Sky this Week
Summary of some things to see in the sky this week, Jan. 20 to 26, 2008.
(Ooops had to do a panic edit, lunation 13.7 is not 13 hours, but 13 days, sigh [blush]).
International Space Station
No good passes this week.
Sun
For those of us around 40 degrees north latitude, the sun rises earlier from 7:19 am to 7:16 pm. It sets later each day as well from 5:08 pm to 5:15 pm. No regions are currently visible on the solar disk as of today (Sunday).
Moon
Sun Jan 20th: lunation 12.7 days
Craters Pythagorus and Wargentin
Mon Jan 21st: lunation 13.7
Crater Grimaldi
Tues Jan 22nd: lunation 14.7
The Moon will be full on Tuesday Jan 22nd at 06:35 am. Look for rays extending from prominent craters and bright albedo features.
Wed Jan 23rd: lunation 15.7
Still full, look for rays and bright albedo features.
Thurs Jan 24th: lunation 16.7
Take a look at lunar craters Petavius, Langrenus, Cleomedes, and Endymon. Mare Crisium should show some nice detail.
Fri Jan 25th: lunation 17.7
Craters Atlas, Hercules, Messier, Taruntius. Locate Vallis Rheita.
Sat Jan 26: lunation 18.7
View Mare Tranquillitatis and Rupes Cauchy. Checkout craters Fracastorius, Piccolomini, & Cauchy Omega
The Planets
Look for the planet Mercury low in the west-southwest about an hour after sunset. It is magnitude -0.7 magnitude in brightness early in the week and then dims to about magnitude 0. It will appear as a small crescent moon in your telescope. Mercury is at greatest eastern elongation on Jan 22nd.
The planet Mars is in constellation Taurus.
Saturn is getting closer and larger and is always great to view in your telescope. Our view of the rings changes over the years due to the relative positions of Saturn and Earth. The tilt of the rings will reach a maximum this year of about 15 degrees in February. The tilt has been decreasing since March of 2003 when it was near the maximum of 27 degrees. The rings will be at a minimum tilt angle to Earth in Aug & Sept of 2009 and extremely difficult to see.
Venus is low in the eastern sky. It appears in a telescope as waxing crescent moon, about 4 days past full.
Jupiter is still very low in the southwest. It rises around 5:40 am by the weekend in the constellation Sagittarius.
Dark Sky
Not much until the weekend. You can get some early evening views before the moon rises around 10 pm Saturday.
Comets
Comet 17P Holmes passes very near (9′ center-center) the star Algol in constellation Perseus early Tuesday morning, it will be difficult to spot in the bright moonlight.
Comet 46P/Wirtanen is moving further northeast in constellation Pisces. It is currently about magnitude 9 in brightness