What to watch: starry sky in January. Starry sky of the Northern Hemisphere Winter sky star map

The constellation Capricorn from the star atlas of the German astronomer Johann Bode. Below is the Balloon constellation, which has now been abandoned (http://www.ianridpath.com/startales/capricornus.htm)

Until January 20, the Sun slowly, at a speed of about 1° per day, moves eastward along the constellation Sagittarius, and then until the end of the month - along the constellation Capricorn. These southern constellations never rise high above the horizon, so it is not surprising that the Sun at the latitude of Moscow this month does not rise above 15°, and beyond the Arctic Circle it barely rises above the horizon. As for the zodiac signs, until January 20 the Sun moves through the sign of Capricorn, and after that it moves through the sign of Aquarius. January 1, 2008 is the 2,454,467th, and January 31 is the 2,454,497th Julian day, it must be borne in mind that the new Julian day begins at noon. In mid-January, the length of the day will increase by almost an hour compared to December. The sun will rise in Moscow at about 9 a.m. in the first days, and will set at about 4 p.m., at the end of the month at about 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., respectively. Twilight, which at the latitude of Moscow lasts about 50 minutes, lengthens the duration of daylight by almost 1 hour 40 minutes .

The most noticeable astronomical phenomenon (it can be observed in the northeast of Russia) is the occultation of Mars by the Moon on the night of January 19-20. So, in Novosibirsk, the coverage begins at 0:18:58, the end is at 0:36, 18, universal time; for other places, information can be found in O.S. Ugolnikov’s book “The Sky of the Beginning of the Century. 2001–2012" (Published by A.D. Selyanov, Moscow, 2000).

On January 4, the Earth, in its movement around the Sun, passes the perihelion point of its orbit, which is closest to the Sun (147.1 million km), and on July 4, the aphelion point, which is the farthest from the Sun (152.1 million km). The photograph compares the apparent sizes of the Sun: on the left - January 4, on the right - July 4. At the same time, at perihelion the Earth moves faster in orbit, so the Sun moves faster along the ecliptic, with an angular velocity of 61 min/? day. (in July – 57 min/day). The unevenness of the apparent movement of the Sun along the ecliptic is one of the important reasons leading to uneven solar time, different lengths of solar days throughout the year and the inconvenience of using the true solar day as a unit of time.

Why is it colder in winter, although we are closer to the Sun, than in summer? The difference in distances is only 5 million km, i.e. 3.3% of the average (150 million km). Since the amount of heat entering the Earth from the Sun is inversely proportional to the square of the distance to it, in winter we receive approximately 6.5% more heat than in summer. On the other hand, the higher the Sun is above the horizon and the longer the duration of the day, the more heat is received, proportional to cos Z 0, where Z 0 is the zenith distance of the Sun at noon (for assessment, we can consider Z 0 = –). Its change is associated with the inclination of the Earth’s rotation axis to the orbital plane: i.e. 23.5° –23.5°. So, in summer the Sun at noon is highest above the horizon, and the zenith distance, for example, on June 22 at the latitude of Moscow, is approximately 33°, and in winter 79°. Therefore, in summer we receive more than 4.5 times (350%) more heat than on December 22. Thus, the determining factor in seasonal climate change is the inclination of the Earth's rotation axis to the orbit, and not the ellipticity of the orbit. Of course, the greater distance of the Earth from the Sun makes winters in the Southern Hemisphere more severe than in the Northern Hemisphere.

Comparison of the apparent size of the Sun in summer and winter

Let us now turn our attention to the stars that can be seen around 20:00 Moscow time. Let us turn first of all to the constellations near the zenith. Almost exactly at the zenith is the constellation Perseus, or rather, two well-known open clusters of stars h and Perseus (between the constellations Perseus and Cassiopeia). Try to find Algol () - the famous eclipsing variable star, whose brightness period is 2.87 days. Under Perseus in the south, the constellation Aries is clearly visible, which is distinguished by two stars - (Hamal, 2.2 m) and (Sheratan, 2.7 m). In the southwest there is a chain of stars in the constellation Andromeda, , and. Starting at an asterism Great Square of Pegasus, she reaches out to Perseus (Mirfak). It is interesting that from Arabic Mirfak, or rather Mirfak al-Suraiya, is translated as elbow, nearest Pleiades. And indeed, under the constellation Perseus, a little to the east, you can see the open cluster of stars of the Pleiades, belonging to the constellation Taurus.

To the northwest of the star Mirak (Andromeda) there are two not very bright stars, near the top (Andromeda) you can discern a foggy speck 4.8 m– the famous Andromeda nebula (MH1) – a giant spiral galaxy.

Below Andromeda, a faint constellation is visible, shaped like an elongated triangle - the constellation Triangulum, and in it is the spiral galaxy M33, clearly visible even with small binoculars. It is located almost in the middle between Triangulum and Andromeda.

Even further to the northwest, not far from Cassiopeia, the constellation Cepheus is clearly visible. The brightest star in this constellation is Alderamin (2.6 m) - in Arabic sounds like Az-zyra al Yamin - right hand of the king, - thereby justifying his involvement in the hand of the Ethiopian king Cepheus, who was placed in heaven thanks to his wife Cassiopeia and daughter Andromeda. But more famous in this constellation is the pulsating variable Cepheus, whose brightness period is 5.4 days.

In the southeast, near the zenith, lies Taurus with bright Aldebaran (), which seems to be bordered by the Hyades open star cluster, shaped >. IN ancient Greek mythology Hyades ( rainy) - nymphs, daughters of Atlas and Pleione. When their brother Geas was torn to pieces by a lion while hunting, they grieved so much that Zeus took them to heaven. With the appearance of these stars, the rainy season began in Greece. The name Aldebaran has two meanings: following(beyond the Pleiades) and more familiar to us bull's eye. The second brightest star is Nat (in Arabic El Nat - goring horn) and star are located at the ends of the long horns of this celestial bull. Near the latter, the famous Crab Nebula M1 is observed - the remnant of a supernova explosion in 1054. The Crab Nebula is filled with both ordinary plasma, expanding at a speed of several thousand kilometers per second, and relativistic plasma, and is a source of all types of radiation - from long radio waves to the hardest -rays.

As for the constellation Taurus itself, in an astronomy textbook of the 3rd century. BC. (Eratosthenes from Cyrene) we read: “He is placed among the constellations because he brought Europe from Phenicia to Crete across the sea (according to another version, it was Zeus himself. - V.Ch.). As a reward, Zeus placed him (himself, the good one. – V.Ch.) among the most noticeable signs. Others say it is a cow, an image of Io. The forehead and muzzle of Taurus are bordered by the so-called Hyades, and where its back breaks off, there are the Pleiades, containing seven stars, for which they are also called Seven-Star. Of these, however, only six are noticeable, and the seventh is very dim.

Taurus itself contains seven stars in total and drags across the sky backwards, holding its head down. It has stars: on both horns near the base, one, of which the brightest is on the left; one in both eyes; one on the nose; on both shoulders there is one - they are called the Hyades; one on the left front knee; one on the hooves; one on the right knee; two on the neck; on the ridge there are three, the outermost of which is bright; one on the stomach; one bright one on the chest. Only eighteen." [Eratosthenes. Transformations into constellations (catasterisms). On Sat. "Sky, science, poetry." – M.: MSU, 1992.]

You read this textbook and think: almost two and a half thousand years ago there were no textbooks on the natural and social sciences, but there were on astronomy! What great importance did ancient thinkers and society attach to the development and teaching of astronomy! It was believed that an educated person must know astronomy. I wonder what views profess today's educational leaders and government officials?

Constellations above southern part horizon (at the latitude of Moscow)

Below Andromeda, Triangulum and Aries at the upper culmination (i.e. on the celestial meridian), almost above the south point on the horizon, is the constellation Cetus. Here we find the irregular pulsating variable star Mira (o Ceti). Its gloss varies from 2.0 m up to 10.1 m for almost 332 days, so that it either becomes brighter than Diphtha and Mekab (and Cetus), or disappears altogether. It is now at its minimum brightness, so it will not be visible until November. The distance to it is about 400 light years. This semi-regular pulsating variable star gave its name to a whole class of similar variable stars - mirid. Using a UV telescope launched into space as part of a program to study the evolution of objects in the Milky Way GALEX, a photograph of Mira and its surroundings was obtained. The picture clearly shows a long tail, which the star leaves as it moves through the interstellar medium (Mira itself, a red and cold star, is not visible in this UV image).

Kita) (http://www.sai.msu.su/apod/ap070817.html)

This tail is very similar to the tail of a comet, although its length is 13 light. years. The fact is that Mira is at the last stage of its life - the stage of a red giant, the energy sources in the core have been exhausted, and the hydrogen reserves preserved in the outer shell are burned in the thermonuclear furnace (a thin layer surrounding the core). The outer parts of the inflated star are weakly held and leave it. This ejected gas, weighing nearly 3,000 times the mass of Earth, is moving away from the star at a speed of about 130 km/s. Its UV glow is caused by fluorescence.

Well visible west of Andromeda Great Square of Pegasus, in the upper left corner of which is the star Alferats (2.15 m, Andromeda, translated from Arabic - horse belly button). The remaining stars - Markab (), Shat () and - belong to Pegasus.

To the right of Aries and Cetus is the constellation Pisces. East and south of Taurus rises the gigantic figure of the mythical hunter Orion: bright red Betelgeuse (), bluish Bellatrix () and below - the white star Rigel ().

Orion's Belt, consisting of three bright stars, is clearly visible. Below the Belt, with a small telescope, you can discern a faintly luminous nebula - the famous Orion Nebula (M42) - a giant gas and dust complex in which new stars are formed. Orion's belt points to the brightest star in the earth's sky - Sirius ( Big Dog), which has just risen in the southeast. As you know, Sirius (or Vacation – Dog Star, as it was called in Ancient Rome) foreshadowed the onset of the hot season. Wealthy Romans retreated to their country villas to beat the heat during these "dog days" holidays.

Constellations above the northern part of the horizon (at the latitude of Moscow)

Facing north, we will first of all pay attention to the seven stars of the Big Dipper. We focus on the two extreme stars of the Bucket - Merak () and Dubhe (), - which point to the Polar Star (Ursa Minor) and the constellation Ursa Minor itself. At this time it is extended by the Bucket down along the meridian.

To the west, low above the horizon, the cross of the constellation Cygnus with Deneb () is visible, and below it is Vega, the brightest in the constellation Lyra. Between Vega and Polar you can distinguish the Head of the Dragon, whose body, twisting, borders the Ursa Minor from the north.

Above the point of north at the lower culmination, you can see part of the body of the constellation Bootes, its shoulders. The lower part of the body is set and is now hidden from us. Within a few hours, the constellation Bootes will begin to rise and shine in its full glory.

PLANETS

Mercury moves directly through the constellation Capricorn. It appears immediately after sunset and is visible for 30–50 minutes starting on January 18. Mercury's maximum eastern elongation occurs on January 22, when it moves 22° away from the Sun. January 28 – standing, after which the direct movement changes to a retrograde one and the planet disappears from sight. The brightness during the visibility period changes quickly from -0.7 m up to +0.4 m .

Venus (about –4 m) moves directly through the constellation Libra and Ophiuchus and is clearly visible in the morning for 3–1.5 hours before sunrise.

Mars moves backward through the constellations Gemini and Taurus, magnitude about –1 m, visible all night. The angular diameter of the planet is about 14 " , in a school telescope you can distinguish the polar ice caps. On January 20, the Moon will cover Mars, visible throughout Russia.

Jupiter (–2 m) moves across the constellation Sagittarius, visible low above the horizon for half an hour in the east.

Saturn (–0,5 m) moves backwards across the constellation Leo, rises at about 21:00 and is clearly visible all night. Currently, 56 satellites of the planet are known, and you can try to see Titan with a school telescope.

Uranus (5,9 m) moves directly through the constellation Aquarius, you can try to find it in the evening with binoculars or a school telescope next to the star and not far from the star.

Neptune (8 m) slowly moves through the constellation Capricorn, not far from the stars and. You can try to find it within 1.5 hours immediately after sunset if you have a detailed star chart (up to 8.5 m).

METEOR SHOWERS

The most noticeable meteor shower is the Quadrantids, the period of activity of which falls on December 27–January 7, with a maximum of January 3 (up to 35 metres/hour). The radiant is located in the constellation Draco, so the stream rises above the horizon only in the morning. Meteors are best seen after midnight.

It is generally accepted that stars are not visible during the day. However, from the top of Mount Ararat (height 5,000 m), the bright stars are clearly visible even at noon. The sky there is dark blue. In a telescope with a lens diameter of 70 mm, you can see bright stars even from flat terrain. But still, it is best to observe the stars at night, when the blinding light of the Sun does not interfere.

starry sky- one of the most beautiful sights that exist in nature. About 6,000 stars can be seen in the entire sky with the naked eye.(at the same time about 3,000 above the horizon).

Since ancient times, people have mentally united the most noticeable stars into figures and called them constellations. Myths and legends were associated with the constellations. Today, a constellation is a section of the starry sky with conventional boundaries, which includes not only stars, but also other objects - nebulae, galaxies, clusters. ABOUT objects included in one or another constellation are not connected with each other, since they are, firstly, at different distances from the Earth, and secondly, the boundaries of the constellations are arbitrary, i.e. may be changed at any time.

Today there are 88 constellations identified in the starry sky.

Latin names of constellations are also accepted. All star atlases produced abroad contain Latin names of constellations.

Constellations can be divided into three large groups: human (Aquarius, Cassiopeia, Orion...), animals (Hare, Swan, Whale...) and object (Libra, Microscope, Shield...). To better memorize constellations, noticeable stars in them are usually connected by lines into polygons or bizarre shapes. Below are: Ursa Major, Bootes, Virgo and Leo.

Since constellations are sections, that means they have an area. The areas of the constellations are different. The largest in area is Hydra. In second place is Virgo. On the third is Ursa Major. The smallest constellation in area is the Southern Cross (not visible at our latitudes).

Constellations also differ in the number of bright stars. The most bright stars are in Orion.

The bright stars of the constellations have their own names (usually invented by Arab and Greek astronomers). For example, the brightest star in the constellation Lyra is Vega, in the constellation Cygnus - Deneb, in the constellation Eagle - Altair. Remember the names of the stars of the Ursa Major bucket:

Stars in constellations also have symbols. The letters of the Greek alphabet are used for designation:

α - alpha

β - beta

γ - gamma

δ - delta

ε - epsilon

ζ - zeta

η - this

etc. It is worth remembering the designation and pronunciation of at least the first seven Greek letters. This is how the stars of the Ursa Major bucket are designated:

Typically, the brightest star in a constellation is designated by the letter α (alpha). But not always. There are other systems for naming stars.

Since ancient times, star maps have been compiled. Usually they depicted not only stars, but also drawings of animals, people and objects with which the constellations were associated. Since there was no order in the name and number of constellations, star maps varied. It got to the point that various astronomers tried to introduce their own constellations (by drawing the contours of the constellations in a new way). For example, in 1798, the astronomer Lalande proposed the constellation Balloon. In 1679, Halley introduced the constellation Oak of Charles. There were many other exotic names (Poniatowski's Ox, Cat, Friedrich's Regalia, etc.). Only in 1922 were the conventional boundaries of the constellations finally drawn, their number and names were fixed.

For practical purposes, today they use a moving star map, consisting of a star map and an overlay circle with a cut out oval. Here's the map:

Stars are indicated by circles of various sizes. The larger the circle, the brighter the star it represents. Double stars, variable stars, galaxies, nebulae, and star clusters are also noted on star maps.

The starry sky rotates slowly. The reason is the rotation of the Earth around its axis. The earth rotates from west to east, and the starry sky, on the contrary, from east to west. Therefore, stars, planets and luminaries rise on the eastern side of the horizon, and set on the western side. This movement is called daily rotation. It should be noted that the constellations retain their relative positions during daily rotation. The starry sky rotates as a single whole, like a huge celestial sphere. The Earth makes one revolution around its axis in relation to the stars in 23 hours 56 minutes 04 seconds. This period is called sidereal day. Every 23 hours 56 minutes 04 seconds the view of the starry sky is repeated.

But this does not mean that if the Earth does not rotate on its axis, the sky will remain motionless. The appearance of the starry sky is influenced by the movement of the Earth around the Sun. If the Earth did not rotate, the appearance of the starry sky would still slowly change throughout the year. This phenomenon is called annual change in the appearance of the starry sky. We can observe that in autumn some constellations are best visible, in winter - others, etc.

Constellations can be roughly divided according to the seasons of the year into autumn, winter, spring and summer. But this does not mean that in autumn you can only see autumn constellations. On an early autumn evening, summer constellations dominate the sky. As time passes, they lean toward the west, and the autumn constellations rise. In the morning the winter constellations are clearly visible.

The appearance of the starry sky also depends on the latitude of the observation location. At the Earth's poles, the starry sky rotates so that not a single star rises or sets. As you move toward the equator, the number of rising and setting stars increases. In mid-latitudes there are both rising and setting stars, as well as non-setting and never rising stars. For example,in the middle latitudes of the Earth's northern hemisphereThe constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, Cassiopeia never descend below the horizon. But the constellations of the Southern Cross, Crane, and Altar never rise. At the earth's equator, all stars rise and set. If daylight did not interfere, in one day you could see all 88 constellations.

Constellations help with location orientation. It is especially useful to learn how to find the sides of the horizon using the North Star, since it almost does not change its position in the sky. The easiest way to find the North Star is by looking at the bucket from the constellation Ursa Major (to be precise, the line runs a little to the left polar star) :

The North Star always hangs above the north point. If you stand with your back to it, then the south will be in front, the east will be on the left, and the west will be on the right.

Some people think that the North Star is the brightest star in the starry sky. But that's not true. The brightest is Sirius from the constellation Canis Major. Polaris is the main navigation star.

To measure the apparent distances between stars and also the diameters of the disks of the planets, the Sun and the Moon, and the apparent sizes of nebulae and galaxies, an angular measure is used. 1 arc degree contains 60 arc minutes, and 1 arc minute contains 60 arc seconds. The diameters of the disks of the Sun and Moon are approximately equal to 0.5º.

Reigns in the sky Orion, immediately attracting the admiring glances of observers. Above and to the left of Orion sparkles a pair of stars Castor and Pollux from the constellation Gemini, below them is the star Procyon from Canis Minor, below and to the left of Orion, not high above the horizon, shines the brightest star in the entire sky, Sirius, from the constellation Big Dog. On the right, Orion swings at Taurus with bright Aldebaran, which crowns Hyades(a cluster of stars that looks like the horns of a bull). In December, the Earth passes through a swarm of meteor particles, giving rise to the Geminids starfall in the sky: its activity is about 120 meteors per hour on the maximum date. Around midnight, the Milky Way stretches from northwest to south, and Big Dipper is above northeastern part horizon, rising to the zenith by morning.

The review does not show the current positions of the planets in the constellations. Read more about the movements of the planets in the monthly materials "".

View of the sky in December in the middle latitudes of Russia around midnight

This article will help you navigate star maps:
"How to use the star map"

We remind you: true midnight in Bratsk occurs around 1 am local time!
why so, we read in the material: Games with time. When is noon in Bratsk? ,

and after October 26, 2014 we read in the material: Clocks in the Irkutsk region will be changed once and for all

THE PATH OF THE CIRCUPOLAR CONSTELLATIONS

Ladle Ursa Major begins its journey in the evening under Ursa Minor, balancing on the handle of the Bucket, turns around overnight polar star counterclockwise by about 120 degrees, while rising higher and higher above the northeast, by morning it completely overturns the Bucket, climbing to the very zenith above North Star.

Starry sky in December from the northern horizon in the middle latitudes of Russia:

In the evening around 21 o'clock

Other circumpolar constellations make the same turn. Cassiopeia, the lines of whose figure are similar to the letter “M” or “W”, shines high at the zenith in the evening sky, by morning it takes place to the left and below from Polar. The Dragon with an easily distinguishable trapezoid of the head in the evening encircles Ursa Minor below near the northern horizon, by morning located to the right of Ursa Minor above the northeastern horizon. "House" Cepheus, located between Cassiopeia And Dragon makes the same circuit around Polar on the left, by morning it “falls” towards the northern horizon.

FROM THIS EVENING...

In the evening, constellations sparkle high above the southeastern horizon Charioteer bright star Capella And Perseus, and below the bright winter constellations begin their ascent: Taurus, Gemini, Orion and Canis Minor. The constellations of the Summer Triangle lean towards the west: Swan, Eagle and Lyre. The Square is located high above the southwest Pegasus with a "handle" of stars Andromeda. Under Andromeda two bright stars are visible Aries, and “floats” along the horizon Whale. south of Pegasus the constellations lie Aquarius And Pisces.

Evening sky in December at the middle latitude of Russia (56 N):

from the eastern horizon around 21:00:

from the southern horizon around 21:00:

from the western horizon around 21:00:

This is a favorable period for observations of one of our closest galactic neighbors Andromeda Nebula (M31). It is easily distinguishable even with binoculars as a large elongated nebulous spot above the star ν Andromeda. This beautiful spiral galaxy is located at a distance of 252 million light years from Earth. Its extent is 260 thousand light years, which is 2.6 times longer than the Milky Way. In the Earth's sky, it occupies an area of ​​3.2° × 1.0°. The magnitude is +3.4m.

The Andromeda nebula and its position in the constellation

The magnificent scattering of Pleiades stars (M45), similar to a small bucket, is easily visible with a simple glance in the constellation Taurus (in September it rises around midnight). The nine brightest stars of the cluster received their names in honor of the seven sisters of the Pleiades of ancient Greek mythology: Alcyone, Keleno, Maia, Merope, Sterope, Taygeta and Electra, as well as their parents - Atlas and Pleione. Long exposures reveal glowing blue nebulae that envelop the stars. The Pleiades star cluster is about 12 light-years in diameter and contains about 1,000 stars. The age of the Pleiades is estimated at 100 million years, and the distance to them is approximately 440 light years. Previously, it was believed that the dust that forms the nebula is the remnants of the material from which the stars of the cluster were formed. However, within 100 million years, this material would be dispersed by the pressure of stellar radiation. Apparently, the Pleiades are simply now moving through a region of space saturated with cosmic dust.

The open star cluster Pleiades (old Russian name Stozhary) and its position in the constellation.

AT NIGHT...

Be sure to look at the three stars just below Orion's Belt. The middle one is resolved into a blurry spot through binoculars irregular shape, called Great Orion Nebula M42, where very young stars are currently developing, is a sort of cosmic nursery. This is the most attractive object in the northern sky for astronomy lovers.

Orion constellation over Lough Eske in Ireland

In average amateur telescopes, the nebula appears as bat- with a bright center and rapidly decreasing brightness of the “wings”. A trapezoid of four young stars is visible in the center of the nebula. It was here that the Hubble Telescope spotted a protoplanetary disk. The distance to the Orion Nebula is about 1350 light years and is 33 light years across. Adjacent to the northern part of M42 is a sort of “comma” - a small emission nebula, designated M43.

The Great Orion Nebula and its position in the constellation

Starry sky January 2013

Prepared by: O. Malakhov
07-01-2013

During the day - Sun! The 24th eleven-year cycle continues in January. solar activity, and its maximum is predicted for the coming year. However, over the past few months, our daylight has been acting too calm for the approaching peak of the cycle. It is quite possible that the 11-year cycle numbered “24” will become one of the quietest in the entire history of observations of the Sun (it is already being compared in its low activity with the 14th cycle with a maximum in February 1906). However, those with small telescopes can observe sunspots on the surface of our main star. Daily sketches of their appearance and position will allow you to trace the evolution and dynamics of individual groups of sunspots, and also make sure that the Sun rotates around its axis. But to carry out solar observations, you need to arm yourself with reliable light filters (it is best to use special films that can be purchased in specialized online stores) or adapt to observing the Sun on a screen. You can get more detailed information about ways to safely observe the daylight by going through.

On the first day of the new year, the Sun rises in the central part of the constellation Sagittarius and moves along it until January 20, when it moves into the next zodiac constellation– constellation Capricorn. Moving along the ecliptic, the Sun, starting from the winter solstice (December 21), gradually approaches the celestial equator, separating the southern and northern hemispheres of the celestial sphere. As a result, the Sun in the northern hemisphere of the Earth rises earlier every day and sets later. As a result, at the latitude of Moscow, the duration of daylight hours during January increases from 7 hours 05 minutes to 8 hours 33 minutes.

The first rays of sunlight will mark the end of the clearing night in Murmansk (January 11) and Norilsk (January 13).

On January 2, the Earth passed the perihelion point - the point of the Earth's orbit closest to the Sun, at a distance of 0.983 AU. from the daylight. At the same time, the apparent angular diameter of the Sun reaches a maximum of 32.5".

Starry sky. Looking at the starry sky on a clear January evening in 2013, even an inexperienced observer will notice a yellow body high in the sky, similar to a very bright star. But this is not a star at all, but the largest planet solar system– Jupiter, shining in the sky with reflected sunlight. And if you are a novice amateur astronomer, then you can begin your acquaintance with the starry sky in January - February 2013 with this remarkable planet, which appears in these winter months the most prominent (after the Moon, of course) object in the evening starry sky. Now Jupiter is visiting the central part of the constellation Taurus, the outlines of which you can trace using the attached fragment of the star map. To give you confidence, we have also plotted the positions of the Moon when it passes in the sky next to Jupiter.

So, looking at the starry sky at about 10 p.m. local time, our attention will be drawn to the southern part of the sky, where a large number of bright stars and memorable constellations. So, using the above search map, next to the bright yellow Jupiter, pay attention to the bright, but significantly inferior in brightness to Jupiter, orange star Aldebaran (α Tauri). This main star constellation Taurus. To the right and slightly above Aldebaran, below Jupiter, we will notice scatterings of faint stars forming a figure similar to a house with a sharp roof lying on its side. This is the Hyades open star cluster. And above and to the right of Jupiter, pay attention to a compact group consisting of 6 stars and forming a figure similar to a miniature bucket. This is another open star cluster - the Pleiades. Take a look at it through binoculars and here you will be able to distinguish several dozen stars, shining with white-blue light from the depths of the cold winter starry sky.

Look through your binoculars at Jupiter, next to which you can see up to 4 stars lined up approximately in one line in the equatorial plane of the planet. These are the four largest and brightest satellites of Jupiter - Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. By sketching the position of Jupiter's satellites approximately once every 2 - 3 hours, you will notice that their position changes in relation to the planet and each other, because they revolve around Jupiter and are in constant movement. It may also happen that at the time of your observations one or two satellites will pass in front of or behind the planet, then you will see only two tiny “stars” next to the bright disk of Jupiter, and the other two will appear to the right or left of the planet within a few hours . We are attaching a graphical representation of the positions of Jupiter's satellites so that you can identify each of them with the actually observed picture.

Now let's look below Taurus with bright Jupiter, the Pleiades and the Hyades, where the expressive and attention-grabbing figure of the constellation Orion is located quite high above the horizon. Three stars of equal brilliance, located almost on the same straight line, form the belt of this mythical celestial hunter. Above and to the left of Orion’s belt shines the reddish star Betelgeuse (α Orionis), and to the right of Betelgeuse is the bluish Bellatrix (γ Orionis). Below and to the right of the belt shines the bright blue Rigel (β Orionis), and to the left of it we will find the star Saif (κ Orionis). Now, just below the three stars of Orion’s belt, pay attention to three more faint stars, also lying on the same straight line. Here on old maps the starry sky depicted the sword of Orion. If you look closely at these three stars through binoculars, you will notice that the middle star appears to be shining through a faint cloud of gas. This is the famous diffuse Orion Nebula, also known as M42. And observers with small telescopes can see here the trapezium of Orion, a multiple star whose four main components form a tiny trapezoid.

Now let’s draw a mental straight line through Orion’s belt to the left, where, not high above the horizon, a very bright star shimmers with white light, second in brilliance in the moonless sky only to Jupiter. This is the brightest star in the earth's starry sky - Sirius (α Canis Major).

To the left of Taurus, pay attention to the constellation Gemini with two bright stars Castor and Pollux (α and β Gemini), below which is the small constellation Canis Minor with the bright star Procyon (α Canis Minor). Having found this star in the sky, you can make sure that Procyon, Sirius and Betelgeuse form a triangle in the sky, which is called the winter triangle.

Below Orion, to the right of Sirius, there is a small constellation of the Hare, and to the right of the Hare and the star Rigel (β Orion) the stars of the vast constellation Eridanus are visible, which goes deep into the horizon and ends with the bright star Achernar (α Eridani), which is non-ascending throughout the entire territory of the former USSR star, but it can be observed, for example, from such popular countries among Russian tourists as Egypt, the UAE and Thailand. If you happen to observe the winter starry sky from these countries, then significantly lower and to the right of Sirius, another very bright star will attract your attention. This is Canopus (α Carinae) - a southern star that does not rise in Russia.

Now let's look above and slightly to the left of Taurus, where the pentagon of the constellation Auriga with the bright yellow star Capella (α Auriga) is located high above the horizon. Almost overhead, to the right of Auriga, the stars of the constellation Perseus shine. And even further to the right - high in the west - you can see the constellation Cassiopeia, forming a figure similar to the Latin letter W.

Below Perseus and Cassiopeia, the constellations Andromeda, Pegasus and Pisces are located all the way to the horizon. And low in the northwest we will find two bright stars. The one to the right and below is Vega (α Lyrae), and the one to the left and above is Deneb (α Cygnus).

The Big Dipper's bucket is visible in the northeastern part of the sky in the evening and rises to the zenith (a point overhead) by morning.

In the eastern sky, the constellation Leo rises in the late evening with bright Regulus (α Leo).

More experienced observers on early January evenings against the background of the evening dawn will be able to find the planet Mars low in the southwestern part of the sky, which moves through the constellation Capricorn, and from January 29 it moves into the constellation Aquarius. The magnitude of Mars is +1.2m, and it rivals in brilliance the brightest stars in the evening sky. But due to its low position above the horizon and its rapid descent beyond it, Mars is quite difficult for novice astronomy lovers to find. To search for Mars against the background of the evening dawn, I would use binoculars. After the onset of the new moon (January 11), in the early evening of January 13, about 40 minutes after sunset, try to find the thin crescent of the Moon against the background of the evening dawn. Below the Moon, look for reddish Mars.

In the mornings around 7 - 8 o'clock local time, low in the southern part of the sky, notice two stars. The one on the right and blue is Spica (α Virgo). The one to the left of it and white-yellow in color is the planet Saturn, visiting in the constellation Libra. And Venus, which in the fall of 2012 was clearly visible in the mornings, even despite its bright shine in January, can hardly be found less than an hour before sunrise in the bright, rapidly dawning sky very low in the southeastern part of the sky. And this task is more capable of more experienced observers. In the following months, Venus will continue to gradually move closer to the Sun in the sky, so its visibility conditions will remain unfavorable until late spring, when this bright planet will appear in the evening sky after sunset against the background of the evening dawn low in the northwestern part of the sky.

In January 2013, more advanced astronomy lovers will be able to observe two fairly bright asteroids - Ceres (1) and Vesta (4) through binoculars and small telescopes.