Night Sky Guide: January to March 2013

Author: Kelly Whitt

The New Year begins with Mars low in the southwest at sunset and Jupiter in the southeastern sky in Taurus. Mars shines at magnitude 1.2 and Jupiter is a standout at magnitude -2.7. Jupiter adds another point to the Winter Hexagon, as the planet floats close to the red giant star Aldebaran, one of the six corners of the large asterism. To find the other five, look above Jupiter to spot Capella, then continue counterclockwise to Pollux (its dimmer twin Castor is not part of the hexagon), Procyon, Sirius, and Rigel, at the bottom of Orion. Toward the middle of the Hexagon is the orange-hued Betelgeuse, which makes up another asterism called the Winter Triangle with Procyon and Sirius.

Jupiter with its moon Europa and shadow on the planet
Credit: John Chumack

Two planets are visible on January mornings before sunrise. Saturn, at magnitude 0.6, lies in the southwest, and Venus, at a blazing magnitude -3.9, rises just before the Sun in the southeast. January 6 finds the Moon by Saturn, and on January 10 a razor-thin crescent Moon lies less than three degrees from Venus.

On January 12 the Moon has returned to the evening sky as a young crescent and lies about 8 degrees to the right of Mars. On January 21, the Moon comes within a degree of Jupiter in the evening for North American observers. Januarys Full Moon occurs on the 27th at 4:38 UT or before midnight on January 26 at 11:38 p.m. EST.

Earth reaches perihelion, the closest point to the Sun in its yearly orbit, on January 2 at 4:00 UT or January 1 at 11 p.m. CST. The majority of Earthly inhabitants are deep in winter as Earth makes its closest pass by the Sun.

The Quadrantid meteors reach their peak overnight from January 3 to 4. Up to 40 meteors an hour are possible. The meteors will appear to emanate from the constellation Bootes, which rises in the northeast late at night.

On January 9, 2013, Apophis will pass 14 million kilometres away from Earth, 36 times farther than the Moon. While this pass isnt particularly close, it will help scientists make refinements in Apophiss next pass, on Friday, April 13, 2029, which is currently expected to bring it within 40,000 kilometres, which is where Earths geosynchronous satellites orbit. Apophis's known path does not have it making contact with Earth. If it did, at 320 metres across, Apophis would raise tsunamis if it hit water or devastate an area the size of Texas if it hit land.

But we won't have to wait till 2029 to have an asteroid come that close to us. In fact, there is one already predicted to get just as close to Earth as Apophis in 2029, and it is scheduled to do so in February 2013.

Asteroid 2012 DA14 will pass about 40,000 kilometres from Earth at its closest approach at around 19:30 UT on February 15, 2013. Asteroid 2012 DA14 is smaller than Apophis at about 45 metres across. Discovered in early 2012, this new asteroid is still large enough to wipe out a city if it hit Earth (which it won't).

Trajectory for Asteroid 2012 DA14
Credit: Paul Chodas, Jon Giorgini & Don Yeomans NASA/JPL Near-Earth Object Program Office

Mercury enters the evening sky in February but stays low to the horizon and sets while the Sun's glow is still fading from the sky for much of the month. Try for Mercury and Mars less than a degree apart after sunset on February 8. The sky won't be dark enough to see them until they're just setting, so you'll need a view to the west that is unobstructed and free from light pollution.

On February 11, another challenge will be to catch the 4-percent-lit Moon one day past new as it sets in the west just after the Sun, with magnitude -0.9 Mercury below and Mars even dimmer and even lower to the horizon.

Your best chance to see Mercury in February is on the weekend of 16/17 when Mercury shines at magnitude -0.3 in the west at dark. The closest planet to the Sun will dim and fall back toward the horizon soon after.

February's Full Moon is at 20:26 UT or 3:26 p.m. EST on February 25 as it lies just below Leo the Lion.

Jupiter is still the best planet to see in the evenings. It will be especially picturesque on February 17 and 18 when the first quarter Moon lies first to the right of Jupiter and then to the left. Jupiter will be positioned between the Pleiades and Hyades clusters in Taurus.

On February 28, late in the evening, the 87-percent-lit Moon will rise in Virgo in the east, and the constellation's brightest star, Spica, will lie about 1 degree away from the Moon.

As March opens, the Moon ushers in Saturn as they both rise together late at night. Saturn and Spica, at magnitudes 0.3 and 1.0 respectively, will shine in the southeastern sky in the late evening. Toward the end of the month, on March 28, the Moon will re-enter the scene, positioning itself between the two as it is one day past full phase.

March's Full Moon occurs at 9:27 UT or 5:27 a.m. EDT on the 27th, which means that at moonrise on the evenings of both March 26 and 27, the Moon will be more than 99-percent lit. The mornings after Full Moon, March 28 and 29, you can spot the Moon as it is still setting in the west looking close to full while the Sun has already risen in the east.

Jupiter is still in Taurus positioned near the bull's V-shaped head. March 17 will make for a great photo-op as the Moon interjects itself into the small space between Taurus's head and Jupiter. The giant planet and our Moon will appear to be about two degrees apart.

The spring equinox occurs on March 20 at 11:02 UT. On many places on the globe on this date, day and night each last for 12 hours. In the Southern Hemisphere, fall begins.

In the Northern Hemisphere, the sky is ruled by the constellation Orion during the first quarter of the year. Containing some of the brighter stars in the sky, it anchors both the Winter Hexagon and Winter Triangle. Its familiar line of three stars that outline Orion's belt makes it one of the easiest constellations to spot.

The Winter Triangle and Orion
Credit: John Chumack

Below Orion's belt are three dimmer stars that mark Orion's sword. The cloudy patch around the middle star that you can see without binoculars or a telescope is the Orion Nebula. If you do turn binoculars toward the Orion Nebula, note the stars of the Trapezium, which are the brightest members of thousands of stars in the nebula.

The stars of the Trapezium do not move quite as astronomers expect them to, which leads them to believe that a black hole may lie within this cluster. The star cluster is only 3 million years old, and the stars that pack the small region may have created a black hole through collisions. Astronomers believe that a black hole here might have a mass of more than 100 suns. The existence of a black hole would explain the stars' high velocities. At 1,500 light-years distant, it would be the closest known black hole to Earth.

Comet 2011 L4 (PANSTARRS) was discovered in June 2011 and will make its closest pass by the Sun in March 2013. 2011 L4 will come within about 0.3 AU from the Sun, which is a relatively close pass and opens up the opportunity for significant brightening.

The comet's closest pass to Earth will be on March 5, 2013. Look west toward the constellation Pisces after sunset. 2011 L4's peak in brightness should occur just after this date, from around March 8 to 12. Predictions in brightness range from about magnitude -0.5, which would make it the second brightest star in the sky after Sirius and Canopus, up to -4, which would make it as bright as Venus, although the comet's brightness would be more diffuse and not pointlike. Comet 2011 L4 passes closest to the Sun on March 10 before heading back out of the inner solar system. But the comet will remain visible for viewers in the Northern Hemisphere through April as it makes its exit.

If you're confused by any of the astronomy terminology used on this page take a look at our: explanation of astronomy basics. Also, do visit our section on CCD Imaging to see what other amateur enthusiasts have managed to capture with their equipment. If there are any amateur astrophotographers out there who would like to exhibit their images on Astronomy Today do contact us.

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