Abrams Planetarium Starline

Abrams Planetarium Starline http://www.pa.msu.edu/abrams/starline/ What's up in the night sky this month. January 2012 Starline Podcast http://www.pa.msu.edu/abrams/starline/starline2012jan-pod.mp3 You are reading the Abrams Planetarium Sky Information podcast recorded January 11th, 2012. Venus and Jupiter dominate the evening sky this winter. Watch these two bright planets as they converge. The pair move closer to each other by more than a degree each day. Jupiter and Venus will pass each other on March 13th. On that date, they will be 3 degrees apart. In the spring, Jupiter will drop lower in the west until it disappears in late April. Venus reaches its greatest elongation on March 26th. After greatest elongation, Venus will appear as a crescent in the view of a telescope. As Earth and Venus move closer to each other, Venus will appear as a larger and thinner crescent. Venus will remain part of the evening sky until late May. Don't miss the Transit of Venus on June 5th 2012. Mars can be found below the constellation of Leo the Lion. Mars starts moving retrograde on January 24th. The red planets makes a retrograde loop in Leo over the next few months. Mars is at opposition on March 3rd. Mars ends its westward movement on April 15th, 4 degrees west of Regulus. Saturn can be found about 6 to 7 degrees west of the star Spica. Saturn is almost 180 degrees away from Jupiter. The two giant planets will slowly move towards each other over the next 9 years. In 2020 Jupiter will pass so close to Saturn they will visible in together in the view of a telescope. This year Saturn starts moving retrograde on February 8th and reaches opposition on April 15th. Mercury's next appearance will be in the evenings of late February and early March. This will be the best evening apparition of Mercury for the year. The crescent Moon is near Venus on the 26th of January. The first quarter Moon is near Jupiter on January 30th. The waxing crescent passes Venus again on February 25th with Jupiter just 16 degrees away from Venus making a spectacular sight in the evening sky. The MSU Observatory public observing nights will resume in the spring If you have further questions, or wish to request a sample Sky Calendar/star map which will help you find the objects mentioned in this message, call us at 517-355-4676 during regular business hours, weekdays 9:00 a.m. to noon, and 1 to 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Thanks for reading the Abrams Planetarium Sky Information podcast.