By January 19, moon has begun closing in on Jupiter

The waxing gibbous moon shines in front of the constellation Aries the Ram on the evening of January 19, 2013, as it’s edging eastward toward the dazzling planet Jupiter. No matter where you are on Earth at nightfall and early evening, look for the moon after the sun goes down. As seen from mid-northern latitudes, the three stars outlining the head of the Ram will be shining to the moon’s right or upper right. These Aries stars are Hamal, Sheratan, and Mesartim. Meanwhile, the very bright planet Jupiter will be nearby. Jupiter shines in front of the constellation Taurus the Bull, not far from the Bull’s brightest star Aldebaran. The moon will pair up with Jupiter on the night of January 21, in what will be the closest moon-Jupiter conjunction until the year 2026. Watch over the coming evenings as the moon draws closer to this bright planet.Meanwhile, also check out the stars of Aries. Hamal is the brightest of the three stars outlining the Ram’s head, though none is particularly bright. No doubt, the moonlit glare will tarnish the luster of Aries. The dimmest star – Mesartim – will be especially hard to see in the moonlight. However, you can always use binoculars to view the Ram. Very conveniently, all three head stars fit – or nearly fit – into a single binocular field of view.Sometimes, people mistake Aries’ two brightest stars, Hamal and Sheratan, for the constellation Gemini’s two brightest stars, Castor and Pollux. However, Castor and Pollux are considerably brighter than the two brightest stars in Aries. Looking ahead, the moon will be close to Castor and Pollux on the nights of January 24 and 25. Tonight’s moon approximates the sun’s position in front of Aries for late April or early May. Every year, the sun passes through this constellation from about April 19 to May 13.

EarthSky Facebook friend Timothy Boocock in Trysil, Norway also captured the moon and Jupiter on January 18. He said he is hoping for clear skies and fantastic winter landscape in the coming nights. Thank you, Timothy, and good luck! View larger.


Bottom line: On January 19, 2013, the moon is in front of the constellation Aries the Ram. The giant planet Jupiter is nearby, in Taurus the Bull. Watch the moon draw closer to Jupiter in the coming days. On January 21, the moon and Jupiter will have their closest conjunction until the year 2026.

fuente, earthsky