Mars remains too close to the Sun for observation. However, it will reappear in the morning sky during late January in Sagittarius.
Now past opposition, Jupiter, in Aries, is visible in the early north-eastern evening sky. The prominent summer constellations of Taurus and Orion are now extending back toward the east. The King of Planets is always fascinating to observe; besides the to-and-fro dance of the four Galilean moons, there are changes in the planet’s atmosphere worth looking for. The most obvious and easiest to identify features on Jove are the dark north (NEB) and south equatorial (SEB) belts. At first glance, an inexperienced observer may see the two belts as straight bands across the disc. However, with steady seeing, short-term protuberances, gaps, and bright and dark spots are all visible within the bands. With Jupiter’s rapid 10-hour rotation, things move quickly, and a feature noted in a belt will move perceptibly in half an hour. On the 22nd, the 10-day old waxing gibbous Moon appears near the planet (see Sky View).
Saturn is visible in Aquarius in the western sky at the end of dusk. Aside from the 1st magnitude star, Fomalhaut (Alpha Piscis Austrini), in neighbouring Piscis Austrinus, the planet is the brightest object in a region devoid of bright stars. Although not real close, the waxing crescent Moon enhances the western view with Saturn on the 17th and 18th (see Sky View).
Uranus, now past opposition, is in the northern evening sky at the end of astronomical twilight in Aries, transiting the meridian around 9:30 pm mid-month. Most amateur astronomers would have seen Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn with the unaided eye or through a telescope. But to complete a planetary tour of the Solar System, one must observe the remaining two outer ice giants. They are not difficult to locate under a dark sky, and you can cross them off your bucket list.
Neptune, in Aquarius, comes to the end of five months in retrograde on the 7th and appears high in the early north-western evening sky at the end of astronomical dusk. The planet had a brief sojourn into Aquarius late last month, but its west to east motion brings it back into Pisces mid-month.
