - planet to the south, others above it.. 

24th at 00.22:  The 53% Moon is 5 degrees 50’ north of Jupiter.  Planet is visible 23.00 until dawn.

25th at 12.00:  The 37% Moon is 5 degrees 30’ north of Mars.  Planet is visible in the morning sky, 00.40 until dawn. Separation at 05.00 is around 7 degrees.

Planets

Mercury:  in Leo, mag 0.5

This month is its best morning showing of the year, it should be observable for a short time, in the predawn sky, for about 10 days. On 1st it rises at 04.41 but is only 6 degrees at dawn. It reaches greatest western elongation on 5th, a little over 18 degrees from the Sun. It is visible for a few minutes, reaching 9 degrees as the sky brightens around 05.50. It is at its highest point in the morning sky on 7th, when it is 10 degrees at dawn, 15 degrees by sunrise. Perihelion, 0.31 AU,  is on 9th at 16.15 and the following day it is at mag -0.9 and is observable for the longest - all of 17 minutes!  By 15th it is observable for only 4 minutes before the sky gets too bright, it is 8 degrees at dawn and mag -1.1.  It can’t be seen in the second half of the month, as it appears to close in on the Sun, superior solar conjunction is on 30th, when it passes 1 degree19’ to the north.

Venus:  in Virgo, mag -3.9

Very bright but still too low to be seen in the evening sky. On 1st it is only 1 degree above the horizon at dusk, setting 26 minutes after the Sun. Its position hardly improves over the month, by 30th, when it crosses into Libra, it is only 2 degrees in twilight, setting at 19.35

Mars:  in  Taurus, mag 0.7

Now rising before midnight.  On 1st it should become visible around 01.20, reaching 46 degrees in the SE before being lost in the brightening sky a little before 05.30. It goes into Gemini on 6th, when it is visible from 01.15 and is a couple of degrees higher at dawn. By mid month it reaches observable altitude at 01.00 and gets to 52 degrees in the SE in darkness. On 30th it rises at 23.04, is visible 90 minutes later and is at 57 degrees when the sky brightens.  It is now in the centre of Gemini, between the twins, slightly brighter at mag 0.5

Jupiter:  inTaurus, mag -2.3

Shining brightly between the horns of the bull, visible from around midnight in early September. 

On 1st it rises at 23.16 and reaches 7 degrees at 00.26. By dawn, a few minutes before 06.00, it is 53 degrees in the SE. From 9th it should be observable before midnight and by the middle of the month it reaches 58 degrees in the south before the sky brightens. From 21st it culminates in darkness, 58 degrees at 06.25, a few minutes before it’s lost in the morning twilight. On 30th it rises at 21.30, is at observable altitude by 22.40 and culminates at 05.51 remaining visible for almost another hour. It is now slightly brighter at mag -2.5 and is almost equidistant from Mars and Uranus.

Saturn:  in Aquarius, mag 0.6

Situated a little below and to the right of Pisces’ circlet asterism. Now at its best for the year, though still not very well placed. On 1st it rises at 20.16, reaches 11 degrees in the SE by 21.40 and culminates, 28 degrees in the south, at 01.39. By dawn it is down to 12 degrees in the SW. It is at opposition on the 8th, at 05.07.  At this time it is at its closest to Earth, around 8.06 AU. It is at its highest point at 01.05 and observable from soon after 21.00 until 05.00. By mid month it is visible from around 20.45, culminates at 00.40and sinks below 11 degrees by 04.36.  From 25th it culminates before midnight and, on 30th, is visible from 19.40, highest at 23.33 and too low in the SW by 03.30.

Around the time of opposition the rings are noticeably brighter because sunlight falls directly on to them so more is reflected back towards us.  Also the shadows of the individual particles are directly behind them, rather than to the side, where they have a dimming effect. Because the rings are now almost closed this Seeliger, or Opposition, effect won’t be as obvious as in the last few years.

Uranus:  in Taurus, mag 5.7

Situated below, and a little to the right of, the Pleiades cluster. 

On 1st it reaches observable altitude at 00.45 and is 52 degrees in the east by dawn, a little before 5am. It is at its stationary point at 16.47 then begins apparent retrograde (E to W) motion.  From mid month it should be observable before midnight, and culminating before it is lost in the morning twilight. On 15th it is at 21 degrees in the east at 23.50, reaches 55 degrees in the south by 05.09 and is lost in the brightening sky only 5 minutes later. By 30th it is high enough for observing from 22.50 to 05.43, culminating at 04.09.

Although in theory it is within naked eye visibility, in practice decent binoculars are needed in order to spot it. A small to medium scope should show it as a small blue-green disc. 

Neptune:  in Pisces, mag 7.8

Located a little below the circlet, to the left of Saturn.  On 1st it reaches 21 degrees in the SE by 20.30, is at its highest point, 34 degrees, by 02.23 and is down to 27 degrees in the SW by dawn.  After the first week in September it sinks below 21 degrees before the sky brightens.  By mid month it reaches observable altitude at 22.17, culminates at 01.07 and sinks too low for observing at 04.37. It is at opposition on 21st, when it is highest at 01.03 but is too far south to be observable from dusk until dawn. On 30th it is higher than 21 degrees from 21.18 to 03.35, highest at 00.26.

As always it is unlikely to be seen using binoculars, a medium scope should show a very small bluish disc. 

Dwarf Planets

Ceres:  in Sagittarius, mag 5.4 and Pluto:  in Capricorn, mag 14.5

Too far south to be easily observed this month.

Haumea:  in Bootes, mag 17.3

Observable for an increasingly short time in the evening during the first half of the month, then sinks too low before the sky gets truly dark.

Makemake:  in Coma Berenices, mag 17.2

Not observable

 Eris:  in Cetus, 18.8 

A target for only the very best astrophotographers. High enough for imaging from around 1am until dawn at the start of September, from 11pm by 30th. Culminates, 35 degrees, in darkness throughout.

Asteroids at opposition

194 Prokne:  in Aquarius, mag 9.5. 

Opposition on 2nd.  Observable 23.00 to 03.27.  Culminates, 28 degrees in the south, at 01.12.

20 Massalia:  in Pisces, mag 9.3

Opposition on 29th.  Observable 21.16 to 04.44.  Culminates, 39 degrees, at 01.00.

Comets

C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan -ATLAS)  in Sextans, estimated mag 6.4

Latest observed mag (19.08) was 7.7, estimated for that day 7.0.

Couldn’t find any later observed data, maybe because it is currently too close to the sun. Perihelion is on Sept 27th, at a distance of 0.35 AU.   We’ll have to wait until it moves away to see whether it lives up to expectations. 

Not visible from the UK until late October, when it will have passed its brightest and predicted to be at mag 4.6,

C/2024 G3 (ATLAS):  in Centaurus, mag 15.5

Another one which is predicted to reach naked eye brightness: mag -1.6 on 13th Jan 2025.  It is too far south to be seen from the UK at the moment and will still be too far south when at its best - and for the foreseeable future.

Meteor Showers

September (Epsilon) Perseids: active 5th to 21st, peak 9th, 64kps, ZHR 5 - 8 (Manchester 1 - 4)

The radiant is circumpolar, highest at 05.00, peak activity predicted for 07.00 so best seen pre dawn on 9th.

Parent body is thought to be an as yet undiscovered comet with a retrograde orbit and a period of around 1000 years.

No moon interference on the morning of the peak.

Daytime Sextantids:  active Sept 9th to Oct 9th, peak 27th, 32kps, ZHR (visual) 5 - 8.  From Manchester no more than 4. 

The radiant rises at 04.45, highest after dawn.  Peak predicted for 08.00 on 27th, so most of the activity is in daylight when they can only be observed using radio or radar equipment. Rates for this given as medium.

The shower is thought to be part of the Phaeton Geminid complex.  It has a different parent body, asteroid 2005 UD, from the Geminids but both are thought to originate from the break up of the same larger body. 

The 25% Moon rises at 00.25 on 27th.

Kappa Leonids:  daytime only.

Active Sept 20th to 30th, peak 25th.

The Aurigids peak on the night of 31st Aug / 1st Sept, so there could be some activity in the early hours.  66kps ZHR 10 (up to 5 from the darker areas around Greater Manchester).

The radiant is highest in daylight but reaches a reasonable elevation by 02.00. Peak activity predicted for 22.00 on 31st, so best seen between 2am and dawn on 1st. Parent comet c?1911 Kiess. 

Crescent Moon rises at 03.57 on 1st.

The ANT is not active in September but it is said to be the peak time for sporadic activity, meteors which could appear to originate from anywhere in the sky. 

Credits

Most of the solar system information given here is from:

https://in-the-sky.org

More information, exact co-ordinates and finder charts of all solar system objects can be found on this site.

Also quite useful is https://theskylive.com

https://www.imo.net/resources/calendar/

https://www.timeanddate.com

Other information is from various internet sources, including NASA, Britannica, Space Facts, Universe Today and, when all else fails,Wikipedia.

The night sky in August 2024

by Anne Holt

Sun & Moon

Sunrise.     1st:   05.25      31st:   06.17

Sunset.      1st:   21.04      31st:   19.59

Day Length.  1st:  15.38.39      31st:   13.42.48

Astronomical Darkness:  1st:  00.33 to 01.58      31st:  22.13 to 04.05

New Moon:  4th at 12.14,  in Cancer

Full Moon:  19th at 19.25, in Aquarius, angular diameter 32’ 59”

Lunar Apogee:  9th at 02.31, 405297 km, in Virgo, ad 29’ 28”, phase 22%

Lunar Perigee:  21st at 06.01, 360198 km, in Aquarius, ad 33’ 08”, phase  94%

This month’s full Moon is a Blue Moon using the original definition of the third full Moon in a season which has 4.  In March 1946 an article in Sky and Telescope wrongly defined it as the second full Moon in a calendar month.  This has now become more widely used.

But is it a supermoon? Some sources say yes, others disagree.  Because it is an astrological construct rather than an astronomical event, it’s hard to find a proper answer. The term was first used in 1979 by an astrologer named Richard Nolle, who defined it as ‘a new or full Moon at or near (within 90%) of its closest approach to Earth in a given orbit. Other sources say ‘close to perigee’ - how close? 14% larger than usual - what is usual?

I found a formula involving the closest perigee and the furthest apogee of the year. Using this calculation indicated that it was a supermoon, but that was using its distance at perigee, by the time the Moon was full it had moved slightly further away from Earth and no longer qualified. 

One site was more helpful, it defined a supermoon as ‘a full Moon occurring when it is less than 360,000 km from the centre of the Earth. At 361,966 km this one just misses out.

The most commonly used name for the August full Moon is the Sturgeon Moon because at this time these fish are plentiful and easy to catch. It’s the Celtic Dispute Moon, the Medieval English Barley Moon or Wort Moon, the neo Pagan Lightning or LIghtening Moon ( don’t know which is correct and which is a spelling mistake), the Inuit Swan Flying Moon, the Wiccan Herbal Moon and the Chinese Harvest Moon.

The Colonial American name is the Dog Days Moon, as it occurs around the time that Sirius, the Dog Star, is first visible in the East before Sunrise. In the UK this doesn't happen until early September. Among the less obvious Indigenous American names are the Cherokee Drying Up Moon, the Choctaw Courting TIme Moon, the Hopi Joyful Moon and the Mohawk Time of Freshness Moon.

It’s the Comanche Summer Moon, the Shoshone Hot Moon but the Kalapuya End of Summer Moon.

Highlights

The nights are now getting longer, almost one and a half hours astro darkness at the start of August, nearly 6 hours on the night of 31st/1st.  The major outer planets are all visible though only Saturn is observable before midnight. This month's occultation is visible from the UK but the reappearance is in the morning twilight. One of the year’s best meteor showers is, this year, not marred by moonlight.  Let’s hope it isn’t marred by clouds!  We have a seasonal Blue Moon, which some say is also a Supermoon but probably isn’t.

And: you never know, we could still get some good auroral displays.

Constellations

When it finally gets dark enough, the Milky Way is now at its best.  From a dark sky site it can be seen stretching right across the sky and down to the southern horizon, passing almost overhead around midnight.

The Milky Way passes through the Summer Triangle, which is now high in the sky, with Deneb and Vega particularly prominent.  Alberio, a beautiful yellow and blue double star at the head of Cygnus the swan, is very well placed for telescopic observation.

The Plough and its host constellation Ursa Major are now very low in the Northern sky which means that the W asterism of Cassiopeia is riding high in the south east and very easy to spot.

Pegasus and Andromeda are now well above the horizon for most of the night and Perseus, followed by Auriga, are rising soon after midnight.

Conjunctions

5th at 23.03

The 3% Moon passes 1 degree 44’ north of Venus. The planet is only 1 degree above the horizon at dusk setting at 21.37.

10th, 09.52 to 13.52.

Lunar occultation of Spica visible from parts of the Pacific, Indonesia and eastern Asia.

14th, 04.02 to 08.31

Occultation of Antares, visible from parts of S Pacific, French Polynesia, Cook islands and Pitcairn.

14th at 17.52

Mars passes 18’ north of Jupiter.  Both planets are visible in the morning sky, separation at 03.00 on 14th and 15th is a little under half a degree, both between the horns of Taurus the Bull.

21st, 01.45 to 05.37

Occultation of Saturn by the 95% Moon. Visible from the Manchester area 04.25 to 05.15, the reappearance is in the morning twilight.

Also visible from northern South America, western Europe and NW Africa.

21st, 20.59 to 00.37.

The 90% Moon passes in front of Neptune, visible from parts of SE Europe, the Middle East and NE Africa.  From Manchester Neptune is observable from a few minutes before midnight until 04.18 culminating, 34 degrees in the south, at 03.07.  Separation at 03.00 on 22nd is around 3 degrees.

26th at midnight.

The last quarter Moon is 4 degrees north of Uranus.  The planet is visible 01.09 to 04.30. Separation at 03.00 on 26th is about 5 degrees. 

Planets

Mercury:  in Leo, mag 0.9

Not likely to be seen this month.  It’s an evening object but, in early August, has already sunk below the horizon when the sky darkens. It is in Sextans from 11th to 14th then back in Leo for the rest of the month.  On 15th, now down to mag 4.1, it appears only 9 degrees from the Sun and on 19th is at inferior solar conjunction, passing 4 degrees 30’ to the south. It is also at perigee at a distance of 0.62 AU.  On 31st it rises at 04.44 but is very difficult to see, despite having a mag of 0.8,as it only reaches 4 degrees in the east by dawn.

Venus:  in Leo, mag - 3.9

Now an evening object but still too low to be seen after sunset.  On 1st it sets at 21.43, only 40 minutes after the Sun, so is very low at dusk. By mid month it isn’t much better, only 1 degree shortly after the Sun has set. It moves into Virgo on 25th and by the end of the month is no higher at dusk, setting 42 minutes after the Sun.

Mars:  in Taurus, mag 0.9

A morning object, on 1st it rises at 00.39, reaches observable altitude at 02.15 and is 30 degrees in the east by dawn. On the mornings of 14th and 15th it is very close to the much brighter Jupiter, both sitting between the horns of the bull. On 15th it is visible from 01.50 and reaches 37 degrees before the sky begins to brighten. From 23rd it rises before midnight and on 31st is observable for 4 hours, getting to 46 degrees in the SE in the morning twilight. It has now moved away from Jupiter and is located about 8 degrees to its left.

Jupiter:  in Taurus, mag -2.1

Shining brightly in the pre dawn sky.  On 1st it rises at 01.02 and is visible from around 02.10, reaching 31 degrees in the east before the sky brightens a few minutes before 5am.  Mid month it rises at 00.15 and is 42 degrees in the SE by dawn 4 hours later. From 20th it rises before midnight and on 31st is at observable altitude by 00.30, reaching 52 degrees in the SE by 05.50, when it is lost in the morning twilight. It is now a little brighter at mag -2.3

Saturn:  in Aquarius, mag 0.6

Situated a little lower and to the right of Pisces’ circlet asterism.  On 1st it rises at 22.20 and is at 11 degrees in the SE by 23.45 culminating, 29 degrees in the south, at 03.45. It isn’t much lower when dawn breaks a little before 04.30. By mid month it is visible soon after 22.45, is at its highest at 02.50 and is down to 23 degrees in the SW as the sky brightens. By 31st it is visible from 21.45, culminates at 01.43 and is down to 12 degrees in the SW by dawn.   

Uranus: in Taurus, mag 5.8

Sitting below the Pleiades, it rises at 00.07 on 1st and is observable for almost an hour from 02.45 reaching 26 degrees by dawn. Jupiter, Mars and Uranus are now in a line with Mars in the middle and Uranus to the right.  It rises at midnight on 3rd and at 23.15 on 15th, when it is observable from 01.52 and is 40 degrees in the SE as the sky brightens soon after 04.00.  On 31st it is at observable altitude from 00.45 and gets to 51 degrees before being lost in the morning twilight. It should be visible in binoculars if you know exactly where to look, but will only appear as a faint star. A scope is needed to show the small blue/green disc. 

Neptune:  in Pisces, mag 7.5

Yet another morning object.  On 1st it rises at 22.32, reaches 21 degrees at 01.45 and is 31 degrees in the south when it is lost in the morning sky. From 11th it culminates in reasonable darkness, 34 degrees in the south at 03.44, less than 10 minutes before we lose it. By mid month it is observable 00.19 to 04.03, highest at 03.02, and on 20th is high from midnight until dawn. On 31st it reaches 21 degrees at 23.16, culminates at 02.27 and is observable until the sky begins to brighten at 04.45. It is situated a little to the left of the much brighter Saturn.

Dwarf Planets

Ceres: in Sagittarius, mag 7.8

Too low to be observed, culminates at only 5 degrees above the southern horizon. Fades during August, ends the month at mag 8.4.

Pluto: in Capricorn, mag 15.1

A little higher than Ceres but still too low to be observed from the UK.

Haumea:  in Bootes, mag 17.3

Observable for a very short time as the sky gets truly dark. On 1st it is 28 degrees in the west at 23.00, down to 21 degrees after only 48 minutes. By mid month this is down to 35 minutes and only 18 at month end.

Makemake: in Coma Berenices, mag 17.2

On 1st it is observable for only around 8 minutes before sinking below 21 degrees in the west. By 9th this is down to one minute and for the rest of August it is too low by the time the sky darkens.

Eris: in Ceres, mag 18.7

Very faint, unlikely to be attempted by any amateur astrophotographers. On 1st it reaches observable altitude at 03.00 and gets to 23 degrees in the SE by dawn. By mid month it is high from 02.00 and is at 33 degrees at dawn.  It culminates in darkness from 28th and on 31st is observable from a few minutes before 1am, highest point, 35 degrees in the south, at 04.19 and not much lower when the sky begins to brighten around 04.45.

Asteroids at opposition

6 Psyche:  in Capricorn, mag 9.6.

Opposition on 6th at 08.10. Not easy to see from our latitude, culminates at 01.03 but is only 21 degrees in the south.

7 Iris: in Aquarius, mag 8.3

Opposition on 6th at 15.55. Is 21 degrees in the SE at 22.58,  culminates 27 degrees in the south at 1.08 and sinks too low in the SW by 03.13.

Comets

13P/Olbers:  in Ursa Major, estimated mag 7.2, latest observed (31.07) 7.3

Now not easy to see as it is low in the evening twilight - only 17 degrees on 1st. It crosses into Coma Berenices on 13th and by month end, when its predicted mag is 9.1, is slightly lower at dusk.

C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS):  in Leo, predicted mag 7.9 

Not visible this month, well below the horizon at dusk.  The latest observed mag is 9.2, not as high as predicted but it seems to be catching up a little. A week ago the difference was 2 magnitudes, now it is only 1.3 mags fainter than expected. 

Some sources say that it isn't brightening as much as predicted because it has already begun to break up, others think that it is because of the high dust content of the coma and that the comet is ‘healthy’. We all know how unpredictable comets can be, Hale-Bopp failed to brighten as expected for some months before becoming the spectacle that many of us remember so well.

Fingers crossed that this one does the same and is a naked eye object when it returns to our sky in mid October

Meteor Showers

This month we have what is usually one of the year’s best displays.

Perseids: active July 17th to August 24th, peak August 12th, 59 kps, ZHR 100 - 150, (though some sources give a more realistic 50 to 70) with reasonable rates continuing for a few days after the peak.  The radiant is high in the early hours so the darker areas around Greater Manchester should have a good show. The radiant is circumpolar, highest at 07.00, peak activity predicted for 15.00 on 12th, so best seen before dawn and after dusk on this day.  They are bright, often coloured meteors leaving long trails. The shower often includes fireballs - meteors with a magnitude of -3 or brighter. There are 5 predicted short periods of enhanced activity this year but all are in daylight.  

The first quarter Moon sets at 22.47, in astronomical twilight, so no interference.

Parent comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle.

We also have a few weak to almost non existent showers.

Eta Eridanids:  active July 31st to August19th, peak 8th, 64 kps, ZHR 3

Activity is said to continue well past the peak.  The radiant rises at 02.00 but remains very low for UK observers, so the shower is better seen from south of the equator. Parent comet C/1852 K1 (Chacornac).

Kappa Cygnids: active August 3rd to 28th, peak 17th, 23 kps, ZHR 3

Higher activity was observed in 2007, 2014 and 2021 but some other years have seen nothing, though general activity is said to have increased slightly over recent years. The shower includes many very faint meteors, radar observations show much higher rates. The circumpolar radiant is highest at 22.00, the start of astro twilight, so the best chance of spotting a meteor or 2 is when darkness falls. The 95% Moon will interfere.

The parent body is not known for sure, could be minor planet 2008 ED59. 

Studies of the dust cloud have shown that the thickest part passes close to the orbit of Venus, meaning that it should be a major shower when seen from the planet. Or it would be if it wasn’t for the thick clouds.

Aurigids:  active August 28th to Sept 5th, peak 31st, 66 kps, ZHR 10 (Manchester up to 5) 

Outbursts of ZHR 30 to 50 have been observed and in 2,000 a ZHR of 130 was recorded - but only for 20 minutes.  No enhanced activity predicted for this year however.

The radiant is highest in daylight but is at a reasonable elevation by 02.00, peak activity predicted for 22.00, so best seen pre dawn on 1st.

The crescent Moon rises at 03.37. 

Parent comet  is C/1911 N1 (Kiess).

The radiant of the antihelion source moves through Aquarius during August. 30 kps, ZHR 1 -3 

Credits

Most of the solar system information given here is from: https://in-the-sky.org More information, exact co-ordinates and finder charts of all solar system objects can be found on this site.

Also quite useful is https://theskylive.com

Other information is from various internet sources, including NASA, Britannica, Space Facts, Universe Today and, when all else fails, Wikipedia.

The night sky in July 2024

by Anne Holt

Sun & Moon

Sunrise.  1st:  04.44       31st:  05.21

Sunset.   1st:  21.40       31st:  21.08

Day Length.  1st:  16.55.34      31st:  15.41.52

Astronomical Darkness.  None until 30th:  00.58 to 01.32     31st:  00.43 to 01.47

Astro Twilight.  1st:  00.04 to 02.21       29th:  22.55 to 03.36

On 5th the Earth is at aphelion at a distance of 1.0167AU. The difference between this and the perihelion distance is not enough to affect the temperature, we have warmer weather in Summer because the northern hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun so the rays hit more directly.

New Moon:   5th at 23.58, in Gemini

Full Moon:  21st at 11.17, in Capricorn, angular diameter 32’ 17”

Lunar apogee:  12th at 09.10,  404362 km, in Virgo, ad 29’ 32”, phase 39%

Lunar perigee:  24th at 06.40,  364913 km, in Capricorn, ad 32’ 43”, phase 85%

The most common name for the July full Moon is the Buck Moon, so called because this is the time when young deer begin to sprout new antlers.  It is the  Medieval Mead Moon, the Old English/Anglo Saxon Hay Moon or Claiming Moon (the latter thought to refer to the early legal system), the neo Pagan Rose Moon,the Colonial American Summer Moon and the Inuit Dry Moon - no idea whether that is weather or alcohol related!

It is the Chinese Hungry Ghost Moon,when people leave food out to appease the ghosts of their ancestors.

Most of the indigenous American names refer to the warmer weather or ripening crops.  Among the few exceptions are the Apache Moon of the Horse, the Hopi Moon of the Home Dance, and the Omaha Moon when the buffaloes bellow.  There are a couple of fish related names - the Tlingit Salmon Moon and the more specific Wishram Moon when salmon go up river in a group.

Highlights

Slightly better this month, we have passed the longest day so nights now start to get a little longer. Astronomical darkness returns at the end of the month - just over half an hour on the night of 30th/31st  one hour 4 minutes the following night. 

The positions of the planets are starting to improve, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are all visible to those of us with a clear eastern to south eastern horizon and who can get up early enough (or stay up late enough) to be out observing in the early hours. 

There are a few minor meteor showers but the only one of note is much better seen from south of the equator.

We might still have some noctilucent cloud displays and the Sun is quite active so there's a chance of seeing more aurorae.

Constellations

The Summer Triangle asterism (made up of Vega in the constellation of Lyra, Deneb in Cygnus and Altair in Aquila) is now quite high in the southern half of the sky. Cygnus, with its Northern Cross asterism, and Lyra are particularly prominent.

At the start of the month Pegasus, followed by Andromeda, is rising in the early hours.

As always during the summer months, it isn't the best time to see the zodiac constellations or planets as the ecliptic never gets very high in the sky. However, if you do happen to visit a dark sky site over the next few months you should be rewarded with good views of the Milky Way high overhead running through Cygnus and down to Sagittarius just above the southern horizon.

Conjunctions

1st at 19.27:  the 15% Moon is 4 degrees 05’ north of Mars.  The planet is visible for a short time around 3.15, when the Moon is about 7 degrees to the west on 1st, slightly less and to the north east on the morning of 2nd.

3rd at 09.29: the 5% Moon is 5 degrees 01’ north of Jupiter. The planet is visible for a short time around 4am, when the separation is not much more.

7th at 19.33:  the 5% Moon is 3 degrees 13’ north of Mercury. The planet sets at 22.46 so is below the horizon when the sky darkens.

14th from 02.40 to 05.58:  lunar occultation of Spica, visible from parts of SE USA.  From the UK the star is only 9 degrees at dusk, setting at 00.03.

15th at 10.22:  Mars passes 33’ south of Uranus.  Mars is visible from 02.50, reaching 19 degrees in the east by dawn almost an hour later. Uranus is too faint to be seen in the brightening sky at this time.

19th from 19.07 to 23.30: lunar occultation of Antares, visible from southern Africa.

24th at 21.45:  the 75% Moon passes 23’ north of Saturn. The planet is visible in the morning sky from 00.15 until dawn.  Separation at 01.00 on 25th is around 2 degrees. An occultation is visible from parts of E Africa, India and SE Asia.

25th at 15.26:  the 72% Moon passes 29’ north of Neptune. The planet is observable from 01.42 to 03.02, separation at 02.00 is around 8 degrees on the morning of 25th, slightly less the following day.  An occultation is observable from parts of the western Pacific.

30th at 11.38: the 20% Moon is 5 degrees 01’ north of Mars. The planet is visible for a couple of hours from 02.15, separation at 3am is around 7 degrees, about one degree less by 4am.

31st at 00.54:  the 16% Moon is 5 degrees 22’ north of Jupiter. On the night of 30th/31st Jupiter is visible from 02.17, when the separation is not much more.

Planets

Mercury:  in Gemini, mag -0.6

An evening object, remaining too low to be seen.  On 1st it is only 2 degrees at dusk, setting at 22.48.  It reaches its highest point in the evening sky on 6th, when it is 6 degrees at sunset, still only 2 degrees above the horizon when the sky darkens. It moves into Leo on 15th, now at mag 0.1, and is on the horizon at dusk. It is at greatest eastern elongation on 22nd, when it appears 18.7 degrees from the Sun but still too low to be seen in twilight. It is at aphelion on 27th at a distance of 0.47AU, down to mag 0.9 and setting less than half an hour after the Sun.

Venus:  in Gemini, mag -3.9

Still not visible.  On 1st it appears only 7 degrees from the Sun. It is at perihelion on 10th at 12.44, when it is at a distance of 0.72AU. Its orbit is almost circular so there is very little difference between that and the aphelion distance.  It goes into Cancer on 11th and Leo on 27th. On 31st it is on the horizon as the sky begins to darken.

Mars:  in Aries, mag 1.0

Visible in the pre dawn sky, moving towards Jupiter - separation on 1st is around 22 degrees, down to a little over 7 degrees by the end of the month. 

On 1st it rises at 01.49, is at observable altitude by 03.20 and reaches 12 degrees in the east by dawn. It crosses into Taurus on 12th, moving south of the Pleiades over the next few days. It now reaches 18 degrees in the east before the sky brightens. By the end of the month it is visible for a couple of hours, reaching 30 degrees in darkness.

Jupiter:  in Taurus, mag -2.0

Shining brightly in the pre dawn sky.  On 1st it rises at 02.44, is high enough to be seen easily a little over an hour later and reaches 10 degrees in the east by dawn.  By mid month it is visible soon after 3am and gets to 18 degrees before it is lost in the morning twilight. On 31st it rises at 01.05, reaches observable altitude by 02.14 and is 30 degrees in the east as the sky brightens over 2 and a half hours later.

Saturn:  in Aquarius, 1.1

Another morning object, on 1st it becomes visible around 01.50 and gets to 22 degrees in the SE by dawn. From 7th it rises before midnight, on this day it can be seen from 01.30 and reaches 25 degrees as the sky brightens. By mid month it is observable for almost 3 hours and is 28 degrees in the south before being lost in the morning twilight. On 27th it culminates at 04.08, a few minutes before dawn, and from 29th it becomes visible before midnight, when it is 11 degrees in the SE. On 31st it is visible from around 23.50 to 04.20, reaching 29 degrees in the south at 03.52. It is now a little brighter at mag 0.9 but may be a disappointment when seen through a scope as the rings are almost closed.

Uranus: in Taurus, mag 5.8hours

Too low in the morning sky to be seen for most of July. On 1st it is below the horizon at dawn and by mid month it only reaches 9 degrees. By 28th it is 21 degrees in the east shortly after 3am, observable for a few minutes, and by 31st is high enough for about half an hour, reaching 25 degrees before being lost in the brightening sky. Unlikely to be visible to the naked eye, decent binoculars should pick it up if you know exactly where to look.  A go to scope will soon find the small blue green disc.

Neptune:  in PIsces, mag 7.9

Very low in the morning sky, not observable for most of July. On 1st it is only 9 degrees at dawn. It begins retrograde motion on 2nd and, from 10th, rises before midnight but still only gets to 18 degrees before the sky brightens. It might be observable for a very short time on 14th at around 02.25, when it is 22 degrees in the SE as the sky begins to brighten. By the end of the month it is observable from around 01.20, getting to 33 degrees in the south, a couple of hours later.

It is too faint to be seen with the naked eye, very tricky even with good binoculars. Again a go to scope is recommended for finding its small bluish disc.

Dwarf Planets

Both Ceres: in Sagittarius, mag 7.3 and Pluto: in Capricorn, mag 15.1, reach opposition this month - on 6th & 23rd respectively but both are much too low to be observed from the UK.

The rest are high enough for part of the night but so faint that they are out of reach of all but the very best amateur astrophotographers.

Haumea:  in Bootes, mag 17.3

Observable for about an hour before the sky begins to brighten. From 3rd it sinks below 21 degrees in darkness, on 15th it is down to 21 degrees by 00.56 and on 31st by 23.55.

Makemake:  in Coma Berenices, mag 17.2

Now observable for only a short time before the sky starts to brighten. On 1st it is only 26 degrees in the west at 00.39, too low by 01.13.  By 31st it is 23 degrees when the sky darkens, too low after only 10 minutes.

Eris:  in Cetus, Mag 18.7

Very faint, a difficult target for even the very best amateurs.  

Too low for most of July on 29th it is high enough for 7 minutes before the sky begins to brighten, a couple of days later this has increased to 20 minutes.

Comets

No visible bright - or even fairly faint - comets this month.

13P/Olbers which is predicted to be at peak brightness on 1st, at mag 6.1, is not easily visible despite being circumpolar.  It starts the month in Lynx but is only 10 degrees at dusk on 1st, and ends it in Ursa Major, now 17 degrees in the evening twilight and down to mag 6.9.

C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan - ATLAS) is now also too low to be seen from the UK.  Latest observed mag (June 29th) is 10.00 - a little lower than the predicted  9.4, and lower than the 9.6 observed on 19th,  Is this a trend or a blip?  

We’ll have to wait and see.

Meteor Showers

July Pegasids:  active 4th to 14th, peak 10th, 63 kps, ZHR 4  (M/c 1 or 2)

Activity could continue past the given date, maybe until late July or early August. They are fairly fast moving meteors with occasional very short bright outbursts.  The shower is best seen after midnight, parent body probably comet C/1978 (Bradfield)

July Gamma Draconids:  active 25th to 31st, peak 28th, 27 kps, ZHR 5

There hasn’t been much activity from these in recent years.  There was a short outburst in 2016 and the Earth reaches the same position in the dust cloud at 02.00 on 28th, so you never know. Parent body not known, probably a Halley Type comet.

On the night of 27th/28th the last quarter Moon rises at 23.28.

Southern Delta Aquarids:  active July 12th to August 23rd, peak July 31st, 41 kps, ZHR 25 (from Manchester, 8 maximum)

Some sources give the peak of these as 29th or 30th but 31st is the date given on the IMO website.  Near peak rates are likely for a week centred on 31st. It is one of the strongest showers when seen from the southern hemisphere but, from here, the radiant is low, rising at 22.43 and highest after dawn, so the best chance of spotting a few meteors is in the early hours. They are mostly faint, not usually leaving trails, so quite difficult to see but there are sometimes a few bright ones. 

In 1997 and 2003 there were short outbursts of ZHR 40 on the night of 27th/28th but nothing is predicted for this year. 

Parent comet is sometimes given as P/2008 Y12 (SOHO), sometimes 96P/Machholz. The crescent Moon rises at 00.29 on the morning of 31st.

Alpha Capricornids:  active July 3rd to August 15th, peak 31st, 23 kps, ZHR 5 (Manchester 3)

The radiant is above the horizon throughout the night but remains low, reaching 26 degrees at 01.00, the time of the predicted maximum. The shower often includes very bright meteors, maybe some yellow hued fireballs.  Last year was especially good for fireballs - 6 were seen on the night of 26th (but it doesn’t say from where).

The parent comet is 169P/NEAT, thought to be a remnant of a much larger comet which broke up around 5,000 years ago. The resulting debris has been moving towards us since then. We won’t hit the main body of the dust cloud until the 24th century, when the Capricornids will be ‘stronger than any current annual shower’ with a ZHR of more than 2,000.

The radiant of the antihelion source (ANT) moves through eastern Sagittarius, northern Capricorn and into SW Aquarius during July,  30 kps, ZHR 2-3.

It passes very close to that of the Capricornids and the S Delta Aquarids but the meteors are easily distinguishable, the former being slower and the latter faster than those from the ANT. 

Credits

Most of the solar system information given here is from: https://in-the-sky.org More information, exact co-ordinates and finder charts of all solar system objects can be found on this site.

Also quite useful is https://theskylive.com

Other information is from various internet sources, including NASA, Britannica, Space Facts, Universe Today and, when all else fails, Wikipedia.

The night sky in June 2024

by Anne Holt

Sunrise      1st:  04.46       30th:  04.44

Sunset       1st:  21.28       30th:  21.40

Day Length   1st:  16.41.29      30th:  16.56.41

Astronomical Darkness:  none

Astro Twilight   1st:  23.39 to 02.34   30th: 00.55 to 02.20

Longest day:  20th at 17.01.52

Earliest sunrise:  17th at 04.39

Latest sunset: 24th at 21.42

Longest astro twilight:  18th to 21st at 2 hours.

The June Solstice, when the Sun reaches its most northerly point in the sky, is on 20th at 21.49.  On this day the Sun is directly

overhead at local noon along the Tropic of Cancer. In the northern hemisphere it is the first day of Astronomical Summer, In the southern

hemisphere the Sun is at its lowest point - the start of winter.

New Moon:  6th at 13.38, in Taurus

Full Moon:  22nd at 02.07, in Sagittarius, angular diameter 31' 25"

Lunar perigee:  2nd at 08.16, 368107 km, in Pisces, ad 32'36", phase 17%

Lunar apogee:  14th at 14.35, 404077 km, in Virgo: ad 29' 33", phase

57% This is the closest apogee of 2024.

Lunar perigee:  27th at 12.30, 369291 km, in Aquarius, ad 32' 30",

phase 60%.  This is the furthest perigee of this year.

The most common name for the June full Moon is the Strawberry Moon, because the fruit ripen around this time. It is the medieval English

Mead Moon or Dyan Moon.  Dyan is said to refer to anything dual - twins or double lives. It is a form of the name Diane meaning heavenly

bright shining one and related to Diana, goddess of the Moon, herself a twin.

It is the neo Pagan Planting Moon, the Colonial American Rose Moon, the Chinese Lotus Moon and the Inuit Hunting Moon. Several Indigenous American names refer to ripening fruit, strawberries for the Anishinaabe and Sioux, blackberries for the Creek and raspberries for the Shawnee, while the Lakota and Haida are less specific, simply ripening berries. The Hopi appear to be still planting at this time. The Arapaho's buffalos bellow and the Omaha's buffalo bulls chase the cows. It's the Tlingit Birth Moon and several tribes refer to the start of Summer. 

But beware:  this full Moon is said to be the prime time for werewolf activity!

Highlights

This month we have the start of Summer, astronomically speaking, and the longest day - not good for astronomers, of course, as it is also

the shortest night. There is no astronomical darkness and very little astro twilight - a few minutes under 3 hours on 1st and 2 hrs 15

minutes on 30th.  And it doesn't begin until around midnight throughout June. The positions of some planets are starting to improve slightly, by the end of the month we might be able to spot Mars, Jupiter and Saturn low in the sky before sunrise. There is one very minor and several daytime meteor showers, one of which could include some visible in the pre dawn sky. The Sun is still very active so there's a good chance of more spectacular aurorae. These are caused when streams of electrically charged particles from the Sun head towards Earth and are channelled by the Earth's magnetic field to the poles, where they react with the atmosphere causing the coloured glow.  During periods of high solar activity these displays are stronger and more frequent. 

It is also the season for noctilucent clouds. These blue or silvery wispy clouds can sometimes be seen between late May and early August

but are most common in June. On a clear night you may be lucky enough to see them in twilight, when the Sun is between 6 and 16 degrees below the horizon.  They appear in the north to NW about an hour to 90 minutes after sunset and in the N to NE a similar time before sunrise. Occasionally a particularly strong display could last all night. They are formed in the mesosphere, between 75 and 85 kilometres high, where it is so cold at this time of year that ice crystals can form on dust particles in the atmosphere.  At this altitude they are still illuminated by the Sun, even though it has set for observers at ground level. They used to be very rare but sightings have increased in the last few years, possibly because of increased pollution.  There also seems to be a correlation with rocket launches, which increase water vapour in the atmosphere.  Displays are often seen 10 days after a launch - the time it takes for the water to reach the mesosphere. 2022 was a particularly good year, 2023 much less so.  It is thought that the incidence drops as we approach solar maximum.

Constellations

The Plough asterism in Ursa Major is still prominent, being overhead for much of the night, leaving Cassiopeia on the opposite side of the Pole Star, low in the northern sky. The Summer Triangle, consisting of Vega, Deneb and Altair, is now getting higher in the late evening, though Altair, in Aquila, is still quite low in the early part of the night. The beautiful double star Albireo, at the head of Cygnus the swan, is very well placed for observing. The Milky Way is now visible from dark sky sites, running across the sky through the Summer Triangle, passing almost overhead in the early hours. The bright orange red Arcturus is shining brightly high in the SW and, if you manage to find some dark skies not obscured by cloud, you should be able to see the rest of the kite shaped Bootes, with the semicircle of stars forming Corona Borealis just to the east of it. Another red giant, Antares in Scorpio is now visible low on the southern horizon. 

Conjunctions

Only one which can be seen this month. I did do all the non-visible ones but accidentally deleted it and haven't the time (or the

inclination) to re-do it.  I doubt anyone will care - or even notice.

27th at 15.59. The 59% Moon passes 4' 38" north of Saturn. The pair will be visible in the dawn sky for about an hour from 02.00. Separation at 03.00 is about 8 degrees on 27th, 6 degrees on 28th. An occultation will be visible from northern New Zealand and parts of

the S Pacific.

Planets

Mercury:  in Taurus, mag -0.8

Not visible this month.  On 1st it is below the horizon at dawn.  The apparent separation from the Sun decreases over the next couple of

weeks, on 13th when it is at perihelion, it is only 2 degrees. The following day it is at superior solar conjunction, passing 56' to the north. It crosses into Gemini on 18th when the separation is 4 degrees. By 30th, mag now -0.6, it is only 2 degrees at dusk setting at 22.46 in nautical twilight. Mag now -0.6.

Venus:  in Taurus, mag -3.9

Again, appears too close to the Sun to be seen. It is at superior solar conjunction on 4th, when it passes 3' to the south. On 18th when

it moves into Gemini, the separation is 3 degrees and by month end it is still only 6 degrees.

Mars:  in Pisces, mag 1.1

A morning object, very low in the east. On 1st it rises at 03.08 but only reaches 2 degrees before it is lost in the brightening sky. On

4th it goes into Aries, now 4 degrees at dawn.  By the end of June it might be visible for a very short time around 03.20, when it is 12

degrees in the east in the morning twilight.

Jupiter:  in Taurus, mag -2.0

A morning object but very low.  On 1st it rises at 04.23 but fails to clear the horizon by dawn. By mid  month it gets to 2 degrees, still too

low to be visible.  It might be glimpsed on the last few mornings in June, on 27th it reaches 8 degrees in the NE as the sky brightens

around 04.08, and by 30th may be seen for about 15 minutes from 03.55.

Saturn:  in Aquarius, mag 1.2

Very low in the pre dawn sky for the first few days in June. On 7th it reaches 12 degrees before being lost in the morning twilight and might

be seen for a few minutes around 03.25.  By mid month it is visible for 30 minutes and reaches 15 degrees in the SE by dawn. It begins

apparent retrograde (E to W) motion on 29th and on 30th reaches observable altitude by 01.58 and gets to 22 degrees in the SE by dawn,

about 90 minutes later. The bad news is that the rings are now almost invisible - inclined by only 2 degrees.

Uranus:  in Taurus, mag 5.9

Too low in the morning sky to be visible.  On 1st it appears only 16 degrees from the Sun.  The separation increases during the month but

on 30th it is still below the horizon when the sky begins to brighten.

Neptune:  in Pisces, mag 7.9

Another one which is very low in the morning sky. It doesn't get above the horizon in darkness during the first half of June, still 1 degree

below on 15th. By 30th it reaches 8 degrees before being lost in the brightening sky - too low for observation. 

Dwarf Planets

Ceres:  in Sagittarius, mag 7.9

Too far south to be seen from our latitude, despite rising at 22.53 on 30th, when it will be up to mag 7.3.

Pluto: in Capricorn, mag 15.1

Another morning object, too low to be observed from the UK.

Haumea:  in Boötes, mag 17.3 and Makemake, in Coma Berenices, mag 17.1

Both are observable during the darkest part of the night.  However, that isn't very long!  They have both culminated earlier but are still

reasonably high in early June. On 1st Haumea is 49 degrees in the west as night falls, Makemake is 48 degrees. The darkest part of the night shortens as we approach the solstice, from 17th to 24th it remains too light for either to be observable.  On 25th they might be seen for around 15 minutes from 01.00 at 32 and 27 degrees respectively. By 30th the sky darkens at 00.42, when Haumea is 32 degrees in the west, Makemake 26 degrees.

Eris:  in Cetus, mag 18.7

Below the horizon at dawn throughout June.

Comets

13P/Olbers: in Auriga, estimated mag 6.0, latest observed 7.7

Predicted to reach mag 5.1 by the end of June but not visible from the UK. On 1st it is only 6 degreed at dusk, 10 degreed on 30th, when it

is at perihelion at a distance of 1.15 AU.

C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinsan - ATLAS): in Virgo, mag 9.5

Might be observable for a very short time on 1st, when it is 23 degrees in the SW at midnight. It is then too low to be observed from

the UK until md October, so we won't see it at its brightest, predicted mag 0.2 in late September. However, it could still be around

Mag 2.0 when it is next visible.

Meteor Showers

June Bootids: active June 22nd until July 2nd, peak 27th,18kps, ZHR variable (one site gives a rate of -1)

The radiant is circumpolar, highest at 22.00, peak rates predicted for 06.00 on 27th so one or two might be seen during the hours of darkness on 26th/27h. They are bright, very slow moving meteors.  The shower is usually very weak, but it shows occasional outbursts - in 1998 a ZHR of over 100 was seen for 7 hours and in 2004 there were 50 an hour. No correlation has been found between these outbursts and the perihelion of the parent comet 7P/Pons-Winnecke.

Daytime Arietids: active May 25th to June 20th, peak June 7th, (or maybe10th) ZHR (visual) 30, from Manchester no more than 8.

The radiant is only 30 degrees from the Sun at this time, so most of the activity is in the daytime when the ZHR is between 80 and 200.  A

few may be seen, in the east, about 45 minutes before sunrise. They will appear to move upwards from the horizon or horizontally just

above it.  The latter are known as Earth grazers. This shower was first observed, in1947, by radio astronomers working at Jodrell Bank.

The parent body was thought to be asteroid 1566 Icarus, now more likely to be comet 96P/Machholz.

There are 2 other daytime showers, both part of the Taurid complex. These occur when Earth passes through the dust stream left by a large comet which broke up about 10,000 years ago.  Comet 2P/Encke is the largest fragment of this stream. The Earth passes through it twice, in June. It gives rise to the Zeta Perseids and Beta Taurids and in October and November to the southern and northern Taurids.

Zeta Perseids:  active May 30th to June 30th (or maybe July 5th) peak 9th. ZHR 20

The radiant of this shower is only 16 degrees from the Sun so we are not likely to observe any visual activity.  It was also first detected

at Jodrell Bank.

Beta Taurids:  active June 15th to July 5th, peak June 25th.

This shower's main claim to fame is that it is thought to be the origin of the Tunguska meteorite of June 30th, 1908. Some astronomers

think that there are several more large chunks of rock lurking in the same part of the dust stream.

The antihelion source (ANT) is active in June, with a radiant moving through Sagittarius,  ZHR 2 - 4.

Credits

Most of the solar system information given here is from: https://in-the-sky.org. More information, exact co-ordinates and finder charts of all solar system objects can be found on this site.

Also quite useful is https://theskylive.com

https://www.imo.net/resources/calendar/

https://www.timeanddate.com

Other information is from various internet sources, including NASA, Britannica, Space Facts, Universe Today and, when all else fails,Wikipedia.

The night sky in May 2024

by Anne Holt

Sunrise.     1st:  05.33         31st:  04.47

Sunset.      1st:  20.39         31st:  21.26

Day Length.   1st:   15.06.00       31st:  16.39.24

Astro Darkness.  1st:  23.28 to 02.42        13th:  00.50 to 01.19

Then none until the end of July.

By 31st astro twilight is only 23.37 to 02.36

New Moon;    8th at 04.23, in Aries

Full Moon:     23rd at 14.53, in Scorpio, angular diameter 30’ 34”

Lunar perigee:    5th at 23.04,  363165 km, in Pisces, ad 32’ 89”, phase 4%

Lunar apogee:  17th at 19.58,  404639 km, in Leo, ad 29’30”, phase 75%

The most commonly used name for the May Full Moon is the Flower Moon. It’s the Celtic Bright Moon, the neo Pagan Grass Moon, the medieval English Hare Moon, the colonial American Panther Moon, the Chinese Dragon Moon and the Inuit Goose Moon.

Many indigenous American names refer to plants and crops growing at this time - the Algonquin Moon when women tend corn, the Cherokee’s Planting Moon, the Choctaw and Creek Mulberry Moon and the Potawatomi and Shawnee tribes’ Strawberry Moon.  

Exceptions include the Assiniboine Idle Moon, the Hopi Moon of Waiting, the Tlingit Moon before Pregnancy and the Zuni No Name Moon.

The Passamaquoddy name is the Alewive Moon, nothing to do with the ladies drinking habits - alewives are fish which leave the ocean to travel up the St Croix river, in the tribe’s territory, to spawn.

Or, if they are unlucky, to be caught and eaten.

Highlights

Still more lows than highs. 

We are losing astro darkness, 2hrs 15m on 1st, down to 29 minutes on 13th, then nothing for the rest of the month.  By 31st we only have 3 hours of astro twilight.

Planets fare no better, all are completely unobservable or very low in the morning sky.  Only Saturn almost reaches observable altitude by dawn at the end of the month. The  comet predicted to reach naked eye observability will be too low in the evening sky and we have a couple of meteor showers, one very minor and one with a low radiant so better seen from further south.

However, solar activity is still high, so there’s a good chance of seeing the Aurora Borealis, and the end of May sees the start of the Noctilucent Cloud season. A few of these silvery or blue clouds may be seen in nautical twilight but displays are much more likely when we get into June, so more information will be given in next month’s sky notes.  

Constellations

As the sky darkens at the start of the month Lyra and Cygnus are rising in the north east, followed a couple of hours later by Aquila. In the later part of the night the Summer Triangle formed by Vega, Deneb and Altair, the brightest star in each of these three constellations, should be easily visible. By the end of the month Aquila will be above the horizon by around 11pm. The brightest part of the Milky Way visible to us in the UK runs through the Summer Triangle and down through Scutum and Sagittarius.

The Plough is still very high in the sky for most of the night, standing on its handle, so Cassiopeia, the W shaped 'Lady in the Chair', on the opposite side of the Pole Star is very low down in the north.

Bootes, the herdsman, is now riding high although only Arcturus, the brightest star in the celestial northern hemisphere, is above magnitude 2, so its kite asterism may not be easily visible in our light polluted skies. Arcturus is easy to find though - just follow the arc of the Plough's handle down to the south until you come to Arcturus. Carry on the arc a bit further and you come to the star Spica, the brightest star in Virgo.

At this time of year when you look up to the south you are looking out of the plane of our Milky Way galaxy instead of along it like you do in winter and summer, so there aren't many bright stars, open star clusters and nebulae. However, if you've got a telescope this is a good time of year to hunt down globular clusters like M13, the Great Globular Cluster in Hercules, and faint galaxies like the many galaxies lying in the bowl of Virgo and into Coma Berenices.

Conjunctions & Occultations

All this month are unobservable, or extremely difficult to see, from the UK.

3rd at 23.31:  the 18% Moon passes 50’ south of Saturn. The planet is only 2 degrees in the east at dawn, when the separation will be 3 degrees 20’.  An occultation will be visible from parts of Antarctica,

4th at 20.05:  the 11% Moon is 14’ south of Neptune.  The planet is still below the horizon at dawn.  An occultation will be visible from parts of SE Australia, New Zealand and the S Pacific.

5th at 03.25:  the 8% Moon is 11’ north of Mars.  Separation as they rise is 1 degree 20’ but the planet is on the horizon at dawn. An occultation will be visible from Madagascar, Reunion, the Seychelles and parts of the Indian Ocean.

6th at 09.25:  the 2% Moon is 3 degrees 49’ north of Mercury. The planet is below the horizon at dawn.

24th:  lunar occultation of Antares, visible from Central America, north eastern South America, parts of the mid Atlantic and W Africa. From Manchester the Moon will be 33’ south of the star as they set around 04.45

31st:  Mercury passes 1 degree 21’ south of Uranus. Both are too close to the Sun to be seen.

31st at 09.08:  the 37% Moon is 22’ south of Saturn. Separation in the pre dawn sky is 3 degrees 10’, but the planet only reaches 9 degrees. An occultation will be visible from southern S America, the Falkland Islands and parts of  western S Atlantic.

Planets

Mercury:  In Pisces, mag 1.7

Not visible this month, rising in civil twilight throughout and, because of the shallow angle of the ecliptic, remaining very low.  On

9th, when it is at greatest western elongation, 26.4 degrees from the Sun, it is 4 degrees below the horizon at dawn, only 4 above by

sunrise. It reaches its highest point in the morning sky on 26th, in Aries, now at mag -0.4, but still too low to be seen before the sky

brightens. It ends the month in Taurus at mag -0.7 

Venus:  in Aries, mag -3.9

Appears too close to the Sun to be visible, throughout May.

Mars: in Pisces, mag 1.1

A morning object but very low and almost impossible to see. At the start of the month it is on the horizon as the sky brightens.  It crosses into Cetus on 10th and Pisces on 14th.  By 31st it is only 2 degrees above the horizon at dawn.

Jupiter:  in Taurus, mag - 2.0

Not visible this month, too low in the evening sky at the beginning of May then closing in on the Sun until it reaches solar conjunction on 18th at 19.24, when it passes 43’ to the south. It is then a morning object but still below the horizon at dawn on 31st.

Saturn:  in Aquarius, mag 1.2

Another morning object, only just clearing the horizon by dawn in early May but improving as the month goes on.  By mid month it is 4 degrees when the sky brightens and, by 31st, gets to 9 degrees and might be seen for a few minutes by observers with an unobstructed SE horizon.

Prepare to be disappointed when looking through a scope,  the rings are now almost edge on to us.

Uranus:  in Aries, mag 5.9

Not visible throughout May, it is at solar conjunction on 13th when it passes 15’ south of the Sun. It goes into Taurus on 24th, remaining much too low to be seen in the morning sky.

Neptune:  in Pisces, mag 7.9

Still fails to clear the horizon by dawn following solar conjunction in mid March.

Dwarf Planets

Ceres:  in Sagittarius, mag 8.5

Above the horizon in the early hours but too low to be observable.  On 31st it culminates at 04.06 but is only 10 degrees in the south.

Pluto:  in Capricorn, mag 15.2

Again, too low in the morning sky to be observable and, because it moves so slowly around the sky, won’t reach a reasonable altitude for many years.

Haumea:  in Bootes, mag 17.3 and Makemake; in Coma Berenices, mag 17.1

Still the best placed objects, both observable from dusk to dawn - albeit only a few hours at this time of year. Haumea culminates at 51 degrees in the south, Makemake at 58 degrees.  However they are both out of reach of the majority of amateurs, a large scope and a CCD camera are needed to have a chance of catching them.

Eris:  in Cetus, mag 18.7

Too low for imaging this month, even by the very best astrophotographers.

Comets

12P/Pons-Brooks: in Taurus, mag 5

Now below the horizon at dusk, setting at 20.49 on 1st. It is moving southwards, by month end it never gets above the horizon from our latitude.

13P/Olbers:  in Taurus, mag 6.6

Very low at dusk, 10 degrees on 1st, 6 degrees on 31st, when it is predicted to be at mag 4.0.

C/2023 S3 (Pan STARRS): in Cygnus, mag 10.6

Circumpolar.  On 1st it is high enough to observe from around 23.15, when it reaches 21 degrees in the north east, getting to 58 degrees by dawn. It fades as it moves northwards.  After the first few days in May it is observable throughout the hours of darkness and on 10th culminates, 60 degrees in the east, just before dawn. By month end it is 65 degrees by dawn but predicted to be down to mag 11.3. 

C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS): in Virgo, mag 10

Observable from dusk until the early hours. On 1st it is 32 degrees in the east as the sky darkens, reaching 35 degrees in the south at 23.50 and remaining high until a little after 3am. It is moving westwards and on 10th it becomes visible as it culminates at 22.50, down to 21 degrees in the SW by 01.45. By month end it is only high enough for observing for about 20 minutes around midnight, predicted mag now 9.1.  It should be at its brightest in late Sept, mag -0.7 or even higher but not visible from the UK.  When we next see it, in mid October, it will be low in the west, maybe as bright as mag 1.3 but fading rapidly as the observation period lengthens.

Meteor Showers

Eta Aquarids:  active April 19th to May 28th, peak May 6th, 66 kps, ZHR variable, around 50, but rates have been declining in recent years.  

The shower is much better seen from the southern hemisphere, from Manchester we can expect to see no more than 10 - from a dark sky site with a flat, unobstructed horizon.  The radiant rises at 02.47 but only reaches 15 degrees by dawn. Peak activity predicted for 22.00 on 5th, so best seen pre dawn on 6th, though rates are often near peak on the days before and after.

They are bright, fairly fast moving meteors, often with long lasting trails. When the radiant is very low some may be seen moving almost parallel to the horizon.  These may have longer than usual trails and are known as Earth grazers.

The 4% Moon rises at 04.39, so no interference.

Parent comet is 1P/Halley.

Eta Lyrids:  active May 5th to 14th, peak 10th, 43 kps, ZRH 3 (Manchester 2 maximum)

The radiant is circumpolar, highest after dawn.  Peak activity around noon so the best chance of seeing a couple is before sunrise and after sunset on 10th.

Not long after new Moon, so no interference.

Parent comet C/1983 (IRAS-Araki-Alcock)

The radiant of the antihelion source begins the month in northern Scorpio then moves into southern Ophiuchus. ZHR 2-4.

May is a good time for anyone with radio or radar equipment to detect daytime showers. They can’t be observed visually as the radiants are within 30 degrees of the Sun.

N Omega Cetids: peak May 8th

S Omega Cetids: peak May 9th

S May Arietids:  peak May 13th.

These are all active around the same time, May 1st to 17th, and have radiants quite close together so it can be almost impossible to tell which shower each meteor originates from.

Credits

Most of the solar system information given here is from: https://in-the-sky.org. More information, exact co-ordinates and finder charts of all solar system objects can be found on this site.

Also quite useful is https://theskylive.com

https://www.imo.net/resources/calendar/

https://www.timeanddate.com

Other information is from various internet sources, including NASA, Britannica, Space Facts, Universe Today and, when all else fails,Wikipedia.

The night sky in April 2024

by Anne Holt

Sun and Moon

Sunrise         1st:     06.41        30th:    05.35

Sunset          1st:    19.45         30th:    20.37       

Day Length   1st:    13.03.41    30th:  15.02.11  

Astronomical Darkness:    1st:   21.51 to 04.32      30th:  23.24 to 02.47        

New Moon:    8th at 19.21.  in Pisces, angular diameter 33’11”

Full Moon:     24th at  00.48.  in Virgo, a/d 29’ 52”

Lunar perigee:      7th at 18.51.  358848 km, in Pisces, a/d 33’ 16”, phase 0%

Lunar apogee:      20th at 03.10.   405624 km, in Leo, a/d 29’ 26”, phase 89%

The most common name for the April Full Moon is the Pink Moon.  It is no more likely to appear pink than any other full Moon, the name comes from the colour of Phlox flowers, which bloom at this time. 

It is the Colonial American Planters' Moon, the Celtic Growing Moon or Hare Moon, the Medieval Seed Moon, the neo Pagan Awakening Moon, the Chinese Peony Moon and the Inuit Snow Melt Moon.

Several indigenous American names also refer to the end of winter - the Arapaho Ice Breaking in the River Moon, the Comanche New Spring Moon, the Creek Big Spring Moon and the Shoshone Melting Moon.

Among the exceptions are the Abenaki Sugar Maker Moon, the Shawnee Half Moon, the Wishram 8th Moon, the Assiniboine Frog Moon and the Zumi Great Sandstorm Moon.

On 8th there is a solar eclipse.  The path of totality crosses the Pacific Ocean, Mexico, Eastern USA, SE Canada and the NW Atlantic. Because the Moon is close to perigee it will appear larger than average and will take longer to cross the sun - totality will last around 4 minutes. A partial eclipse will be visible from parts of the UK but not Manchester, you’ll have to travel north and westwards to see anything.  Liverpool will see 0.64% of the Sun obscured, the west of Anglesey 6.3%, Edinburgh 6.12%, Glasgow 11.24%, Inverness 16% and Fort William 19%.  The best views from the British Isles will be western Eire and the Outer Hebrides.  From Callanish, in the west of the Isle of Lewis, 34.7% will be covered just before sunset.
For those of you who don’t want to travel, you’ll have to wait a little over 2 years - on August 12th 2026 Manchester wil see 88% of the Sun eclipsed. Unless it’s all covered by thick cloud.

Lowlights - nothing deserving of the name Highlights, this month.

The days are now longer than the nights and astronomical darkness is decreasing - 6 hrs 41 minutes on 1st, about half that by the end of the month. 

It’s a very poor time for planet observation with most appearing too close to the Sun to be easily seen in the morning or evening twilight. This also means that we’ll miss some close planetary conjunctions.  However, Jupiter is still bright and observable for most of April.

We have a couple of meteor showers but one is only visible from the southern hemisphere and the other will be badly affected by the presence of the almost full Moon. 

The comet which is predicted to reach naked eye brightness this month will, by then, be no longer visible and the solar eclipse won’t even appear as a tiny partial from Manchester.

And, worst of all, no more HPAG meetings until mid October.

Constellations

Now that BST has been forced upon us, we have to wait even longer for the skies to darken each evening. By the time it gets really dark the winter constellations, including the beautiful area around the Winter Hexagon, so rich in bright stars, are sinking slowly in the West.

Ursa Major is now high in the sky with the Plough overhead around midnight in the second half of the month. Follow the curve of the handle down to the orange coloured Arcturus, brightest star in the constellation Bootes the herdsman, and the 4th brightest in the night sky.

The signature constellation of spring, Leo, is still riding high in the south and the Summer Triangle of Vega (in Lyra), Deneb (Cygnus) and Altair (Aquila) is now rising in the east and visible in the early hours.

Conjunctions

Most of these won’t be easily observable from the UK.

3rd, 11.53: Venus passes 17’ south of Neptune

6th, 04.51: 6% Moon passes 1 degree 58’ south of Mars

6th, 10.24: 5% Moon is 1 degree 13’ south of Saturn.  An occultation will be visible from parts of Antarctica.

7th, 10.24: 5% Moon is 23’ north of Venus. An occultation will be visible, in daylight, from parts of eastern USA and Central America.

11th, 04.11:  Mars is 28’ north of Saturn.

26th, 19.36 to 23.53:  Lunar occultation of Antares, visible from a small part of E Africa, the Arabian peninsula, S India, Sri Lanka and N Australia.  

29th, 05.01:  Mars passes 2’ 14” south of Neptune

Visible from the UK

10th, 22.09:  9% Moon passes 3 degrees 59’ north of Jupiter. The planet is visible until a few minutes after 21.30 when the separation is not much greater.

Planets

Mercury:  in Pisces, mag 1.4

In early April it is an evening object but unlikely to be seen as it is only 5 degrees above the horizon as the sky darkens, setting at 21.24.  It gets lower over the next 10 days and on 11th, now down to mag 6, is at inferior solar conjunction passing 2 degrees 12’ north of the Sun. It then becomes a morning object but on 30th, when it is at aphelion at a distance of  0.47AU, still fails to clear the horizon by dawn.  Mag now 1.1.

Venus:  in Aquarius, mag -3.9

Rises only a short time before the Sun, below the horizon when the sky brightens.

Mars: in Aquarius, mag 1.2

Very low in the morning sky, still below the horizon at dawn throughout April despite rising an hour before the Sun at the end of the month.

Jupiter:  in Aries, mag -2.1

The only major planet which can be seen easily this month. It’s an evening object, visible for a couple of hours, low in the west, on 1st.  The observation period shortens, by mid month it is 15 degrees at dusk, too low after only 50 minutes, and by 25th can only be seen for a few minutes. The last few days in April it has already sunk below observable altitude by the time the sky darkens.

Saturn:  in Aquarius, mag 1.1

Now a morning object but not yet high enough before dawn for easy observation.

Uranus:  in Aries, mag 5.6

Too low to be seen in the evening sky.  On 1st it is 18 degrees at dusk and by 30th appears only 12 degrees from the Sun.

Neptune: in Pisces, mag 8.0

Still appears too close to the Sun to be visible, after last month’s solar conjunction.

Dwarf Planets

Ceres:  in Sagittarius, mag 8.8

Too far south to reach observable altitude throughout April. In fact it won’t get high enough until the end of July 2025.

Pluto:  in Sagittarius, mag 15.2

Again, remains too far south to be observed. Because it is so faint and moves so slowly across the sky it will be many years before it can be imaged from the UK.

Haumea:  in Bootes,  Makemake:  in Coma Berenices, mag 17.3

Both well placed but out of reach of all but the very best amateur astrophotographers. Both are observable from dusk until dawn, Haumea reaches 51 degrees in the south, Makemake 58 degrees.  Haumea is at opposition on 21st.

Eris:  in Cetus, mag 18.7

Solar conjunction on 14th, at 15.41, when it passes 10 degrees south of the Sun.

Asteroid at opposition

52 Herculina: in Bootes, mag 9.1

Opposition on 8th, when it reaches 55 degrees in the south at 01.55.

Comets

12P/Pons-Brooks:  in Aries, mag 5.1 (latest observed 4.8)

Low in the west as the sky darkens so now very difficult to observe or image. On 1st it is only 13 degrees at dusk, setting at 23.05.  It brightens as it moves south eastwards, reaching peak magnitude on 21st when it is at perihelion, 0.78 AU from the Sun.  Predicted mag now 4.6 but it is below the horizon when the sky darkens. It remains unobservable for the rest of the month - and for several years after that. The next time it reaches observable altitude, in mid 2038, it will be down to mag 25.4.

C/2021 S3 (PanSTARRS): in Vulpecula, mag 9.9 (latest observed 10.8)

A morning object becoming visible earlier as the month progresses but fading as it does so.  On 1st it is observable from 02.30, reaching 45 degrees in the SE by dawn.  Mid month, now in Cygnus, it is at 52 degrees when it is lost in the dawn twilight.  It is circumpolar from 20th, and on 30th is high from 23.20, reaching 58 degrees before the sky begins to brighten.  Predicted mag now 10.6, but probably fainter, given that it is already below that.

C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS):  in Virgo, mag 11.1 (latest observed, March 25th, 12.1)

Still very faint but predicted to reach mag -0.7 by late September when, of course, it won’t be visible from the UK.

It is a morning object, on 1st it becomes observable soon after midnight and culminates, 31 degrees in the south, at 03.01 down to 25 degrees by dawn. It should brighten slightly during April, mag 10.5 mid month and 10.0 on 30th, when it is observable from 22.20 until dawn. We lose it at the end of May, when predicted mag is 9.1. When we see it again in mid October it should still be bright - predicted mag 1.3.

Meteor Showers

Lyrids:  active 16th to 28th, peak 22nd, 49 kps, ZHR 18  ( from the darker areas around Gt Manchester could be as many as 16 - under ideal conditions). The radiant is above the horizon all night, highest at 05.00.  Peak activity is predicted for 08.00 on 22nd, so the shower is best seen in the hours before dawn. They are bright, medium paced meteors not generally leaving trails, though a few could do so, and the shower may include the occasional fireball. It is the oldest known shower, first recorded by Chinese astronomers 2,700 years ago.  It appears to have been much more prolific back then - in 687 BCE they observed meteors ‘falling like rain’. It still sometimes shows outbursts but nothing on that scale - and not predicted for several years yet. The bad news is that on the night of 21st/22nd the almost full Moon will be above the horizon all night.  The same goes for the nights before and after, when reasonable rates are also expected. 

Parent comet is C/1861 Thatcher.

Pi Puppids:  active 15th to 28th, peak 23rd, 18 kps, ZHR variable. Not visible from the UK as the radiant is too far south. 

Parent comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup.

The radiant of the antihelion source moves from S Virgo  then through Libra during April. These are fairly slow moving meteors, 30 kps, not attributed to any particular source.  ZHR 2 - 4.

We have one daytime shower:

April Piscids: active 20th to 25th, peak 22nd, 29 kps, ZHR not given.

Parent body thought to be asteroid 2005 N26.

Credits

Most of the solar system information given here is from: https://in-the-sky.org More information, exact co-ordinates and finder charts of all solar system objects can be found on this site.

Also quite useful is https://theskylive.com

https://www.imo.net/resources/calendar/

https://www.timeanddate.com

Other information is from various internet sources, including NASA, Britannica, Space Facts, Universe Today and, when all else fails,Wikipedia.

The night sky in March 2024

by Anne Holt

Sun and Moon

Sunrise   1st:   06.55       31st:  06.43

Sunset    1st:   17.47       31st:  19.43

Day Length.   1st:  10.51.48       31st:  12.59.27

Astronomical Darkness.   1st:  19.43 to 04.57        31st:  21.48 to 04.35

The March (Vernal, or Spring, in the N hemisphere) equinox is on 20th at 03.04.  This is the moment when the centre of the Sun is at the point where the ecliptic crosses the celestial equator. 

Despite the name, which means equal night, this day is not 12 hours long. This is because the centre of the Sun is above the horizon for 12 hours but sunrise and sunset are the times that the top edge appears and disappears. Also, because of refraction of the Sun’s light when it is close to the horizon, we can see it for a short time before it rises and after it sets. The 20th is actually 12 hrs 12 min 39 seconds long. The closest day to 12hrs is 17th at 11.59.51.  This day is known as the equilux.

The clocks change on 31st at 01.00, which becomes 02.00, so any timings given after this are in BST.

New Moon;  10th at 09.01.  in Aquarius, passes 2 degrees 15’ south of the centre of the Sun.

Full Moon:  25th at 07.00,  in Virgo, angular diameter 29’ 27”

Lunar Perigee:   10th at 07.04,  356893km,  in Aquarius, a/d 33’ 27’,  phase 0%.

Lunar Apogee:   23rd at 13.44,  406291km,  in Leo, a/d 29’ 23”,  phase 98%

The new Moon is less than 2 hours after perigee - the closest of 2024 - so is a Super New Moon. Of course we can’t see it but the thin crescent a day or so later will appear larger than average.

The most commonly used name for the March full Moon is the Worm Moon, said to be because the ground is now soft enough for them to appear.  It could also refer to insect larvae, emerging from the bark of trees around this time.

It is the colonial American Fish Moon, the Celtic Winds Moon or Seed Moon, the medieval English Chaste Moon, the neo Pagan Death Moon, the Chinese Sleepy Moon and the Inuit Snow Bird Moon.

Among the more interesting sounding Indigenous American names are the Comanche Cotton Ball Moon, the Hopi Moon of the Whispering Wind, the Shoshone Warming Moon, the Tlingit Underwater Plants Sprout Moon and the Zumi Little Sand Storm Moon.  The Assiniboine, the Lakota and the Sioux names all reference having sore eyes at this time.

Highlights

Not a lot deserving of the name, this month. Astronomical darkness is decreasing, 9 hrs 14 minutes on 1st, down to less than 7 hrs by 31st - when it doesn’t begin until almost 10pm  (BST).

Jupiter is still very bright in the evening sky but by month end is low in the west and visible for only a couple of hours, Uranus is observable for a large part of the month but Mars and Saturn are too low in the morning sky to be seen.  Mercury has its best evening showing of the year in the second half of March.

We have a comet which may, or may not, reach naked eye brightness before it sinks too low to be observable from our latitude, but no meteor showers.

And as we approach solar maximum there’s a good chance of seeing the Aurora Borealis. Information on likely activity can be found on AuroraWatch UK.

Conjunctions

Again, because most of the planets are not well positioned, we can’t see many conjunctions this month.

8th at 05.00:  the 4% Moon passes 3 degrees 31’ south of Mars.

8th at 17.00:  the 2% Moon passes 3 degrees 16’ south of Venus.

11th soon after sunset: the very thin crescent Moon is above and to the left of Mercury.

22nd at 01.59: Venus passes 20’ north of Saturn.

Visible from the UK

13th at 22.44:  the 22% Moon is 3 degrees 19’ from Jupiter, conjunction at 01.03 on 14th, when the Moon passes 3 degrees 35’ to the north. Separation at 20.00 on 13th is not much more.

14th at 12.00: the Moon is 3 degrees north of Uranus.  The planet is observable 19.33 to 20.54, separation at 20.00 is around 8 degrees.

There are 2 lunar occultations of Antares, neither visible from the UK. 

3rd:  06.33 to 11 09. Visible from SE North America, the Caribbean and parts of NE South America.

30th: 12.57 to 17.20.  Visible from parts of the S Pacific.

In both cases Antares is above the horizon in the early hours but very low in the south & SW respectively.

Constellations

We are now losing the winter highlights of Orion, Sirius and Taurus soon after midnight, though they are still prominent in the south in the early part of the night. Auriga, with the bright yellowish-white star Capella, is now overhead soon after sunset, with Gemini and Leo also prominent. The not very obvious zodiac constellation, Cancer, is now well placed. The Plough is overhead by midnight, the handle pointing to the orange hued Arcturus, the brightest star north of the celestial equator, in the constellation of Bootes. By the end of March the Summer Triangle will be above the horizon soon after 2am - or by 1am if you've forgotten to put the clock forward. 

Planets

Mercury:  in Aquarius, mag -1.8

Not visible in early March.  On 1st appears only 2 degrees from the Sun, when it goes into Pisces on 7th, this has increased to 7 degrees.  By 16th, now at mag -1.0, it should be visible for a few minutes soon after 18.30.  It is at perihelion on 17th at 18.30, at a distance of 0.31AU, and at greatest eastern elongation on 24th, separation from the Sun 18.7 degrees. It will be 15 degrees in the west at sunset, down to 10 degrees when it becomes visible around 19.00. The following day it is at its highest point in the evening sky but not noticeably higher, visible for about 10 minutes from shortly after 19.00.  The observation period shortens quite rapidly over the next few days, on 26th it is only easily visible for about 5 minutes and, by 31st, mag now 1.4, is at 6 degrees as the sky darkens.

Venus:  in Capricorn, mag -3.9

Not easily observable. It is on the horizon as the sky brightens throughout March.

Mars:  in Capricorn, mag 1.3

Still not visible in the morning sky, just failing to clear the horizon before the sky brightens.

Jupiter:  in Aries, mag - 2.2

Still very bright in the evening sky.  On 1st it is 43 degrees in the SW as the sky begins to darken soon after 18.05, remaining high enough for observing until almost 22.30 and setting an hour later. By mid month it is 35 degrees at dusk, too low after 21.45. By the end of March it is 20 degrees at 20.00 (now BST) and visible for only a couple of hours.

Saturn:  in Aquarius, mag 1.0

Not visible this month following solar conjunction at the end of February.

Uranus:  in Aries, mag 5.8

Observable in the early evening sky for most of March, still between Jupiter and the Pleiades, visible in binoculars as a faint star,  a small scope should show the blue/green colour, a slightly larger one is needed to see the small disc.  On 1st it is 43 degrees in the SW soon after 19.00, down to 20 degrees by 21.45 and setting at 00.20.  From 6th it sets before midnight and by mid month it is 32 degrees in the west when it becomes visible, a little after 19.30, and remains observable for almost 90 minutes.   The observation window shortens quite quickly, from 28th it is below observable altitude when the sky darkens.  It still appears close to Jupiter, apparent separation on 1st is about 8.3 degrees, down to 3.5 degrees on 31st.     

Neptune:  in Pisces, mag 8.0

Appears too close to the Sun to be seen this month. On 1st the separation is 15 degrees, this reduces until 17th, when it is at solar conjunction at 11.33, passing 1 degree 13' to the south.  It then becomes a morning object but still not observable.  On 31st the separation is only 12 degrees.

Dwarf Planets

Ceres:  in Sagittarius, mag 9.0

Not observable. It rises in the early hours but fails to reach observable altitude by dawn.

Pluto:  in Capricorn, mag 15.2

It will be many years before it is high enough to be observed from our latitude. 

Haumea:  in Bootes, mag 17.3, and Makemake: in Coma Berenices, mag 17.1

Both high enough for imaging, by very experienced astrophotographers, for a large part of the night, with Makemake culminating a little higher. On 1st Haumea reaches 21 degrees in the east at 23.18, is at its highest, 51 degrees, at 04.09  and is still high in the SW by dawn.  Makemeke becomes observable a couple of hours earlier and reaches 58 degrees at 02.54.  By month end Haumea is observable from 22.15, Makemeake from soon after 21.00, both now BST.  Makemake is at opposition on 30th.

Eris:  in Cetus, mag 18.1

Out of reach of most amateurs even when it is high enough for imaging - which it isn’t this month.

Asteroids at opposition

2nd:  128 Antigone, in Leo, mag 10.6.  51 degrees in the south at 00.34

3rd:   230 Athamantis, in Sextans, mag 10.9, 29 degrees in the south at 23.50

3rd:   3 Juno, in Leo, mag 8.6, 40 degrees in the south at 00.17

11th: 23 Thalia, in Leo, mag 9.7, 56 degrees in the south at 00.47

Comets

There is one comet, currently very faint, which is predicted to reach around mag -2 or -3 in late Sept or early Oct ( as always, predictions vary).  Of course it won't be visible from the UK at this time.

C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinchan -ATLAS) in Libra, current estimated mag 12.1, latest observed 12.3.

Observable in the early hours, moving into Virgo on 22nd.  Not visible from the UK between late May, when mag is given as 8.7, until mid October when it could still be bright, at mag 0.4.

12P/Pons-Brooks:  in Andromeda, mag 6.2, latest observed is 6.7

Observable for a short time after dusk.  On 1st it is 28 degrees in the NW as the sky darkens around 19.10, sinking too low by 20.00. It crosses into Pisces on 15th, when it is 23 degrees in the west at 19.35 and observable for 30 minutes. By month end it is 20 degrees at dusk, visible for only a couple of minutes, mag now 5.1.  It is predicted to reach mag 4.1 by mid April, when it won’t be visible from the UK.

C/2021 S3 (PanSTARRS):  in Serpens Cauda, estimated mag 9.7, latest observed 10.5

At the start of March it is observable for about 30 minutes in the morning sky, reaching 25 degrees in the SE by dawn. It is moving northwards, into Aquila on 15th when it is 21 degrees by 03.15 and 35 degrees in the SE as the sky brightens around 05.30. It is in Sagitta from 26th, and on 31st is high enough for imaging and observing from 02.30. By dawn, a little over 2 hours later it will be at 45 degrees in the SE, only marginally fainter at mag 9.9.

Meteor Showers

Another extremely poor month.  The only possible shower is visible from the S hemisphere only.

Gamma Normids:  active Feb 25th to March 25th, peak 14th, 58kps, ZHR 6.

This is not mentioned in this year’s IMO calendar so has probably not shown much, if any, activity in recent years.

The radiant of the antihelion source is very low, passing through Virgo. ZHR given as 2 -3, though could be slightly higher around mid month.

Credits

Most of the solar system information given here is from:

https://in-the-sky.org

More information, exact co-ordinates and finder charts of all solar system objects can be found on this site.

Also quite useful is https://theskylive.com

https://www.imo.net/resources/calendar/

https://www.timeanddate.com

Other information is from various internet sources, including NASA, Britannica, Space Facts, Universe Today and, when all else fails,Wikipedia.

The night sky in February 2024

by Anne Holt

Sun and Moon

Sunrise.   1st:   07.54          29th:   06.58

Sunset.    1st:   16.50          29th:   17.45

Day Length.  1st:   8.55.46      29th:   10.47.35

Astronomical Darkness.  1st:   18.51 to 05.52     29th:  19.41 to 04.50

New Moon:  9th at 23.00. In Capricorn,  passes 4 degrees 14’ south of the centre of the Sun.

Full Moon:  24th at 12.30. In Leo,  angular diameter 29’ 25”.  Close to apogee, so will appear smaller than average.

Lunar Perigee:  10th at 18.52.   358087 km, in Aquarius, a/d 33’ 21”,  phase 2%

Lunar apogee:  25th at 14.58.   406314 km,  in Leo,  a/d 29’ 23”,  phase 97%

The most commonly used name for the February full Moon is the Snow Moon. It’s the Celtic Ice Moon, the Medieval English Storm Moon, the neo Pagan Quickening Moon, the Inuit Seal Pup Moon and the Chinese Budding Moon.

Many of the names attributed to indigenous American tribes refer to the cold weather, among those which don’t are the Hopi Moon of Purification and Renewal, the Anishinaabe Sucker Moon, the Pueblo Moon of the Cedar Dust Wind, the Tlingit Black Bear Moon, the Shawnee Crow Moon and the Mohawk Lateness Moon.

A couple of names seem to indicate that the weather wasn’t too bad at this time - the Algonquin Ice in the Rivers is Gone Moon and the Zumi No Snow in Trails Moon.

As the last full Moon before the March equinox it is also the lenten Moon.

Highlights

Very little deserving of the name this month. 

Astronomical darkness is reducing but we still have a fair amount,  11 hours at the start of February, a little over 9 by month end, still beginning at a reasonable time - 7.40pm.

Jupiter dominates the evening sky and Uranus is a good target for binoculars or a small scope. The rest of the planets are either very difficult to spot or totally unobservable.

We have no meteor showers but there are a few comets around, one of which may (or may not) reach naked eye brightness as its position deteriorates.

And even the weather is against us. The average for February is cloudy, or mostly cloudy, for 70% of the time. 

Constellations

Orion and Taurus are now above the horizon as the sky darkens but start to set at around 2am at the start of February and soon after midnight by the end of the month. Gemini and Auriga are still prominent, remaining above the horizon until the early hours. Leo, the signature constellation of Spring, is now high in the sky for most of the night and Bootes, with it's bright red star Arcturus is rising soon after 11, and around 9pm at month end. In the early part of the evening the Plough is low in the North East standing on its 'handle', and Cassiopeia high in the North West as darkness falls. By month end, the Summer Triangle will have risen soon after 3am - summer already? Someone better tell the weather. 

Conjunctions

There are several which are not observable, because the planets are either very low or below the horizon.

5th at 23.01:  Mercury is 1 degree 20’ north of Pluto.

5th from 23.06 to 03.02.  Antares, alpha Scorpii, is occulted by the Moon. Visible only from parts of SW Asia and the Middle East.

7th at 18.52: The 4% Moon is 5 degrees 25’ south of Venus. The planet is only 7 degrees at dawn.

8th at 06.31:  The 2% Moon passes 4 degrees 12’ south of Mars.

11th at 00.40:  The 3% Moon is 1 degree 48’ south of Saturn.

12th at 05.07: Lunar occultation of Neptune, visible from Australia.

There are 3 planets which are very close together for a week from mid February, but none are visible.

15th at 06.59:  Mars passes 1 degree 55’ north of Pluto

18th at 03.30:  Venus passes 2 degrees 42’ north of Pluto.

22nd at 15.31:  Venus passes 38’ north of Mars.

And a couple which can be seen - weather permitting.

15th at 08.16:  The 41% Moon is 3 degrees 09’ north of Jupiter. The planet is visible in the evening sky.  On 14th the separation at 18.00 is around 7 degrees, a couple more the following evening.

15th at 22.30:  The 42% Moon is 3 degrees NW of Uranus. The planet will be low in the SW at this time.

Planets

Mercury:  in Sagittarius, mag -0.3

Not visible in February.  On 1st it rises at 07.16 and is on the horizon at dawn.  It gets even lower during the month, on 5th when it goes into Capricorn it is 1 degree below as the sky brightens, on 21st, now in Aquarius, it appears only 6 degrees from the Sun. It is at superior solar conjunction on 28th, when it passes1 degree 37’ to the south.

Venus:  in Sagittarius, mag -4.0

Now very difficult to spot in the dawn sky.  On 1st it rises at 06.19 but only reaches 6 degrees in the SE before the sky brightens. It might be visible for a short time from a site with an unobstructed horizon. By 15th, when it goes into Capricorn, it is only 3 degrees at dawn and at the end of the month it only reaches 1 degree in the morning twilight.

Mars:  in Sagittarius, mag 1.3

Not visible this month.  It is a morning object but fails to clear the horizon before the sky brightens throughout February.

Jupiter:  in Aries, mag -2.4

Still shining brightly in the evening sky but now lost before midnight. On 1st it is 49 degrees in the south when it becomes visible around 17.15, remaining high enough for observing until an hour before it sets at 00.58. By mid month it is visible from dusk until 23.15 and on 29th , now 44 degrees in the SW at dusk, remains observable until 22.30.

Saturn:  in Aquarius, mag 1.0

Not visible.  On 1st it is only 10 degrees in the SW as the sky darkens, setting at 19.02. By mid month it is only 1 degree at dusk. It is at solar conjunction on 28th at 21.15, when it passes one degree 37’ south of the Sun.  On this day the separation from Mercury is only 11’ - neither visible, of course.

Uranus:  in Aries, mag 5.7

The only other major planet observable this month, it still appears close to Jupiter - separation on 1st is almost 12 degrees down to a little under 8 and a half by the end of February.  On 1st it is 53 degrees in the south as the sky darkens, culminating at 18.28, about 10 minutes later, and difficult to observe after 23.36 when it is down to 21 degrees in the west. On 3rd it is at its highest point when it becomes visible at 18.20 and by mid month is below observable altitude by 22.48. On 29th it is 43 degrees in the SW at dusk, down to 21 by 21.45 and sets at 00.23. As always it should be visible in binoculars but only as a faint ‘star’. A small scope should show the small blue/green disc.

Neptune:  in Pisces, mag 7.9

Another one which is too low for observing in February.  On 1st it is just below observable altitude as the sky darkens.  By mid month it is 12 degrees at dusk and on 29th appears only 6 degrees from the Sun.

Dwarf Planets

Ceres:  in Sagittarius, mag 9.0

The only one which is accessible to the average amateur is not observable this month. It rises around 2 and a half hours before the Sun but is still too low as the sky brightens.

Pluto:  in Capricorn, Mag 15.1

Close to Mars and Venus mid month but none are observable. Because it is so distant it moves very slowly against the background stars and it will be a little over 45 years before it is high enough to be observable from the UK.

Haumea:  in Bootes, mag 17.4, and Makemake: in Coma Berenices, mag 17.1 are both morning objects, targets for very experienced astrophotographers.

Haumea culminates, 50 degrees in the south, at 06.03 on 1st and 04.13 on 29th.  Makemake gets a few degrees higher, about 75 minutes earlier.

Eris:  in Cetus, mag 18.7

Out of reach of almost all amateurs. It is observable for a short time, after dusk, for most of February - until 20.30 on 1st, too low from 19.30 mid month, lost altogether from 23rd.

Asteroids

There are 4, all around mag 10, reaching opposition in Leo, this month.

10th:  192 Nausikaa, mag 10.6.  Reaches 55 degrees in the south at 00.24

17th:  372 Palma, mag 10.7.     48 degrees in the south at 00.19

17th:   63 Ansonia, mag 10.2.   50 degrees in the south at 00.23

27th:  249 Dembowska, mag 10.5,  54 degrees in the south at 00.36

Comets

62P/Tsuchinshan, in Virgo, predicted mag 9.6,   latest observed 9.0.

On 1st it reaches observable altitude in the east at around 23.39 and culminates, 47 degrees in the south, at 03.35. It is down to 37 degrees in the SW by dawn. It fades as it moves eastwards through Virgo, then veers westwards mid month.  On 15th it culminates at 03.06 and is 34 degrees when it is lost in the brightening sky. By 29th, estimated mag now 11.5, it is observable from 21.30, is highest at 02.06 and is down to 30 degrees by dawn.

12P/Pons-Brooks, in Cygnus, predicted mag 6.7, observed mag ( Jan 30th) 8.7

Circumpolar throughout February, visible in the morning and evening sky during the first half of the month. On 1st it is 34 degrees in the west at dusk, too low from 19.50, then reappears for about 40 minutes in the NE before dawn. It crosses into Lacerta on 3rd and by mid month is visible from dusk, when it is 31 degrees in the west, until 20.00, then in the north west for a few minutes before the sky brightens around 6am. The morning observation period continues to get shorter and from 19th it is only high enough for observing in the evening sky - for 75 minutes from dusk on this day. It is in Andromeda from 22nd and on 29th it is 28 degrees in the NW at dusk, remaining high enough for observing until 20.15.  Estimated mag is given as 4.8 but, because the latest observed at the start of the month is 2 magnitudes fainter than the predicted, it will probably still be well below naked eye visibility.

 144P/Kushida:  in Taurus, predicted magnitude varies considerably from 9.1 to 13.5, latest observed 10.0

An evening object.  On 1st it is 49 degrees in the SE at dusk, reaches 52 degrees at 19.29 and sinks too low for observing by 00.30. It is moving eastwards through Taurus and is very close to Aldebaran, the reddish hued eye of the bull, on 9th and 10th. By mid month it culminates at 19.14 and is too low for observing after 00.15. Its path now takes it close to the border with Orion. By 29th it becomes visible a few minutes after culminating and sinks to 21 degrees in the west soon after midnight.  It is predicted to have faded by about half a magnitude during the month.

C/2021 S3 PanSTARRS:  in Scorpio, mag 9.8, latest observed 10.3

Reaches perihelion on 14th at a distance of 1.32 AU, but it is too far south to be seen from the UK for most of February. It is moving northwards and might be observable in the pre dawn sky during the last few days of the month, around 05.40 on 26th, when it is in Ophiuchus. On 29th, now in Serpens Cauda, it is high enough for almost half an hour in the morning, reaching 24 degrees in the SE as the sky begins to brighten. Estimated mag given as 9.4.

Meteor Showers

February is a very poor month, the only shower is not very prolific and can only be seen from the southern hemisphere.

Alpha Centaurids:  active Jan 31 st to Feb 20th, peak 9th, 58 kps, ZHR 6

There is a daytime shower, the Capricornids/Sagittarids active Jan 31st to Feb 4th, rates given as medium.

The ANT radiant moves across S Leo during the month, ZHR 2 - 3.

Credits

Most of the solar system information given here is from:

https://in-the-sky.org

More information, exact co-ordinates and finder charts of all solar system objects can be found on this site.

Also quite useful is https://theskylive.com

https://www.imo.net/resources/calendar/

https://www.timeanddate.com

Other information is from various internet sources, including NASA, Britannica, Space Facts, Universe Today and, when all else fails,Wikipedia.

The night sky in January 2024

by Anne Holt

Sun & Moon

Sunrise,        1st:    08.24       31st:    07.56

Sunset,         1st:   15.59        31st:    16.48

Day Length.    1st:   7.34.50      31st:   8.52.10

Astronomical Darkness.  1st:   18.10 to 06.14       31st:   18.50 to 05.53

Earth is at perihelion on 3rd at 00.38 when the distance is 0.938 AU.  On this day the angular diameter of the Sun is 32’ 31”, not much bigger than the aphelion size of 31’ 27”.

New Moon:   11th at 11.58.  Passes 4 degrees 59’ south of the centre of the Sun.

Full Moon:    25th at 17.53.  In Cancer, angular diameter 29’ 47”

Lunar Apogee:    1st at 15.28,  404918 km,  in Leo,  ad 29’ 29”,  phase 68%

Lunar perigee:  13th at 10.35,  362263 km,  in Capricorn,  ad 32’ 58”,  phase 8%

Lunar Apogee:  29th at 08.14,  405780 km,  in Leo,  ad 29’ 25”,  phase 85%

The most common name for the January full Moon is the Wolf Moon, as they howl at this time.  It was said that it was because of hunger but it is now thought that they are marking their territory and locating other pack members so they can hunt together.

It is the Celtic Quiet Moon or Stay Home Moon, the Neo Pagan Ice Moon, the Anglo Saxon Moon after Yule, the Colonial American Snow Moon, the Chinese Holiday Moon and the Inuit Dwarf Seal Moon.

Most of the numerous Indigenous American names refer to the cold weather.  Some exceptions are the Hopi Joyful Moon or Moon of Life at its Best, the Janic Dark Moon, the Abenaki Greetings Maker Moon, the Taos Man Moon and the Anishinaabe Great Spirit Moon.

Highlights

We still have lots of astronomical darkness, a little over 12 hours on the first, an hour less by the end of the month.

Venus is still extremely bright in the morning sky but no longer visible in astro darkness.  By month end it will be very low when the sky brightens.  Jupiter dominates the evening sky, but Saturn is now low, by the end of the month it won’t be visible.  The two ice giants are also evening objects, observable from dusk, and there is the chance to see an asteroid through binoculars.

We have a comet, currently around mag 8.8, which is predicted to reach 1.3 in April - when it won’t be visible, and another which may or may not be observable in a small scope depending on which source of information proves to be correct.

The one major meteor shower has its peak in daylight and the Moon will interfere when the radiant is high in the early hours. 

Constellations

There isn't much change in the prominent constellations since December, just that everything rises, or sets, a couple of hours earlier. Orion is now well above the horizon by 8pm at the start of the month, with Sirius rising at this time. By month end, Sirius will rise at about 6pm. Auriga, Gemini and Cassiopeia are all high in the sky. The Summer Triangle is now setting earlier as the Winter Hexagon rises. Taurus and the Pleiades are still very prominent and the spring constellation of Leo is above the south eastern horizon by 9pm. 

Conjunctions

8th at 20.12:  The 6% Moon passes 5 degrees south of Venus.  At 7am on 8th the separation is around 8 degrees.

14th at 09.33:  The 15% Moon is 2 degrees 8’ south of Saturn.  Separation at 18.00 on 13th is a little under 10 degrees, on the evening of 14th it is around 6 degrees.

15th at 20.00:  The 30% Moon is 55’ south of Neptune.  There will be an occultation visible from St Helena and parts of the S Atlantic.

18th at 20.43:  The first quarter Moon passes 2 degrees 46’ north of Jupiter

19th at 20.00: The 73% Moon is 3 degrees north of Uranus.  The planet reaches 53 degrees in the south at 19.19.

Planets

Mercury:  in Ophiuchus, mag 0.3

Not easily visible this month.  On 1st it rises over 90 minutes before sunrise but only reaches 4 degrees by dawn.  On 5th, when it is at its highest point in the morning sky, and on 12th, when it is at greatest eastern elongation, it is 6 degrees at dawn and 10 degrees by sunrise. It is in Sagittarius from 10th, now at mag -0.3, By month end it rises only 40 minutes before the sun and fails to clear the horizon by dawn.

Venus:  in Scorpio, mag -4.1

Now coming to the end of its time as a spectacular morning object, though still unmissably bright. On 1st it rises at 05.13, should be easily visible by 06.30 in astro twilight, and reaches 15 degrees before the sky brightens, half an hour before sunrise. It goes into Ophiuchus on 5th, now 13 degrees in the SE at dawn, and Sagittarius on 20th when it is visible for only around 20 minutes. By 26th it is visible for only a couple of minutes, low in the SW around 07.35 but still very bright at mag -4.0.

Mars:  in Sagittarius, mag 1.4

A morning object, it starts the month separated from the Sun by 12 degrees.  By month end it rises 50 minutes before sunrise but is still on the horizon at dawn.

Jupiter:  in Aries, mag -2.6

A bright evening object, high in the SE as darkness falls. On 1st it reaches 48 degrees in the south at 19.35 and sinks to 7 degrees in the west by 01.50 and sets an hour later. By mid month it culminates at 18.44 and remains high until a few minutes before 1am. On 31st it is at its highest point about half an hour after it becomes visible and is too low a couple of minutes after midnight, now down to mag -2.4.

Saturn: in Aquarius, mag 0.9

Much fainter and lower in the sky than Jupiter, becoming visible about half an hour later. On 1st it is 23 degrees in the south a few minutes before 17.00 and sinks to 10 degrees in the SW by 19.15.  By mid month it is only visible for 75 minutes and on 29th it is down to 12 degrees at dusk, too low after a couple of minutes. By 31st it is 10 degrees as the sky darkens, so not easy to see.

Uranus:  in Aries, mag 5.9

High in the sky in the early part of the night, located above the head of Cetus the whale, about mid way between Jupiter and the Pleiades.  On 1st it is 40 degrees in the SE as darkness falls around 17.30, reaches 53 degrees in the south at 20.31 and remains high enough for observing until 01.40.  By mid month it culminates at 19.35 and is down to 21 degrees in the west at 00.45. From 26th it sinks below observable altitude before midnight and the following day it resumes prograde motion. On 31st it is observable 18.15 to 23.40, highest at 18.32. Now that Jupiter is no longer retrograde, the separation between the 2 planets is decreasing slightly - around 14 degrees on 1st, a couple less by month end. 

As always, Uranus is only visible to the naked eye under exceptional circumstances but should be a reasonable binocular target in a dark sky - if you know exactly where to look. A smallish scope should show the small blue green disc.

Neptune:  in Pisces, mag 7.5

An early evening object situated below the circlet asterism in Pisces. Might be visible in larger binoculars but better seen in a medium sized scope.  On 1st it is 33 degrees in the south as the sky darkens, high enough for observing for a little over two and a half hours. By mid month this is down to 85 minutes. By the end of the month it is too low in the west as darkness falls.

Dwarf Planets 

Ceres:  in Ophiuchus, mag 8.3.

Not visible this month.

Pluto:  in Capricorn, mag 15.1

Reaches Solar conjunction on 20th, when it passes 2 degrees 47’ south of the Sun.

The rest are very faint, suitable targets for only the most experienced astrophotographers.

Haumea:  in Bootes, mag 17.4, and Makemake, in Coma Berenices, mag 17.1, are both morning objects with Makemake becoming observable a couple of hours earlier and getting higher by dawn. It reaches its highest point in darkness throughout January, Haumea does so in the last 10 days.

Eris: in Cetus, mag 18.7

An evening object, observable from dusk. On 1st it reaches 52 degrees in the south at 19.10 and at 18.15 mid month. In the last 10 days of January it culminates before becoming observable. On 31st it is observable from 18.15 to 20.30.

Asteroid 4 Vesta: in Taurus, mag 6.7.

Still relatively bright and well placed  following December’s opposition.

On 1st it culminates, 57 degrees in the south, at 23.07.  By 15th it is highest at 21.59, and by month end at 20.49, now down to mag 7.4.

354 Eleonora is at opposition on 20th.  In Canis Minor, mag 9.5 it culminates at 00.03, when it reaches 45 degrees in the south.

Comets

62P/Tsuchinshan:  in Leo, mag 8.3

Moving eastwards below the haunch of the lion during the first week. On 1st it is observable from around 00.10 until dawn, reaching 50 degrees at 04.57. It crosses into Virgo on 12th and on 15th becomes observable at midnight and culminates at 04.36.  By month end, now down to mag 9.3, it reaches observable altitude at 23.27, is at its highest at 03.58  and is down to 38 degrees in the west by dawn. 

12P/Pons-Brooks: in Cygnus, mag 8.3

Circumpolar, visible in the evening and morning sky, sinking too low between around 20.00 and 06.00.  It is moving eastwards and brightening during the month. By 31st it should be around mag 6.5.  It is predicted to reach mag 1.3 by April 21st, when it won’t be visible. However, it might be seen for about half an hour in the evening sky in late March, when it could be up to mag 2.2.

144P/Kushida, in Aries, estimates of magnitude vary considerably from 8.9 to 15.6, latest observed (late December) is 13.8. 

It may be observable in the evening sky, 2 degrees south of Uranus at the start of January.  It moves towards the Hyades during the month, an evening object, maybe observable from dusk until the early hours, reaching 50 degrees in the south at 20.25 on 1st.  It goes into Taurus on 14th, when it culminates at 19.56.  It is at perihelion on 24th at a distance of 1.44AU and on 31st is high enough for observing from dusk until 00.30, highest at 19.30.

Meteor Showers

One major shower and one which is somewhere between minor and non existent.

Quadrantids:  active Dec 28th to Jan 12th, peak 4th,  41 kps,  ZHR variable 60 - 200.

THe radiant, in Bootes, is circumpolar, highest after dawn.  Peak activity is predicted for 10.00 on 4th so the best time to look is before dawn on that day.  However, the first quarter Moon rises at 00.22 so there will be some interference. The shower does often include bright meteors, maybe even fireballs, which will still be visible. The Moon sets at 11.42 on 4th so the evening is unaffected but the radiant is very low.  The shower is named after the former constellation Quadrans Muralis (the wall quadrant) which was located at the end of the Plough’s handle.  It was omitted when the IAU decided on the official 88 constellations in 1922.The parent body is asteroid 2003 EH1, thought to be the remnant of a defunct comet.

Gamma Ursae Minorids: active (maybe) 15th to 25th, peak 19th, ZHR 3.

The radiant is circumpolar, highest after dawn. Peak activity given as 22.00 on 19th.  The gibbous Moon sets at 03.45 on the morning of 20th.

There may be some activity from the Antihelion Source (ANT).  These are meteors, not attributed to a specific stream, which have their radiant on the ecliptic, opposite the position of the Sun. It starts January in SE Gemini then moves across Cancer during the month.  ZHR 2 - 3.                          

Credits

Most of the solar system information given here is from:

https://in-the-sky.org

More information, exact co-ordinates and finder charts of all solar system objects can be found on this site.

Also quite useful is https://theskylive.com

https://www.imo.net/resources/calendar/

https://www.timeanddate.com

Other information is from various internet sources, including NASA, Britannica, Space Facts, Universe Today and, when all else fails,Wikipedia.

The night sky in December 2023

by Anne Holt

Sun and Moon

Sunrise   1st:     08.01        31st:      08.25

Sunset    1st:     16.54        31st:     15.58

Day Length     1st:  7.52.49      31st:  7.33.40

Shortest Day   22nd:  7.28.26

Earliest sunset     13th:   15.49

Latest sunrise      30th:   08.25

The solstice is on 22nd at 03.24 when the Sun reaches its lowest point in the sky and is overhead at local noon along the Tropic of Capricorn.  It is the first day of astronomical Winter.

AstronomIcal darkness   1st:  18.02 to 05.54       31st:  18.09 to 06.14

Maximum:  12hrs 9 minutes on 18th to 25th.  

New Moon:   12th at 23.33,  in Ophiuchus, passes 4 degrees 18’ south of the Sun

Full Moon:    27th at 00.33,  in Auriga, angular diameter 30’ 29”

Lunar Apogee:      4th at 18.42,    404347 km, in Leo, a/d 29’ 32”,  phase 49%

Lunar perigee:     16th at 18.52,   367899 km,  in Capricorn,  a/d 32’ 27”,  phase 22%

The most commonly used name for the December Full Moon is the Cold Moon, it’s the Celtic Cold or Singing Moon, the Medieval English Oak Moon, the neo Pagan Long Nights Moon, the Chinese Bitter Moon and the Inuit Dark Night Moon. The Colonial American name is given as the Christmas Moon.

Many indigenous American names refer to the cold, among those which don’t do so directly are the Anishinaabe Small Spirits Moon, the Hopi Respect Moon, the Assiniboine Center Moon’s Younger Brother, and the Shawnee Eccentric Moon. For the Dakota Sioux it is the Twelfth Moon - no idea what they call it in a year with 13 Full Moons.

Highlights

We have the longest night or, as non astronomers insist on calling it, the shortest day. There are around 12 hours of astronomical darkness starting soon after 6pm throughout December.

Venus and Jupiter are still unmissably bright in the morning and evening sky respectively and Saturn is now an early evening object. The two faint ice giants are also on view, with optical aid.

The brightest asteroid is also a good target as it reaches opposition  (no, not Ceres, which is now a dwarf planet).

The one major meteor shower peaks close to New Moon and there are several minor showers - including one where you might actually see something in the pre dawn sky.

And, of course, the year finishes with our annual Christmas Party - tickets for the raffle will be on sale soon.

Constellations

Orion, with the stars of his belt pointing down to the brightest star in the sky, Sirius, is now well above the horizon by midnight, and is a beautiful sight especially from a dark sky site. By month end these will be visible from 10pm - weather permitting. Taurus and the Pleiades precede him across the sky.

Gemini, including the 'twins' Castor and Pollux, and Auriga with the bright Capella are also very prominent. Aries and Pisces, while not particularly bright - or often not even visible in our light polluted skies - are both quite high this month.

Perseus, Andromeda and the Great Square of Pegasus are also well placed for most of the night. The Plough starts the night quite low in the Northern sky, with Cassiopeia high overhead. Because of the long winter nights, these last two will have changed places before dawn as they rotate around the celestial north pole.

Conjunctions

3rd at 16.54:  The 8% Moon is 3 degrees 38’ south of Venus.  The planet is visible from 04.45 to 07.32 when the separation is not much greater.

17th at 22.41:  The 34% Moon passes 2 degrees 28’ north of Saturn. The planet is visible from a few minutes before 14.00  until 20.02, when the separation is about the same.

!9th:  The first quarter Moon is 2 degrees 30’ from Neptune, visible in the same field of view of binoculars, with the planet to the right and slightly higher.  Neptune is observable from 17.25 to 20.58 culminating, 33 degrees in the south, at 17.58.

22nd at 14.24:  The 83% Moon passes 2 degrees 36’ north of Jupiter. The planet is visible from 16.19 to 02.30 culminating at 20.18, when the separation is about 4 degrees.

23rd at 15.00:  The 87% Moon is 3 degrees north of Uranus, separation a degree more when the planet reaches 58 degrees at 21.07.

Planets

Mercury:  in Sagittarius, mag -0.5

Not visible this month.  It starts December as an evening object, too low to be seen, even on 4th, when it is at greatest eastern elongation, 23 degrees from the Sun. Because of the very low angle of the ecliptic to the horizon at this time it is only 4 degrees at dusk. Its highest point in the evening sky on 12th isn’t much better. Separation from the Sun decreases over the next 10 days until it is at inferior solar conjunction on 22nd, when it passes 2 degrees 8 minutes to the north, now down to mag 5.6 as very little of the illuminated side is visible from Earth. It then becomes a morning object, It crosses into Ophiuchus on 25th and by 31st, now at mag 0.5,  rises one and a half hours before the Sun but only reaches 3 degrees in the east as the sky brightens.

Venus:  in Virgo, mag -4.2

Still shining brilliantly in the morning sky but for a decreasing length of time as the month goes on. On 1st it rises at 03.44 and should be visible an hour later, about 80 minutes before the onset of astro twilight, and reaching 25 degrees in the SE by dawn.  It moves into Libra on 11th, when it can be seen in astro darkness for 45 minutes and reaches 22 degrees by dawn. On 25th it becomes visible around 06.15, as astro darkness ends.  At the end of the month it is in Scorpio, visible from around 6.30 and is only 15 degrees when the sky brightens less than half an hour before sunrise.

Mars:  in Scorpio, Mag 1.4

Not visible this month as it still appears too close to the Sun - only 3 degrees on 1st. It is in Ophiuchus from 5th and Sagittarius on 31st when it rises 50 minutes before the Sun, separated by 12 degrees.

Jupiter:  in Aries, mag -2.8

Still very bright and well positioned, high in the sky for much of the night.  On 1st it is 14 degrees in the east as the sky darkens soon after 16.00,  reaches 49 degrees by 21.46 and is too low after 04.00. By mid month it is a little higher at dusk, culminates at 20.47 and remains high enough for observing until 03.00.  On 31st, when it ends retrograde motion, it is 33 degrees in the SE at dusk, highest at 19.42 and remaining visible until 02.00

Saturn:  in Aquarius, mag 0.9

An evening object, On 1st it is quite low in the east as the sky darkens a little before 17.00, reaches its highest point, 23 degrees in the south, at 17.41 and sinks below observable altitude by 21.00. Mid month it is 24 degrees at dusk, only a few minutes before it culminates and remains visible until around 20.00. By 31st it is 23 degrees in the south as the sky darkens and is high enough for observing until 19.15.

Uranus:  in Aries, mag 5.6

Still well placed for most of the night, visible in binoculars to those who know where to look. It is moving in a retrograde direction almost midway between Jupiter and the Pleiades. On 1st it reaches observable altitude a few minutes before 17.30, is 53 degrees in the south at 22.37 and is down to 21 degrees in the west by 03.45.  By mid month it is a little higher as the sky darkens, culminates at 21.40 and remains high until 02.50.  On 31st it is 39 degrees in the SE at dusk, highest at 20.35 and is down to 21 degrees in the west by 01.45.

In theory it’s a naked eye object but in practice decent binoculars are needed. It should stand out from nearby stars of a similar brightness because of its blue green colour.

Neptune:  in Aquarius, mag 7.9

An early evening object, situated below Pisces’ circlet asterism. It may be visible in good binoculars under ideal conditions but it is much better viewed through a scope, a reasonable sized amateur one should show it as a small blue disc. On 1st it is 29 degrees in the SE when the sky darkens, reaches 33 degrees in the south at 19.09 and is down to 21 degrees in the east a few minutes after 22.00. It resumes prograde motion on 9th and moves into Pisces on 11th.  By mid month it is observable from around 17.30, culminates 50 minutes later and is too low after 21.15. From 26th it has reached its highest point before the sky darkens, on 31st it is 33 degrees in the south at dusk, remaining observable until 20.15.

Dwarf Planets

Ceres:  in Scorpio, mag 8.6

Not observable this month as it appears too close to the Sun. The separation increases during the month but on 31st it is still only 15 degrees in the east by dawn.

Pluto:  in Sagittarius, mag 15.3

Still much too low to be visible from our latitude.  It won’t reach observable altitude for almost 50 years.

Haumea:  in Bootes, mag 17.4

A morning object, its position improving during the month. On 1st it is observable for about an hour before the sky brightens, up to 3 and a half hours at month end, when it reaches 47 degrees before it is lost in the dawn sky.

Makemake:  in Coma Berenices, Mag 17.2

A little higher, and visible for a couple of hours longer, than Haumea.  By the end of December it is visible from 01.30 and reaches 54 degrees in the south by dawn.

Eris:  in Cetus, mag 18.3

Very faint, out of reach of most amateurs. It is an evening object, observable from dusk throughout December.  On 1st it culminates at 21.09, when it reaches 35 degrees in the south, remaining above observable altitude until 00.30. After the first week it is lost by midnight. On 31st it is highest at 19.14, too low after 20.30.

Asteroids at opposition

4 Vesta:  in Orion, Mag 7.0

On 1st it is observable from 20.30, reaches 56 degrees in the south at 01.46 and is down to 27 degrees in the west by dawn. It is at opposition on 21st, now up to mag 6.4 - slightly brighter than Ceres at its best. It is observable from 18.45 to 05.30, culminating at 00.06. By 31st it is down to mag 6.7, highest at 23.12. At its best it should be visible in binoculars as it moves westwards through the northern part of Orion, between Gemini and Taurus.

Three fainter ones are also at opposition this month.

18th.  37 Fides:  in Auriga, mag 9.8

Observable 18.00 to 06.08, reaching 65 degrees in the south at 00.02.

22nd.  9 Metis:  in Taurus, mag 8.4

Observable 18.09 to 06.04, reaching 63 degrees at 00.07

28th. 5 Astrea:  in Aries, mag 9.4

Observable 19.08 to 05.06, reaching 52 degrees at 00.08.

Comets

103P/Hartley:  in Hydra.  Latest observed mag 10.0

Still not a lot of information about this as the magnitude, which affects the visibility, is said to be variable. It should still be observable during the early hours, culminating at 04.31 on 1st and 02.16 on 31st. It is moving southwards during the first half of December then veers south westwards for the rest of the month.

63P/Tsuchinshan: in Leo, estimated mag 11.1, latest observed 9.0

Moving eastwards through Leo crossing the head of the lion during the first week, then across the body and ending the month below the haunch.  On 1st it should be observable from a few minutes before midnight, highest point, 55 degrees, at 05.10 and 3 degrees lower by dawn. It is predicted to brighten during the month but probably won’t reach the 7.2 predicted in one magazine for 27th and 28th, when it crosses the Leo Triplet.  On 31st it will be observable when it reaches 21 degrees in the east around 01.10 until it is lost in the morning twilight, now 44 degrees in the SW.  On this day it culminates at 04.58. 

Meteor Showers

One prolific shower this month.

Geminids: active Dec 4th to 20th,  peak 14th (a Thursday!) 35 kps, ZHR number varies between 50 and 150, from Manchester could be as many as 100 but probably closer to the lower estimate. The radiant is circumpolar, highest at 02.00, the shower is said to have a broad peak centred on 19.00 on 14th, so rates should be good when the radiant is high.  It is rich in bright meteors, mainly without trails because the parent body is an asteroid, 3200 Phaeton, which is mainly composed of rock with no volatiles.  

The peak is only 2 days after New Moon so no interference.

There are also a few weak showers and a couple only visible from further south.

Andromedids:  There could be some activity on 2nd, centred on 19.00 when the Earth passes through a dust stream left by the now defunct comet 3D/Biela.  The shower used to be known as the Cassiopeids but has been re-named because of radiant drift.

They are slow moving, some sources say there could be high rates but no figures given. The 78% Moon rises at 20.32 so it might be worth having a look in the early evening. 

Monocerotids:  active Dec 5th (but could be late November) to 20th, peak 9th, 41 kps, ZHR 2 (from Manchester 1 - maybe!)

The radiant rises at 18.51, highest at 02.00.  Peak activity predicted for 17.00 on 9th while the radiant is still below the horizon. 

Sigma Hydrids:  active Dec 3rd to 20th, peak 9th (or maybe 12th), 58 kps, ZHR 7. The radiant rises at 21.00, highest at 03.00 so best seen around that time. This shower sometimes includes a few very bright meteors.

New Moon is on 12th, so no interference whichever day proves to be correct.

Coma Berenicids:  active Dec 5th to Feb 4th, peak Dec 16th, 64 kps,  ZHR 3 (Manchester 2 at best). The radiant rises at 22.21, highest after dawn. Peak activity predicted for 14.00 on 16th, so best seen before dawn and after dusk on that day. 

Ursids: active 17th to 26th, peak 23rd, 33 kps, ZHR 10 (Manchester up to 9). The radiant is circumpolar, highest at 09.00, peak activity predicted for 04.00 on 23rd, the 27% Moon sets at 04.32 so best seen between then and dawn.

There could also be some activity from a filament of the dust stream on 22nd, predicted ZHR 23, unfortunately around 14.30 in daylight.

Parent comet 8P/Tuttle.

Visible only from the Southern Hemisphere:

Phoenicids: active Nov 28th to Dec 5th, peak 2nd, 18 kps, ZHR variable.

Puppid Velids:  active Dec 1st to 15th, peak 7th, 40 kps, ZHR 10.

Credits

Most of the solar system information given here is from:

https://in-the-sky.org

More information, exact co-ordinates and finder charts of all solar system objects can be found on this site.

Also quite useful is https://theskylive.com

https://www.imo.net/resources/calendar/

https://www.timeanddate.com

Other information is from various internet sources, including NASA, Britannica, Space Facts, Universe Today and, when all else fails,Wikipedia.

The night sky in November 2023

by Anne Holt

Sunrise.   1st:   07.07           30th:    07.59

Sunset.    1st:   16.36           30th:   15.54

Day length.  1st:   9.29.36        30th:   7.55.07

Astronomical darkness.  1st:   18.35 to 05.10       30th:   18.02 to 05.53

New Moon:    13th at 09.28,  in Libra, passes 2 degrees 17’ south of the Sun

Full Moon:     27th at 09.16,  in Taurus,  angular diameter  31’ 23”

Lunar apogee:    6th at 21.48,  in Leo, a/d 29’ 31”, phase 31%

Lunar perigee:    21st at 21.01,  in Aquarius, a/d 32’ 17”, phase 71%

The most commonly used name for the November Full Moon is the Beaver Moon because this is when these animals build their dams.  It could also refer to native Americans setting traps at this time. 

It is the Celtic Dark Moon or Oak Moon, the Medieval English Snow Moon (did it snow earlier in medieval times?), and the neo Pagan Tree Moon. For Inuit people it was the Moon when white mist fills the igloo and for the Chinese, the White Moon. As the last full Moon before the winter solstice it is also the Celtic Mourning Moon and the Old English Moon before Yule. 

As always there are many names attributed to indigenous American people, though it is thought that many of these are relatively modern. Among them are the Hopi Fledgling Raptor Moon, the Arapaho Freezing River Moon, the Wishram Snowy Morning Mountains Moon and the Dakota Sioux Moon when horns are broken off.

Highlights

Venus is still very bright in the morning sky, visible in astro darkness throughout November.  It is occulted by the crescent Moon, in daylight, on the morning of 9th. Jupiter and Uranus both reach opposition, the brilliant Jupiter on the 3rd, the much fainter Uranus mid month, and Saturn is still around, now an evening object, lost by 9pm at the end of November.

We have a few, not very prolific, meteor showers but both Taurid streams are active for most of the month, making it the best time for seeing a few fireballs.

A couple of comets may (or may not) be bright enough to be seen through a small scope, maybe even binoculars, and we have plenty of astronomical darkness -  ten and a half hours at the start of the month, almost 12 hours by the end - and, now we’re back to GMT, beginning soon after 6pm.

Conjunctions

9th at 09.30.  The 11% Moon passes 1 degree north of Venus.  An occultation will be visible, in daylight, from the UK.  At 09.41 the planet will vanish behind the illuminated side of the Moon, reappearing from the unlit side at 10.43 (Manchester timings). If using a scope or binoculars to observe this, take great care.  It is recommended that you stand in shadow to avoid accidentally catching sight of the Sun.  

20th at 14.06.  The 57% Moon passes 2 degrees 43’ south of Saturn. Separation at 17.00, soon after the planet becomes visible, is not much greater.

22nd at 08.00.  Neptune is 1 degree 30’ north of the Moon. When the planet culminates at 19.45 on the 21st the separation is around 5 degrees.

25th at 11.14.  The almost full Moon passes 2 degrees 46’ north of Jupiter. Separation at 22.15 on 24th is 4 degrees, one degree closer as the planet sinks low in the west around 04.30.

26th at 09.00.  Uranus is 3 degrees north of the Moon.  When the planet culminates at 23.02, the separation is about one degree more.

Planets

Mercury:  in Libra, mag -0.8

Not visible this month. On 1st it appears only 7 degrees from the Sun.  It is at aphelion on 6th at a distance of 0.47 AU,  Because its orbit is highly elliptical this is significantly further than the perihelion distance of 0.31 AU. It moves into Scorpio on 10th, Ophiuchus on 15th and Sagittarius on 28th.  By 30th, now at mag -0.5, it is on the horizon at dusk, setting 70 minutes after the Sun.

Venus:  in Leo, mag -4.3

Unmissably bright in the morning sky, becoming visible about 90 minutes before the end of astro darkness throughout November. On 1st it rises at 02.33 and should be easily visible an hour later, reaching 30 degrees in the SE by dawn. It crosses into Virgo the following day and by mid month, now at mag -4.2, can be seen from around 4am. It is at perihelion on 28th at a distance of 0.72 AU. Because its orbit is almost circular there is very little difference, about 0.01AU, between this and the aphelion distance. By 30th it is visible from 04.40, now a few degrees lower at dawn.

Mars:  in Libra, mag 1.4

Not visible this month, on 1st it appears only 5 degrees from the Sun.  It is at solar conjunction on 18th, when it passes 6’ to the south and is at its furthest from Earth at a distance of 2.53AU. It then becomes a morning object, in Scorpio from 25th, but still only 3 degrees from the Sun on 30th.

Jupiter:  in Aries, mag -2.9

Now at its brightest and best, high in the sky for most of the night. On 1st it is at observable altitude from 17.43 to 06.22 reaching its highest point, 50 degrees, a few minutes after midnight. It is at opposition on 3rd, when it culminates at 23.50. On this day Europa and its shadow transit the planet soon after 1am.  In a small scope the shadows are much easier to see than the actual moons as the contrast with the planet’s surface is much greater. As always there are many transit events during the month, exact timings are available on many websites. By the end of November the planet is a little higher as the sky fades, culminates at 21.50 and sinks below 7 degrees soon after 4am.

Saturn:  in Aquarius, mag 0.7

An evening object.  On 1st it is low in the SE as the sky darkens, culminating at 19.37 when it is 23 degrees in the south. It remains visible until a few minutes before 23.00. It ends retrograde motion on 3rd and, from 9th, sets before midnight.  By mid month it is observable from dusk until 22.00, highest point at 18.42.  On 30th it culminates at 17.45, only an hour after it becomes visible in the darkening sky, and sinks too low for observing by 21.00.

Uranus:  in Aries, mag 5.6

Now at its best for the year, still fairly close to Jupiter, separation on 3rd is around 11 degrees, 13.25 degrees by month end.  On 1st it is high enough for observing from 19.20,  reaches 54 degrees in the south at 00.44 and is down to 23 degrees in the west by dawn. From 12th it culminates before midnight and the following day is at opposition, observable from 18.39 to 05.00, highest point at 23.51. On 30th it is at observable altitude from 17.31 to 03.51 and culminates at 22.41.  If you have exceptional eyesight and are in a very dark sky area, this is the best time to try to see it without optical aid, almost midway between Jupiter and the Pleiades. For the vast majority of us binoculars or even a small scope will be needed.

Neptune:  in Pisces, mag 7.8

Should be visible in a small scope, maybe good binoculars given the aforementioned good eyesight and dark sky site. On 1st it is high enough for observing between 18.08 and 00.08, reaching 33 degrees in the south at 21.08.  From 3rd it sinks below 21 degrees before midnight and by mid month it culminates at 20.12, remaining observable for a further 3 hours. It crosses into Aquarius on 27th and on 30th is 28 degrees in the east as the sky darkens, highest at 19.25, sinking below 21 degrees by 22.24.

Dwarf Planets

Ceres:  in Libra, mag 8.7

Not observable this month. It is at solar conjunction on 21st, when it passes 2 degrees 59’ north of the Sun.

Pluto: in Sagittarius, mag 15.2

Too faint and too low in the early evening sky to be observable.

Haumea: in Bootes, mag 17.3, Makemake:  in Coma Berenices, mag 17.2.

Both are targets for only very experienced astrophotographers, Haumea for a short time before dawn towards the end of the month, Makemake in the morning sky throughout November.

Eris:  in Cetus, mag 18.6

Well placed but well out of reach of the average amateur. High in the sky for most of the night, culminating at 35 degrees soon after 23.00 on 1st and at 21.17 on 30th.

Asteroids at opposition

1st:  21 Lutetia:  in Aries, mag 9.9. 

Observable 19.30 to 04.35, reaches 47 degrees in the south at 00.02.

5th:  18 Melpomene:  in Eridanus, mag 8.0

Observable 21.35 to 03.07, reaches 32 degrees at 00.16.

16th: 144 Vibilia:  in Taurus, mag 10.3.

Observable 18.58 to 04.45, reaches 51 degrees at 23.51.

Comets

C/2023 H2 (Lemmon):  in Bootes, mag 7.5

Circumpolar for the first week of the month.  On 1st it is observable from dusk, when it is 35 degrees in the NW, until dawn when it is at its highest, 36 degrees in the NE.  It is moving rapidly S eastwards, on 5th it is too low for observing for a large part of the night, 21.00 until 04.53 on that day, reappearing for a little under an hour before dawn.  On 6th it goes into Hercules and is too low from 21.06, then becomes visible again for less than 10 minutes in the dawn sky. From then it is too low to be seen in the morning, on 7th it is observable from dusk until 21.09. It is no longer circumpolar from 9th, when it can be seen from dusk until 21.00, now (possibly) at mag 6.5. It goes into Aquila on 12th and the following morning crosses the celestial equator on its journey south. On this day it is 35 degrees in the SW at dusk, too low by 20.00. It moves into Capricorn on 18th, when it is 25 degrees at dusk, high enough for observing for only an hour, and now starting to fade. The following day. it is below observable altitude when the sky darkens. It spends the last ten days of the month in Piscis Austrinus, below the horizon for UK observers.

103P/Hartley:  in Hydra, latest observed mag 10.5. 

Predicted mag not given for this as it is said to be variable. This means that only rising, culminating and setting times are available as observability altitude depends on brightness. It was thought that it will be at its brightest, maybe around mag 7.7, in early November but this now seems unlikely as it appears to have faded over the last few days. One site now gives probable mag throughout November as around 14.  On 1st it rises at 23.22 and reaches its highest point, 45 degrees, at 05.55, in astro twilight.  It is also moving S eastwards, starts the month about 6 degrees above the celestial equator, crossing it on 9th when it rises at 23.32 and culminates at 05.39.  From 14th it reaches its highest point in astro darkness and on 30th, it rises at 23.2 and  culminates at 04.35.

Meteor Showers

Southern Taurids: active Sept 30th to Nov 20th, peak Nov 5th, 27 kps, ZHR 5 -10 (far fewer from Manchester area).

Most sites give the peak of these as being in mid October but the IMO has now decided that this is a secondary, the main one being in November. The shower is best seen after midnight when the radiant is high.  However the 3rd quarter Moon rises at 22.51 on 5th and will interfere.

Northern Taurids:  active Oct 30th to Dec 10th, peak Nov 12th, 29 kps, ZHR 5.

This shower is said to produce near peak rates for around 10 days in early to mid November, but the peak time is given as midnight on 13th, radiant is highest at 01.00.  There is no moon interference. 

Both the Taurid streams produce bright, slow moving meteors ideal for imaging.  They are also rich in fireballs so, from Oct 20th to Nov 20th, when both are active is the prime time for these. The parent bodies, asteroid 2004 TG10 for the southern stream and comet 2P/Encke for the northern, are thought to be remnants of the same large comet which broke up more than 20,000 years ago.

Leonids:  active Nov 6th to 30th, peak 18th, 71 kps, ZHR 10-15.

The radiant rises at 22.11 and is highest at 06.00, which is also the time predicted for peak activity, so the shower is best seen in the pre dawn hours. These are fast moving meteors, often leaving trails.  Parent comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle.  No Moon interference.

Alpha Monocerotids:  active Nov 15th to 25th, peak 22nd, 65 kp, ZHR variable, not much activity predicted for this year.

The radiant rises at 00.58, highest at 04.00, peak time 05.00 on 22nd,  so the best chance of seeing anything is around this time. The first quarter Moon sets at 00.58 on the morning of 22nd.

Parent comet C/1917 F1 (Mellish)

November Orionids:  active November 13th to Dec 6th, peak 28th, 44 kps, ZHR 3 (from Manchester 2 at best).

The radiant rises at 18.09, highest at 02.00, peak activity given as 20.00 on 28th, so best time to look is after midnight.   However the 98% Moon is above the horizon for most of the night.

Credits

Most of the solar system information given here is from:

https://in-the-sky.org   

More information, exact co-ordinates and finder charts of all solar system objects can be found on this site.

Also quite useful is https://theskylive.com

https://www.imo.net/resources/calendar/

https://www.timeanddate.com

Other information is from various internet sources, including NASA, Britannica, Space Facts, Universe Today and, when all else fails,Wikipedia.

The night sky in October 2023

by Anne Holt

Sunrise       1st:   07.03        31st:   07.06

Sunset        1st:   18.46        31st:   16.38

Day length   1st:  11.36.28    31st:   9.33.29

Astronomical darkness   1st:   20.43 to 05.14        31st:   18.37 to 05.08

We revert to GMT on the morning of 29th.  At 2am we go back to 1am, or maybe 2am lasts for one hour.  Any times after this are given in GMT.

New Moon:   14th at 18.56, passes 20’ north of the Sun.  

Full Moon:    28th at  21.21, in Aries, angular diameter 32’ 18”

Lunar apogee:   10th at 04.41.  405425 km,  in Leo,  a/d 29’ 27”,  phase 14%

Lunar perigee:   26th at 04.01.  359910 km,  in Aquarius, a/d 32’ 43”,  phase 93%

On 14th there is an annular solar eclipse, where the Moon does not appear large enough to completely cover the face of the Sun, leaving a ‘ring of fire’ visible.  It can be seen from a narrow band crossing southern N America, Central America and northern S America. Most of the Americas will see a partial annular eclipse.

On 28th there is a partial lunar eclipse, visible from the UK.  The umbral phase begins at 20.36, when the Moon is quite low in the east.  Maximum, only 6% when seen from Manchester, is at 21.15 and it ends at 21.53.

The most common name for the October full Moon is the Hunters’ Moon, in the northern hemisphere this was the time when animals were hunted and the meat preserved for eating during the winter months.  

It was the Medieval English Wine Moon, the neo Pagan Blood Moon (hunting again?), the Celtic Snow Moon and the Chinese Kindly Moon.  The Inuits call it the Tugluvik Moon, which translates as ‘when ice forms on the sandy shores of the ocean’. 

Among the more interesting Indigenous American names are the Dakota Sioux Moon When Quilting and Beading Are Done, the Mohawk Poverty Moon, the Hopi Month of Long Hair Moon, the Assiniboine Joins Both Sides Moon (?), the Kiowa Ten Colds Moon and the Shawnee Wilted Moon.

Highlights

We have plenty of astro darkness, eight and a half hours on the 1st, a couple of hours more at the end of the month - beginning before 7pm when the clocks have gone back to real time.

Venus and Jupiter are both very bright, Jupiter visible for most of the night but outshone by Venus in the morning sky. Saturn is still quite well placed in the evening but lost before midnight at the end of the month. 

There is a comet which should be observable in the morning sky, mag around 8.5, several meteor showers, a couple with high enough predicted rates that we might actually see something, and a partial lunar eclipse - unfortunately only 6% at maximum.

And our new season starts on 12th, 7 to 9pm in the Bowls pavilion, as always.

Constellations

The Summer Triangle, made up of Vega in Lyra, Deneb in Cygnus and Altair in Aquila, is losing its dominance in the night sky.  It is still visible during the first part of October high in the south west but by the end of the month all three constellations will have set by 4am. It's place in the southern sky is being taken by the Great Square of Pegasus, autumn's signature constellation.

The beautiful Pleiades star cluster (also known as the Seven Sisters) followed by the rest of Taurus, will be visible by 11pm in early October and by 8pm (now back to GMT) at month end.

By the end of October Orion will be easily visible by midnight, with Sirius just above the eastern horizon at this time.

Perseus and Andromeda are still high in the sky for most of the night, making it a good time to look for M31, the Andromeda galaxy.   If you are at a very dark sky site, it should be visible to the naked eye, especially when using averted vision.

Cassiopeia is now high in the sky for most of the night, so the Plough, on the opposite side of the North Celestial Pole, is low in the north.

Conjunctions

2nd at 04.10:  the 86% Moon passes 3 degrees 23’ north of Jupiter.  The planet culminates 51 degrees in the south, at 03.18.

2nd at 17.00:  the Moon passes 3 degrees north of Uranus. The planet is visible from 22.30 when separation is about 3 degrees, double that when it culminates at 04.06.

10th at 10.45:  the 11% Moon passes 6 degrees 29’ north of Venus. At 06.30 the separation is 7 degrees 30’. Alpha Leonis, Regulus, is directly between the two, closer to Venus.

24th at 08.55:  the 79% Moon is 2 degrees 46’ south of Saturn, separation when the planet becomes visible soon after 19.00 is around 5 degrees.

26th at 01.00:  the 93% Moon is 1 degree 30’ south of Neptune.

29th at 08.14: the just past full Moon passes 3 degrees 08’ north of Jupiter.  Separation at 01.30, when the planet is high in the sky is 4 degrees.

30th at 03.00: the Moon is 3 degrees north of Uranus.

Planets

Mercury:  in Leo, mag -1.0

Visible for a very short time, low in the east before dawn in the first few days of October. On 1st it is 9 degrees at 06.45.  It goes into Virgo on 2nd and on 3rd is only 8 degrees as the sky brightens. It continues to get lower and more difficult to see, by 14th separation from the Sun is only 4 degrees. It is at superior solar conjunction on 20th, when it passes 47’ to the north. It then becomes an evening object, still too low to be seen.  On 31st, now in Libra, it appears only 6 degrees from the Sun.

Venus:  in Leo, mag -4.5

A brilliant sight in the morning sky - weather permitting. On 1st it rises 4 hours before the Sun, easily visible by 4am, over an hour before the end of astro darkness. It reaches 31 degrees in the east by dawn.  On 17th it is at its highest point in the morning sky, 33 degrees at dawn, 36 degrees by sunrise, and a week later is at greatest western elongation, 46.4 degrees from the Sun, and visible until around 07.30. By month end it is marginally less bright at mag -4.3, rises at 02.31 and can be seen for 90 minutes in astro darkness then for another 90 before it is lost in the bright sky about 30 minutes before sunrise.

Mars: in Virgo, mag 1.7

Not visible this month, sets before the sky begins to darken.

Jupiter:  in Aries, mag -2.8

Given reasonably clear SW and SE horizons it will be visible at the same time as Venus in the pre dawn sky throughout October.  On 1st Jupiter rises at 19.51, reaches 7 degrees in the east an hour later, and is at its highest point, 51 degrees, at 03.18.  It is still reasonably high at dawn. By mid month it is at observable altitude by 20.00, culminates at 02.18 and is  21 degrees in the west when the sky brightens. On 31st it is high enough for observing from 17.50 to 06.07, a few minutes before dawn, culminating at 00.07. The four Galilean moons should be visible through good binoculars from a dark sky site.

Saturn:  in Aquarius, mag 0.6

An evening object, on 1st it rises at 17.49 and is 11 degrees in the west when the sky darkens about 90 minutes later. It reaches 23 degrees in the south at 22.42 and sinks below 10 degrees in the SW soon after 02.00.  By mid month it is a little higher at dusk, culminating at 21.45 and too low for observing by 01.00. By the end of the month, now on GMT, it sinks to 10 degrees in the SW an hour before midnight. 

The rings are still open enough to be seen through a small scope and Titan should also be visible. 

Uranus:  in Aries, mag 5.7

Still appearing fairly close to Jupiter though the separation increases during the month,  8.25 degrees on 1st, around 10.65 by 31st. On 1st it rises at 20.01, is observable in the east from 22.37 and culminates, 54 degrees in the south, at 03.50. It is down to 48 degrees in the SW by dawn. By 31st it is observable from soon after 19.30, culminates at 00.48 and is still observable, low in the west, at dawn.

Naked eye object?  I’ve never heard of anyone who has seen it without optical aid.  

Neptune:  in Pisces, mag 7.8

Still observable for a reasonable time following last month’s opposition.  On 1st it is high enough from 21.15 to 03.20, reaching 33 degrees in the south at 00.17.  From 5th it culminates before midnight and by mid month reaches 21 degrees at 21.15, culminates at 23.16 and is too low soon after 02.15.  On 31st it reaches observable altitude soon after 18.00, is at its highest at 21.12 and remains observable until around 00.15.

It is said that it is visible in decent binoculars but that requires excellent eyesight and a very dark sky, as well as knowledge of exactly where to look.  A small scope is a better bet, a slightly larger one should show the small blue disc.

Dwarf Planets

Only the faintest and most distant is positioned well enough for imaging this month.

Eris:  in Cetus, mag 18.8, is at opposition on 18th, 35 degrees in the south at 01.11. Only the very best astrophotographers, using the very best equipment and the ‘spot the difference’ technique, have any chance.

Haumea, on 24th, and Makemake, on 4th, are both at solar conjunction this month,  Because of the high inclination of their orbits to the plane of the solar system, they pass 27 degrees north of the Sun.

Asteroids at opposition

29 Amphitrite, in Pisces, mag 8.8

Reaches opposition on 2nd at 05.46.  On the night of 1st/2nd it is high enough for observing from 21.00 to 04.59, culminating at 01.00 when it is 41 degrees in the south.

Comets

2P/Encke:  in Leo, mag 8.7

Might be observed for a few minutes before sunrise on 1st, low in the east before it is lost in the brightening sky.  For the rest of the month it fails to reach observable altitude before dawn.  It is in Virgo from 12th, and at its brightest, predicted mag 6.3, on 21st but appearing only 13 degrees from the Sun.  The following day it is at perihelion, at a distance of 0.34 AU.  By 31st it appears only 3 degrees from the Sun.

109P/Hartley:  in Auriga, mag around 8.8

In-the-sky doesn’t show predicted magnitude for this one, so can’t give the times when it will be observable. It is a peanut shaped object which rotates on 2 axes at the same time, giving it an odd tumbling motion.  This, along with its irregular composition, results in frequent brightness changes.

On 1st it rises at 21.14 and culminates a few minutes before sunrise.  It goes into Gemini on 3rd, moving south eastwards crossing the main body of the constellation between 5th and 11th.  It is predicted to reach peak brightness on 10th, probably around mag 8.3, and the following day is at perihelion at a distance of 1.06 AU.  It is in Cancer from 20th, when it rises at 23.47 and on 31st rises at 23.18 and culminates at 05.58 in nautical twilight.

Meteor Showers

Several minor, and a couple of not quite so minor, showers this month, and one with the usual peak time, maybe delayed 3 days, downgraded to a secondary peak.

October Camelopardalids: active 5th and 6th, peak 6th, 47 kps,  ZHR 5 (maybe 1 or 2 from Manchester)

The radiant, in Draco, is circumpolar, highest at 11am, peak activity predicted for 12 noon on 6th so the best chance of spotting one is before dawn or after dusk on that day.  The 3rd quarter Moon sets at 16.12 and rises again at 22.26.  Parent body is not known, thought to be either a long period or a Halley type comet.

Draconids:  active 6th to 10th, peak 9th,  20 kps, ZHR 10 (M/c not given)

The radiant is circumpolar, highest at 17.00, peak activity predicted for 08.00 on 9th so best seen after dusk on 8th or pre dawn on 9th.  The 25% Moon rises at 00.52 on 9th.  The shower has produced outbursts in the past, spectacular storms in 1933 and 1946 and enhanced rates in 2011, 2012 and 2018, but this year is predicted to be only average.   The parent comet is 21P/Giacobini-Zinner, hence the shower's alternative name, the Giacobinids. 

Delta Aquarids:  active 10th to 18th, peak 11th, 64 kps, ZHR 2 (M/c 1)

The circumpolar radiant is highest at 05.00, peak activity given as 23.00 on 11th. Parent body not known for sure, possibly comet C/1911 K1 (Kiess)

Epsilon Geminids: active 14th to 27th, peak 18th/19th, 70 kps,  ZHR 3 (2)

The radiant rises at 21.11 highest at 06.00, peak activity 01.00 on 19th, though it is said to be not well defined, there could be a ZHR of 3 for more than 1 day. The 15% Moon sets at 19.13 on 18th.

These meteors are often confused with Orionids.  They are active around the same time, have similar speeds and the radiants are fairly close together.

Again the parent body is not known, prime suspect is comet C/1987 B1 (Nishikawa-Takamizawa-Tago).

Orionids:  active 2nd Oct to 7th Nov,  peak Oct 22nd, 66 kps, ZHR 15 to 20 (from Manchester around 10).

The radiant rises at 21.52, highest at 05.50, peak activity given as 01.00, though the shower often has a few lesser peaks so there could be some activity on a couple of nights before and after.  On the night of 21st/22nd the Moon sets at 22.10. Parent comet is 1P/Halley.

Leonis Minorids:  active 19th to 27th, peak 25th, 62 kps, ZHR 2 (1)

Another one with a circumpolar radiant, this one highest at 10.00, peak activity 01.00 on 25th.  The Moon is only 2 days from full, setting at 02.47.

Parent body is probably comet C/1781 K1 (Zanotti).

And finally …

The Southern Taurids:  active Sept 23rd to Dec 8th, peak - see below, 27 kps, ZHR 5 (3)

The peak date for these has always been given as October 10th, most sites still say that however the IMO has now decided that the main peak is on November 5th, a week before that of the Southern Taurids, with a secondary peak in October, around 13th.

The radiant rises around 19.00, highest soon after 2am so best seen after midnight on 13th (or maybe on 10th).  These are slow moving, usually very bright meteors.  The dust stream includes a higher than average number of large particles so the shower often includes fireballs.  Parent comet is 2P/Encke, thought to be a fragment of a much larger body which broke up more than 20,000 years ago.  

The 10% Moon sets at 03.23 on the night of 10th/11th and it is new on the night of 13th/14th.

Credits

Most of the solar system information given here is from:

https://in-the-sky.org   

More information, exact co-ordinates and finder charts of all solar system objects can be found on this site.

Also quite useful is https://theskylive.com

https://www.imo.net/resources/calendar/

https://www.timeanddate.com

Other information is from various internet sources, including NASA, Britannica, Space Facts, Universe Today and, when all else fails,Wikipedia.

The night sky in September 2023

by Anne Holt

Sun and Moon

Sunrise.        1st:    06.17         30th:    07.08

Sunset.         1st:    19.59         30th:    18.48

Day length,   1st:  13.41.48      30th:  11.40.39

Astronomical darkness.  1st:    22.12  to  04.06           30th:   20.46  to  05.12

The September (Autumnal in the N Hemisphere) Equinox is on 23rd at 07.50.  This is the moment that the centre of the Sun crosses the celestial equator on its journey southwards in the sky.  Despite the name, which means equal night, this day is not exactly 12 hours, sunrise is at 06.56 sunset at 19.05, the exact day length is 12.10.03. There are 2 contributing factors to this discrepancy, on this day the centre of the Sun is above the horizon for exactly 12 hours, whereas sunrise and sunset times are when the top appears and disappears. A few more minutes are added because refraction of the Sun’s rays, when it is so low, mean that it is visible for a very short time before it rises and after it sets.

The closest day to 12 hours is 25th at 12.01.39.

New Moon:   15th at 02.41, passes 2 degrees 50’ north of the Sun.

Full Moon:    29th at 10.57,  in Pisces, angular diameter 33’ 02”

Lunar apogee:  12th at 16.42, 406288 km, in Leo, a/d 29’ 23”, phase 3%

Lunar perigee:  28th at 01.58, 359910 km, in Aquarius, a/d 33.11,  phase 98%

Is the September full Moon a Supermoon? 

Difficult to give an answer, as there is no standard definition, a Supermoon isn’t a recognised astronomical event, it was originally a term used only by astrologers.

There are several ‘definitions’ which vary considerably and are often quite vague: a full Moon close to perigee - how close?  Within a day or so, or the more precise, within 24 hours. This one is 33 hours after perigee, so doesn’t qualify on that count. Distance?  No consistency here, less than 358854 km, less than 360000 km, within 90% of its closest, or of its average perigee distance - take your pick.

There isn't even any agreement on the actual distance of the September full Moon, I found several different figures, ranging from 359024 km to 367325 km.  The distances at the lower end of this range are probably measured from the surface of the Earth, the higher ones from the centre.

So:  is this full Moon a Supermoon?  Some say yes, some say no. I give up! 

The September full Moon is inarguably the Harvest Moon, being only 5 days after the equinox.

It is also the Corn Moon or Barley Moon.

Other names are the Celtic Singing Moon or Wine Moon (could there be a connection there?), the Chinese Chrysanthemum Moon and the Inuit Harpoon Moon.  

Many of the Indigenous American names also refer to the Harvest, one exception being the Haida Ice Moon. However they are in Alaska where it is, no doubt, much colder. 

Among the non crop related names are the Tunica Little Sister of the Hot Moon, the Comanche Paperman Moon, the Omaha Moon when Deer Paw the Earth and the Tlingit Big Moon. For the Wishram it is Her Acorns Moon (why only hers?) and for the Passamaquoddy the Autumn Moon.

Highlights

We have increasing amounts of astronomical darkness, almost 6 hours on 1st, up to 8 and a half on 30th, when it begins before 9pm. The equinox is in late September, so the nights will soon be longer than the days. 

It’s a good time for planets, especially for those who like to do their observing just before dawn. Towards the end of the month Mercury has its best morning showing of the year, reaching 11 degrees before it is lost in the morning twilight, but is outshone by the brilliant Venus which is observable in astro darkness by late September.  Jupiter is becoming visible earlier, around 9pm in late September, and Saturn is still around for most of the night.

There’s not much in the way of meteor showers but we could possibly have a fireball or two in the second half of the month. 

The big news is the newly discovered comet which is expected to brighten considerably over the next couple of weeks, unfortunately as it moves towards the Sun and gets lower in the morning sky.  Will it be lost to the dawn before it reaches naked eye brightness?

And:  don’t forget our Open Day in the classroom, behind the Stables Cafe, on Sunday 24th.

Constellations

The Milky Way is still prominent overhead, albeit not in these parts! Find a dark sky site though, and it's spectacular.

The Summer Triangle is high in the southern sky for much of the night in early September.  By month end Aquila is setting in the west at about 2am, with Lyra and Cygnus following just before dawn.

However, on the opposite side of the sky, the Pleiades are climbing above the horizon in the east by 10.30pm at the start of September, and as darkness falls at month end. Capella, in Auriga, and the V shaped Hyades cluster at the head of Taurus the Bull are not far behind.

If you stay up until about 4am (or get up very early) you might see Orion making a welcome return to the night sky.  By the end of September, it should be above the horizon by 2am.

The ecliptic is now slightly higher across the Eastern sky, passing through Capricorn, Aquarius and Aries - though none of these are particularly bright or memorable.

Pegasus, Perseus and Andromeda are still well placed, rising in the east to north east from mid evening, as is the bright W asterism of Cassiopeia higher in the north east.

Conjunctions

1st at 09.21:  the just past full Moon passes about one and a half degrees south of Neptune.  On the night of 31st/1st, the planet is observable from 23.15 to 04.45.  Separation when it culminates at 02.15 is around 5 degrees, a couple of degrees closer when it is lost in the dawn sky around 04.30. An occultation will be visible from S Georgia and parts of Antarctica.

4th at 20.47:  the 66% Moon passes 3 degrees 18’ north of Jupiter.  Closest, 3 degrees 04’, at 18.37.  Jupiter is visible from 22.40, separation at that time is around 4 degrees.

5th at 09.00:  the gibbous Moon is 3 degrees north of Uranus.  The planet is visible until 04.50, separation at that time is about one degree more.

27th at 02.29:  the 94% Moon passes 2 degrees 38’ south of Saturn. The planet is visible from dusk until 02.30.  Separation at 23.00, when it is at its highest point, is about 4 degrees.

28th at 17.00:  the 94% Moon passes 1 degree 25’ south of Neptune, which is observable from 21.26 when it reaches 21 degrees in the SE. Separation at this time is around 3 degrees, a degree more when it culminates at 21.26.

An occultation will be visible from the southern tip of New Zealand.

Planets

Mercury:  in Leo, mag 2.9

Not visible at the start of September, on 1st it appears only 12 degrees from the Sun.  It moves closer over the next few days and is at inferior solar conjunction on 6th, when it passes 3 degrees 45’ to the south.  It moves into Sextans on 7th then back into Leo on 13th, still too low to be seen in the morning sky. On 21st, now at mag -0.3, it reaches 10 degrees in the east at 06.13, visible for a few minutes before the sky gets too bright.  The following day it is at greatest western elongation, separated from the Sun by almost 18 degrees and visible for 10 minutes before dawn. On 23rd it reaches its highest point in the morning sky, 11 degrees in the east at dawn, 15 degrees by sunrise. On this day it is also at perihelion, at a distance of 0.31 AU.  On 30th, now at mag -1.0, it should become visible around 6.30, and is 10 degrees at dawn, 15 minutes later. This is its best morning apparition of the year but it is still very low - needs a flat clear horizon as well as a clear sky. 

Venus:  in Cancer, mag -, a little before 6am. 4.4

Shining brightly in the morning sky. On 1st it should be easily visible for around half an hour, reaching 12 degrees in the east by dawn, a little before 6am. It is at its brightest on 18th, when it rises at 03.17, high enough to be seen by 04.15, half an hour before the start of astro twilight, and getting to 26 degrees before daybreak. On 30th it rises at 03.03, is high enough to be very easily seen at 4am, over an hour before astro darkness ends, and climbs to 31 degrees in the SE  before it is lost in the daylight. 

It is said that, when it is at its best, seen in astro darkness, the planet is bright enough to cast a shadow.  However this isn’t easy to see, you would have to be in an area with a totally dark sky and away from any other light source.

Mars:  in Virgo, mag 1.8

Not visible in September.  It sets not long after the Sun and is below the horizon at dusk.

Jupiter:  in Aries, mag -2.6

Second only to Venus in brightness, now visible earlier in the night.  On 1st it rises at 21.55 and is high enough to be seen about an hour later, when it reaches 7 degrees in the east.  It culminates, 51 degrees in the south, at 05.21 and is lost in the brightening sky about an hour later.  It begins apparent retrograde (east to west) motion on 4th, when it is at its highest point at 05.00. On 15th it rises at 20.56, is visible an hour later and culminates at 04.25, a few minutes before the end of astro darkness. By 30th it is visible from a few minutes before 21.00, is highest at 04.25, an hour before astro twilight begins, and is down to 34 degrees in the SW by dawn, almost 2 hours later.

Saturn:  in Aquarius, mag 0.4

Still visible for most of the night, much lower and fainter than Jupiter.  On 1st it reaches10 degrees in the east by 21.22, culminates, 24 degrees in the south, at 00.52 and is down to 10 degrees in the SW by 04.22.  From 13th it is at its highest point before midnight, 23.57 on this day. By 30th, a  little fainter at mag 0.6, it is 11 degrees in the SE as the sky darkens, culminates at 22.46 and is too low for observing shortly after 2am.

Uranus:  in Aries, mag 5.7

On 1st it reaches 21 degrees in the east at 00.37 and is observable until dawn, when it is 52 degrees in the SE. On 11th it is at observable altitude a few minutes before midnight and is a couple of degrees higher by dawn. On the morning of 7th it is only 7.5 degrees to the left of Jupiter and on 12th it culminates at 05.07, as it is lost in the dawn sky.  On 30th it rises at 20.09, is observable from 22.41, highest at 03.54 and is down to 48 degrees in the SW by dawn.

It is, in theory at least, a naked eye object but with so much light pollution binoculars or a small scope are usually necessary.  A larger scope should show it as a very small blue/green disc. 

Neptune:  in Pisces, mag 7.8

Now at its best for the year, but still quite low. On 1st it reaches observable altitude, 21 degrees, at 23.12, it culminates, 33 degrees in the south, at 02.18 and is down to 26 degrees in the SW when the sky begins to brighten around 04.45. From 8th it sinks below 21 degrees before dawn. In mid September it is observable from 22.15 to 04.25, highest point at 01.21. It is at opposition on 20th, when it culminates at 01.01 and, on 20th, reaches 21 degrees in the SE at 21.18, culminates at 00.21 and sinks to 21 degrees in the SW a few minutes before 04.20.

It may be visible in good binoculars as a faint star like object, a reasonable sized scope is needed to see the blue disc.

Dwarf Planets

Ceres: in Virgo,mag 8.9

Not visible, too low as the sky darkens.

Pluto:  in Sagittarius, mag 15.1.

Too faint and too low.

Haumea: in Bootes, mag 17.4

High enough for observing for a few minutes as darkness falls in early September. By mid month it is too low in the evening sky.

Makemake:  in Coma Berenices, mag 17.2

Too low at dusk for observing or imaging.

Eris:  in Cetus, mag 18.7

The cause of Pluto’s demotion, aptly named after the goddess of discord, is very faint, a target for only the very best astrophotographers, using the ‘spot the difference’ technique. High enough from 01.00 until dawn on 1st,  a couple of hours earlier at the end of the month. 

Asteroids at Opposition

12th:  51 Nemansa, in Pisces, mag 10.8.  Culminates 01.04, at 34 degrees.

19th:  97 Klotho, in Cetus, mag 10.5   Culminates 01.14, at 29 degrees

21st: 88 Thisbe, in Pisces, mag 10.3.  Culminates 00.47, 43 degrees

21st: 55 Pandora, in Pisces, mag 10.6.  Culminates 01.08. 33 degrees

Comets

A newly discovered comet is predicted to reach naked eye visibility in September - when it appears too close to the Sun to be observed. Not much else at the moment but there are  a few, currently very faint, which may be bright enough for binocular observation in early 2024.

C/2023 P1 (Nishimura), in Cancer

This was only discovered in mid August - by an astronomer, not a deep sky survey, which is quite unusual now. It will be visible, low in the pre dawn sky, in the first half of September. It is predicted to reach naked eye brightness  - the bad news is that it gets lower as it brightens. 

On 1st it rises at 02.36, can’t find any info about what time it should be high enough to be visible, astro darkness ends at 04.03 so probably best to look around then. Current mag (August 29th) given as 7.2, with a tail about 20’ (arcminutes, not feet!) long.  It crosses Leo’s sickle asterism from 7th to 9th then down to the rump from 11th to 16th, predicted mag on 7th is 4.6.  On 11th it is close to Venus and the crescent Moon, now brighter but very low, rising at 04.26, a few minutes into astro twilight.  It is at perigee on 12th, at a distance of 0.85 AU.   By 14th it could be as bright as mag 2.2, maybe as high as 1.8 on 17th, when it rises at 06.48, 3 minutes after the Sun so isn’t visible.   It is at perihelion on 18th, when it will be at 0.22 AU - closer than Mercury. 

C/2020 V2 (ZTF):  in Cetus, mag 9.7

Heading south quite quickly, only high enough for observing or imaging in the first few days of September, and then only for a short time. On 1st it reaches 21 degrees at 03.30, three higher by dawn, an hour later.  On 3rd, when it is predicted to be at its brightest - still around mag 9.7 - it is observable from a few minutes before 4 am until dawn, 50 minutes later.  It is too low from 5th, failing to reach observable altitude by the time the sky brightens.

2P/Encke: in Auriga, mag 11.2

Currently very faint but expected to brighten quite quickly, again moving southwards.

On 1st it is high enough for observing/imaging soon after 2 am and reaches 44 degrees in the east as dawn breaks around 04.45. It is in Gemini from 5th and by mid month, now at mag 10.1, it reaches observable altitude by 03.13 and is at 39 degrees when it is lost in the morning twilight. It goes into Cancer on 16th and Leo on 25th.  By 30th it is only observable for around 10 minutes but should be brighter, at mag 8.8. It is predicted to reach mag 6.3 by late October, when it will appear only 9 degrees from the Sun, so won’t be visible.

There are a few to watch out for, very faint at the moment but which should be observable when at their brightest in early 2024

144P/Kushida:  in Aries, mag 12.5

Currently observable from midnight until dawn. By month end it should have brightened to mag 10.9 and be high enough from soon after 20.00. It is predicted to reach mag 7.3 by January, when it will be in Aries and visible from dusk until the early hours.

62P/Tsuchinshan:  in Taurus, mag 18.6

Currently a morning object, quite high by dawn but too faint for imaging by amateurs. It is predicted to reach mag 8.1 in early January, when it will be in Leo then Virgo, observable soon after midnight and getting to 42 degrees by dawn.

C/2021/S3 (PanSTARRS):  in Pyxis, mag 11.8

Currently too low to be seen by northern hemisphere observers.  Could reach mag 6.6 by mid February.  In late February it should be visible for a very short time before dawn in Ophiuchus, then Serpens Cauda.

Meteor Showers

Aurigids:  active August 28th to September 5th, peak on 1st, 66 kps, ZHR 6 (Manchester 5 at best, probably no more than 1 or 2). The radiant is circumpolar, highest at 9am.  Peak activity is at 16.00 on 1st so the best chance of seeing anything is pre dawn and after dusk on that day. The Moon is only 2 days past full, setting at 07.54 and rising again at 20.45, less than an hour after sunset.

Parent comet C/1911 Kiess.

September Epsilon Perseids:  active 5th to 21st, peak on the night of 9th/10th, 64 kps, ZHR 5 (Manchester max 4, probably fewer). This shower showed higher rates in 2005 and 2013 but there has been no enhancement since. The radiant is circumpolar, highest after dawn, peak time given as 01.00 on the morning of 10th. The 18% Moon rises at 00.39.

The parent body is thought to be an, as yet undiscovered, long period comet with a retrograde orbit and a period of about 1000 years.

Daytime Sextantids:  active Sept 9th to Oct 9th, peak on the night of 27th/28th, 33 kps, visual ZHR 5  (from Manchester no more than 1, as the radiant is very low). Peak time is given as 01.00 on 28th but the radiant doesn’t rise until 04.45 so the best chance of seeing one is between then and dawn. The Moon is only one day from full and sets at 05.17, in astro twilight. Most activity from this shower is in daylight, observable only using radio or radar equipment, rates for this are given as medium.

The shower is part of the Phaeton-Geminid complex.  It has a different parent asteroid, 2005 UD, from the Geminids but both are thought to originate from the break up of the same larger body.

The Southern Taurids are active from Sept 10th, only shows low rates and the peak isn’t until mid October, but worth keeping a look out as the shower often includes very bright fireballs.

The ANT is not active in September but the month is said to be the peak time for sporadic activity - meteors which could appear to come from anywhere in the sky.

Credits

Most of the solar system information given here is from:

https://in-the-sky.org   

More information, exact co-ordinates and finder charts of all solar system objects can be found on this site.

Also quite useful is https://theskylive.com

https://www.imo.net/resources/calendar/

https://www.timeanddate.com

Other information is from various internet sources, including NASA, Britannica, Space Facts, Universe Today and, when all else fails,Wikipedia.

The night sky in August 2023

by Anne Holt

Sun and Moon

Sunrise          1st:  05.24         31st:  06.15

Sunset           1st:  21.05         31st:  20.06

Astronomical Darkness     1st:  00.40  to  01.50        31st:  22.15  to  04.03

Day Length                        1st:  15.41.15                   31st:  13.45.54

Full Moon:  1st at 19.31, angular diameter 33’ 24”,  in Capricorn.

This is only 11 hrs 21 minutes before perigee, the third closest of the year, so is a Supermoon.

New Moon:  16th at 10.39, passes 4 degrees 31’ north of the Sun.

Only 2 hrs 15 minutes before apogee, the furthest of the year, so the thin crescent before and after will appear smaller than average.

Full Moon:  31st at 02.35, angular diameter 33’ 25”, in Aquarius.

9 hrs 41 minutes after perigee, the second closest of the year.  The closest, in January, was near to New Moon so this full Moon is the largest Supermoon of 2023.

Lunar Perigee: 2nd at 06.52, distance 357309 km, a/d 33’ 25”, in Capricorn, phase 98%.

Lunar Apogee:  16th at 12.54, distance 406634 km, phase 0%l

Lunar Perigee:  30th at 16.54, distance 357181 km, a/d 33’ 26”, in Aquarius, phase 99%.   

The full Moon on 31st may, or may not, be a Blue Moon, depending on which definition is used. It was originally said to be the third full Moon in a season which has 4. This is the third full Moon of Summer but also the last, so it doesn't qualify.  However, the March 1946 issue of Sky and Telescope magazine contained an article which incorrectly defined it as the second full Moon in a calendar month.  This definition is now much more widely used than the original one and makes the late August one a Blue Moon.

The most commonly used name for the August full Moon is the Sturgeon Moon because, at this time, the fish were plentiful and easy to catch. 

It’s the Colonial American Dog Days Moon, this is said to be the time when Sirius, the Dog Star, is first visible in the east just before sunrise - though here that doesn’t happen until early September.

It was the Celtic Dispute Moon, the Medieval English Barley or Wort Moon (presumably this was the time they brewed their beer), and the neo Pagan Lightning or LIghtening Moon - don’t know which is correct and which is a spelling mistake.  The Inuit people call it the Swan Flying Moon and it is the Chinese Harvest Moon. 

Among the many indigenous American names are the Hopi Joyful Moon, the Algonquin Moon when Indian corn is edible, the Haida Moon of cedar bark for hats and baskets and the Abenaki Cutter Moon.

The Passamaquoddy tribe called it the Feather Shedding Moon, while the Arapho were more specific with their Moon when geese shed their feathers.  And some referred to the season - the Comanche Summer Moon and the Kalapuya End of Summer Moon.  The Potawatomi called it the Moon of the Middle, middle of the year, middle of Summer?  It doesn’t specify.

Highlights

We are now starting to get more astro darkness, only 70 minutes on 1st but almost 6 hours by the end of the month, when it begins at the reasonable hour of 22.15.

We’ve lost Mars, and Mercury is so low that it’s unlikely to be seen but Jupiter’s position is improving .  By the end of August it is visible well before midnight and culminates in darkness.

Saturn reaches opposition near the end of the month.  It’s quite low in the sky and the rings are no longer wide open but is still a good target for imaging.

And, at the end of the month, Venus makes a return to the morning sky, shining brightly low in the east before dawn.

We have 2 full Moons, both Supermoons by any definition.  The second is, of course, a Blue Moon - if you use the incorrect definition of that. It is also the closest and largest full Moon of the year.

And, the really good news is that the peak of the Perseid meteor shower won’t be marred by bright moonlight.

Let’s hope that it isn’t ruined by clouds.

Constellations

When it finally gets dark enough, the Milky Way is now at its best.  From a dark sky site it can be seen stretching right across the sky and down to the southern horizon, passing almost overhead around midnight.

The Milky Way passes through the Summer Triangle, which is now high in the sky, with Deneb and Vega particularly prominent.  Alberio, a beautiful yellow and blue double star at the head of Cygnus the swan, is very well placed for telescopic observation.

The Plough and its host constellation Ursa Major are now very low in the Northern sky which means that the W asterism of Cassiopeia is riding high in the south east and very easy to spot.

Pegasus and Andromeda are now well above the horizon for most of the night and Perseus, followed by Auriga, are rising soon after midnight.

Conjunctions

3rd at 11.25: The 92% Moon passes 2 degrees 28’ south of Saturn. On the morning of 3rd, the separation is around 8 degrees when the planet culminates at 03.02.

8th at 10.44:  The 45% Moon passes 2 degrees 52’ south of Jupiter.  Jupiter is visible from a little after midnight until 5am.  Separation at 4am is a little under 5 degrees.

9th at 02.00.  The 33% Moon is 3 degrees north of Uranus.  The planet will be high enough for observing about 15 minutes later.

30th at 19.07:  The almost full Moon is 2 degrees 29’ south of Saturn. The planet should be visible about 45 minutes later, when the separation is not much more.  By the time it culminates at 01.00 it is about 3 degrees.

Planets

Mercury:  in Leo, mag 0.0

Very difficult to spot this month. On 1st it is on the horizon as the sky darkens, setting at 21.25. By 9th, when it is at greatest eastern elongation, 27.4 degrees from the Sun, it is even lower, below the horizon at dusk. The following day it is at aphelion, at a distance of 0.47 AU. It has the most elliptical orbit of the major planets, perihelion distance is only 0.31 AU.

By month end, now down to mag 2.9, the apparent separation from the Sun is only 12 degrees.

Venus:  in Leo, mag -4.2

Not visible in early August,  on 1st it sets a few minutes before the Sun. It is at aphelion on 8th, at a distance of 0.73 AU - not much different to the perihelion distance as its orbit is almost circular. On 13th, when it crosses into Cancer, it is at inferior solar conjunction, passing 7 degrees south of the Sun. It is too low to be seen in the morning sky for the next couple of weeks but, on 28th, may be glimpsed for a few minutes around 05.40, when it reaches 8 degrees in the east as the sky brightens. By 31st it is visible for almost half an hour, getting to 12 degrees in the east before being lost to the dawn.  It is now at mag -.4.4.

Mars:  in Leo, mag 1.8.

Not visible this month.  It has sunk below the horizon by the time the sky begins to darken.

Jupiter:  in Aries, mag -2.4

Shining brightly in the morning sky.  On 1st it rises at 23.48 and should be easily visible an hour later, reaching 42 degrees in the SE by dawn.  From mid month it is high enough to be seen before midnight and gets to 49 degrees in the SE in darkness. The last few days in August it culminates before it is lost in the brightening sky, on 27th it is 51 degrees in the south at 05.50, a couple of minutes before the sky becomes too bright for it to be seen.  On 31st it rises at 21.55, reaches observable altitude, 7 degrees, an hour later and culminates at 05.25 about 25 minutes before it is lost in the morning twilight, now a little brighter at mag - 2.6.

Saturn:  in Aquarius, mag 0.6

Much fainter and lower than Jupiter but still a magnificent sight through a scope.  On 1st it rises at 22.00 and reaches 10 degrees in the east by 23.30.  It culminates, 25 degrees in the south, at 03.02 and is only three degrees lower when the sky begins to brighten around 04.30. By mid month it is visible from 22.30 until almost 5am, highest point at 02.04.  It reaches opposition on 27th, when it is visible from 21.45 to 04.45 and reaches 24 degrees in the south at 01.17.  It is now a little brighter at mag 0.4. Around this time the rings appear significantly brighter than usual because sunlight falls directly on to the component particles so their shadows are directly behind, rather than to the side where they dim the view. The rings are only tilted by 8 degrees at the moment, so they appear quite thin, however the Cassini Division should still be visible through an amateur scope. By next year the rings will be down to 3.7 degrees and, by 2025, almost invisible so now is the best chance for a few years to get some decent images. By 31st it is at observable altitude from 21.30, culminates at 00.56 and is down to 10 degrees in the SW by 04.30.

Uranus:  in Aries, mag 5.8

On 1st it is visible for about 50 minutes, reaching 27 degrees in the east before being lost in the morning twilight a little before 03.30. By mid month it should be observable from 01.45, reaching 41 degrees in the SE by dawn. It begins retrograde (E to W) motion on 29th and by month end is high enough for observing from around 4am, reaching 51 degrees in the east as the sky brightens 4 hours later. It appears quite close to Jupiter, separation a little over 9 degrees on 1st, about 7.5 degrees on 31st, with Uranus to the left. Now that we have the return of astro darkness it might be possible to spot it with the naked eye from a very dark sky site - assuming perfect eyesight and knowing exactly where to look.

Neptune:  In Pisces, mag 7.8, 

A morning object, visible in very good binoculars (maybe - see above) or a small scope as a bluish ‘star’.

On 1st it rises at 22.30, is high enough for observing from 01.15 and reaches 22 degrees in the south by dawn. It reaches observable altitude a couple of minutes earlier each day and, on 10th, is lost in the morning twilight as it culminates, 34 degrees in the south, at 03.46. On 20th it reaches 21 degrees in the SE by midnight, highest point at 03.06 and is down to 32 degrees in the south by dawn.  By 31st it is observable from 23.15 until dawn, culminating at 02.22.

Dwarf Planets

Ceres:  in Virgo, mag 8.8

Not observable this month, too low in the evening twilight.

The rest are very faint, only very experienced astrophotographers using the best equipment have any chance of catching them - and even then only as very faint dots on the image.

Pluto:  in Sagittarius, mag 15.0.

Maximum altitude 15 degrees, too low for imaging.

Haumea:  in Bootes, mag 17.4

An evening object.  On 1st it is 28 degrees in the west in astro twilight around 23.00, down to 21 degrees shortly before midnight. By 31st it is 24 degrees as the sky darkens, sinking too low after only 20 minutes.

#

Makemake:  in Coma Berenices, mag 17.2

On 1st it is only 23 degrees in the west as the sky darkens, down to 21 degrees after only 10 minutes. Not observable after 11th, when it is 22 degrees in astro twilight and only observable for a couple of minutes.

Eris:  in Cetus, mag 18.7

Much fainter even than Haumea and Makemake, out of reach of most amateurs.

On 1st it is high enough from 3am, getting to 24 degrees before being lost to dawn only 20 minutes later.  By the end of August, when it is at observable altitude from 1am, it culminates in darkness, 20 minutes before the sky brightens.

Asteroids at Opposition

10th:  10 Hygeia, in Aquarius, mag 9.7

Observable from a few minutes before midnight, when it reaches 21 degrees in the south. Culminates at 01.11, a couple of degrees higher and is down to 21 degrees a little before 02.30.

21st:   8 Flora, in Aquarius, mag 8.5

Culminates at 01.56 but only reaches 19 degrees, too low for easy telescopic observing or imaging. 

Comets

C/2021 S3 (Pan STARRS) in Puppis, mag 12.8

Only mentioned because it is predicted to reach mag 6.4 in Feb 2024, when it will be too low to be observable from the UK.  However, by late April when it will be circumpolar, it should still be a reasonable target, maybe mag 7.7.

At the moment it is too faint and too low to be observable from so far north.

C/2022 V2 (ZTF): in Cetus, mag 9.9.

Too low for imaging in the first few days of August.  By 6th it reaches 22 degrees in the SE at 03.35, only a couple of minutes before the sky gets too bright for it to be visible. Its position does improve, on 15th when it moves into Eridanus it is high enough for almost 40 minutes, reaching 26 degrees in the SE by 4am. On 31st it is observable for a little over an hour, getting to 25 degrees in the south by 04.30. It should be marginally brighter at mag 9.7.

 C/2023 E1 (ATLAS) in Cepheus, mag 11.1

At perigee on 18th, at a distance of 0.38AU.  Circumpolar, high for most of the night but faint - and fading.  Ends the month at mag 13.5.

Meteor Showers

Eta Eridanids:  active July 31st to August 18th, peak 8th, 64 kps, ZHR 3.

The radiant doesn’t rise until around 2am, and is very low for UK observers so the shower is much better seen from further south. Parent comet probably C/1852 K1 (Charcorac)

Perseids:  active July 17th to August 20th, peak 13th, 59 kps, ZHR 100 -140, though the figure of 50 -70 given in one source seems more realistic. The radiant is circumpolar, highest at 07.00. Peak activity predicted for 09.00 on 13th, with reasonable rates for a few days centred on this date.  The shower has recently shown enhanced activity after the main peak,

This year could see slightly higher rates on 13th at 04.00, when the Earth passes through a weak dust filament, and on 14th between 02.00 and 03.45, when we encounter a very old trail. No predictions of activity levels but it might be worth looking out at these times.

The best time to look for Perseids is pre dawn on 13th and on a few days before and after this date. Some should be visible in twilight as the shower includes a higher than average proportion  of very bright meteors - said to be 30% higher than for the Geminids. They are fast moving, sometimes coloured, meteors often leaving trails. The parent comet is 109P/Swift-Tuttle.

And the really good news is that the peak is close to new Moon, so no interference

Kappa Cygnids:  active August 3rd to 28th, peak 11th, 23 kps, ZHR 3 (Manchester up to 2)

The radiant of these is circumpolar, highest at 22.00, as astro twilight begins.  Peak activity predicted for 18.00, so best seen after dusk.

The shower showed enhanced activity in 2007, 2014 and 2021 suggesting a 7 year period, so we’ll have to wait another 5 years until the next time. However general activity has increased over the last few years - doesn’t say whether this is to, or from, the 3 quoted.

Much higher activity has been recorded in radar observations, indicating that the shower mainly consists of very faint meteors, though there are also occasional fireballs. .

Parent body is not known for sure, one candidate is minor planet 2008 ED9

There could be some activity at the end of August from the Aurigids, which peak on the night of 31st/1st.  66kps, ZHR 6 to 10 but sometimes much higher.  The radiant is highest at 9am so best seen pre dawn. This shower has been known to include outbursts, in 2007 a ZHR of 130 was recorded but only for 20 minutes. The almost full Moon is above the horizon until almost 8am, so will interfere. Parent comet C/1911 N1 (Kiess)

The radiant of the ANT moves through Aquarius during August, slow moving meteors, ZHR 1 -2.

Credits

Most of the solar system information given here is from:

https://in-the-sky.org   

More information, exact co-ordinates and finder charts of all solar system objects can be found on this site.

Also quite useful is https://theskylive.com

https://www.imo.net/resources/calendar/

https://www.timeanddate.com

Other information is from various internet sources, including NASA, Britannica, Space Facts, Universe Today and, when all else fails,Wikipedia.

The Night Sky in July 2023

by Anne Holt

Sun & Moon

Sunrise     1st:   04.44             31st:   05.22

Sunset      1st:   21.40             31st:   21.07

Day length     1st:   16.56.25           31st:   15.44.39

Astronomical darkness:   none until 31st, then 00.54 to 01.37

Earth is at aphelion on 6th, at 21.98, distance 1.016 AU.  The difference between this and the perihelion distance of 0.9833 AU is not enough to affect the amount of light and heat we receive from the Sun.  We have Summer at this time because the Earth is tilted towards the Sun, so the rays reaching us cover a smaller area and are thus more concentrated.

Full Moon:      3rd at 12.38. angular diameter 32’ 59”, in Sagittarius.

New Moon:    17th at 19.33,  passes 4 degrees 54’ north of the Sun.

Lunar perigee:    4th at 23.25,  360149 km, a/d 33’ 09”,  in Capricorn, 94%

Lunar apogee:    20th at 07.56,  406289 km, a/d 29’ 23”,  in Leo, 8%

Some sources say that July’s full Moon is a Supermoon as it is quite close to perigee.  However the definition is that this occurs when the Earth-Moon distance is less than 359,000 km whereas the distance this month is greater, so it doesn’t qualify.

The most commonly used name for July’s full Moon is the Buck Moon, as this is the time when young male deer begin to grow new antlers.

It was the medieval Mead Moon (making or drinking - or maybe both?), the Old English/Anglo Saxon Hay Moon and the Celtic Horse Moon or Claiming Moon - the latter thought to refer to an early legal system.  It was the neo Pagan Rose Moon, the Colonial American Summer Moon and the Inuit Dry Moon.  

It is also the Chinese Hungry Ghost Moon, said to be in the month which includes the Hungry Ghost Festival, when people have to be very careful not to upset the ghosts of their ancestors.  However, this year it is on August 30th - in the seventh Lunar month of the Chinese year, not the western calendar month, so somebody got that wrong!

Many of this month’s indigenous American names refer to the ripening of crops. Among the exceptions are the Hopi Moon of the Home Dance, the Arapaho Moon when the hot weather begins and the Cree Moon when the ducks begin to moult.

The most interesting of the vegetation inspired names is the Zuni’s Moon when limbs are broken by fruit.  Presumably this refers to the heavily laden branches of trees and bushes, rather than arms and legs of the local population.

Highlights

We have passed the longest day so the nights are gradually becoming longer.  Astronomical darkness returns at the end of the month, one hour 41 minutes on the morning of 31st.  Before that, astronomical twilight increases fairly quickly, 2 and a quarter hours on 1st, a little over 3 hours mid month and 4 hours 40 minutes on 30th.

Mercury and Mars are too low to be seen in the evening sky, as is Venus after the first week or so. However Jupiter and Saturn are both improving morning objects, by the end of July Saturn culminates as it is lost to the dawn. Uranus reaches observable altitude in the morning sky by the end of the month, Neptune a couple of weeks earlier.

We have several, mostly minor, meteor showers unfortunately peaking at the end of the month, close to full Moon.

But there is still a chance of seeing some noctilucent clouds.

Constellations

The Summer Triangle asterism (made up of Vega in the constellation of Lyra, Deneb in Cygnus and Altair in Aquila) is now quite high in the southern half of the sky. Cygnus, with its Northern Cross asterism, and Lyra are particularly prominent.

At the start of the month Pegasus, followed by Andromeda, is rising in the early hours.

As always during the summer months, it isn't the best time to see the zodiac constellations or planets as the ecliptic never gets very high in the sky. However, if you do happen to visit a dark sky site over the next few months you should be rewarded with good views of the Milky Way high overhead running through Cygnus and down to Sagittarius just above the southern horizon.

Conjunctions

Most of the conjunctions and close passes this month won’t be easily visible as they are in the daytime and the planets involved are very low at dusk.

  1st at 08.08:   Venus is 3 degrees 53’ from Mars.  

19th at 09.57:   Moon passes 3 degrees 30’ north of Mercury.

20th at 09.38:   Moon passes 7 degrees 51’ north of Venus.

21st at 05.00:   Moon passes 3 degrees 16’ north of Mars.

26th at 13.45:   Venus passes 5 degrees 17’ south of Mercury. 

A couple which might be seen are:

7th at 04.09:  The gibbous Moon passes 2 degrees 40’ south of Saturn. Saturn is visible until 03.40, reaching 24 degrees in the south by dawn.  Separation at 03.00 is around 3 degrees.

11th at 21.22:  The 25% Moon passes 2 degrees 13’ north of Jupiter. Jupiter is visible from a few minutes after 2am until 04.20.  Separation at 4am on 11th is a little under 5 degrees, a degree less at 2am on 12th.  On both mornings they should be visible in the same field of view of 20x50 binoculars - but take great care to stop observing before sunrise.

Planets

Mercury:  in Gemini, mag -2.3

Not visible this month.  On 1st it is at superior solar conjunction, passing 1 degree 16’ north of the Sun at 06.12.  It then becomes an evening object but remains too low to be seen.  It crosses into Leo on 22nd, when it also reaches its highest point in the evening sky, 6 degrees at sunset but down to the horizon by the time the sky begins to brighten. By month end it is still on the horizon at dusk, setting at 21.54.

Venus:  in Leo, mag -4.5

Might be seen, low in the west after sunset, during the first week of July.  On 1st it is 10 degrees in the west as the sky begins to darken soon after 10pm, remaining high enough for observing for around 20 minutes and setting at 23.23.  By 9th, when it is at its greatest brightness, it is only 7 degrees at dusk, setting in nautical twilight. It might possibly be seen for a short time from a site with a clear western horizon.  By 22nd, now a little fainter at mag -4.4, it is on the horizon as the sky begins to darken and on 31st it is below the horizon at dusk, setting at the same time as the Sun.

Mars:  in Leo, mag 1.7

Too low in the evening sky to be seen this month. On 1st it is only 3 degrees at dusk, setting at 23.44. By 9th it is on the horizon as the sky darkens and on 31st is 2 degrees below.

Jupiter:  in Aries, mag -2.2

Its position in the pre dawn sky improves during July.  On 1st it rises at 01.45 becoming visible about an hour later and reaching 21 degrees in the east by dawn.  By mid month it rises at 00.50 and gets to 30 degrees in the east before it is lost in the brightening sky.  From 29th it rises before midnight, 23.52 on 31st when it is visible for around 4 hours, now getting to 41 degrees in darkness.  It will also be slightly brighter at mag -2.4.

Saturn:  in Aquarius, mag 0.8

Also an improving morning object. On 1st it rises a few minutes after midnight and is high enough for observing about 90 minutes later.  It reaches 22 degrees in the SE before being lost in the morning twilight around 03.30.  From 18th it culminates in darkness, on this day it is 25 degrees in the south when the sky begins to brighten. From 20th it is high enough to be seen before midnight and on 31st it rises at 22.04, reaches 10 degrees in the SE by 23.31 and culminates at 03.06, down to 23 degrees by dawn.

Uranus:  in Aries, mag 5.8

Too low for observing in the morning sky for most of July.  On 1st it is below the horizon at dawn and by mid month still only  reaches 10 degrees. From 26th it gets to 21 degrees (observable altitude) in darkness but only for a few minutes on this day.  On 31st it rises 5 minutes after midnight and is observable from around 02.40 until 3am, when it is at 26 degrees in the east.

Neptune:  in Pisces, mag 7.9

Another morning object, too low for observing in early July.  On 14th it is at 21 degrees at 02.25 as it is lost in the morning twilight.  It is observable a few minutes earlier each day, on 31st it rises at 22.34, is high enough by 01.40 and is 32 degrees in the south by dawn.

Dwarf Planets

Ceres:  in Virgo, mag 8.5

Too low in the evening sky to be observed throughout July.

Pluto:  in Capricorn, mag 15.0

Very difficult to observe or image despite reaching opposition on 22nd, when it culminates at 01.18 but is only 11 degrees in the south.

Haumea: in Bootes, mag 17.4 and Makemake: in Coma Berenices, mag 17.2

Both high enough for imaging in astro twilight in early July, with Haumea a few degrees higher in the west. Both sink below 21 degrees  before the sky begins to brighten, with Haumea visible for slightly longer.

Eris:  in Cetus, mag 18.7

Too low for imaging in the morning sky for most of July.  On 31st it is 23 degrees in the SE soon after 03.00, about 15 minutes before the sky begins to brighten.

Comets

C/2023 E1 (ATLAS):  in Ursa Major, mag 10.6

At perihelion on 1st, at a distance of 1.03AU. Close to the N celestial pole so observable throughout the hours of darkness. At its brightest on 8th, still at mag 10.6 - or maybe slightly brighter (as always, predictions vary). It goes into Draco on 14th and Cepheus on 30th.  Ends the month still circumpolar, mag now around 11,1. 

C/2020 V2 (ZTF):  in Aries, mag 10.1

Starts the month close to Uranus, but not visible as it is below the horizon at dawn. Moves into Cetus on 18th, when it is at 8 degrees as the sky brightens.  By month end it is lost in the brightening sky when it is at 18 degrees, not quite high enough for easy observing.

Meteor Showers

Several minor, and one not quite so minor, showers this month, mostly better seen from further south, marred by bright moonlight - or both!

July Pegasids:  active 4th to 14th, peak 10th, ZHR 5, 61 kps.

There could be some activity from these for about a week centred on the peak date.  They are bright, fairly fast meteors, parent body not known for sure, probably comet C/1978 Y1 (Bradfield). On 10th the just under 50% Moon rises at 00.32, the following day, now gibbous, it rises at 00.43.

Piscis Austrinids:  active July 15th to August 10th, peak 28th, ZHR 5, 35 kps.

From Manchester the radiant is so low that it is unlikely that any will be seen.  They are faint, slow moving meteors, parent body thought to be a defunct short period comet.

July (Gamma) Draconids: active 12th to 31st,  peak 28th, ZHR 5, 27 kps.

There hasn’t been much activity from these since 2006, when a short outburst was recorded. Earth reaches the same position relative to the dust stream at 21.00. on 28th, so you never know.  Unfortunately this is in daylight, 12 minutes before sunset, then the 88% Moon is above the horizon until 00.44 on the morning of 29th.  Parent body is thought to be a Halley type comet.

Southern Delta Aquariids:  active July 13th to August 23rd, peak 30th, ZHR 25 (up to 8 from the darker areas around Greater Manchester), 41 kps.

The strongest of July’s showers is another one which is much better seen from further south.  From Manchester, the radiant rises at 22.45, towards the end of nautical twilight, and is highest at 3am, unfortunately still quite low. Peak activity is predicted for 19.00 on 30th, a couple of hours before sunset, so best seen around 3am - in astro twilight and after the almost full Moon has set.

These fast moving meteors are very bright, so a few may be seen earlier in the night while the Moon is still above the horizon. Parent comet P/2008 Y12 (SOHO).

Alpha Capricornids:  active July 3rd August 18th, peak 30th, ZHR 5 (Man 2), 23 kps.

The radiant of these is above the horizon throughout the (very short) night but remains low.  Highest, 26 degrees, at 01.00.  Peak activity predicted for 19.00 on 30th.  The almost full Moon doesn’t set until 02.34 on the morning of 31st but these slow moving meteors are also very bright so some may be seen earlier. There could also be some fireballs. Parent comet 109P (NEAT).

The Antihelion Source are meteors not attributed to a specific shower, which have a radiant on the ecliptic almost opposite the position of the Sun. In July it moves through eastern Sagittarius, across northern Capricorn and into Aquarius.  ZHR 2 to 3. In the later part of July the radiant is close to that of the Capricornids and S Delta Aquariids. However meteors from these showers are easily distinguished from the ANT - the Capricornids are slower moving and the Aquariids are stronger and faster.

Credits

Most of the solar system information given here is from: https://in-the-sky.org More information, exact co-ordinates and finder charts of all solar system objects can be found on this site.

Also quite useful is https://theskylive.com

Other information is from various internet sources, including NASA, Britannica, Space Facts, Universe Today and, when all else fails, Wikipedia.

.  

The Night Sky in June 2023

by Anne Holt

Sun & Moon

Sunrise    1st:    04.47       30th:    04.43

Sunset     1st:    21.21       30th:    21.41 

Day Length      1st:  16.39.55         30th:   16.57.27

Longest day           21st:  17.01.53

Earliest sunrise     17th:    04.39

Latest Sunset:       25th:    21.42 

Astronomical darkness:  none

The June (Summer in the northern hemisphere) solstice is on 21st at 15.54. This is when the Sun reaches its highest point in the northern sky and is overhead at local noon along the Tropic of Cancer.  

It is the start of astronomical summer.

Full Moon:     4th at 04.41, angular diameter 32’ 17”, in Scorpio.

New Moon:  18th at 05.38, passes 4 degrees 06’ north of the Sun.

Lunar perigee:     7th at 10.05,  364859 km, a/d 32’ 44”, in Sagittarius, phase 85%.

Lunar apogee:  22nd at 19.30,  405384 km, a/d 29’ 22”, in Leo, phase 22%.

The most widely used name for the June full Moon is the Strawberry Moon because this is the time when the fruit ripen.  

It is the Celtic Horses or Mead Moon, the Chinese Lotus Moon, the Inuit Hunting Moon and the Medieval Dyan Moon - thought to derive from a word meaning pair and refer to it being the halfway point of the year. It is also said to be a form of the name Diane, the goddess of hunting and the Moon. This full Moon is also said to be the prime time for werewolves ....... you have been warned!

Indigenous American names include the Choctaw Windy Moon, the Omaha Moon when buffalo bulls hunt the cows, the Potawatomi Moon of the Turtle and the Wishram Fish spoils easily Moon.

Highlights

Venus is still very bright but is now lower as it becomes visible soon after sunset, Jupiter and Saturn are morning objects, their position improving during the month, but we are losing Mars in the evening sky. 

There are no reasonable comets and not much in the way of meteors, most of the June showers are either daytime or defunct. 

We have the longest day on 21st, which is also the solstice, the first day of astronomical summer.  Good news for most people, bad news for astronomers as it is, of course, also the shortest night. There is no astronomical darkness throughout June and very little astro twilight - 3 hours on 1st, down to only 2 hours around the solstice - and it doesn’t begin until around midnight.

But, while the nights are quite light we still have the chance of seeing some noctilucent clouds low in the sky before sunrise and after sunset.

Constellations

The Plough asterism in Ursa Major is still prominent, being overhead for much of the night, leaving Cassiopeia on the opposite side of the Pole Star, low in the northern sky. The Summer Triangle, consisting of Vega, Deneb and Altair, is now getting higher in the late evening, though Altair, in Aquila, is still quite low in the early part of the night. The beautiful double star Albireo, at the head of Cygnus the swan, is very well placed for observing. The Milky Way is now visible from dark sky sites, running across the sky through the Summer Triangle, passing almost overhead in the early hours. The bright orange red Arcturus is shining brightly high in the SW and, if you manage to find some dark skies not obscured by cloud, you should be able to see the rest of the kite shaped Bootes, with the semicircle of stars forming Corona Borealis just to the east of it. Another red giant, Antares in Scorpio is now visible low on the southern horizon. 

Conjunctions

4th at 05.34:  Mercury passes 2 degrees 54’ south of Uranus.  Both planets are below the horizon at dawn.

9th at 21.22:  The 55% Moon passes 2 degrees 58’ south of Saturn, which is visible for about half an hour from 03.30, reaching 14 degrees in the SE by dawn. Separation at 3.30 on 10th is a little over 3 degrees.

22nd at 01.48:  The 16% Moon is 3 degrees 41’ north of Venus.  The planet is visible from soon after 22.00 until 23.00 (later with a clear western horizon).  Separation at 22.30 on 21st is around 5 degrees. 

22nd at 11.10: The 19% Moon is 3 degrees 47’ north of Mars.  The red planet is very difficult to see, only 6 degrees in the evening twilight.

At this time Mars and Venus are separated by only 4.5 degrees, on 21st the Moon is 4.5 to the right of Venus, the following evening it is 5 degrees left of the much fainter Mars.

Planets

Mercury:  in Aries, mag 0.2.

Too low in the morning sky to be seen this month. On 1st it is 3 degrees below the horizon at dawn, rising at 04.08, only 35 minutes before the Sun.  When it goes into Taurus on 7th, it still fails to appear before the sky brightens. It reaches its highest point in the morning sky on 15th - 5 degrees at sunrise but still failing to clear the horizon in darkness. Some sources say that it might be visible through binoculars, in the brightening sky mid month, but this is not recommended - the risk of catching the first rays of the rising Sun is much too high. It is in Gemini from 28th and, on 30th, appears only 1 degree from the Sun.

Venus:  in Gemini, mag -4.3.

Now lower in the evening sky but still dazzlingly bright, especially from a dark sky site.  On 1st it is 22 degrees in the west at around 22.00, remaining high enough to be seen easily until the start of astro twilight. On 4th, when it crosses into Cancer, it is at greatest eastern elongation, apparent separation from the Sun 48.4 degrees but now only 21 degrees at dusk. By mid month it is 17 degrees when it becomes visible and, from 24th, when it moves into Leo, it sets before midnight but can still be seen, low in the west, until at least 23.00.  By 30th it is only 11 degrees in the evening twilight, visible until 22.30, a few minutes before the start of nautical twilight. It is slightly brighter at mag -4.5 but, because it is no longer seen in a dark sky, the difference probably won’t be noticeable.

Mars:  in Cancer, mag 1.6.

Now only visible for a short time in the evening. On 1st it is 17 degrees in the west as the sky darkens a few minutes before 23.00, too low after only half an hour. The observation window shortens even more over the next week,  on 8th it is only 13 degrees when it becomes visible, remaining high enough for a very short time.  On 21st, when it goes into Leo, it is 6 degrees at dusk, half that by 30th.

On 1st it is separated from Venus by around 11 degrees, down to 8.5 degrees on 8th.  On the night of 30th/July 1st they are at their closest, 3 degrees 33’, but Mars is no longer visible.

Jupiter:  in Aries, mag -2.1.

Not easy to see in the first few days of June. On 1st it rises at 03.27 but only reaches 6 degrees by dawn. On 6th it is 8 degrees in the east as the sky brightens and may be seen for a couple of minutes. It becomes visible a minute or two earlier each day, by 13th it is observable from 03.45 and reaches 11 degrees in the east before being lost to view about 30 minutes later.  On 30th it rises at 01.44, almost 3 hours before the Sun, and reaches 20 degrees by dawn.

Saturn:  in Aquarius, mag 1.0.

Now a morning object, visible low in the SE in the early hours. On 1st it rises at 02.00 and is high enough for observing about 90 minutes later,  reaching 12 degrees at 03.40, in relative darkness.  Like Jupiter it can be seen a little earlier each day so is getting higher before it is lost in the morning sky.  It begins retrograde (E to W) motion on 17th, when it rises over 3 and a half hours before the Sun and is 17 degrees in the SE when it is lost to the dawn. On 30th it rises a few minutes after midnight and still takes about 90 minutes to reach observable altitude. It is now at 22 degrees when the sky brightens.

The downside is that the rings are now closing, they are currently tilted by only 7 degrees.

Uranus:  in Aries, mag 5.9.

Not observable this month. On 1st it rises less than an hour before the Sun and appears only 20 degrees from it. The separation increases during the month but by 30th it is still below the horizon at dawn.

Neptune:  in Pisces, mag 7.9.

Also too low to be observed this month. On 1st it is 3 degrees below the horizon at dawn, rising at 02.30. It gets slightly higher during the month, on 15th it is on the horizon as the sky brightens and on 30th, when it begins retrograde motion,  it rises at 00.37, over 4 hours before the Sun, but only reaches 8 degrees in darkness.  

Dwarf Planets

Ceres:  in Virgo, mag 8.1.

On 1st it is at 31 degrees in the SW when it becomes visible around midnight, too low after only 70 minutes. By 10th it is only 22 degrees in the west as the sky darkens about 00.30, and for the rest of the month it has sunk too low by the time it gets sufficiently dark.

Pluto:  in Capricorn, mag 15.1

A morning object but much too low to be observed or imaged from our latitude.

Haumea: in Bootes, mag 17.3, and Makemake: in Coma Berenices, mag 17.2.

Both high enough for imaging during the darkest part of the night - but only by very experienced astrophotographers using the very best equipment.

On 1st Haumea is 50 degrees in the SW around midnight down to 36 degrees when the sky begins to brighten around 02.15. By month end it is 33 degrees in the west at 00.40, 24 degrees only an hour later.

Makemake is a little lower, 49 degrees in the west, down to 31 degrees on the 1st.  On 30th it is only 27 degrees when it becomes observable, sinking too low about 20 minutes before the sky brightens.

Eris:  in Cetus, mag 18.7.

The faintest and hardest to image of the 5 dwarf planets is below the horizon during the darkest part of the night throughout June.

Comets

Nothing even reasonably bright again this month.

The one to watch, C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS)  in Virgo, still only at mag 16.5, is observable during astro twilight for most of the month. By 19th it is too low a few minutes before the sky brightens and during the last few days of June it isn’t visible at all.  When we next see it, in  late December, the predicted mag is 14.7 down to 10.1 when we lose it again in early June. When it reaches its hoped for brightest, mag 1.6, in late Sept 2024 it won’t be visible from the UK.  When we next catch it, in late October 2024, it is predicted to have faded to mag 3.2.

Meteor Showers

Not much to see this month.  There are a few showers but mainly active in the daytime.

Arietids:  active May 14th to June 24th, peak 11th, ZHR in the daytime 60 to 200.  In darkness from Manchester no more than 8 - if that! velocity  38 kps.

The radiant is only 30 degrees west of the Sun, so most of the activity is in daylight, however a few may be seen in the pre dawn sky, either shooting upwards from the eastern horizon or as Earthgrazers moving horizontally, very low in the sky.  On 11th the radiant rises at 02.13, a few minutes after the 41% Moon. Parent comet is possibly 96P/Machholz.

This shower, along with the Zeta Perseids, was first detected in 1947 by astronomers working at Jodrell Bank.

Zeta Perseids:  active May 20th to July 5th, peak 10th, ZHR 20, 26 kps.

The radiant is only 16 degrees from the Sun so it is very unlikely that any will be observed visually.  It is part of the Taurid complex, parent comet 2P/Encke. 

Beta Taurids:  active June 5th to July 18th,  peak 28th, rate medium.

This shower, also associated with the S and N Taurids, is notable only because it is thought to be the source of the Tunguska meteorite of June 30th 1908.  Some sources say that there could be several more large chunks of rock hidden in the same part of the dust stream.

A couple of minor, maybe now even non-existent, night showers.

June Lyrids:  active 10th to 21st, peak 15th/16th.  ZHR 8 (maybe)

This shower was first seen in 1966 and was around for a few years but hasn’t shown much activity recently.  They were mainly faint blue coloured meteors with a few brighter ones which left trails.  Parent body not known.

June Bootids: active June 22nd to July 2nd, peak 27th.  ZHR variable between 0 and 100+, 18 kps.

Most years there is little or no activity from this shower of slow moving, long lasting meteors. It shows occasional outbursts lasting a few hours - a ZHR of 100 was seen in 1988, 50 in 2004 and 10 in 2010.  Nothing is predicted for this year.  Parent comet 7P/Pons-Winnecke.

The antihelion source has a radiant moving through Sagittarius,  No activity mid month, ZHR 2-4 in early and late June.

Credits

Most of the solar system information given here is from:

https://in-the-sky.org

More information, exact co-ordinates and finder charts of all solar system objects can be found on this site.

Also quite useful is https://theskylive.com

Other information is from various internet sources, including NASA, Britannica, Space Facts, Universe Today and, when all else fails, Wikipedia.

The Night Sky in May 2023

by Anne Holt

Sun and Moon

Sunrise       1st:   05.35        31st:    04.48

Sunset        1st:   20.38        31st:    21.25

Day Length 1st:  15.03.07    31st:  16.27.47

Astronomical darkness    1st:  23.25 to 02.45      31st:  none

We have no astro darkness after mid May.  On the night of 14th/15th it is from 00.58 to 01.11

Full Moon:      5th at 18.32.    Angular diameter 31’ 4”,  in Libra.

New Moon:    19th at  16.54.   Passes 2 degrees 10’ north of the Sun 

Lunar perigee:  11th at 16.05.     369344 km,  a/d 32’ 30”,  phase 60%,  in Taurus.

Lunar apogee:  26th at 02.38.     404509 km,  a/d 29’ 31”,  phase 39%,  in Leo.

There is a penumbral Lunar Eclipse on 5th, between 16.15 and 20.32, visible from India, Central Asia and Australia.  From the north of the UK the Moon doesn’t rise until 20.52 so no eclipse will be seen.

The most common name for the May Full Moon is the Flower Moon, for obvious reasons. 

It is the Colonial American Milk Moon, the Medieval English Mothers’ Moon or Hare Moon, the Celtic Bright Moon and the Chinese Dragon Moon.  For the Inuit it is the Goose Moon and it’s the neo Pagan Grass Moon.

There are very many Indigenous American names including the Cree Frog Moon, the Assiniboine Idle Moon, the Cheyenne Fat Horses Moon, the Arapaho Moon when ponies shed their shaggy hair, the Hopi Waiting Moon and the Tlingit Moon before Pregnancy.

Highlights

We now have too much light!  On 1st there is only 3 hrs 20 mins of astro darkness, down to 13 minutes mid month then nothing until the end of July.

There is one fair to middling meteor shower, spoilt by the just past full Moon nearby, and most of the naked eye planets are not well placed.  Mars is a fading evening object, sinking too low for observing before midnight from mid May, and Saturn may be glimpsed for a few minutes, low in the pre dawn sky, at the end of the month.

The exception is the brilliant Venus, still dominating the evening sky.  It is getting slightly lower at dusk as the month progresses but is still visible until almost midnight.

There is a very close lunar conjunction with Jupiter (an occultation is visible from Scotland) in daylight.

If you do attempt to see this using a scope BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL.

And the last week in May is the start of the season for:-

Noctilucent Clouds

One plus point about the Summer months is that we may have some noctilucent (night shining) clouds.   From late May until early August, when the Sun is between 6 and 16 degrees below the horizon, we may see these thin, wispy silvery or blue clouds low in the NW to north and hour or two after sunset, or in the NE to north before sunrise, though a very strong display could last all night.

They are formed in the mesosphere, 75 to 85 km high, where it is cold enough for ice crystals to form on dust particles, thought to be left by meteors.  At this altitude they are still in sunlight, even though it has set for observers on the ground.  

They used to be very rare but are now becoming a little more common, possibly because of increased pollution.  Recent studies have found that displays often occur around 10 days after a rocket launch, which increases the amount of water vapour in the upper atmosphere.

Conjunctions

13th at 14.07.   The 33% Moon passes 3 degrees 17’ north of Saturn. The Moon rises at 03.31, Saturn at 03.13 but only reaches 7 degrees by dawn.

17th at 14.18. The thin crescent Moon passes 47’ north of Jupiter. The Moon rises at 04.16, Jupiter, four minutes later, is too low to be seen in the dawn sky. There will be an occultation visible from most of N America, northern Central America, the Nordic countries and Scotland. Most of Scotland will only see the planet disappear behind the Moon but observers in Shetland will see the whole event. For the rest of us the pair will appear very close together. Unfortunately, as you will have realised from the timings, it all happens in daylight.

The Moon should be visible to the naked eye but a Go To scope will be needed in order to see Jupiter.

WARNING: take great care when using a scope in daylight, stand in shadow, leaving only the area to the west of the Sun visible. Please do not try to see this using binoculars. They are not as easy to control as a scope, even when using a tripod, so the chance of accidentally catching the Sun is too high.

23rd at 13.03. The 17% Moon passes 2 degrees 12’ north of Venus.  The planet is visible from around 21.45, when it is 24 degrees in the west.  Separation at 22.00 is around 5 degrees.

24th at 18.33. The 27% Moon is 3 degrees 45’ north of Mars.  Mars is visible from 22.36, when it is 22 degrees above the western horizon. Separation at 23.00 is around 4 degrees.

Constellations

As the sky darkens at the start of the month Lyra and Cygnus are rising in the north east, followed a couple of hours later by Aquila. In the later part of the night the Summer Triangle formed by Vega, Deneb and Altair, the brightest star in each of these three constellations, should be easily visible. By the end of the month Aquila will be above the horizon by around 11pm. The brightest part of the Milky Way visible to us in the UK runs through the Summer Triangle and down through Scutum and Sagittarius.

The Plough is still very high in the sky for most of the night, standing on its handle, so Cassiopeia, the W shaped 'Lady in the Chair', on the opposite side of the Pole Star is very low down in the north.

Bootes, the herdsman, is now riding high although only Arcturus, the brightest star in the celestial northern hemisphere, is above magnitude 2, so its kite asterism may not be easily visible in our light polluted skies. Arcturus is easy to find though - just follow the arc of the Plough's handle down to the south until you come to Arcturus. Carry on the arc a bit further and you come to the star Spica, the brightest star in Virgo.

At this time of year when you look up to the south you are looking out of the plane of our Milky Way galaxy instead of along it like you do in winter and summer, so there aren't many bright stars, open star clusters and nebulae. However, if you've got a telescope this is a good time of year to hunt down globular clusters like M13, the Great Globular Cluster in Hercules, and faint galaxies like the many galaxies lying in the bowl of Virgo and into Coma Berenices.

Ephemerides

Mercury:  in Aries, mag 6.5

Not visible this month. On 1st it appears only 1 degree from the Sun, the following day it is at inferior solar conjunction, passing 42’ to the north.  It is at aphelion on 14th, at a distance of 0.47AU, and, on 29th, reaches greatest western elongation, separated from the Sun by 24.9 degrees.  However, because of the extremely low angle of the ecliptic to the horizon at this time, it is still below the horizon at dawn, rising only 33 minutes before sunrise. On 31st, despite having brightened to mag 0.3, it is still not visible as it doesn't rise until after the sky has brightened. 

Venus:  in Taurus, mag -4.1

Still a brilliant sight in the evening sky.  On 1st it is at 28 degrees in the west at 21.00, as the sky begins to darken, easily visible until 23.30 - a few minutes after the start of astro darkness. It gets lower in the evening sky as the month progresses but remains above the horizon until the start of astro darkness, until mid month when there isn’t any. The latest setting time is 01.01 on 16th to 20th.  By 31st it is 22 degrees at dusk, setting at 23.40 and now a little brighter at mag -4.3.

Mars:  in Gemini, mag 1.3

An evening object.  On 1st it is 38 degrees in the west as it becomes visible around 20.45, sinking too low for easy observation soon after 00.30.  By the 18th, when it moves into Cancer, it is only 26 degrees high as the sky darkens, down to 10 degrees by midnight, setting at 01.44.  It is at aphelion on 30th, when it is 1.67 AU from the Sun.  On 31st, now down to mag 1.6, it is 18 degrees when the sky darkens, visible for only half an hour and setting at 01.11.  During the month the separation from the much brighter Venus is reducing - Mars is to the left, about 26.5 degrees on 1st, down to 11.5 by the end of May.

Jupiter: in Pisces, mag -2.0

Still very bright but too low to be easily seen in the morning sky. On 1st it rises only 19 minutes before the Sun, at 05.16, on 31st at 03.30 but only reaches 5 degrees in the east by dawn.

Saturn:  in Aquarius, mag 1.0

A morning object, very low in the pre dawn sky, only 4 degrees on 1st.  By the end of May it reaches observable altitude a couple of minutes before being lost in the brightening sky - 12 degrees in the SE at 03.35.

Uranus:  in Aries, mag 5.9.

Not visible this month.  On 1st it appears only 8 degrees from the Sun and, on 9th, is at solar conjunction, passing 18’ to the south at 20.46.  It then becomes a morning object, still too close to the Sun to be visible.  On 31st it rises at 03.59 but there is still only 19 degrees separation.

Neptune:  in Pisces, mag 7.9.

Still not observable, below the horizon when the sky begins to brighten throughout May.

Dwarf Planets

Ceres:  in Coma Berenices, mag 7.5

Observable in the evening sky.  On 1st it is 52 degrees in the south as the sky darkens a few minutes before 22.30, culminating at 22.32 and down to 21 degrees in the west by 03.30.  From 3rd it reaches its highest point before it becomes visible, 5 minutes on this day, and on 13th it resumes prograde motion.  It moves into Virgo on 21st, now down to mag 8.0, and visible, 39 degrees in the SW, soon after 23.30, too low by 01.40.  On 31st it becomes observable a few minutes before midnight, remaining high enough for an hour and a quarter and setting at 03.48.

Pluto:  in Capricorn, mag 15.2

Too low to be observed or imaged from the UK.

Haumea: in Bootes, mag 17.3, and Makemake: in Coma Berenices, mag 17.1, are both high enough for imaging (by very experienced astrophotographers) for most of the, albeit very short, night.  For most of May Haumea reaches 52 degrees in the south, Makemake a little higher at 58 degrees, both are down to 50 degrees at dusk by the end of the month.

Eris: in Cetus, mag 18.7

Below the horizon, when the sky begins to brighten, throughout May.

Asteroids at opposition:

Three this month, all in Libra, all below mag 10, only one high enough for observation.

3rd: 32 Pomona, mag 10.4.  Culminates at 00.56 but lower than 21 degrees in the south.

10th: 16 Psyche, mag 10 6. Culminates at 01.12, 23 degrees in the south, observable 00.14 to 02.10.

22nd: 44 Nysa, mag 10.3. Culminates at 01.10, lower than 21 degrees.

Comets

2 reach perihelion this month but neither are visible.

8th: C/2022 E3 (ZTF) appears only 9 degrees from the Sun.

9th: C/2021 K1 (PanSTARRS) is below the horizon for UK observers.

C/2021 T4 (Lemmon), in Cetus, is predicted to reach mag 8.3 on 21st July. However it is unobservable from the UK now and will still be so in July.

C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS), in Virgo, mag 17.2.

Currently observable from dusk to dawn but still very faint. It brightens very slightly during the month but has a long way to go before its predicted peak, now showing as mag 3.2, in Oct 2024. 

Meteor showers

Eta Aquarids:  active April 18th to May 28th, peak on the night of 6th/7th, ZHR 40 -50 (no more than 10 from Manchester - and probably far fewer), 66 kps.

These are fast moving meteors with persistent trails but little or no fireball activity. Rates are said to be good for a week centred on the peak.

The radiant rises at 02.46 and is highest after dawn, peak activity predicted for 16.00 on 6th so best seen pre dawn on 6th and when the radiant rises on the morning of 7th. 

It is a strong shower when seen from further south but, from Manchester, the radiant remains very low hence the much reduced ZHR.  Peak rates have been declining in recent years - maximum 85 in 2008, 60 in 2018, 50 in 2020, but there could be some enhanced activity this year.

However, the just past full Moon is above the horizon the whole night and will interfere significantly.

Parent comet 1P/Halley.

Eta Lyrids:  active May 3rd to 14th, peak 9th, ZHR 3 (M/c 2), 43 kps.

The radiant is circumpolar, highest at 05.00, peak activity is given as 06.00 on 9th, so best seen pre dawn on that day.  However the 85% Moon will interfere.

Parent comet C/1983 H1 (IRAS-Araki-Alcock).

There could be some activity from the Camelopardalids on May 29th  A  ZHR of 15 was recorded in 2014 but the predicted peak times this year are in daylight - 06.40, 13.40 and 14.07.

Parent comet 209P/Linear.

The antihelion source has a radiant moving across northern Scorpio into southern Ophiuchus. ZHR 2  increasing to 4 towards the end of the month.

Credits

Most of the solar system information given here is from:

https://in-the-sky.org

More information, exact co-ordinates and finder charts of all solar system objects can be found on this site.

Also quite useful is https://theskylive.com

Other information is from various internet sources, including NASA, Britannica, Space Facts, Universe Today and, when all else fails, Wikipedia.

The Night Sky in April 2023

by Anne Holt

Sun and Moon

Sunrise.        1st:   06.43           30th:  05.37

Sunset.         1st:   19.43           30th:  20.36 

Day Length.  1st:  13.00.29       30th:  14.59.17

Astronomical Darkness.   1st:  21.45 to 04.26     30th:  23.21 to 02.50

On 20th there is a very rare Hybrid Solar Eclipse, visible from parts of Antarctica, E Timor and E Indonesia.

Because the Sun and Moon are almost the same size on this day, the curvature of the Earth means that when seen at sunrise and sunset the Moon fails to completely cover the Sun and there is an annular eclipse. Hybrid eclipses are very rare - only 4 this century.

Full Moon:           6th at 05.34,  angular diameter 30’ 32”,  in Virgo.

New Moon:         20th at  05.13,  passes 23’ south of the Sun. 

Lunar Perigee.   16th at 03.23,  367966 km,   a/d 32’ 27”,  phase 16%,  in Aquarius.

Lunar apogee.   28th at 07.43,   404299km,   a/d 29’ 32”,  phase  58%,  in Cancer.

The most common name for April’s full Moon is the Pink Moon.  It is no more likely to appear pink than at any other time, the name comes from the pink phlox flowers which blossom at this time.

It is the Colonial American Planters’ Moon, the Celtic Growing Moon, the Old English/Anglo Saxon Hare Moon, the neo Pagan Awakening Moon, the Chinese Peony Moon and the Inuit Snow Melt Moon.

Among the more interesting indigenous American names are the Anishinaabe Broken Snowshoe Moon,  the Hopi Moon of Windbreak, the Lakota Moon when wives crack bones for marrow fat, the Shawnee Half Moon and the Zuni Great Sandstorm Moon.

As the first full Moon after the March equinox it’s also the Paschal Moon, the one used to calculate the date of Easter.  Easter Day is the Sunday on, or after, the first full Moon following the equinox.

Only it isn’t quite that simple! 

The equinox is always counted as March 21st, even when it is on a different day - the last time it was on 21st was in 2007, the next time won’t be till 2102.

And the full Moon date isn’t necessarily when the Moon is actually full, it’s a calculated date known as the Ecclesiastical Full Moon.  The Moon returns to the same place in the sky at the same phase and on the same date after 19 years. This is known as the Metonic Cycle after the Athenian astronomer who discovered it.

It is divided into 254 months of 29 or 30 days, the first day of each month is the Ecclesiastical New Moon, the 14th day following is the Ecclesiastical Full Moon.  It sometimes coincides with the actual full Moon but there can be up to 2 days difference.

The earliest possible date for Easter is March 22nd. This happens when the calculated full Moon date is Saturday, March 21st.  It last happened in 1818 and the next time won’t be until 2285.  The latest date is April 25th, this is when there is a full Moon on March 20th and the next, the Paschal Moon, is in the week beginning Monday 19th April.  This is a little more common, it happened in 1943 and the next time will be in 2038.

The most common date is April 19th.

Because there are so many variables in the calculation of the Paschal Full Moon date and therefore Easter Day, the sequence does not begin to repeat for 5,700,000 years. There have been many attempts to standardise the date of Easter. In 1928 a law was passed making it the Sunday after the second Saturday in April. Even though this law has never been enforced, it could still be at some point in the future.

Highlights

More light than high this month, unfortunately.  We are rapidly losing astro darkness - 6 hours 37 minutes on 1st down to 3 hours 29 on 30th, when it doesn’t start until 23.20.

There is one meteor shower, the Lyrids, close to new Moon. The gas giants, Jupiter and Saturn, are now lost to view but Mars is still visible in the evening sky, albeit much fainter, and Mercury has its best evening showing of the year in the first half of April. The one real highlight is Venus, unmissably bright soon after sunset and still visible at the start of astro darkness.

Conjunctions

16th at 04.49:   the 15% Moon passes 3 degrees 39’ south of Saturn.  The planet rises at 04.55  but is only 2 degrees above the horizon at dawn.  

21st at 08.05:  the 3% Moon passes 1 degree 53’ south of Mercury.  The planet is only 3 degrees at dusk and the Moon is a very thin crescent.

23rd at 14.03:  the 15% Moon passes 1 degree 13’ north of Venus. Separation at sunset is less than 3 degrees up to around 4 degrees by 21.00.

26th at 03.19:  the 37% Moon is 3 degrees 13’ north of Mars.  Separation when the planet becomes visible around 21,30 is a little less than 5 degrees.

Constellations

Now that BST has been forced upon us, we have to wait even longer for the skies to darken each evening. By the time it gets really dark the winter constellations, including the beautiful area around the Winter Hexagon, so rich in bright stars, are sinking slowly in the West.

Ursa Major is now high in the sky with the Plough overhead around midnight in the second half of the month. Follow the curve of the handle down to the orange coloured Arcturus, brightest star in the constellation Bootes the herdsman, and the 4th brightest in the night sky.

The signature constellation of spring, Leo, is still riding high in the south and the Summer Triangle of Vega (in Lyra), Deneb (Cygnus) and Altair (Aquila) is now rising in the east and visible in the early hours.

Planets

Mercury:  in Pisces, mag -1.1

In early April it is at its best for the year in the evening sky. On 1st it is only 7 degrees above the western horizon as the sky darkens, so not easy to spot.  It improves over the next 10 days, on 4th, when it moves into Aries, it should be visible for a few minutes around 20.15. On 11th it is at greatest eastern elongation, 19.5 degrees from the Sun, and also at its highest point in the sky - 16 degrees at sunset, 10 degrees at dusk. However it is fading quite rapidly, now mag -0.2.  Its position deteriorates along with its brightness, by 13th it is too low in the evening twilight to be easily seen.  On 30th, mag now 5.9 its apparent separation from the Sun is only 5 degrees.

Venus:  in Aries, mag -4.0

Now unmissable (weather permitting) in the evening sky, still visible when astro darkness begins.

On 1st it is 26 degrees in the west as the sky darkens and remains easily visible until after 10pm - later if observing from a site with a clear western horizon - setting at 23.18. It crosses into Taurus on 8th, and on 9th and 10th passes south of the Pleiades, less than 3 degrees separation on the evening of 10th. By 13th it is between the Pleiades and the Hyades and the following day is above the horizon until midnight. It is at perihelion on 17th, at a distance of 0.72AU though, because its orbit is almost circular, there is very little difference (0.01AU) between this and aphelion. It is now 28 degrees at dusk, remaining easily visible for more than 3 hours. Its highest point in the evening sky, 32 degrees at sunset, is reached on 23rd and on 30th it doesn’t set until 00.42, mag now -4.1.

Mars:  in Gemini, mag 1.0

An evening object, high in the SW as the sky darkens. On 1st it remains high enough for observing until a little after 01.30, setting at 03.29. By mid month, down to mag 1.2, it is visible from dusk until 01.15 and on 30th until around 00.40.  Its apparent size is reducing as it moves away from us, its surface markings can no longer be seen when the planet is viewed through a small scope.

Jupiter:  in Pisces, mag -2.0

Not visible this month despite its brightness. On 1st it is only just above the horizon as the sky darkens, setting at 20.20.  Its apparent separation from the Sun decreases over the next 10 days and, on 11th, it is at solar conjunction passing 1 degree 03’ to the south. A couple of days later it is at apogee  at a distance of 5.96AU.  It then becomes a morning object but is still below the horizon at dawn for the rest of the month.

Saturn:  in Aquarius, mag -1.0

Now a morning object, still too low to be visible.  On the horizon at dawn on 1st,   only 4 degrees when the sky brightens at the end of the month.

Uranus:  in Aquarius, mag 5.9

Starts the month fairly close to Venus but too faint to be seen in the still bright sky,  on 1st it is 15 degrees above the horizon as the sky darkens. By 30th it appears only 9 degrees from the Sun, setting 45 minutes after it. 

Neptune: in Pisces, mag 8.0.

Too low in the morning sky to be observed.  Appears only 15 degrees from the Sun on 1st and still below the horizon at dawn by 30th.

Dwarf Planets

Ceres: in Coma Berenices, mag 7.0

An evening object, observable for most of the night, a good target for small scopes.  On 1st it is 33 degrees in the east at dusk, culminating, 52 degrees in the south, at 00.53 and down to 27 degrees in the west by dawn. By mid month it reaches its highest point at 23.43 and is 21 degrees at dawn. From 21st it sinks below observable altitude before the sky brightens.  On 30th, now at mag 7.5, it is 52 degrees in the south at dusk, culminates soon afterwards and is down to 21 degrees in the west by 03.32.

Pluto:  in Capricorn, mag 15.2

Still too low for UK observers

Haumea: in Bootes,  mag 17.3, and Makemake: in Coma Berenices, mag 17.1, are still well placed and observable for most of the night throughout April.

Haumea is at opposition on 20th, when it is at its highest point, 51 degrees in the south, at 01.49. Makemake, just past opposition, culminates a little earlier and slightly higher at 58 degrees.

Eris:  in Cetus, mag 18.7, is at solar conjunction on 25th, unobservable throughout April.

Asteroid 7 Iris is at opposition on 30th, in Libra, mag 9.6.

It culminates at 01.01 but is only 16 degrees above the S horizon, too low to be observed.

Comets

The newly discovered C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) is predicted to reach mag 0.0, but not until October 2024.

As we all know, comets are notoriously unpredictable, so don’t hold your breath - it will probably be another big disappointment!

It is currently in Virgo, observable late evening until dawn, estimated mag around 18.

C/2022 A2 (PanSTARRS) in Andromeda, mag 10.6

Circumpolar but very low, observable for a short time pre dawn. The observing window shortens as it gets even lower, by the last week in April it doesn’t get higher than 21 degrees.

C/2022 E3 (ZTF): in Eridanus, mag 11.2, and C/2020 V2 (ZTF): in Triangulum, mag 10.1, are now too low to be observed.

Meteor Showers

Lyrids: active April 14th to 30th, peak on the night of 22nd/23rd, ZHR variable, usually between 10 and 18, velocity 49 kps.

This is the oldest known shower, recorded by Chinese astronomers around 2,700 years ago.  It is thought to have been much more prolific in the past - in 687 BCE it was noted that ‘meteors fell like rain’. The shower now appears to show enhanced activity every 60 years, a ZHR of 90 was seen in 1922 and 1982 - maybe we’ll have a better show in 2042.

The radiant, quite close to Vega though actually in Hercules, is highest after dawn but is reasonably high at the predicted peak time of 2am.  They are fairly bright, medium paced meteors,mostly without persistent trails, parent comet C/1861 G1 (Thatcher).

The good news is that the Moon is only 3 days past new on the peak night, setting soon after 1am.

There is also a shower visible only from the S hemisphere.

Pi Puppids: active 15th to 28th April, peak 24th, ZHR variable - in the past has reached 40 but hasn’t done so recently. It is thought that the dust cloud from the parent comet 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup has become more spread out.

There is one daytime shower, detectable only with radar and  radio equipment,

April Piscids, active 20th to 26th, peak 23rd, rates low.

The radiant of the Antihelion Source (ANT) begins the month in S Virgo then moves through Libra.  ZHR 2-4.

Credits

Most of the solar system information given here is from:

https://in-the-sky.org

More information, exact co-ordinates and finder charts of all solar system objects can be found on this site.

Also quite useful is https://theskylive.com

https://www.imo.net/resources/calendar/

https://www.timeanddate.com

Other information is from various internet sources, including NASA, Britannica, Space Facts, Universe Today and, when all else fails,Wikipedia.

The Night Sky in March 2023

by Anne Holt

Please note:  The clocks go forward at 1am on Sunday 26th.  All times given after that are in BST (GMT + 1 hour)

Sun and Moon

Sunrise           1st:   06.57             31st:    06.45

Sunset            1st:   17.46             31st:    19.41

Day Length   1st:  10.48.36          31st:  12.56.14

Astronomical Darkness     1st:   19.42 to 04.59        31st:  21.47 to 04.38

The March (Vernal or Spring in the northern hemisphere) equinox is on 20th at 21.20.  This is the moment when the centre of the Sun crosses the celestial equator and is overhead at local noon along the terrestrial equator. It is the first day of Astronomical Spring (Autumn in the southern hemisphere).  Despite the name, which means equal night, day and night are not 12 hours each on this day.  Sunrise and Sunset times are when the top of the Sun's disc, not the centre, appears and disappears. Also, refraction of light when the Sun is very close to the horizon, means that we see it for a short while before it rises and after it sets. 

The 20th is actually 12 hrs 08 minutes and 24 seconds long, closest to 12 hours is 18th at 12.00.51.

Full Moon:     7th at 12.40.  a/d 29’ 48”,  in Leo

New Moon:   21st at 17.24.  Passes 2 degrees 13’ north of the Sun.

Lunar apogee:    3rd at 18.00,  405889 km, a/d 29’ 28”, phase 90%, in Cancer.

Lunar perigee:    19th at 15.12,  362696 km, a/d 32’ 55”, phase 3%, in Aquarius.

Lunar apogee:    31st at 12.17,  404928 km, a/d 29’ 29”, phase 75%, in Cancer.

The most common name for the March Full Moon is the Worm Moon - earthworms appear now that the ground is no longer frozen.  It could also refer to insect larvae, which emerge from the bark of trees at this time. Other names are the Celtic Winds or Seed Moon, the neo Pagan Death Moon, the medieval Chaste Moon, the Colonial American Fish Moon, the Chinese Sleepy Moon and the Inuit Snow Bird Moon.

As always there are some descriptive names from Indigenous American peoples.  It’s the Choctaw Big Famine Moon, the Ojibwa Moon of the Crust on Snow, the Mohawk Much Lateness Moon, the Hopi Whispering Wind Moon and the Dakota Sioux Moon when eyes are sore from bright snow.

And, as the last Full Moon of the Winter season it is also known as the Lenten Moon.

Highlights

The star of the show this month is Venus, shining brightly in the early evening sky, though it has yet to reach its best in magnitude or position.  At the beginning of March it appears very close to Jupiter and, after the first week, is still visible at the start of astro darkness. Mars is still quite prominent in the evening sky, albeit much fainter now, and dwarf planet Ceres reaches opposition and is a good target for small scopes.

The length of astronomical darkness is reducing - 9 hrs 17 mins on 1st, down to 6 hrs 5 mins on 31st, when it doesn't start until almost 10pm.  Though that would have been 9pm if we hadn’t had to change the clocks a few days previously.

We have the equinox, after which the days start to get longer than the nights, good news for most people, bad news for astronomers.

And, around the time of the equinox, when the ecliptic is closest to vertical to the horizon after sunset, is the best time to look for the elusive Zodiacal Light in the evening sky. If you have a dark sky, completely free from any light pollution, look to the west around the start of astro darkness. You might be lucky enough to see a very faint diffuse cone of light, widest at the horizon. It is caused when sunlight is scattered by a cloud of dust along the plane of the solar system.  It is thought to originate from asteroid collisions and Jupiter family comets but there is also a theory that it is dust originating on Mars. Like the aurora it sometimes shows on images, even when it isn’t visible to the naked eye.

The best time to see it is from March 12th to 23rd, when the Moon is out of the way.

And the bad news, at the end of March our 2022/23 season comes to a close.

Constellations

We are now losing the winter highlights of Orion, Sirius and Taurus soon after midnight, though they are still prominent in the south in the early part of the night. Auriga, with the bright yellowish-white star Capella, is now overhead soon after sunset, with Gemini and Leo also prominent. The not very obvious zodiac constellation, Cancer, is now well placed. The Plough is overhead by midnight, the handle pointing to the orange hued Arcturus, the brightest star north of the celestial equator, in the constellation of Bootes. By the end of March the Summer Triangle will be above the horizon soon after 2am - or by 1am if you've forgotten to put the clock forward.

Conjunctions

2nd at 05.05:  Venus is 29.4’ from Jupiter, conjunction at 10.41 when Venus is 32’ to the north.  On the evening of 1st the separation is around 36’, the following day almost 50’.

2nd at 09.35:  Mercury passes 55’ south of Saturn. Not visible as both appear too close to the Sun to be observed safely.

24th at 10.27:  The thin crescent Moon passes 6’ south of Venus. The planet is 25 degrees in the west as the sky darkens, separation at 19.00 on 23rd is around 7 degrees, one degree closer the following evening. 

An occultation will be visible from S and E Africa, parts of the Middle East and the northern Indian Ocean.

28th at 14.16:  The almost first quarter Moon passes 2 degrees 17’ north of Mars.  Separation at 21.00 is around 5 degrees.

31st at 07.13:  The brilliant Venus passes 1 degree 17’ north of the approximately 7,500 times fainter Uranus.  Separation at 20.00 on 30th and 31st isn't much more but Uranus is very difficult to see in the still bright sky.

Planets

Mercury:  in Aquarius, mag -0.6

Not visible this month, on 1st it is below the horizon when the sky begins to brighten.  Its apparent distance from the Sun decreases over the next couple of weeks, it moves into Pisces on16th and is at superior solar conjunction the following day, passing 1 degree 28’ north of the Sun.  It is now at mag -2.0,  pity we can’t see it!   It then becomes an evening object but too low to be visible.  On 31st, when it is at perihelion at a distance of 0.31 AU, it is still well below the horizon when the sky darkens.

Venus:  in Pisces, Mag -4.0

Now dominating the early evening sky.  It is very close to Jupiter at the beginning of March but the separation increases as Venus gets higher in the evening twilight.  On 1st it should be easily visible soon after 18.00, when it reaches 20 degrees in the west, remaining observable for at least 90 minutes, longer with a clear horizon, setting at 20.34. As the month progresses it is higher at dusk and remains visible for longer.  After the first week it can be seen in astronomical darkness, though only for a couple of minutes on 8th.  On 16th, when it crosses into Aries, it is at 24 degrees when the sky begins to darken and is easily visible until 20.30.  By 31st it is  26 degrees at 20.00 and easily seen until a few minutes after 22.00, almost 20 minutes into astro darkness, setting at 23.15.

Mars:  in Taurus, mag 0.4

On 1st it is 61 degrees in the south as the sky darkens, culminating 15 minutes later and remaining visible until it sinks to 10 degrees in the SW around 01.50. From 5th it reaches its highest point before the sky darkens enough for it to be seen.  On this day it is at 61 degrees at 18.34, sinking to 10 degrees in the SW by 01.40.  It fades during March and is at mag 1.0 on 31st when it is at 55 degrees when it becomes visible at dusk and remains high enough for observing until 01.45.

Jupiter:  in Pisces, mag -2.1

Still bright but increasingly low in the SW as night falls. On 1st it becomes visible soon after 18.00, 21 degrees in the SW and very close to the 6 times brighter Venus. It remains visible for about an hour and a half, setting at 20.39.  The observing window decreases as the month goes on, by 9th it is only high enough for around an hour and by 22nd this is down to just 2 minutes, as it is only 8 degrees when the sky darkens. It isn’t really visible for the rest of the month, on 31st it is only 2 degrees above the horizon at dusk.

Saturn:  in Aquarius, mag 0.9

Not visible this month following mid February’s solar conjunction. On 1st the separation from the Sun is only 10 degrees.  This does increase during the month but, on 31st, the planet just fails to clear the horizon by dawn.

Uranus:  in Aries, mag 5.8

Now an evening object, setting before midnight.  On 1st it becomes visible, 40 degrees in the SW, soon after 19.00 as the sky darkens, remaining observable until 21.30. By mid month it is high enough for less than an hour, on 15th it is down to 30 degrees in the west at dusk and by 24th is only 22 degrees when it becomes visible, sinking too low after only a few minutes.  

Neptune:  in Aquarius, mag 8.0

Not observable in March.  On 1st it appears only 14 degrees from the Sun, on 4th, when it crosses over into Pisces, it is down to 11 degrees. The separation decreases over the next couple of weeks, it is at solar conjunction on 15th, when it passes 1 degree 10’ to the south. It is then a morning object but remains too close to the Sun to be observable.

Dwarf Planets

Ceres:  in Coma Berenices, mag 7.1

The closest dwarf planet, orbiting in the Asteroid Belt, the only one which the average amateur has any real hope of observing or imaging.

On 1st it reaches 21 degrees in the east at 21.34, culminates 49 degrees in the south at 02.18 and is down to 44 degrees in the SW by dawn. It is at opposition on 21st, a little brighter at mag 6.9 and observable from 19.50, culminating at 00.45 and remaining observable until the sky begins to brighten.  On 31st it is high enough for observing from dusk until dawn, culminating at 00.57.

Pluto:  in Capricorn, mag 15.2

No chance!  Too far south for UK observers.

Haumea:  In Bootes, mag 17.3

On 1st is observable from 23.15 until dawn, by 31st from 22.15. Culminates in the early hours, 51 degrees in the south.

Makemake: in Coma Berenices, mag 17.1

Observable from mid evening, highest point 58 degrees at 3am in early March. At opposition on 30th, when it culminates at 01.59 and is down to 40 degrees in the west by dawn.

Eris:  in Cetus, mag 18.7

Appears too close to the Sun for imaging, this month.

Comets

C/2022 E3 (ZTF), in Taurus, estimated mag 8.9

On 1st it is observable from dusk, when it is 36 degrees in the south, until it sinks too low around 21.45, setting at 00.23.  It is moving southwards, crossing into Eridanus on 5th, when it is 33 degrees in the SW when the sky darkens and high enough for observing for only a couple of hours. By 20th it is down to 22 degrees in the south when the sky darkens, and observable for only a few minutes, estimated mag now 10.4. It isn’t visible for the rest of the month, on 31st it is only 11 13 degrees at dusk, predicted mag now 11.1.

There are a couple of fainter comets, circumpolar for at least part of the month.

C/2022 A2 (PanSTARRS):  in Lacerta, mag 9.9

On 1st it is high enough for observing throughout the night, 32 degrees in the NW at dusk, reaching 36 degrees in the NE by dawn. It is moving S eastwards, into Andromeda on 10th, when it is 31 degrees in the NE by dawn. It remains circumpolar but, from 16th, is too low for observing for an increasing part of the night, initially observable for a short time in the dawn and dusk sky but from 21st in the morning only, reaching 21 degrees in the NW at 03.42 and 28 degrees by dawn, about an hour later. By 31st, now mag 10.6 (??) it is at observable altitude from 04.40, only 5 degrees higher by dawn.

C/2020 V2 (ZTF):  in Andromeda, mag 10.0

An evening object, circumpolar for the first part of the month but too low to be visible for much of the night.  On 1st it is 50 degrees in the west as the sky darkens soon after 19.00, down to 21 degrees in the NW by 22.45. The observing window shortens as it moves southwards and from 18th it sets for a short while - only 5 minutes on that day, from 02.23 to 02.28.  It is observable from 19.40 to 21.12.  It is in Triangulum from 20th, when it is 32 degrees in the west at dusk, and on 31st is down to 22 degrees as the sky darkens, too low after only 4 minutes.

Meteor Showers

A very poor month for these. The only shower worth mentioning is visible only from the southern hemisphere and isn’t very prolific.

Gamma Normids, active Feb 25th to March 28th, peak 14th, ZHR 6, 56 kps.

The radiant of the ANT is low, passing through S Virgo.  ZHR 2 - 5 but could be higher around 15th.

Credits

Most of the solar system information given here is from: https://in-the-sky.org

More information, exact co-ordinates and finder charts of all solar system objects can be found on this site.

Also quite useful is https://theskylive.com

https://www.imo.net/resources/calendar/

https://www.timeanddate.com

Other information is from various internet sources, including NASA, Britannica, Space Facts, Universe Today and, when all else fails,Wikipedia.

The Night Sky in February 2023

by Anne Holt

Sun and Moon

Sunrise     1st:   07.54         28th:   06.55

Sunset      1st:   16.51         28th:   17.44

Astronomical Darkness    1st:  18.52 to 05.52        28th:  19.40 to 05.01

Day length     1st:  8. 56. 38       28th:  10. 44. 24

Full Moon:      5th at 18.28,   a/d 29’ 35”,  in Cancer

New Moon:  20th at 07.06,    a/d 33’ 15”, passes 4 degrees 15’ south of the Sun

Lunar apogee:    4th at 08.54,  406475 km,  a/d 28’ 32”, phase 99%, in Cancer

Lunar perigee:  19th at 09.05,  358266 km,  a/d 33’ 20”, phase 0%

The full Moon is close to apogee so will appear smaller than average, the new Moon is near perigee so the thin crescent around that time will be larger than average,

The most common name for February’s full Moon is the Snow Moon. It is the Celtic Ice Moon, the Medieval English Storm Moon, the neo Pagan Quickening Moon, the Chinese Budding Moon and the Inuit Seal Pup Moon.

As always there are many indigenous names, among the more interesting are the Cree Bald Eagle Moon, the Cherokee Bony Moon, the Hopi Moon of Purification and Renewal and the Wishram Shoulder to Shoulder Around the Fire Moon.

Highlights

On 1st comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) is at perigee and also at its brightest, observed magnitude has remained steady, at 5.2, over the last few days, so will probably stay at that level early in the month.

Jupiter and Venus are both prominent in the early evening twilight, as Jupiter sinks lower over the course of the month, Venus gets higher.  The two are separated by about 30 degrees at the start of Feb, only one and a half by month end. On 22nd they are joined by a thin crescent Moon low in the SW after sunset.  Uranus is still visible, now an evening object and dwarf planet Ceres is observable from before midnight until dawn, now brighter than Neptune so a target for small scopes.

On the minus side, the days are getting longer, nearly 11 hours on 28th, which means the nights are shortening.  We have 11 hours of astro darkness on 1st, down to 9 hours 20 minutes on 28th.  But it does still begin at a reasonably early hour.

There is one meteor shower and several lunar occultations but none visible from the UK.

Constellations

Orion and Taurus are now above the horizon as the sky darkens but start to set at around 2am at the start of February and soon after midnight by the end of the month. Gemini and Auriga are still prominent, remaining above the horizon until the early hours. Leo, the signature constellation of Spring, is now high in the sky for most of the night and Bootes, with it's bright red star Arcturus is rising soon after 11, and around 9pm at month end. In the early part of the evening the Plough is low in the North East standing on its 'handle', and Cassiopeia high in the North West as darkness falls. By month end, the Summer Triangle will have risen soon after 3am - summer already? Someone better tell the weather.

Conjunctions

11th at 05.03.  Mercury passes 1 degree 34’ north of Pluto.  Not visible as they are both on the horizon at dawn.

15th at 12.25.  Venus passes 47” south of Neptune, Separation at 18.00 on 15th is still less than half a degree, but faint Neptune is only 9 degrees above the horizon at dusk. very difficult to observe.  If trying to see the pair through a scope be very careful - wait until the Sun has completely set - 17.18 in Manchester.

21st at 18.00.  The 6% Moon passes 2 degrees south of Neptune. The planet is only 4 degrees at dusk, setting at 19.28.

22nd at 07.55.  The 8% Moon passes 2 degrees 05’ south of Venus.  Closest, 1 degree 50’,at 09.41.  Venus is visible in the evening sky, separation at 18.00 on 21st is around 8 degrees, one degree less the following evening.

22nd at 22.00. The Moon passes 1 degree 11’ south of Jupiter.  Closest, 1 degree 03’, at 22.57.  Jupiter is visible, low in the SW for a couple of hours from 18.00.  At this time the Moon is low in the sky with Venus to the right and Jupiter to the left and slightly higher.

An occultation of Jupiter will be visible from southern  S America, the Falkland Islands and parts of the S Pacific and Antarctica.

25th at 12.13.  The 36% Moon passes 1 degree 10’ north of Uranus. Separation at 21.00 on 24th and 19.00 on 25th is around 6 degrees.

An occultation will be seen from parts of N Canada and S Greenland.

28th at 04.31.  The 8 day Moon passes 1 degree 04’ north of Mars. Separation at 01.54, as the planet sinks to 10 degrees in the NW,  isn’t much more.

Again there will be an occultation visible from the far north, this time from E Greenland, Svalbard and parts of the Arctic. 

Planets

Mercury:  in Sagittarius, mag -0.2

Not visible this month.  On 1st it is only 3 degrees in the east in the morning twilight.  It is at aphelion on 18th, at a distance of 0.47AU, and on 28th It is below the horizon at dawn.

Venus:  in Aquarius, mag -3.9

Very bright so, given a clear horizon, easily seen not long after sunset, while the sky is still quite light.  On 1st it is at 13 degrees in the SW at 17.15, remaining high until 18.00 and setting at 18.59. It becomes visible a couple of minutes later each day, as the days lengthen, but can be seen for longer.  By mid month it is at mag -4.0, 16 degrees at dusk, remaining high until 18.45 and setting an hour later.  It is in Pisces from 16th and by the end of the month is at 20 degrees when the sky begins to fade, remaining easily visible until 19.30. Its separation from Jupiter decreases during the month, as Venus gets higher and the gas giant gets lower, on 1st it is almost 30 degrees, down to about one and a half degrees on the evening of 28th.

Mars:  in Taurus, mag -0.3

Now past its best, fading and appearing to shrink as it moves away from us. On 1st it becomes visible around 17.30 as the sky darkens, 45 degrees in the SE, highest point 51 degrees, at 19.53 and remaining visible until a little after 3am.  During the first half of the month it passes north of the V shaped Hyades cluster and on the 5th is a little over 8 degrees from the similar hued but slightly fainter Aldebaran - the eye of the bull - the brightest star in the zodiac constellations. (Just! It beats Spica by about one tenth of a mag).  By mid month it is down to mag 0.1 and is 57 degrees in the SE at dusk, culminating at 19.17 and remaining visible until 02.30.  By 28th, now at mag 0.4, it is 61 degrees as the sky darkens, culminating 20 minutes later and remaining at observable altitude until a few minutes before 2am.

Jupiter:  in Pisces, mag -2.2

Still bright but now only visible for a short time after darkness falls. On 1st it is 34 degrees in the SW around 17.15, remaining visible until 21.00 and setting 55 minutes later. It is in Cetus from 6th to 18th then back into Pisces for the rest of the month.  On 28th it is 28 degrees in the SW as the sky begins to darken at 18.00, down to 10 degrees by 19.45.  It is now only one and a half degrees to the left of the much brighter Venus.  

Saturn:  in Capricorn, mag 0.8

Now too low in the evening sky to be seen.  On 1st it is only 2 degrees at dusk, setting at 18.00. It crosses into Aquarius on 13th, when it appears only 3 degrees from the Sun.  On 16th it is at solar conjunction, passing 1 degree 15’ south of our star.  It is then a morning object but, by 28th, is separated from the Sun by only 19 degrees, rising 8 minutes before it.

Uranus:  in Aries, mag 5.8

Now an evening object, on 1st it is observable from dusk, when it is 52 degrees in the south, until a little after 23.00.  By 28th it is 41 degrees in the SW as the sky darkens around 19.00, remaining high enough for observing until 21.30 and setting at 00.03.

It should be visible in 10x50 binoculars but only as a point of light.  A scope is needed to see the blue/green disc.

Neptune:  In Aquarius, mag 7.8

Now too low to be observed in the evening sky.  On 1st it is only 19 degrees at dusk, setting at 20.43.  By 28th, now at mag 8.0, it appears only 15 degrees from the Sun.

Dwarf Planets

Ceres: in Virgo, mag 7.7

The closest and brightest of the dwarf planets is now high enough for observing before midnight.  On 1st it reaches 21 degrees in the east by 23.45 and its highest point, 47 degrees, at 04.13.  It remains high enough for observing until dawn. It brightens slightly during the month and becomes visible a little earlier each day. By 28th it is at mag 7.1 and reaches observable altitude at 21.39, culminates at 02.73 and is down to 34 degrees in the SW by dawn.  It is now brighter than Neptune but, because Neptune is not currently observable, comparisons can’t be made.

Pluto:  in Sagittarius, mag 15.1

Appears only 13 degrees from the Sun at the start of Feb.  It moves into Capricorn on 17th but remains much too low in the sky to be observed from the UK.  It goes so slowly round the Sun, taking 248 years to complete one orbit, that it won’t get to 22 degrees, the necessary altitude for observing and imaging, in UK skies until August 2069.  

Haumea:  in Bootes, mag 17.4

High enough for imaging, by very experienced astrophotographers, from 1am until dawn on 1st, and from a few minutes after 23.00 on 28th.

Makemake:  in Coma Berenices, mag 17.3

Observable from 23.15 till dawn on 1st, and from 21.30 on 28th.

Eris:  in Cetus, mag 18.7

Appropriately named after the goddess of discord, Eris was first thought to be larger than Pluto. It is now known to be slightly smaller, though 27% more massive. 

Now only high enough for imaging, for a very short time in the evening sky, in early Feb. By the end of the month it’s only 18 degrees at dusk.

Comets

C/2022 E3 (ZTF):  in Camelopardalis, latest observed mag, 5.2 (late Jan).For the first few days of the month it is close enough to the N celestial pole to be reasonably high throughout the night. On 1st it is at perigee, at a distance from Earth of 0.284 AU and also at its brightest. Predicted mag 5.7 but, as it is currently about half a mag brighter than previously estimated, it could be as high as 5.2.  This is, in theory, naked eye brightness but it is very unlikely to be seen without optical aid even from a very dark sky site.  It is diffuse, rather than a point of light, and the 87% Moon, in Gemini, will be above the horizon for most of the night.  It now begins to fade as it moves southwards, into Auriga on 5th, when it is still observable all night, highest point, 37 degrees in the north, at 2024.  On the night of 5th/6th it passes 5 degrees west of Capella soon after midnight. From 9th it is no longer circumpolar, visible 18.31 to 02.04 and reaching its highest point, 68 degrees in the south, at 19.38.  It sets at 05.44.  It crosses into Taurus on 10th, estimated mag 6.6 but still maybe a little brighter, and the following day passes a little under 1 degree east of Mars.  Separation at midnight on 10th/11th and on 11th/12th  is almost 2 degrees. On 16th its highest point, 51 degrees, is at 19.02 and it sinks to 21 degrees a few minutes before midnight.  By 28th it is predicted to have faded to mag 8.8 and be observable for only a short time - 37 degrees in the south as the sky darkens, down to 21 degrees by 21.55.

We have two more circumpolar comets, much fainter than E3 at the start of Feb but fading much more slowly so there is only around one mag difference by month end.

C/2022 A2 (PanSTARRS):  in Draco, mag 9.5

Observable throughout the night. On 1st it is 36 degrees in the NW at dusk, highest point, 52 degrees in the NE, at 05.25 not long before dawn.  It goes into Cygnus on 2nd, Cepheus on 9th and back into Cygnus on 17th when it is still highest, now 41 degrees in the NE, just before dawn.  It is in Lacerta from 24th and on 28th, now at mag 9.8, 32 degrees in the NW at dusk, 36 degrees in the NE at dawn.

C/2020 V2 (ZTF):  in Cassiopeia, mag 9.9

Observable throughout the night, highest at dusk.  On 1st it is 77 degrees in the west as the sky fades, down to 21 degrees in the north by dawn.  It is moving southwards, into Perseus on 4th and Andromeda on 11th, when it is 68 degrees in the west at dusk, 16 degrees in the north by dawn. By 17th it is so low that it is only observable until a few minutes after midnight, when it is down to 21 degrees in the NW.  On 28th it is still circumpolar but only at observable altitude for a little under 4 hours, 51 degrees in the north at dusk,down to 21 degrees in the NW by 22.50.  Predicted mag now 10.0.

Meteor Showers

February is a very poor month for meteors. There is just one shower, the Alpha Capricornids, with a ZHR of only around 6, peaks on 8th but is visible from the southern hemisphere only.

There’s a daytime shower, the Capricornids/Sagittarids, active from Jan 31st to Feb 4th, rates given as medium.

And the ANT is active, radiant moves across S Leo but the ZHR is no more than 2 or 3.

Credits

Most of the solar system information given here is from: https://in-the-sky.org

More information, exact co-ordinates and finder charts of all solar system objects can be found on this site.

Also quite useful is https://theskylive.com

https://www.imo.net/resources/calendar/

https://www.timeanddate.com

Other information is from various internet sources, including NASA, Britannica, Space Facts, Universe Today and, when all else fails,Wikipedia.

The Night Sky in January 2023

by Anne Holt

Sun and Moon

Sunrise         1st:  08.24        31st:  07.56

Sunset         1st:  16.00         31st:  16.49

Astronomical Darkness       1st:  18.10 to 06.14          31st:  18.50 to 05.53

Day length       1st:  7.35.08                    31st:  8.53.01

Full Moon:        6th at 23.07,  angular diameter 29’ 25”, in Gemini

New Moon:    21st at 20.54,   passes 4 degrees 57’ south of the Sun.

Lunar Apogee:    8th at 23.07,  406458 km,  a/d 29’ 23”,  phase 96%.

Lunar perigee:  21st at 20.57,  356569 km,  a/d 33’ 20”,  phase 0%

Lunar perigee is only a few minutes after the new Moon, so the thin crescent on the days before and after will appear larger than average. 

The most common name for the January full Moon is the Wolf Moon, because these animals tend to howl at this time.  It is not, as was once thought, because they are hungry but in order to mark their territory and locate other members of their pack.  

It’s the Anglo Saxon Moon after Yule, the Celtic Quiet Moon, the Chinese Holiday Moon and the Inuit Dwarf Seal Moon.

Among  the many names attributed to Indigenous American peoples are the  Mohawk Big Cold Moon, the Choctaw Cooking Moon, the Passamaquoddy Whirling Wind Moon, the Apache Flying Ant Moon,  the Dakota Sioux Moon of the Terrible and the Oneida Someone’s Ears are Freezing Moon.

Earth is at perihelion on January 4th, at a distance of 147,098,935 km, almost 5 million km closer than at aphelion. However this has very little effect on the amount of light and heat reaching us, we have winter at this time because the Earth is tilted away from the Sun, meaning its rays cover a larger area than when tilted towards it.

Highlights

We still have plenty of astro darkness, a little over 12 hours on 1st, about an hour less by the end of the month. Mars and Jupiter are still prominent, though Mars is fading now and Jupiter is an early evening object, setting by 10pm in late January.

Venus is improving, getting higher in the evening twilight.  By the end of the month it should be visible even to those without an unobsructed SW horizon. There is another occultation of Uranus, visible from the UK - at a reasonable time and a reasonable altitude. 

We have one, sometimes major, meteor shower but rates have been below average in recent years. 

And, of course, there is a comet which could possibly reach binocular, maybe even naked eye, brightness in late January. It will be very well positioned, close to the N celestial pole, but magnitude estimates vary between mag 8 and mag 4.9.

Constellations

There isn't much change in the prominent constellations since December, just that everything rises, or sets, a couple of hours earlier. Orion is now well above the horizon by 8pm at the start of the month, with Sirius rising at this time. By month end, Sirius will rise at about 6pm. Auriga, Gemini and Cassiopeia are all high in the sky. The Summer Triangle is now setting earlier as the Winter Hexagon rises. Taurus and the Pleiades are still very prominent and the spring constellation of Leo is above the south eastern horizon by 9pm.

Conjunctions

1st at 21.45:  the gibbous Moon is 39.3’ from Uranus.  An occultation will be visible from Manchester, beginning at 22.29 when the planet is 44.1 degrees in the SW, ending at 23.02 when it is 4 degrees lower. The occultation is also visible from Greenland, Iceland, the N Atlantic and Scandinavia.

3rd at 19.36: the 93% Moon passes 32’ south of Mars, closest, 31.4’, at 19.51.  An occultation will be visible from south & SE Africa and parts of the S Atlantic and Indian oceans.

20th at 07.51: the very thin crescent Moon passes 6 degrees 56’ south of Mercury.  The planet rises at 06.41 but only reaches 4 degrees by dawn.  

22nd at 19.36:   Venus passes 21’ south of Saturn. The pair are close enough to fit in the same field of view of binoculars or a small scope. However, at this time, both planets will have set for UK observers.  Around 17.00, the separation is 30’. Venus should be visible, low in the SW,  but Saturn will be very difficult to see as it is so much fainter.

23rd at 07.22: the crescent Moon passes 3 degrees 49’ south of Saturn.

23rd at 08.19:  the Moon passes 3 degrees 27’ south of Venus.

The Moon and Venus should be visible from a few minutes before 17.00 but Saturn will be very difficult to spot  At this time the separation of the Moon and Venus will be about 5 degrees, the Moon and Saturn a little closer, wth the Moon to the left of the planets.

26th at 02.03: the 28% Moon passes 1 degree 48’ south of Jupiter, closest, 1 degree 36’, at 03.30.  On the night of 25th/26th Jupiter is visible from around 17.00, when the separation is 6 degrees, until 21.15 when it is a degree less.

29th at 03.28: the 60% Moon is 52.8’ from Uranus. The planet is observable until almost 1am.  When it culminates at 18.25 on 28th the separation is around 5 degrees, down to 2 degrees by midnight. An occultation will be visible from the Canadian Arctic Islands and northern Greenland.

31st at 04.24: the 78% Moon passes 6’ south of Mars. On the night of 30th/31st Mars is visible from around 17.30, when the separation is 5 degrees, to a little after 3am when it is down to less than 1 degree. An occultation will be visible from southern USA, Central America, the Caribbean and NW South America.

Planets

Mercury:  in Sagittarius, mag 1.8

Very difficult to see throughout January, appearing too close to the Sun at the start of the month.  It is at perihelion on 2nd, at a distance of 0.31 AU.  It reaches inferior conjunction on 7th, passing 2 degrees 24’ north of the Sun, now down to mag 5.3 because very little of the illuminated side faces Earth. It then begins to brighten as the separation from the Sun increases but it remains very low in the morning sky.  On 24th when it reaches its highest point, 9 degrees at sunrise, it is still only 4 degrees at dawn, mag now 0.2. It is at greatest western elongation, 25 degrees from the Sun, on 30th and the following day is only 3 degrees at dawn.

Venus:  in Sagittarius, mag -3.9

Low in the SW at dusk in early January, on 1st it is only 4 degrees as the sky darkens, setting at 17.17.  It moves into Capricorn on 2nd and by mid month is 8 degrees at dusk, so is much easier to see. It is in Aquarius from 25th, now 11 degrees at 17.00 and remaining visible for at least half an hour - more if you have an unobstructed SW horizon.  By 31st it is 12 degrees in the evening twilight, remaining easily visible for 40 minutes.

Mars:  in Taurus, mag -1.2

On 1st it is visible from dusk until 5am, culminating, 61 degrees in the south, at 21.45.  It reaches its stationary point on12th at 20.54, then resumes prograde (W to E) motion. On this day it culminates at 21.02 and is a little fainter at mag -0.9.  By 31st it will have faded further to mag -0.3, reach its highest point at 19.56 and remain visible until a few minutes after 3am.

Jupiter:  in Pisces, mag -2.4

An early evening object, easily visible from dusk throughout January. On 1st it is 34 degrees in the south as the sky fades, reaching its highest point, 35 degrees, an hour later.  It is down to 7 degrees in the west by 22.30.  From mid month it culminates before it becomes visible in the evening twilight. It reaches perihelion on 22nd at 05.53 at a distance of 4.95 AU.  By 31st, now at mag -2.2, it is 24 degrees in the SW when it becomes visible, sinking too low for observing soon after 21.00 and setting an hour later.

Saturn:  in Capricorn, mag 0.8

On 1st it is only 17 degrees in the west as the sky darkens, remaining visible for about an hour. By mid month it is too low at dusk to be seen easily, on 16th it is 11 degrees in the SW soon after 17.00 and only visible for a couple of minutes. By 31st it is only 2 degrees above the horizon in twilight, setting at 18.03.

Uranus:  in Aries, mag 5.7

The seventh planet is at the limit of naked eye visibility, excellent eyesight and a completely dark sky are needed - plus knowledge of exactly where to look.  For the rest of us it should be a reasonable target for good binoculars, even easier to find using a go-to scope. 

It culminates in astro darkness for most of January, on 1st it is 41 degrees in the SE as the sky darkens soon after 17.00, reaching 52 degrees in the south at 20.13 and remaining high enough for observing until 01.15.  On 20th it is down to 21 degrees in the west by midnight and on 22nd is at its stationary point before resuming prograde motion. On 31st it culminates at 18.15, as the sky gets dark enough for it to be seen, remaining at observable altitude until 23.15.

Neptune:  in Aquarius, mag 7.9.

If you can see Uranus without any optical aid you might manage to spot Neptune using binoculars.  It is now an early evening object, on 1st it is 31 degrees in the south as the sky darkens, remaining observable until almost 20.00, when it is down to 21 degrees.  The observing window gets shorter as the month progresses, by 22nd it is 22 degrees in the SW at dusk, too low after only a few minutes. By 31st it is only 20 degrees at dusk, a little below observable altitude. 

Dwarf Planets

Ceres:  in Virgo, mag 8.4

On 1st it is high enough for observing soon after 01.30 and reaches its highest point, 46 degrees in the south, at 05.57.  It is lost in the brightening sky 50 minutes later. By 31st it has brightened to mag 7.9 and becomes visible a few minutes before midnight, culminating at 04.17 and remaining reasonably high until dawn.

Pluto:  in Sagittarius, mag 15.1

At solar conjunction on 18th, when it passes 2 degrees 16’ south of the Sun.

Haumea:  in Bootes, mag 17.4

A morning object in early January, high enough for imaging from 03.10 and reaching 48 degrees in the SE by dawn .On 22nd it culminates, 51 degrees in the south, as it is lost in the morning twilight. By month end it is high enough for imaging from 01.10, is highest at 06.03 and down to 50 degrees in the south when the sky begins to brighten about half an hour later.

Makemake:  in Coma Berenices, mag 17.3

A couple of hours ahead of, and a little higher than, Haumea, observable from 01.20 on 1st, culminating at 06.47 at 58 degrees. From 22nd it reaches 21 degrees by midnight and on 31st is observable from 23.20, highest point at 04.49 and down to 53 degrees in the SW by dawn.

Eris:  in Cetus, mag 18.8

Only a target for very experienced astrophotographers, who might be able to find it by playing ‘spot the difference’ with images taken a few days apart. 

It’s an evening object, on 1st it is 31 degrees in the east as the sky gets really dark, reaching 35 degrees in the south at 19.11 and too low after 22.30.  On 18th it sets at midnight and from 20th has culminated before it becomes visible.  By 31st it is 33 degrees in the south at 18.15, only high enough for imaging for a little over 2 hours

Asteroids at opposition

2 Pallas; in Canis Major, mag 7.7

Opposition on 16th at 04.46.  Too far south for UK observers, maximum 6 degrees above the horizon.

6 Hebe: in Cancer, mag 8.7

Opposition on 26th at 16.46. Visible from 19.30 to 05.00, culminating at 00.16 when it reaches 49 degrees in the south.

Comets

C/2022 E3 (ZTF) in Corona Borealis, mag around 7.5

Observed mag is now 7.8 (late December) so it does appear to be living up to expectations - so far!

It is now moving northwards quite rapidly and, we hope, brightening considerably during January. On 1st it is at observable altitude from 03.00, reaching 54 degrees in the SE by dawn, a little before 7am.  It is circumpolar from 10th but still too low for observing in the early part of the night.  On that day it should become visible from around 01.50 reaching 63 degrees in the SE before being lost in the morning twilight. It is at perihelion on 12th, at 1.11 AU from the Sun  It moves into Bootes a couple of days later, when it is observable from 01.07, now getting to 68 degrees by dawn. On 19th it reaches observable altitude at 23.45 and gets to 76 degrees in darkness.  The following day it is high enough to be observed for most of the night - if the more optimistic predictions of its magnitude (6.0) prove to be correct. If it fails to live up to expectations it won’t be visible until later, when it’s higher in the sky. It crosses into Draco on 22nd, Ursa Minor on 26th and Camelopardalis on 29th.  It is now close to the north celestial pole and visible throughout the night.  Best estimate for magnitude at this time is 4.9,  maybe even visible to the naked eye - from the proverbial dark sky site.

C/2020 V2 (ZTF):  in Cepheus, mag 9.8

Circumpolar, visible throughout the night.  It is moving slowly southwards, into Cassiopeia on 6th, but still close to the north celestial pole. On 26th it is 79 degrees in the NW as the sky darkens, down to 25 degrees in the north by dawn. By 31st it is slightly lower, 77 degrees at dusk, 22 degrees when it is lost in the morning twilight, marginally brighter at mag 9.7.  

81P/Wild:  in Libra mag 10.6

Too low to be seen from the UK after the first few days in January.  On 1st it is only 22 degrees in the south as the sky brightens around 06.45.  It is moving SE wards and by 3rd is only 21 degrees at dawn, so difficult to observe. 

118P/Shoemaker-Levy:  in Cancer, mag 10.8

Faint but well positioned for imaging.  It is at observable altitude for most of the night throughout January.  On 1st it culminates, 45 degrees in the south, at 02.11.  It reaches peak brightness on 7th, but is still only predicted to be at mag 10.7.  By the end of Jan it reaches its highest point, now 50 degrees, a little before midnight.

Meteor Showers

We have one, possibly major, shower this month.

Quadrantids: active Dec 28th to Jan 12th, peak 4th, ZHR given as 110 but said to vary between 60 and 200, (last year's rates were below average, observers in even the darkest areas of N England are unlikely to see more than 40), velocity 41 kps.

The shower was named after the former constellation Quadrans Muralis, the wall mounted quadrant, which was first recorded in sky charts in 1795 but was omitted from the official list of 88 decided by the IAU in 1922.  It was a small, insignificant constellation, with no bright stars, located between N Bootes and Draco, near the handle of the Plough. 

The radiant, now in Bootes, is circumpolar, highest after dawn.  The shower has a short peak of only 6 hours centred on 04.30 on 4th, so the best time to look is between then and dawn. The almost full Moon will be low in the sky, setting at 06.41.  They are medium speed, medium bright meteors not usually leaving trails.  However the shower does sometimes include brighter ones, maybe even fireballs.

The parent body is thought to be asteroid 2003 EH, possibly a remnant of comet C/1490 Y1, recorded by Chinese astronomers but which disintegrated about a hundred years later.  The shower was first recorded in 1815 - it is thought that the Earth didn’t previously pass through the dust stream, it was probably shifted during a close encounter with Jupiter around that time.

Gamma Ursae Minorids:  active Jan 10th to 22nd, peak 18th, ZHR 5, 31 kps.

The radiant is circumpolar, highest after dawn, peak activity given as 16.00 on 18th so best seen pre dawn and after dusk on that day.

Kappa Cancrids.

There hasn’t been much activity from these in recent years but it might be worth having a look on Jan 10th, around 4am, when the Earth is at the same position relative to the dust stream as it was when there was a short outburst in 2015.  The radiant is close to that of the ANT but the Kappa Cygnids are much faster moving.

The radiant of the antihelion source (ANT) is in SE Gemini at the start of January,  then crosses Cancer during the month.  ZHR 2 to 3.

Credits

Most of the solar system information given here is from: https://in-the-sky.org

More information, exact co-ordinates and finder charts of all solar system objects can be found on this site.

Also quite useful is https://theskylive.com

https://www.imo.net/resources/calendar/

https://www.timeanddate.com

Other information is from various internet sources, including NASA, Britannica, Space Facts, Universe Today and, when all else fails,Wikipedia.

The Night Sky in December 2022

by Anne Holt

Sun and Moon

Sunrise         1st:    08.01        31st:    08.25