Jared May: What's Up, January 11 - January 18, 2021
There’s finally some good news regarding the weather. This week may have a few clear nights! It looks like Monday and Tuesday nights will be clear or at least have some clear patches, and there is a small chance for more gaps in the clouds during the weekend.
Sunset this week is around 5:30 PM and will continue to get later as the days go on. Nighttime temperatures will be roughly between 32°F and 16°F on the clear nights when taking wind-chill into account. Make sure to dress very warm.
It helps to let your observing equipment (binoculars, telescopes, and cameras) thermally equilibrate with the outside temperature for about 30 minutes before use.
With the upcoming clear nights be on the lookout for what this week brings us: Mercury on the rise, the new moon, neighboring planets, Mars overhead, and deep-sky targets for beginner to pro observers.
Just 15 minutes after sunset, use a pair of binoculars to spot a planetary trio very low to the WSW horizon. Mercury, Jupiter, and Saturn will all be hanging in the sky forming a small triangle. Be quick to spot these, because all three of these planets will sink below the horizon just 15 minutes after they can first be seen. They may be difficult to see against the bright twilight of the setting sun.
This is the finale to the Great Conjunction that happened a few weeks ago. Jupiter and Saturn are slowly retreating more and more west in the sky. In several months these two gas giants will once again be high in the sky.
In the evening twilight, three planets appear near one another.
Wednesday brings the new moon for January. Stargazers are very fortunate that the sparse clear nights this time of year have decided to coincide with the new moon. The new moon is a stargazer’s best friend because the skies are much darker than when the moon is full and hanging overhead washing out many of the fainter stars. The biggest enemy besides moonlight is human-made light pollution. The only solutions to light pollution are specific filters (which can only do so much) or taking a trip to a dark sky location (like the John Glenn Astronomy Park!).
On Thursday if there are gaps in the clouds, continue to look at the WSW horizon. Just 10 to 15 minutes after sunset you will begin to see the waxing crescent moon, Mercury, and Jupiter all falling into a nearly straight line. At this point Saturn is too low on the horizon to be seen. (IMAGE)
The thin crescent moon joins the planetary conjunction in the evening twilight on Thursday evening.
Keeping with the theme of planets to observe, about an hour after sunset look almost straight up. You may notice a distinctly bright star, and if you have good observing skills you may notice that this star is noticeably red. This is no star, it’s the red planet Mars. Viewing Mars with binoculars will make the color even more noticeable, but you will need a telescope of a moderately long focal length (1000 mm is a good long focal length) to have a chance of seeing any details of the planet, like its polar ice caps.
Mars is still a good target for telescopes, even though it is getting quite small.
One of the most famous and recognizable arrangements of stars in the night sky is the Orion constellation. This constellation is home to many deep-sky treasures that make great viewing and photography targets for amateur astronomers of any skill level. Some deep-sky objects found in or near the Orion constellation include: The Orion Nebula, Horsehead Nebula, The Flame Nebula, M43, Barnard’s Loop, the Witch Head Nebula, and the Capser the Friendly Ghost Nebula. Each of these objects are very unique in their history and appearance. These objects range from naked-eye-visible magnitude 4 (the Orion Nebula) to magnitude 13 (the Witch Head Nebula) that will require more specialized equipment to observe.
What to look for in Orion. Some of these can be seen in telescopes (The Ghost nebula, M42 and M43) and while others require photography to “view.”
Despite the cold, this week is the perfect opportunity to take a quick trip outside and to explore the cosmos. Ohio weather has been unkind to stargazers for the past three weeks and this week alone has at least two clear nights! Once again, be sure to dress for the weather and let your binoculars, telescopes, and cameras cool down to the outside temperature for at least 30 minutes before use. Be on the lookout this week for the planetary coincidences, Mars high in the sky, or perhaps scan the Orion constellation for any number of deep-sky objects.
Clear Skies!