Sky this week
January 2013 - First Week 1-8 jan
January 1st Europa transit on Jupiter
January 1st Asteroid 9 Metis At Opposition (8.5 Magnitude)
January 2nd Earth At Perihelion (0.983 AU From Sun)
January 3rd Quadrantids Meteor Shower Peak
January 3rd Great Indian Star Count starts
January 4th Issac Newton’s Birthday
January 5th Moon last Quarter at 09:30 IST
Sunrise/Sunset timings for the week (Delhi)
Date Sunrise Sunset
1 Jan 2013 07:14 17:36
2 Jan 2013 07:14 17:36
3 Jan 2013 07:14 17:37
4 Jan 2013 07:15 17:38
5 Jan 2013 07:15 17:38
6 Jan 2013 07:15 17:39
7 Jan 2013 07:15 17:40
8 Jan 2013 07:15 17:41
Moonrise Moonset timings for the week (Delhi)
Date Moonrise Moonset
1 Jan 2013 21:18 09:31
2 Jan 2013 22:14 10:06
3 Jan 2013 23:11 10:41
4 Jan 2013 11:17 05:16
5 Jan 2013 00:09 11:55
6 Jan 2013 01:10 12:37
7 Jan 2013 02:13 13:23
8 Jan 2013 03:19 14:15
1 Jan 2013 21:18 09:31
2 Jan 2013 22:14 10:06
3 Jan 2013 23:11 10:41
4 Jan 2013 11:17 05:16
5 Jan 2013 00:09 11:55
6 Jan 2013 01:10 12:37
7 Jan 2013 02:13 13:23
8 Jan 2013 03:19 14:15
As the earth circles sun yet again for umpteenth time, we welcome 2013 after what one may say “Doomsday year”!!
Also get to see Europa transiting across the jovian disk in the early morning hours of 1st January (12:50 am) though you will start seeing the satellite coming in front of Jupiter an hour before. There are quite a few Jovian events happening throughout the week but we have given a teaser for you to start with!!
On the first day of year 2013, Asteroid 9 Metis will be at its brightest at Opposition (8.5 Magnitude). So its time for the amateurs who have got a small sized telescope to go out and observe the Asteroid. Any telescope with 60mm aperture or bigger will show you the asteroid.
Mother Earth comes closest to Sun on 2nd January at a distance of 0.983 AU From Sun (147054707 kms to be precise) but we do not feel the heat, on the contrary its winter here!! Tilt of axis of Earth is the culprit for the same. For details please click here.
GISC (Great Indian Star Count), an initiative by SPACE for fight against light pollution starts on 3rd January, be a Citizen Scientist/Astronomer to contribute to the world of Science!! For detail check out www.space-india.org
First meteor shower of the year “Quadrantid meteor shower” It is one of the good meteor showers but the duration is quite small for the peak and placement of the radiant makes it good only for higher latitude observers. The radiant of this shower is an area inside the constellation Boötes. The name comes from Quadrans Muralis, an obsolete constellation that is now part of Boötes. It lies between the end of the handle of the Big Dipper and the quadrilateral of stars marking the head of the constellation Draco. Worth a try but we can not promise you large number of meteors!!
Celebrate Newton’s birthday by having an apple and ponder about the thoughts about gravity on the 4th January!!
Watch last quarter Moon rising late on 5th night very close to Spica (with 1.5 degrees) With a moderate size telescope you can observe crater on the Moon.
You can observe Jupiter throughout the week shining brightly at -2.7 mag and attaining maximum height in the sky around 10 pm local time. Jupiter has so much in stroe for observers with any kind of optical instruments. Don't have any? check out the telescopes at www.spacearcade.in
Night Sky Map at 20:00 IST
Constellation of the week:
Perseus is a constellation in the northern sky, named after the Greek hero Perseus. It was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and remains one of the 88 modern constellations defined by the International Astronomical Union. It contains the famous variable star Algol (β Per), and is also the location of the radiant of the annual Perseids meteor shower.It crosses merdian during the first half of January and hence will be seen at its maximum height from the horizon.
Deep Sky object of the week:
Double cluster in perseus: These two open clusters (NGC 869 and NGC 884 respectively) belong to two objects of the night sky for binoculars and small telescopes. Both lie at distances of more than 7,000 ly and are separated by several hundred light-years. The cluster was first recorded during the reign of the Chinese king Tsung-K'ang, who reigned during the Hsia Dynasty (2858-2146 BCE). Both clusters are of approximately 4th magnitude and 0.5 degrees in diameter.. Both clusters are distinct from their star field and are clearly concentrated at their centers.
Perseus is a constellation in the northern sky, named after the Greek hero Perseus. It was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and remains one of the 88 modern constellations defined by the International Astronomical Union. It contains the famous variable star Algol (β Per), and is also the location of the radiant of the annual Perseids meteor shower.It crosses merdian during the first half of January and hence will be seen at its maximum height from the horizon.
Deep Sky object of the week:
Double cluster in perseus: These two open clusters (NGC 869 and NGC 884 respectively) belong to two objects of the night sky for binoculars and small telescopes. Both lie at distances of more than 7,000 ly and are separated by several hundred light-years. The cluster was first recorded during the reign of the Chinese king Tsung-K'ang, who reigned during the Hsia Dynasty (2858-2146 BCE). Both clusters are of approximately 4th magnitude and 0.5 degrees in diameter.. Both clusters are distinct from their star field and are clearly concentrated at their centers.
Written By: Sachin Bahmba & C B Devgun
