Adrian Dening's Stars Over Somerset

Wednesday, 10 January 2024 17:00

Monday 15th to Sunday 21st January 2024

On the evening of Monday 15th, the gas giant planet Neptune reaches conjunction with the Moon, when the two appear closest together.

Look towards the south west around 6pm and you will see a 24%-lit Waxing Crescent Moon. To find Neptune, you will need a telescope because the planet currently only has a magnitude of around +8.0 Aim your telescope just a little above the Moon.

At the same time, a much brighter target will be Saturn, located below and to the right of the Moon. The planet itself is obvious to the naked eye, but if you point your telescope in that direction, you should be able to see the stunning rings of dust and you could have a go at trying to identify some of Saturn's numerous moons.

On the evening of Friday 19th, it's the turn of Uranus to be in conjunction with the Moon. Look towards the south at 6pm to find a 67%-lit Waxing Gibbous Moon. Uranus will be just below it and as the planet will only have a magnitude of around +6.0, it's telescope time again!

Easier targets to find that evening will be Jupiter sitting to the right of the Moon and the Pleiades open cluster of stars to the left of the Moon.

Finally, the early hours of Sunday morning 21st, say around 1.30am, is an optimum time to spot the Clair-Obscur effect known as "The Jewelled Handle" on the lunar surface. At that time, the Moon will be located towards the west and I have provided a diagram to help you find the visual effect.