January 17-18, 2024: Bright Jupiter is with the January Moon. Jupiter, Saturn, and Moon are visible after sundown.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Look for Jupiter and Moon
For the next two evenings, bright Jupiter is with the January Moon after sundown. After Venus, Jupiter is the fourth brightest celestial body in the sky, although Mars outshines it when it is closest to Earth.
The moon is brightening or waxing toward its Full moon phase, this month known as the Wolf Moon. On the 17th, the moon reaches the half-full or First Quarter phase at 9:53 p.m. CST.
An hour after sundown, the lunar orb is high in the southern sky, 11.2° to the lower right of Jupiter.
Jupiter is slowly moving eastward in front of Aries, to the lower right of Hamal, the constellation’s brightest star, and Menkar, part of Cetus.
As the moon waxes, use a binocular to find the stars Hamal and Menkar. The brightening moonlight tends to wash out the dimmer stars.
During the night, the moon and Jupiter appear farther westward, setting five hours after sunset and long before midnight.
January 18th
On the 18th, the moon is farther eastward after sundown and its phase is slightly gibbous, 59% illuminated. This evening the lunar orb is 3.4° to the upper left of bright Jupiter.
While looking for bright Jupiter and the moon after sundown, spot Saturn in the southwest. Not bright, like Jupiter, it is among the night’s brightest starlike bodies. The planet is nearly 20° to the upper right of Fomalhaut, the mouth of the southern fish.
Follow Jupiter and the moon during the next few evenings.
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