Venus is in Aquarius at the beginning of February but moves into neighbouring Pisces during the month, brightening slightly from magnitude -4.1 to -4.2. The planet shows a gibbous phase, decreasing from 74% to 64% during the month.

On February 25th, the waxing crescent Moon appears close to Venus and the following night is between Venus and Jupiter.

On the 8th June 2004, Venus was at inferior conjunction and transited the sun. Transits of Venus are rare, taking place at greater than 100 year intervals and usually in pairs. The last two transits of Venus were in 1874 and 1882. 2004's transit lasted 6 hours, the total event visible from Europe as a small black disc crossing the lower part of the Sun from left to right. The next transit will be on June 5th/6th 2012. After that, transits of Venus won't occur again until 2117 and 2125.

Because Venus is seen against the solar disk, the transit can be viewed from anywhere on the Earth where the Sun is above the horizon at the time of transit. The 2012 transit can be seen in full from Eastern Asia, the South-east Pacific Ocean (including New Zealand and central/Eastern Australia), the North-western USA (Alaska) and North-western Canada (the Sun being above the horizon throughout). For much of the inhabited world, however, the transit is already in progress at sunrise or sunset so it is not seen in its entirity. Observers in Portugal, South-western Spain, Western and South-western Africa and the Southern and Eastern regions of South America will not see the event because the Sun is below the horizon. At latitudes North of 67° North, the Sun is above horizon throughout the day, hence the entire transit is visible.

Mars passes aphelion on 15th February, when it will be 249.2 million kilometres, its greatest distance from the Sun.

Mars will be at opposition on March 3rd 2012 in Leo. Two days later, on March 5th, the planet will have its closest approach to Earth during this apparition - 100.78 million kilometres. Mars will be considerably close to the aphelion of its orbit, which it will have just passed on February 15th 2012. This opposition occurs close to the northern Summer/southern Winter Solstice on Mars, which takes place on March 30th 2012, so that Earth will be at high northern declination from Mars, and the Martian North Pole will be in good view from Earth.

This opposition provides an opportunity to send further spacecraft to Mars. NASA is sending its Mars lander-rover mission, the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL, which is also named Curiosity), launched in November 2011. The rover is the size of a Mini-Cooper and is intended to perform a 2 year science mission on the surface of Mars. This is a sophisticated mission for advanced studies on the Martian surface, including new technologies - the long-range, long-duration rover, powered by a small nuclear reactor, is equipped to perform many scientific studies of Mars including the geology, composition and life-potential of the Red Planet, and to demonstrate the technology for accurate landing and hazard avoidance in order to travel to difficult-to-reach sites. For the first time NASA has admitted the project was designed to look at possibilities of humans going to Mars. The Russian Space Agency delayed its Phobos-Grunt mission from 2009/2010 to this apparition and is an attempt to return samples from Mars' moon Phobos. It was launched carrying the Chinese Mars Orbiter Ying Huo 1 on November 8th 2011.

At opposition on the 28th August 2003, Mars was only 56 million kilometres from the Earth. It showed a disc of 25.1 seconds of arc across which is almost as large as it can ever appear. Mars started 2003 at 310 million kilometres from the earth at 4.5 seconds of arc and 1.6 magnitude. By opposition it brightened 50 times to reach -2.9 magnitude but faded to 0 magnitude by December. Even to the naked eye Mars was a striking object in the summer and autumn sky, easily identifiable by its reddish hue in an area of sky poor in bright stars. Mars will not be as close again until 2018.

These favourable oppositions occur every 15 or 17 years but other oppositions occur at average intervals of 2 years 2 months during which time the planet makes a complete circle of the Earth. In general Mars is observable every other year, being too close to the sun for favourable conditions during other times. Brightness at opposition varies from -1.0 to -2.9 magnitude, and when furthest from the earth it fades to 1.7 magnitude. The planet can be identified by its orange-red colour.

After spending the past six years in the southern skies, Jupiter moved north of the celestial equator on February 5th 2011 to spend the next six years in northern skies.

Varying from 603 (at its closest) to 770 million kilometres from the sun, the difference in brightness between opposition and conjunction varies less than with Mars, from about -2.9 to -1.8 magnitude. Always a bright planet, Jupiter comes to opposition a month later each year, moving approximately from one zodiacal constellation to the next.

The 4 largest of Jupiter´s 60+ moons are easily visible through binoculars or a small telescope, ranging from 4.6 to 5.6 in magnitude. The innermost, Io, takes 1.8 days to orbit the planet making its motion easily detectable within a few minutes.

Observing Jupiter in 2012

Astronomy, Missions, Mythology & Astrology

The diagram shows Saturn´s rings closing with the south pole presented towards Earth and the far side of the rings no longer appearing clear of the planet´s body. In 2009 the Earth passed through the ring plane making the rings invisible for a short while. It was the first time since 1997 that the planet´s magnitude has faded to this level.

Saturn moves more slowly than Jupiter and can remain in the same constellation for several years. The brightness of the planet depends on the aspect of its rings, as well as its distance from Earth and the Sun.

The planet crossed the equator into the northern hemisphere in 1996 where it remained until 2010 with the southern side of the ring system facing the earth. Because of its distance, its brightness varies little between opposition and conjunction but is affected by the huge ring system. Seen edge on the rings contribute little or no light.

Every 15 years the plane of Saturn's rings passes through the sun, illuminating first the north and then the south side. For a few days the rings are edge on to the sun. About the same time the Earth passes through the ring plane and, depending on the Earth's position, this may happen just once or 3 times. During 1995/96 there was a triple crossing and the next will be 2038/39. The last single crossing was in 2009 and the next will be 2025.

Saturn's largest moon, Titan, is visible in small telescopes orbiting outside of the ring system.

Observing Saturn in 2012

Astronomy, Missions, Mythology & Astrology

Astronomy, Missions, Mythology & Astrology