Australian Sky & Telescope — January 01, 2018

52 AUSTRALIAN SKY & TELESCOPE January 2018

2018 OBSERVING GUIDE

Skywatching highlights

JANUARY 7 This morning, Jupiter and

Mars appear less than 1/3° apart in the

eastern sky before dawn. Jupiter is 20

times brighter than Mars.

JANUARY 13–14 Mercury and Saturn

are close together, low in the eastern pre-

dawn twilight.

JANUARY 31 Total eclipse of the Moon

during the evening for Australia and New

Zealand. See page 54.

FEBRUARY 15 Partial eclipse of the

Sun, visible only from Tasmania and far

southern Victoria and South Australia. For

Melbourne, the event will begin at 1:05pm

Eastern Standard Time (adjust for daylight

saving), with mid-eclipse at 1:22pm.

MARCH 20 Equinox: The hours of

darkness and daylight are roughly equal

today for most temperate latitudes.

MARCH 20 Take a look at Mars

tonight with your binoculars or telescope,

and you’ll see it bracketed by the Lagoon

Nebula on one side and the Trifid Nebula

on the other.

APRIL 7 The Moon, Mars, Saturn and

globular star cluster Messier 22 will all be

within a few degrees of each other.

APRIL 19 The thin crescent Moon will

get up close and personal with Aldebaran

and the Hyades star cluster in the evening

sky shortly after sunset.

MAY 8–9 Jupiter is at opposition tonight:

opposite the Sun in Earth’s sky, essentially

at its closest to Earth for the year.

MAY 21 Venus will be close to the open

star cluster, Messier 35, in the western

evening sky.

JUNE 20 Venus has been getting closer

to the open star cluster, Messier 44

(also known as the Beehive Cluster), and

tonight they’ll be less than one degree

apart in the western, post-sunset sky.

JUNE 21 Solstice: Marks the

approximate mid-point of Australasia’s

winter season.

JUNE 27 Saturn is at opposition tonight,

making for primetime viewing all night long.

JULY 10 Venus and Regulus are paired

1 ° apart very low in the western twilight.

Of the two, Venus is 200 times brighter!

Use binoculars.

JULY 10–16 This is a good time to see

Mercury, in the western sky after sunset.

JULY 16 Venus and the crescent Moon

are paired beautifully, close together low

in the western twilight.

JULY 20 The first quarter Moon stands

close over Jupiter at dusk.

JULY 26–27 Mars is at opposition

tonight. The full Moon, also at opposition

(opposite the Sun in our sky), shines with

it all night. A. DYER/IYA2009