Last Minute Astronomer - January Episode

January of 2024 has some slight changes to Saturn and Jupiter in the sky, 4 visible naked-eye planets, and a couple of close encounters.      I’m Rob, your Last Minute Astronomer, bringing astronomy to normies and nerds, with little time to spare.  As usual, we’ll start by talking about where the naked eye planets are this month, move on to the lunar phases, and finish up with a calendar of events, so you can plan ahead better than me.    7th - 9th – CLOSE ENCOUNTER – Moon, Venus, Mercury – The main catch here is a very thin crescent Moon and bright Venus, but Mercury is also around, but very low and hard to see.  Get out around 6am and find a very clear view of the SE.  If you can see below Venus, you’re probably good.  On the 7th, the Moon will be up and to the right of Venus about 16˚, with Mercury down and to the left of Venus about the same distance.  The next morning, the 8th, the Moon will have moved to be about 7˚ down and to the right of Venus.  Technically, you might be able to catch the Moon on the morning of the 9th, but it will be quite difficult without the clearest of horizons after 6:30am.  The Moon, Mercury, and Venus will make a beautiful triangle.    13th - 14th – CLOSE ENCOUNTER – Moon, Saturn – Get out after sunset, look SW, and the Moon will be about 8˚ below Saturn.  Then on the 14th, the Moon will be roughly on the opposite side of Saturn.   18th – CLOSE ENCOUNTER – Moon, Jupiter – The Moon is only about 3˚ above bright Jupiter   Music was produced by Deep Sky Dude and used with permission.    We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs.  Just visit: https://www.patreon.com/365DaysOfAstronomy and donate as much as you can! Share the podcast with your friends and send the Patreon link to them too!  Every bit helps! Thank you! ------------------------------------ Do go visit http://www.redbubble.com/people/CosmoQuestX/shop for cool Astronomy Cast and CosmoQuest t-shirts, coffee mugs and other awesomeness! http://cosmoquest.org/Donate This show is made possible through your donations.  Thank you! (Haven't donated? It's not too late! Just click!) ------------------------------------ The 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast is produced by the Planetary Science Institute. http://www.psi.edu Visit us on the web at 365DaysOfAstronomy.org or email us at [email protected].