~ St. Maarten’s Backyard Astronomy for January 12-14 ~
Sun rises at 6:46am
Sun sets at 5:55pm
Lunar phase: 1st quarter, waxing crescent
Moon rises at 8:47am
Moon sets at 8:25pm
This weekend, the whisker-thin new moon sets early, leaving the night sky to the realm of the stars and planets; but before the moon dips below that western horizon, look around that crescent to find Saturn. Friday evening, the distance between the moon and the ringed planet is about 30 degrees, or a little wider than the span of your hand when the fingers are stretched, and the arm is held all the way out. But by Saturday evening, you’ll see the moon has shifted much closer to Saturn; and by Sunday night, the ringed planet has crossed to the other side of the moon. Use your binoculars or a telescope to view both these astounding celestial bodies.
Near the Moon-Saturn action, you will see Jupiter, another worthy target for magnification. Saturday night, Jupiter is nearly overhead in the early evening, dominating the southern sky. The moon skirts past Saturn and closes the gap with Jupiter as the coming week progresses. You’ll notice these two in a tight conjunction on Thursday, directly south, and fairly high up in the sky, almost at the zenith point.
By 10:00pm Saturday, you will see Jupiter moving towards the western horizon while the eastern sky offers a view of such constellations as Leo the Lion and Gemini the Twins. Overhead at that hour, look for Taurus the Bull and Orion the Hunter. Leo is overhead by 3:00am and Taurus and Orion are setting in the west.
Venus, the brilliantly impressive planet, rises at 4:30am. Currently holding court as the “Morning Star”, this planet heralds the start of a new day and is a reward for those early risers who take the time to notice the starry sky over their heads.
Mercury, small and shy, rises by 5:30am. You will be lucky to notice this little planet, but if there was ever a good chance to spot it, this weekend is it! Also, at that early hour, look southward to notice Crux, also known as the Southern Cross. This small constellation holds high status in navigation of the southern hemisphere and in flags for nations of the southern half of our planet. The Southern Cross constellation is also mentioned in poetry and prose, even in our own St. Maarten Song! Verse four tells us:
For me a great delight
Thy Southern Cross the night
May God the Lord protect thy coast!
Thank you for keeping up with the Night Sky articles, backyard astronomy designed for St. Maarten sky viewing. FYI: If you are out later on in the week, note that each star rises about four minutes earlier each day than written here, and the moon rises 50 minutes later. Night Sky is researched and compiled by Lisa Davis-Burnett. Earthsky.org is a key resource for information and images. Questions or comments? Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
