January 2006 Calendar by Dave Mitsky

All times are UT (subtract 5 hours and when appropriate 1 calendar day for EST)

1/1 The Moon is at perigee, subtending 33'02" from a distance of 361,751 km, at 23:00
1/2 Neptune is 3.8 degrees north-northwest of the Moon at 15:00
1/3 The peak of the Quadrantid meteor shower (40 to 200/ hour) occurs at 18:00
1/4 Uranus is 1.8 degrees north-northeast of the Moon at 2:00; a minimum lunar libration of 4.6 degrees occurs at 7:00; Earth is at perihelion (147,103,622 km from the Sun) at 15:00; the latest sunrise at latitude 40 degrees north occurs at 12:22
1/5 Asteroid 4 Vesta (magnitude 6.2) is at opposition at 23:00
1/6 The Moon is at the ascending node (longitude 8.3 degrees) at 5:00; First Quarter Moon occurs at 18:56
1/8 The latest onset of morning twilight occurs today; Mars is 1.3 degrees south of the Moon at 19:00
1/9 A double Galilean satellite shadow transit (Ganymede and Europa) occurs from 11:02 to 11:56
1/10 Mercury is at aphelion at 0:00; the Moon is 0.2 degrees southwest of the bright open cluster M45 (the Pleiades)
1/11 An unusual alignment of the Galilean satellites Io, Europa, and Callisto occurs at 4:31; a maximum lunar libration of 8.1 degrees occurs at 14:00
1/14 Venus is at inferior conjunction with the Sun at 0:00; the Moon is 1.9 degrees south-southwest of the first magnitude star Pollux at 8:00; Full Moon, known as the Old Moon or the Moon After Yule, occurs at 9:48
1/15 The Moon is 2.8 degrees north-northeast of the bright open cluster M44 (the Beehive Cluster) at 12:00; Saturn is 4 degrees south of the Moon at 13:00
1/17 The Moon is 2.6 degrees north-northeast of the first magnitude star Regulus at 10:00; the Moon is at apogee, subtending 29'26" from a distance of 405,884 km, at 19:00
1/18 The Sun enters Capricornus at 18:00; a minimum lunar libration of 3.4 degrees occurs at 15:00
1/20 Mars (heliocentric longitude 84.4 degrees) and Pluto (heliocentric longitude 264.4 degrees) are at heliocentric opposition at 8:00; the Moon is at the descending node (longitude 186.6 degrees) at 12:07
1/21 The vernal equinox occurs in the northern hemisphere of Mars at 12:00; the Moon is 0.54 degrees northeast of the first magnitude star Spica at 23:00
1/22 Last Quarter Moon occurs at 15:14
1/23 Jupiter is 5 degrees north of the Moon at 20:00
1/24 Venus is at perihelion at 23:00
1/25 The Moon is 0.03 degrees north-northwest of the first magnitude star Antares at 12:00; a maximum lunar libration of 9.5 degrees occurs at 13:00; SAO 98054 (magnitude 8.2) is occulted by the rings of Saturn at approximately 18:45; SAO 98054 reappears from occultation by the disk of Saturn at 20:55
1/26 Mercury is in superior conjunction with the Sun at 22:00
1/27 Saturn (magnitude -0.2, 20.4") is at opposition at 22:00
1/28 The Moon is 1.9 degrees south of the asteroid 1 Ceres at 6:00; Io, Callisto, and Europa (in that order) form a dogleg to the west of Jupiter at 10:00
1/29 New Moon (lunation 1028) occurs at 14:15; Mercury is 2.1 degrees north-northwest of the Moon at 18:00
1/30 Neptune is 3.7 degrees north-northwest of the Moon at 2:00; Mercury is at its greatest latitude south of the plane of the ecliptic (-7.0 degrees); the Moon is at perigee, subtending 33'24" from a distance of 357,777 km, at 8:00 - high tides are expected
1/31 Uranus is 1.6 degrees north-northwest of the Moon at 13:00; a minimum lunar libration of 3.8 degrees occurs at 15:00

Times and dates for the lunar light rays predicted to occur this month are available at http://www.lunar-occultations.com/rlo/rays/rays.htm

The planets on January 1: Mercury (-0.7 magnitude, 5.0", 92% illuminated), Venus (-4.3 magnitude, 57.9", 6% illuminated), Mars (-0.6 magnitude, 12.1", 92% illuminated), Jupiter (-1.8 magnitude, 33.3", 99% illuminated), Saturn (-0.1 magnitude, 20.1", 100% illuminated), Uranus (5.9 magnitude, 3.4", 100% illuminated), Neptune (8.0 magnitude, 2.2", 100% illuminated), and Pluto (14.0 magnitude, 0.1", 100% illuminated).

Mercury is potentially visible in the morning twilight in early January. The innermost planet is at inferior conjunction on January 26.

Brilliant Venus remains prominent in the southwest during evening twilight in early January, becoming an increasingly thin crescent but growing in apparent size to 62" as it approaches the Earth and inferior conjunction on January 13-14. Venus returns to the morning sky on January 17. From January 9 to January 18, the planet is only 1% illuminated.

Located in Aries, Mars continues to decline in both apparent size and magnitude this month. Its apparent size drops below 10" on January 19. Mars won't be this prominent again until October 2007.

Jupiter rises by 1:00 a.m. at month's end. On the night of January 11, it is 49' due north of Alpha Librae (magnitude 2.7), better known as Zubenelgenubi. Jupiter is less than 1 degree from Zubenelgenubi from January 9 to January 17.

Still residing in Cancer, Saturn is at its best in January. It rises at sunset, is on the meridian at midnight, and sets at sunrise. The planet's rings extend some 46 arc seconds, over twice its apparent diameter. Saturn's retrograde (western) motion takes it from 2.5 degrees to less than a degree from the center of the naked-eye open cluster M44 during the course of the month.

Uranus can be found in Aquarius in the early evening, nearly midway between the stars Lambda and Sigma.

Neptune is less than well-placed for observation this month.

Pluto is still too close to the Sun to be readily observed.

Asteroid 4 Vesta reaches opposition on January 5 at approximately 1/3 of the distance from Delta to Epsilon Geminorum. It may be visible to the naked-eye from a very dark site.

Comet C/2005 E2 (McNaught) passes through Aquarius and enters Pisces by the end of the month. On the evening of January 20, the tenth magnitude comet appears just to the south of the twelfth magnitude spiral galaxy NGC 7351 in Aquarius.

Variable star for January: U Orionis (maximum magnitude 6.3 on January 10)

One hundred and five binary and multiple stars for January: Omega Aurigae, 5 Aurigae, Struve 644, 14 Aurigae, Struve 698, Struve 718, 26 Aurigae, Struve 764, Struve 796, Struve 811, Theta Aurigae (Auriga); Struve 485, 1 Camelopardalis, Struve 587, Beta Camelopardalis, 11 & 12 Camelopardalis, Struve 638, Struve 677, 29 Camelopardalis, Struve 780 (Camelopardalis); h3628, Struve 560, Struve 570, Struve 571, Struve 576, 55 Eridani, Struve 596, Struve 631, Struve 636, 66 Eridani, Struve 649 (Eridanus); Kappa Leporis, South 473, South 476, h3750, h3752, h3759, Beta Leporis, Alpha Leporis, h3780, Lallande 1, h3788, Gamma Leporis (Lepus); Struve 627, Struve 630, Struve 652, Phi Orionis, Otto Struve 517, Beta Orionis (Rigel), Struve 664, Tau Orionis, Burnham 189, h697, Struve 701, Eta Orionis, h2268, 31 Orionis, 33 Orionis, Delta Orionis (Mintaka), Struve 734, Struve 747, Lambda Orionis, Theta-1 Orionis (the Trapezium), Theta-2 Orionis, Iota Orionis, Struve 750, Struve 754, Sigma Orionis, Zeta Orionis (Alnitak), Struve 790, 52 Orionis, Struve 816, 59 Orionis, 60 Orionis (Orion); Struve 476, Espin 878, Struve 521, Struve 533, 56 Persei, Struve 552, 57 Persei (Perseus); Struve 479, Otto Struve 70, Struve 495, Otto Struve 72, Struve 510, 47 Tauri, Struve 517, Struve 523, Phi Tauri, Burnham 87, Xi Tauri, 62 Tauri, Kappa & 67 Tauri, Struve 548, Otto Struve 84, Struve 562, 88 Tauri, Struve 572, Tau Tauri, Struve 598, Struve 623, Struve 645, Struve 670, Struve 674, Struve 680, 111 Tauri, 114 Tauri, 118 Tauri, Struve 730, Struve 742, 133 Tauri (Taurus)

Challenge binary star for January: 14 Orionis (Orion)

Seventy deep-sky objects for January: B26-28, B29, M36, M37, M38, NGC 1664, NGC 1778, NGC 1857, NGC 1893, NGC 1907, NGC 1931 (Auriga); IC 361, Kemble 1, NGC 1501, NGC 1502, NGC 1530, NGC 1569 (Camelopardalis); NGC 1507, NGC 1518, NGC 1531, NGC 1532, NGC 1535, NGC 1537, NGC 1600, NGC 1637, NGC 1659, NGC 1700 (Eridanus); IC 418, M79, NGC 1832, NGC 1888, NGC 1964 (Lepus); B33, Cr65, Cr69, Cr70, IC 434, M42, M43, M78, NGC 1662, NGC 1973-75-77, NGC 1981, NGC 1999, NGC 2022, NGC 2023, NGC 2024, NGC 2112 (Orion); Be11, NGC 1491, NGC 1496, NGC 1499, NGC 1513, NGC 1528, NGC 1545, NGC 1548, NGC 1579, NGC 1582, NGC 1605, NGC 1624 (Perseus); DoDz3, DoDz4, M1, Mel 25, NGC 1514, NGC 1587, NGC 1647, NGC 1746, NGC 1807, NGC 1817 (Taurus)

Challenge deep-sky object for January: IC 2118 (Eridanus)

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These are great! Where do you get the information? I need to do one for my society's website for the year.