Homeboy Astronomy Blog - Homeboy Astronomy Blog – Down-to-Earth Advices for Amateur Astronomers

Have a great new year 2008! It is nice to be back from Christmas holidays to write some astronomy articles. Last night we had a clear sky here in Finland and I went to observe Orion constellation and its stars Betelgeuse and Rigel, as well as M42 the Orion Nebula. It is getting colder here in north (finally!) and one must wear good clothes in order to stay warm outside.

It is January now and many interesting planets are up there to observe. In this article I provide you information of which planets can be seen in January in northern hemisphere, just like I did in December (remember my article Planets in December). Unfortunately I do not know well the southern hemisphere, so this time I can only say which planets can be seen in January in northern hemisphere. By the way, did you know that we have up to 16 hours dark time every day in January in northern Finland? There is not much light, but who cares? We have plenty of time to watch the sky above..

In early night you can see Uranus and Neptune, while Saturn rises in late night and can be seen until dawn. Mars can be seen during the whole night and Jupiter and Venus can be seen before the dawn. Let us have a deeper look at the planets you can see in January in northern hemisphere.

Mars

Big red planet Mars can be seen in during the whole night in Taurus constellation. The planet is located high in the sky and it is easy to find. Mars is a great object to observe with a telescope because its high position in the night sky where the disturbances of the atmosphere are minimal. Read more about locating Mars.

Venus

Venus can be seen in early morning in South-East direction. It is the brightest planet and therefore can easily be located. Notice that Venus will be positioned close to Jupiter in January 31st. It is a great chance to observe those two brightest planets shining close to each other in early morning.

Mercury

The interesting planet Mercury will be seen in the middle of January, located low in South-West. Mercury can be seen in early night time when it is getting dark. Finding Mercury in late January will be difficult because it will not shine that much anymore. Make sure the sky is clear down to horizon when you start searching for Mercury.

Jupiter

The big planet Jupiter will be seen after the middle of January. It will be seen in South-East in early mornings and it is located in Sagittarius constellation. Notice that Jupiter and Venus will be positioned close to each other in the end of January (see Venus).

Uranus

Uranus can be found low in South-West in early night. It is located in Aquarius constellation and it can be found best by using binoculars.

Saturn

Located in Leo constellation, Saturn rises from South-East in early night and will be located high in South a couple of hours after midnight.

Neptune

Neptune can be found in early January in South-West direction. The planet is located in Capricornus constellation and it can be seen in early night. Because Neptune is not very bright, it can be found best by using very good binoculars or a telescope.

These are the planets you can observe in January 2008 in northern hemisphere. Now, take your binoculars, telescope, star charts and all you need and go out observing the planets!