January’s new moon will be on January 11 at 6:57 a.m. Eastern Time, according to the US Naval Observatoryand a day later the planet Mercury will reach its greatest western separation from the Sun and show itself as a ‘morning star’.
New moons happen when the sun and the moon share the same celestial longitude, a position also called a conjunction. You can’t do that in the new phase see the moon by Soil because the illuminated side is facing away from us.
New moons are only visible during solar eclipses; The only way to see the new moon is when it passes in front of the sun, creating a solar eclipsewhich isn’t happening this month (the next one is scheduled for April 8).
Related: New Moon Calendar 2024: When is the Next New Moon?
Visible planets
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The day after the new Moon (January 12), the sun rises at 7:19 am eastern time in New York City. Mercury rises 5:40 am, so at 7 a.m. it is about 12 degrees in the southeast. According to skywatching site In-the-Sky.org, the planet will reach its greatest western elongation at 2:18 PM that afternoon. Mercury will still be difficult to see, but you can use Venus, which will be about 19 degrees high, to find it.
Venus is the brightest star-like object in the sky, and will be above and to the right of Mercury, which is fainter and only just visible as the sky begins to brighten. You should try to spot Mercury as soon as possible after it rises, as the brightening sky makes it harder to see as sunrise approaches.
As one moves south, the observational prospects for Mercury improve because the angle of Mercury’s orbit (as seen from Earth) with the horizon becomes steeper. For example, if you are in Miami, Mercury rises at 5:29 a.m. and at sunrise, which is at 5:29 a.m. 7:09 amMercury is no less than 18 degrees high. The innermost planet will not be visible at that time because the sky is too bright, but at 6:30 AM it will be about 12 degrees above the southeastern horizon.
The best observation perspectives are near the equator. In Quito, sunrise on January 12 is at 6:15 am and Mercury rises 04:38 local time. At sunrise it is as high as 23 degrees in the southeast, and half an hour before sunrise at 5:45 am Mercury is 15 degrees high. As one moves into the Southern Hemisphere, the planet’s altitude will decrease again; in Buenos Aires the planet rises 4:13 am, with sunrise at 5:53 am. Half an hour before sunrise the planet is about 12 degrees high in the southeast; just as in the Northern Hemisphere you can use Venus to find Mercury; Venus, about 22 degrees above the eastern horizon, is above and to the left of Mercury.
On the day of the new moon, Venus is still bright Morning star, and when the moon is not shining, this is the last celestial body you can see with the naked eye; it is a clear, bright star, even relatively close to sunrise. Venus rises at 4:45 am on January 11th in New York, at sunrise 6:49 am At sunrise, the planet’s altitude is 17 degrees.
Like Mercury, the planet’s appears further above the horizon as you approach the equator, then begins to descend again as you reach the Southern Hemisphere. In San Juan, Puerto Rico. For example, the planet is rising 04:27 local time and at sunrise (6:59 am) the planet is a full 30 degrees above the eastern horizon. In Quito, the planet rises earlier, at 3:46 a.m., and you could see the planet almost directly above Mercury in the east-southeast. And at sunrise at 6:17 a.m., Venus is 34 degrees above the horizon.
The day of the new moon is also when Mars will emerge from the glare of the sun in the early morning hours. From New York City (and locations of similar latitude) Mars rises 06:23 local time, just 26 minutes before the sun – consider yourself lucky if you can see it. In more southern locations, Mars rises further than the Sun, but not by much; for example, in Quito the planet rises at 5:12 a.m. local time, but sunrise is at 6:18 a.m., and half an hour before sunrise the planet is only about 8 degrees high. As January progresses, the planet will appear further west of the Sun, with the Sun moving east in the background starsmaking it more visible and part of a line of three terrestrial (or rocky) planets extending upward from the horizon in the early morning hours.
In the evening air, Jupiter And Saturn are both visible at night from locations around 41 degrees north latitude – New York, Chicago, Omaha or Madrid (Spain), and both are in the southern half of the sky. At about 6:30 PM, when the sky is completely dark, Jupiter will be just west of south, a bright yellow-white “star” about 61 degrees above the horizon. Saturn will be fainter and much closer to the southwestern horizon when the planet sets in New York at 8:22 p.m. Jupiter sets later at 1:34 a.m. on January 12. For sky observers in the Southern Hemisphere, the situation is similar in the mid-latitudes; In Melbourne, Australia, for example, on the evening of January 11, Saturn sets at 11:05 PM local time, and the planet is about 17 degrees high in the west at 9:30 PM (Melbourne sunset is at 8:46 PM). pm) with Jupiter 36 degrees above the horizon in the northwest. Jupiter is in the northern half of the sky because from southern latitudes the sky is “inverted” (although in fact you only see the stars from the other side of the equator).
Stars and constellations
Winter star signs are in full swing in January for observers in the Northern Hemisphere. Around 6 p.m. Orion, the hunter, will be fully above the eastern horizon and you can see the stars emerging as the sky darkens. Orion faces Taurus, which is above the Hunter in the early evening (the constellation is actually to the west and north). You can see the Hyades, a cluster of bright stars that form the ‘face’ of the bull.
If you look to the left, above Orion’s head, you will see Gemini, the Gemini and the two stars Castor And Pollux. Castor is the upper of the two stars, as the Twins are on their “side” just after rising above the horizon. To the north and west of the Twins – above them in the early evening – is Auriga, the charioteer. Auriga contains the bright star Capella, which never sets from the latitude of New York City and above; it is one of the circumpolar stars.
At around 9:00 PM on January 21, Orion’s “hounds” Canis Major and Canis Minor have both cleared the horizon and are to the southeast. Canis Major is located below Orion (to the south), while Canis Minor is to the east (to the right of Orion, to the observer’s left). Canis Major, the large dog, contains Sirius, the brightest star in the sky. If you look to the left and above Sirius, you will see Procyon, the brightest star in the Little Dog. Procyon, Sirius and Betelgeuse in Orion form the Winter Triangle asterism that’s easy to see even from light-polluted locations in cities and suburbs.
By 11 p.m Leo the Lion is completely above the horizon; you can see it by looking for Sirius, which at that point lies almost due south and turns to the left (eastward) and upward; one will see Procyon in the southeast. From Procyon, continue left and slightly down until you are almost looking east; you should be able to see Regulus, or Alpha Leonis, also called Cor Leonis, the Heart of the Lion. Continue diagonally towards the horizon and you will encounter Denebola, the lion’s tail.
By this time of night, Orion is fully “upright” and the Belt Stars form a line from east to west, pointing slightly upwards; it is much easier to see the shape that forms Orion’s shoulders and legs. If you look at the three stars of the Belt, Betelgeuse is the one above and to the left, while Rigel, the foot of Orion, is below and to the right. If the local city lights aren’t too bright, you can see a fainter star just above and to the right of Rigel; this is the beginning of Eridanus, the river, and the star is called Cursa or Beta Eridani, because it is the second brightest star in the constellation. Eridanus’ brightest star, Achernar, is not visible at all from 33 degrees north latitude. In the continental US, this means you must be in one of the states along the Gulf Coast, the southern half of Arizona or New Mexico, or San Diego.
For observers in the Southern Hemisphere, January is the month when Puppis, Carina and Vela, the three constellations that make up the ship (connected with the Argo, the famous ship of Jason and the Argonauts), are prominent. Being the Australian summer, the sun doesn’t set until after 8pm; before the sky becomes completely dark, you have to wait until about 9:30 p.m. At that point in the northeastern sky you would see an “upside down” Orion, with the Belt stars above Betelgeuse, which is below and to the right from Melbourne.
Rigel, meanwhile, heads up and to the left, and this time if you follow the river from Cursa, you’ll go up a full 62 degrees to a point just west of north, to Achernar. Using Betelgeuse and Sirius as ‘pointers’ you can draw a line between them to the south (this will be to the right) and above that line is bright Canopus, the brightest star in Carina, the ship’s keel, about 52 degrees high and due east. Carina is one of the three constellations that make up the legendary Argo, the ship Theseus, the hero of Greek legend, sailed. Between Canopus and Sirius is a group of seven fainter stars that form a long shape, something like a foot and an ankle; that is Puppis, the Kakdek. Look south (to the right) and you will see a ring-shaped group of stars: Vela, the Sail.
If you turn a little further south – it will be to the right – you can see the Crux, the Southern Cross, at an altitude of just between 12 and 17 degrees in the south-southeast. From the latitude of Melbourne, Crux is circumpolar: it never sets. Crux is one of the smallest of the 88 constellations in the sky; at that hour in January it is pointed towards the horizon. If you turn almost due south you will see Rigil Kentaurus, also known as Alpha Centauri. The Centaur is mostly below the horizon, but by midnight the constellation has almost fully risen.
If you want to take a look at the planets or anything else in the night sky during new moons, our guides to the best telescopes and best binoculars are a great place to start.
And if you want to take photos of any of these or the night sky in general, check out our guide to photographing the moon, photographing the planets, as well as our best cameras for astrophotography and the best lenses for astrophotography. .