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The 365 Days of AstronomyAuthor: 365DaysOfAstronomy.org
The 365 Days of Astronomy podcast launched in 2009 as part of the International Year of Astronomy. This community podcast continues to bring you day after day of content across the years. Everyday, a new voice, helping you see the universe we share in a new way. This show is managed by Avivah Yamani, edited by Richard Drumm. This podcast is funded through Patreon.com/CosmoQuestX and produced out of the Planetary Science Institute. Language: en Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Actual Astronomy - Observer's Calendar for January
Thursday, 1 January, 2026
Hosted by Chris Beckett & Shane Ludtke, two amateur astronomers in Saskatchewan. actualastronomy@gmail.com This month in episode 516 we talk about the many things to see in the night sky including, carbon stars, double stars, 24P Schaumasse is a Comet that just cracks 8th magnitude making it visible in binoculars. We also detail how people can explore Jupiter through a telescope followed by many NGC and Messier Objects you can see in the winter sky. Jan 1 - Struve 627 in Orion Colorful Double Star Primary Star (A component): Yellow, golden-yellow, pale orange, or sometimes just white. Companion Star (B component): Bluish, blue-green, lilac, or pale green. Jan 2 - 40 Harmonia at opposition a large S-type (silicate) asteroid located in the inner region of the Main Asteroid Belt between Mars and Jupiter. Discovery: It was discovered on March 31, 1856, by German-French astronomer Hermann Goldschmidt. Naming: It is named after Harmonia, the Greek goddess of harmony and peace, to mark the end of the Crimean War. Size: It has a mean diameter of approximately 111.3 kilometers (69.1 miles), making it larger than 99% of all known asteroids. Orbit: Harmonia orbits the Sun every 3.42 years (approx. 1,250 days) with a relatively low eccentricity of 0.046, meaning its path is nearly circular. Rotation: It completes one full rotation on its axis every 8.91 hours Jan 3 - Full Moon - Quadrantid Meteors ZHR = 120 in Evening for NA observers - Moon interferes They are named after Quadrans Muralis, a 19th-century constellation that is no longer officially recognized. Constellation Origin: Lalande created the constellation to honor the mural quadrant, a large wall-mounted scientific instrument he and his nephew used at the observatory of l'École Militaire in Paris to measure star positions. Location: It was situated in the northern sky between the modern constellations of Boötes, Draco, and Hercules, near the "handle" of the Big Dipper (Ursa Major). Decline: In 1922, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) omitted Quadrans Muralis when it formalized the official list of 88 modern constellations, reassigning its stars to neighboring constellations Jan 5 - Sig Orionis colorful double star Sigma Orionis AB: This is the brightest component of the system and is a very close binary that appears as one star in most amateur telescopes. It is actually a triple system itself (Aa, Ab, and B). The primary stars (Aa and Ab) are highly massive, very hot blue stars that orbit each other every 143 days. The outer component (B) orbits the inner pair every 157 years. Sigma Orionis C, D, and E: These are additional companion stars that are farther from the AB pair and can be observed with small-to-medium sized telescopes, making the system appear as a beautiful quartet or quintuple system. Component D is magnitude 6.62 and is about 13 arcseconds from the AB pair. Component E is magnitude 6.66 and is approximately 41 arcseconds away. This star is notable as the prototype of the rare "helium-rich" stars. Jan 6 - Regulus 0.5-degrees South of Moon Jan 8 - 24P Schaumasse Comet just cracks 8th magnitude, at Mag. 7.9 it is firmly a Bino comet Jan 10 - Last Quarter - Jupiter at Opposition - mag. -2.5, 46 arc seconds in Gemini GRS looks nice and Orange/Red NEB and SEB are prominent How to best observe? Powers/Filters/Bino viewers Book rec. Jupiter and How to Observe It by John McAnally - NGC 1851 well placed but I'd need to dig a trench to see it - Carbon Star RV Monoceros Jan 11 -Follow Arcturus into daylight this week - M79, M42, M43, M78 well placed Jan 12 - Lunar Curtis X visible Jan 14 - Antares 0.6-degrees N of Moon - not for us - NGC's 1807 and 1817 well placed Jan 15 - NGC 1514 well placed Jan 17 - NGC 2169 well placed Jan 18 - New Moon Jan 23 Saturn, Neptune 4-degrees S of Moon - 44 Nysa at Opposition M=8.8 Largest and brightest of Nysian Family of Asteroids It was discovered by Hermann Goldschmidt on May 27, 1857, and named after the mythical land of Nysa in Greek mythology - M3, M5 well placed Jan 26 - First quarter - Lunar Straight Wall - Eyes of Clavius Jan 28 - Jeweled Handle on Moon Jan 31 - Jupiter 4-degrees S of Moon - Crater Baily We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs. Just visit: https://www.patreon.com/365DaysOfAstronomy and donate as much as you can! Share the podcast with your friends and send the Patreon link to them too! Every bit helps! Thank you! ------------------------------------ Do go visit http://www.redbubble.com/people/CosmoQuestX/shop for cool Astronomy Cast and CosmoQuest t-shirts, coffee mugs and other awesomeness! http://cosmoquest.org/Donate This show is made possible through your donations. Thank you! (Haven't donated? It's not too late! Just click!) ------------------------------------ The 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast is produced by the Planetary Science Institute. http://www.psi.edu Visit us on the web at 365DaysOfAstronomy.org or email us at info@365DaysOfAstronomy.org.
