8/3/2023 0 Comments Stars in the sky![]() ![]() It reaches high in the sky, almost overhead, around 9 pm, and sets around 5 am. On January 2, Mercury was at its shortest distance from the Sun, at 46 million km. On January 4, the Earth is at its shortest distance from the Sun (perihelion), 147 million km away. On January 7, Mercury is opposite the Sun.ĭuring the winter months, a very bright star can be seen towards the southern horizon. It is visible almost all night and is very bright. You find it towards the east, just as it is getting dark. Mars looks as good as it did in December. It is Jupiter, 800 million km away from us, another world, totally different from ours and much bigger. Jupiter is high in the sky just after dusk and sets around 10:30 p.m., so you have plenty of time to see it.Īround 7pm look for a bright ‘star’ high in the sky and show it to your children and neighbours. The two planets will approach each other between January 21 and 23. Look at Venus and then at the top left where a non-blinking star should be seen. Saturn is in the same direction as Venus, but is much less bright. The period of good visibility will start in late winter and last until summer. Even though it can’t yet be seen in a night sky, Venus is easily distinguishable even when the sky is still bright. Look to the southwest near the horizon at about 5 pm (but no later than 6 pm) and you will see Venus as a bright star. At the moment it is far from us, but every day it is closer and can be seen better in the sky. In the evening, 30 minutes after sunset, in the same direction, Venus is visible. The Moon passes by Mars on the evenings of January 2, 3 and 4. ![]() On January 6th and 7th the Moon will rise as the Sun sets and set as the Sun rises. The Full Moon will occur on January 7 (at 1:08). Sirius is the brightest star visible in the sky during this period, according to the astronomical calendar published by the Admiral Vasile Urseanu Observatory. Immediately after sunset, Venus and Saturn can be seen, and Jupiter and Mars remain in the sky for several hours. Look at the moon each night and record its phases on the worksheet.In the evening sky, one can see four planets, Venus, Saturn, Jupiter and Mars.Print the Phases of the moon worksheet (PDF, 465K).Enter the suburb in the ‘City name’ search bar and start exploring.Explore the night sky above your home using the Night Sky Map.Other ways to explore the night sky Use an online night sky map You might even find the constellation for your star sign. You’ll be able to match up what you see on the wheel with the constellations and stars. Now you can look up and compare what’s shown on your star wheel to what you can see in the sky match up. Once you’ve set these, orient your wheel north to south. Check whether you are using standard time or daylight-saving time. Then match it to the date on the outside of the wheel. How to use the finished star wheel | See larger (JPG, 70K) Step three: Explore the sky after darkĪfter nightfall, take your star wheel and turn the dial to the current time you’re looking at the sky on the inside. Once dry, place the wheel inside the holder. If you have an old cereal box or similar cardboard handy, you can also give your star wheel a lot more stability if you attach the print outs onto the cardboard. Fold this flap in and stick it to the back panel of the holder when folding to close. If you have glue handy, put glue along the bottom flap on the front right of the holder. You need to cut a window in the holder which you can do either by using an art knife or by bending the holder and making a slight cut to start from.įold the holder and use the flap at the bottom to rest the wheel inside. Star wheel (PDF, 1,076K) – best at A4 sizeĬut around both the holder and the wheel.Star wheel holder (PDF, 753K) – best at A3 size.We recommend you print the holder at A3 size, and the wheel as A4 for best results: You’ll need to print two items the star wheel holder and then the wheel itself. If you’re in New Zealand, you can download and print our star wheel below and see the night sky above you through fresh eyes: Step one: Download a star wheelįirst, print and cut out a star wheel. Star wheels need to be calibrated to the right latitude. Using our star wheel, you can pop in the date and time and find out where they are above you. ![]() A star wheel is a simple tool you can use to see and identify the stars and constellations you see in the night sky.Īs the Earth rotates on its axis, and moves around the sun throughout the year, the stars and constellations above you change position. ![]()
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