Volume 30 Issue 1
January 2024
January 2024
Month at a Glance:
This month is the start of a year with occultations and close conjunctions between our Moon and several planets and stars occuring every month. See the monthly calendar for the dates to watch for these close encounters. The planets this month are grouped as morning planets (Mercury, Venus, and Mars) rising ahead of the Sun. Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus are visible as evening planets setting in the hours after sunset. Uranus will have an apparent magnitude of less than 6.0 and so it may be visible to the unaided eye in dark enough skies.
Click here for the month at a glance calendar.
What is this? "It's a prediction of when Lees Summit, MO, will have good weather for astronomical observing." Click on the graphic to go to the Clear Sky web site.
This month is the start of a year with occultations and close conjunctions between our Moon and several planets and stars occuring every month. See the monthly calendar for the dates to watch for these close encounters. The planets this month are grouped as morning planets (Mercury, Venus, and Mars) rising ahead of the Sun. Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus are visible as evening planets setting in the hours after sunset. Uranus will have an apparent magnitude of less than 6.0 and so it may be visible to the unaided eye in dark enough skies.
Click here for the month at a glance calendar.
What is this? "It's a prediction of when Lees Summit, MO, will have good weather for astronomical observing." Click on the graphic to go to the Clear Sky web site.
Mercury is visible in the morning skies rising 1-2 hours before the Sun rises. This innermost planet reaches western elongation around mid-month and will remaiin visible throughout the month.
Venus, like Mercury, will be visible as a morning planet rising ahead of the Sun, by several hours. Venus will remain visible for the entiree month.
Mars is visible above the eastern horizon rising 1-2 hours before the Sun rises. Watch for a close conjunction between Mars and Mercury on the 27th and 28th.
Dwarf Planet Ceres rises a few hours before the Sun rises but with anapparent magnitude ove 8.0 seeing this Dwarf Planet would require some optical assistance. On the mornings of the 15th to the 17th watch for Venus to pass within a degree from Ceres.
Jupiter ends its retrograde motion and resumes eastward, or prograde, motion across the stars of Aries the Ram.
Saturn is visible over the southwest horizon at sunset local time and will remain visible above the horizon through out this month.
Uranus will be a few degrees east from Jupiter and with an apparent magnitude of less than 6.0 Uranus may be visible to the unaided eye in dark enough skies.
