The Planets for October 2009

       The planet Mercury will be very hard to spot this month as it lies low in the east just before sunrise and at its best on the 6th rises only forty five minutes before the Sun. It will move even closer to the Sun and be harder to see as the month progresses.
 
     As October begins, Venus can be found in the early morning sky rising just one hour before the Sun. It will get harder to observe as the month progresses as it is on its way back toward the Sun and by the month's end will be rising just forty minutes earlier than the Sun in a bright twilight sky.

     The red planet rises at 1:50am at the start of October among the stars of Gemini. On the 10th it will be 6 degrees south of Pollux, the brighter of the Gemini twins and the pair will form a straight line with the other twin, Caster. Mars will be the redder of the trio. On the 13th it moves into the constellation Cancer, the crab, and by the end of the month will be less than a 1/2 degree from the Beehive star cluster and rising just after midnight.

  High in the northern sky after the sun sets, Jupiter can still be found among the stars of Capricornus. It is very easy to spot as it is by far the brightest star like object in that part of the sky. It will be joined by a waxing gibbous moon on the 27th of the month. Even binoculars will reveal the four brightest of its moons first seen by Galileo four hundred years ago. At last count Jupiter had a total of sixty three natural satellites.

  The ringed planet will be low in the eastern morning sky and hard to spot as October begins having just returned from its journey behind the Sun. By the end of the month it will be rising ninety minutes before the Sun and much easier to observe. Telescopically the rings will still be seen at a very narrow angle, the Earth having crossed the ring plane of the planet in September. Earlier this year another moon was discovered orbiting the planet giving it a total of sixty one.

The eta-Aquarid Meteor Shower: The passage of the Earth through the debris left over from the tail of Halley's Comet twice a year can at times result in some quite spectacular meteor showers. One of these passages takes place in April-May and the result is the eta-Aquarid Meteor Shower. Although the shower is visible from April 19th to May 28th the meteors are more numerous from May 3rd to May 10th with the peak of this shower on May 6th when the rate of meteors seen per hour can reach as many as seventy. The meteors can be observed from midnight to dawn with the best time being the two hours before dawn on the 6th after the Moon has set.

4th	11th	18th	26th

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The Planets for November 2009

      Too close to the Sun to be observed early in the month, Mercury can be found low in the western twilight sky toward the end of November. However it will be still hard to spot as it sets less than one hour after the Sun.

    At the beginning of November Venus is rising in the dawn sky a little over one hour before the Sun. It draws ever closer to the Sun as the month progresses and by the end of the month will be harder to spot as it will then be rising in the bright morning twilight just thirty minutes before the Sun.

    Standing out against the faint stars of the constellation Cancer-The Crab, Mars rises just after midnight as November begins. It will be very close to the Beehive star cluster for the first few days of the month and this cluster is well worth taking a look at with a pair of binoculars. Mars is joined by the Moon on the 8th of the month.

 Shining brightly among the stars of Capricornus, Jupiter is easy to identify as it is by far the brightest star-like object in that part of the sky. High in the northern sky at around 8pm it will not set until 1:00pm. The first quarter Moon will pass by Jupiter on the 23rd and 24th 0f the month.

 Rising at 3:30am early in the month, Saturn has now moved into the constellation Virgo. It can be identified by its slightly golden tinge. Through a telescope the rings still appear fairly thin as the Earth has just passed through the ring plane of the planet. However the rings will slowly continue to become more prominent over the next seven years when they will again gradually appear to diminish. We will pass through the plane of the rings again in the year 2025.

3rd	10th	17th	25th

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The Planets for December 2009

       Setting one hour after the Sun at the beginning of December, Mercury will be observable all month long. It will be at its best on the 19th when it will be at its greatest angular distance from the Sun and setting 1 and a half hours later than the sun. It will be joined by the two day old crescent Moon on the 18th of the month.

    In the early morning sky but too close to the Sun to be observed this month. It will return to the western evening sky in January after which it will again become the evening star.

    Rising at 11:20pm at the beginning of the month, Mars crosses the meridian at 4:30 in the morning. It can now be found among the stars of Leo and will be passed by the waning gibbous Moon on the 6th and 7th of December.

 Still loitering among the stars of Capricornus, Jupiter will set at 11:30pm at the beginning of December but by month's end will be setting around 10:00pm. For telescopic observers the planet Neptune will be only half a degree from Jupiter on the 21st and the four day old crescent Moon will also be close on the same date.

 Rises at 1:30am on the 1st of the month and by the end of December will be rising around 1130pm. The Moon will pass Saturn on the 11th. The rings of the planet can still viewed at a very narrow angle from the Earth but will continue to widen until 2016 when they will be at their widest.

2nd	9th	16th	25th

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The Planets for January 2010

      Passes between the Earth and the Sun (Inferior Conjunction) at the beginning of the month so will be hard to spot until late in January. It reaches its greatest angular distance from the Sun on the 27^th when it can be found in the early morning sky among the stars of Sagittarius and rising 90 minutes before the Sun.

  Passes behind the Sun (Superior Conjunction) on the 12^th of January but will not be observable until March when it will once again become the "Evening Star".

   At the start of January Mars will be rising at around 9:00pm but by month's end it will be rising by 7:00pm and visible all night long. It crosses from Leo into Cancer on the 8^th. It will be joined by the waning gibbous Moon on the 2^nd. Mars will be at its nearest point to the Earth on the 30^th of the month. It can be easily identified by its slightly reddish colour.

This is the last opportunity to spot the giant planet as next month it will be too low in the western evening sky to be seen in the glare of the Sun. It will be joined by the three day old crescent moon on the 18^th among the faint stars of Capricornus. January the 7^th marks the 400^th anniversary of Galileo's first look at Jupiter and the discovery of three of its brightest moons.

Situated in the constellation Virgo, Saturn is rising at 11:30pm at the beginning of January but by the end of the month will be rising two hours earlier. The Earth passed through the ring plane of Saturn last September and we are now seeing the north side of the rings for the first time since 1994. It will remain in Virgo for the rest of the year.

1st	7th	15th	23rd	30th  Blue Moon

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