Night Sky January 2015
28 JANUARY 2015 @ 19H00:
West Rand Astronomy Club Meeting Dutch Reformed Church,
844 Corlette Avenue, Witpoortjie
Cost: Donation of R10 for the use of the venue which includes tea and coffee.
• Presentation By: TBA
• Topic:
January Night Sky News and Events. Telescopes will be set up for viewing (weather permitting). Members are encouraged to bring along telescopes, you can bring along observation sheets and any of your favourite astronomy books for discussion. Ask questions, share information and enjoy!
17 JANUARY 2015 from Sundown:
WRAC MONTHLY STARGAZING EVENING: Laurie Bentel’s Farm At: 171 Bartlett Street, Honingklip. (Not far from the Silver Casino).
• Co ordinates: 26 01 12 S….27 47 93 E -26.018810 , 27.798910
• New members welcome. bring own meat and salads ,drinks (Please limit the alcohol), cutlery, crockery and a chair.
• If weather looks suspect please check WRAC website from 3:15pm. on the Saturday to confirm if stargazing is still on.
On Line Shopping and walk in shop
IN THE NEWS:
Comet Lovejoy has commanded much well deserved attention of late. Comet Lovejoy, could refer to at least five comets discovered by Terry Lovejoy since as early as 2007.However , the latest one: C/2014 Q2, discovered in August, could be visible to the naked eye between December 2014 and January 2015, is the one holding current interes. On January 5th. C2014 Q2 was placed close to the right hand star of Orion’s Belt,(Southern Hemisphere). It is moving in a north westerly direction and on January 7th. it will be closest to Earth. 70.2 km away! as the moon wanes the comet will be moving into the Northern hemisphere. We did not all have the good fortune of seeing the comet. At the specific times, too much cloud and too much rain, but of that we shall not complain!
Congratulations to those who did get to see the two tailed green fuzzy spot!
Sunrise and Sunset
January 2015
10th.January 2015 5:25 19:05
15th. January 2015 5:29 19:05
31st. January 2015 5:42 19.00
• Never look at the sun without proper protection.
• Looking at the sun through a telescope or binoculars without the necessary through a telescope or binoculars without the necessary equipment or protection Will Blind You.
The Moon in January:
On January 5th. The Full Moon id also known as the Wolf Moon. It is the only night in the month when the moon is in the sky for the whole night. Rising at sunset and setting at sunrise.
Full Moon 5 January at 19:10
New moon 20 January at 15:14
Full Moon 4 February at 1:09
Planets in January:
• Saturn: Will be visible in the East before dawn from about the 16th. January, It is not visible in the evening skies.
• Jupiter: Will be visible higher in the sky, making its way westward from a north easterly position.
• Mars and Venus: Will be very low in the western skies after sunset somewhere around 10 degrees.
Deep-sky objects:
Globular clusters: Nebulae: Galaxies:
NGC 6584 barnard144 NGC6744
NGC 6752 NGC6781
Messier 71 Dumb-Bell
Meteor Showers:
The Alpha Crucid meteor shower will be at its maximum on the 19th. January taking place from about midnight to the early morning hours.
Meteroids are streams of space dust that occurs when a larger space body disintegrates, usually an asteroid. The Earth intersects these streams. The meteor showers radiate from a point and form a shower as they appear to fall to earth.
Information from the Sky Guide South Africa 2015.
Satellite movement:
Satellite movement can be viewed on:
Regards Wrac.