Let’s start off the New Year by congratulating all those who participated in IYA2009 – it was a wonderful year, astronomically speaking. One of the goals was to have over one million Canadians experience a “Galileo Moment of personal astronomical discovery,” and we did it! At this writing, there are 1,307,572 numbers on the counter at the Web site www.astronomy2009.ca.

The Moon is full on January 30, the largest apparition of 2010.

The Moon’s size varies throughout the year because the orbit is not a perfect circle. In fact, all orbits in the Solar System are ellipses, with the Sun at one focus. Orbiting bodies travel faster when closest to the Sun, and slower when farther away. During January, here are some close encounters to watch for: on the 3rd, the Moon is 7 degrees from Mars; on the 6th, 8 degrees north of Saturn; on the 11th Antares and Luna share the same part of the sky for some observers – an occultation in eastern Canada; on the 13, Mercury is 5 degrees north; the new Moon of the 15th combines with Sun in the first eclipse of 2010 (annular); on the 25th, the Moon is in the Pleiades; and on the 27th, less than a degree north of the open star cluster M35.
Mercury begins the year as an early riser, coming up ahead of the Sun in the east, but not until near the middle of the month and later. The swift planet reaches greatest elongation (away from the Sun) on the 27th.
Venus is not visible, being in front of the Sun.
Mars is visible almost all through the night, rising about 8:30 p.m. in the southeast (see the Moon, above). The Red Planet is in retrograde motion, appearing to move westward against the starry backdrop.
Jupiter brightens up the southwest sky after sundown, in Aquarius, The Water Bearer. The giant planet’s orbit is closing in on the Sun; by mid-February, it will be hidden in the Sun’s glare. Watch for an encounter with the thin sliver of the new Moon on the 17th.
Uranus and Neptune share the same part of the sky with Jupiter for most of the month. Neptune is gradually pulling ahead, while Uranus trails Jupiter by about an hour and a half.

James Edgar has had an interest in the night sky all his life. He joined the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada in 2000 and quickly became involved in the Society. He is Editor’s Assistant and a contributor to the renowned Observer’s Handbook, Production Manager of the bi-monthly RASC Journal, and is the Society’s National Secretary.