Planets in January 2008 - Which Planets Can be Seen in January 2008
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!
Share This
[…] by marko as News On next Monday Nasa’s spacecraft is going to do a historic flyby of planet Mercury in 200 kilometers above the surface of Mercury. This is a historic moment because we have not […]
Can you see them in southern california?
Well, I’m not sure. Northern California is located in northern hemisphere (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Hemisphere), so you should see them. I need to figure this out, so I’ll get back to this on weekend..
Oh, just to mention that the times of the day when they can be seen are naturally different from times we see them here in Finland.
I am in ontario california and I want to know if i can see them
Sally, you should see them as described above because you are located on northern hemisphere just like me, but the viewing times might be different.
Nice view this morning of Venus and Jupiter (Jan 25) from Colorado, about 1 hour or so before sunrise, Jupiter disappearing first as the sky ightened, then Venus.
Hi Jim, nice to hear that. Notice the best moment is still coming, the end of this month when Jupiter and Venus should be close to each other. I hope I will have a clear sky, but lately it has been raining and snowing here in Finland. Some months ago I was in Boulder and I msut say the night sky was awesome with the silhouette of the high mountains. Would be nice to observer from those mountains (I go backcountry skiing as well –> http://homeboyski.com).
Jim, do you shoot photographs? If yes, would you like to post your picture of Jupiter and Venus to this blog? I would be glad to publish one or more photos here.
Cheers,
marko
The sky was very clear this morning in Toronto, Ontario and Venus and Jupiter were very easy to see.
Hi Jeff, nice to hear. Here in Helsinki it has been raining and therefore I was not able to observe last night. Right now it looks better, so I hope tonight is the night.
I just happened to return from seeing the SuperBowl (broadcast here in Israel until 05:00) and noticed a spectacular sight of two planets glowing over an eclipse of the moon in the lower eastern skies. Truely a wonderful sight. Tel Aviv, Toronto, wherever. Nothing like nature. Thanks for identifying them to me.
mikem, sounds like you had a great day yesterday
It’s really nice to hear how people around the world have successfully observed these planets. The nature is fabulous and it is wonderful to share these thoughts with hundreds of people daily.
Thanks for leaving your comment, mikem!
omg.. good work, man
Leave your response!
Related Links
Categories
Archives
Browse Tags
alpha centauri Apophis astronauts astronomy astronomy tips black holes CERN ESA free astronomy books free astronomy DVD's free astronomy equipment free astronomy items free astronomy stuff free astronomy videos free giveaways Gemini HiRISE homeboy's astronomy blog homeboyastronomy homeboyastronomy.com ISS LHC lunar eclipse lunar eclipse february 2008 Moon NASA Northern Hemisphere northern hemisphere lunar eclipse february 2008 pentagon and satellite pentagon shooting a satellite pentagon shooting satellite with a tactical missille Planets Richard Branson rocket water vapor satellites September 2008 skywatching space debris space flights Stargazing Stars Tips & Tricks tips on astronomy Virgin Galactic weather satellite shootingRecent Comments
Most Commented
Homeboy's Friends