January 15-21, 2024: Look for the evening moon as it waxes eastward. The lunar orb is near Neptune, Jupiter, and Uranus.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Summaries of Current Sky Events
Summary for Venus as a Morning Star, 2023-24
The evening moon waxes eastward during the week. The week begins with a crescent moon, appearing with Neptune through a binocular. At week’s end, the lunar orb is near, Elnath, Taurus’ northern horn, a precarious place to be.
Here’s what to look for during the week an hour after sunset:
January 15: The moon, 26% illuminated, is less than halfway up in the sky above the southwest horizon. It is over 20° to the upper left of Saturn. The lunar orb appears with Neptune in the same binocular field of view. See the related article (published December 30) for more details.
Jupiter Approaches Jupiter
January 16: This evening the moon is higher than Monday night. With an illumination of 37%, the moon is over halfway up in the south-southwest. The moon begins approaching Jupiter, over 25° to the upper left.
January 17: The moon is at its evening half-full phase (First Quarter) at 9:53 p.m. CST. After sunset, the lunar orb is high in the south, 11.2° to the lower right of Jupiter. As the moon waxes, use a binocular to find the stars Hamal and Menkar.
Moon near Planet Uranus
January 18: After sunset, the moon, 59% illuminated, is high in the south-southeast, 3.4° to the upper left of bright Jupiter.
Moon Near Pleiades
January 19: With an illumination of 70%, the moon is high in the southeast, 8.2° to the upper right of the Pleiades star cluster. In this moonlight, use a binocular to see the cluster. They are too far from the moon to fit into the same binocular field with it. The moon and Uranus fit into the same binocular field, although the bright moon may overwhelm the considerably dimmer planet.
January 20: The lunar orb, a distinct gibbous phase that is 79% illuminated, is high in the east-southeast. It is 5.4° to the lower left of the Pleiades star cluster and 9.7° above topaz Aldebaran, Taurus’ brightest star. The star cluster and lunar orb fit into the same binocular field, although the moon may leave a temporary afterimage in vision, like seeing spots from a camera flash.
January 21: The week ends with the moon, 87% illuminated, and over halfway up in the east, 4.3° to the upper right of Elnath, also known as Beta Tauri, the Bull’s northern horn.
Watch the moon wax eastward during the week.