HOW TO USE THIS MAP: This map portrays the sky as seen near 30° south latitude. Located inside the border are the four directions: north, south, east, and west. To find stars, hold the map overhead and orient it so a direction label matches the direction you’re facing. The stars above the map’s horizon now match what’s in the sky.
JANUARY 2018 Calendar of events 1 Mercury is at greatest western elongation (23°), 20h UT The Moon is at perigee (356,565 kilometers from Earth), 21h49m UT
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2 Full Moon occurs at 2h24m UT
Uranus is stationary, 21h UT
The Moon passes 3° north of Mercury, 7h UT
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7 Mars passes 0.2° south of Jupiter, 4h UT
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8 Last Quarter Moon occurs at 22h25m UT 9 Venus is in superior conjunction, 7h UT Pluto is in conjunction with the Sun, 10h UT 11 The Moon passes 4° north of Jupiter, 6h UT
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The Moon passes 5° north of Mars, 10h UT
17 New Moon occurs at 2h17m UT 20 The Moon passes 1.6° south of Neptune, 20h UT 24 The Moon passes 5° south of Uranus, 1h UT First Quarter Moon occurs at 22h20m UT 27 The Moon passes 0.7° north of Aldebaran, 11h UT 30 The Moon is at perigee (358,994 kilometers from Earth), 9h57m UT 31 Dwarf planet Ceres is at opposition, 13h UT Full Moon occurs at 13h27m UT; total lunar eclipse
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15 The Moon passes 3° north of Saturn, 2h UT The Moon is at apogee (406,464 kilometers from Earth), 2h10m UT
5 The Moon passes 0.9° north of Regulus, 8h UT
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13 Mercury passes 0.6° south of Saturn, 7h UT
Asteroid Flora is at opposition, 18h UT
3 Earth is at perihelion (147.1 million kilometers from the Sun), 6h UT
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12 The Moon passes 0.4° south of asteroid Vesta, 4h UT
STAR COLORS: Stars’ true colors depend on surface temperature. Hot stars glow blue; slightly cooler ones, white; intermediate stars (like the Sun), yellow; followed by orange and, ultimately, red. Fainter stars can’t excite our eyes’ color receptors, and so appear white without optical aid. Illustrations by Astronomy: Roen Kelly
BEGINNERS: WATCH A VIDEO ABOUT HOW TO READ A STAR CHART AT www.Astronomy.com/starchart.