As Earth turns on its axis, and as it whirls around the Sun, our view of the A universe changes. Stars and constellations come and go; the planets move across the sky; comets appear in the sky then fade away; astronomical bodies align to cause occultations, or eclipses and shooting stars skip across the sky, sometimes large numbers of them in a short time, causing a meteor shower. During the year ahead there will be lots of fascinating things to see – and this special All About Space guide will help you to see them.
12 January
MERCURY IS AT ITS GREATEST SEPARATION FROM THE SUN
Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun, taking just 88 days to whip around it once compared to the 365 days it takes Earth to make one orbit. Mercury never strays very far from the Sun in the sky – we only ever see it for a short time before sunrise, or briefly after sunset, embedded in a marmalade-hued twilight sky. Often it gets lost in that twilight, but when it moves far away from the Sun wecan see it quite clearly with the naked eye. If you go out at around 05:30 on the morning of 12 January you’ll see a copper-hued spark of light very low in the eastern sky – this is Mercury. If you can’t see it, try scanning the sky with a binocular and it should pop into view. But don’t look once the Sun has risen, as that is very dangerous and you might blind yourself by accidentally looking at the Sun.
7 February
THE MOON SHINES NEAR VENUS BEFORE SUNRISE
If you’re a night owl or an early riser who heads out to work before the crack of dawn, head outside around 07:00 on the morning of 7 February, and if the sky is clear you’ll see a beautiful celestial pairing low in the southeast. Shining above and to the left of a very thin waning crescent Moon you’ll see Venus, shining like a bright ‘star’. The two should be clearly visible to your naked eye, but if you can’t quite pick them both out, a binocular should snap them into view.
14 February
THE MOON IS CLOSE TO JUPITER IN THE SKY
As darkness falls on the evening of 14 February, many of us will be pulling on our jackets and coats and heading out for a romantic Valentine’s Day meal, or settling down at home for a quiet night in to celebrate in private. But before you go out, or get too comfortable inside, take a moment to go outside and look at the sky. Over in the southwest, where the sky is darkening after sunset, you’ll see the lovely crescent of a waxing Moon and a bright ‘star’ shining to its upper left. This is Jupiter, the largest planet in the Solar System. The pairing will be visible through the evening before setting at around midnight.
24 March
MERCURY IS AT ITS GREATEST SEPARATION FROM THE SUN IN THE EVENING SKY
Mercury is easiest to see when it’s at its farthest point from the Sun, and that will happen again this
