Lots of Planets to See — and a Meteor Shower Too!

You can get a good view of Venus, Jupiter, Mars and Saturn this month plus a nice meteor shower!

Venus dominates the night sky in January 2012.  It’s the bright point of light you’ll see in the western sky during the early evening hours: It will be the brightest astronomical object you’ll see this month, other than the moon and the sun! Venus will appear higher and higher in the western sky as the month progresses. Venus begins the month in the constellation Capricorn and moves into Aquarius January 12.

Look for our solar system’s giant planet — Jupiter — toward the southern horizon (toward the northern horizon for those of you in the southern hemisphere) at sunset.   Jupiter will pass very close to the Moon on the evening of January 2 (January 3 for those of you in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, China, etc.).  The same thing will happen on the evening of January 29/30.  You should be able to see Jupiter and up to four of its large moons through any telescope — even through a pair of binoculars. These four large moons move so quickly that if you observe Jupiter’s moons every few hours you’ll see that they change their position in relation to the planet. For example, if you observe Jupiter shortly after sunset you might see one or two of its large moons, but if you observe Jupiter a few hours later you might see all four of its large moons — or vice versa! Currently, Jupiter straddles the border between the constellations Aries and Pisces, but will move fully into Aries by month’s end.

Saturn, the Moon and Mars
Saturn, the Moon and Mars the morning of January 15 (January 16 for those of you in the eastern hemisphere).

Mars rises over the eastern horizon shortly after midnight this month, and is above the southern horizon shortly before sunrise (above the northern horizon for those of you in the southern  hemisphere).   If you are an early bird, look for the Red Planet near the Moon shortly before sunrise on January 13 and 14 (January 14 and 15 for those of you in the eastern hemisphere of Earth). The red planet begins the month in the Name A Star Live constellation Leo, but then moves into Virgo toward the end of the month.

You can see the beautiful, ringed planet Saturn in the eastern sky during the predawn hours in January. Saturn is in the constellation Virgo.  On the morning of January 16 (January 17 for those of you in the eastern hemisphere) look for Saturn next to the Moon.

An Impressive Meteor Shower in Early January

The Quadrantid  meteor shower promises to put on a good show of ‘shooting stars’ this month, but you’ll have to get up really early (or stay up really late!) to get the best view.  Look for the shooting stars between about 3:00 a.m. and sunrise on January 4 (January 5 for those of you in Australia, Japan and China).  Normally you can see about 120 meteors per hour at the peak of the Quadrantid’s, although you may see anywhere from only 60 to as much as 200 meteors per hour.

Shooting Stars
Time lapse photo showing shooting stars from the Geminid meteor shower. Credit: NASA/JPL

A meteor shower occurs when the Earth passes through a cloud of dust particles, typically left from past visits by comets to our part of the solar system. As the high-speed dust particles vaporize in Earth’s atmosphere, they appear as ‘shooting stars.’   Meteor shower names derive from the constellation (the area of the night sky) from which the meteors appear to originate. The Quadrantid meteor shower gets its name from an old, and now defunct, constellation name (a name no longer used in astronomy) called “Quadrans Muralis”.  This area of the night sky is now in the modern constellations Draco and Boötes, the latter of which is adjacent to the Name A Star Live constellation Virgo.

The best way to view a meteor shower is to lay down and look up: No telescopes or binoculars needed! You might use a fully reclining lawn chair or cot. Be prepared to stay up late to see the best show.

When to go stargazing this month

Moonlight ‘drowns out’ the faint light of many stars and other celestial objects, so the best time to view the stars is when the Moon is not visible. If you’re going to stargaze between sunset and midnight, then the best time to do that in January would be during the January 15-28 time period.

Finding your star in the night sky

Stars are located within constellations, which are just areas of the night sky. Scorpius, Aries and Taurus are examples of constellations. Your Name A Star Live Star Certificate displays the name of your constellation.

You can use our online World Constellation Guide to determine if you can see your constellation during the evening hours (between sunset and midnight). Of course, you’ll need a telescope to see your star. (That’s why we include the SLOOH online telescope experience in our Deluxe, Framed and Ultimate Gift Sets!) But you can see your constellation without the use of a telescope.

You can also find your constellation by using our Virtual Planetarium™ astronomy software. A planisphere is another useful device.

Top Ten Star Messages

Each Name A Star Live Gift Set includes a letter-size star certificate that displays the name of the star, astronomical information about the star, and an area where you can include a brief personal message for your gift recipient.

Here are some notable messages our customers wrote in October:

  1. Because you are a star to us and you deserve your place in the constellation!  Happy Birthday and may you have many more years of good health, happiness, and peace.
  2. You are a “star” in many ways.  Thank you for your caring and professional support.
  3. God has given you a future as bright and limitless as the stars.    Love,  Mom and Dad
  4. Merry Christmas Baby.  Now when  you look up at the stars you can know that one of them is yours.  No matter how bad your day is, you can always look up and know I am there for you.
  5. Happy one year anniversary!   I wanted to name this star after you so that you always think of me when you look up at the night’s sky.  I’ve never loved anyone as much as I love you.
  6. “I love thee, I love but thee with a love that shall not die till the sun grows cold and the stars grow old.” – William Shakespeare
  7. Sis,  “When twilight drops her curtain down and pins it with a star, remember that you have a friend though she may wander far.”  Sisters forever.
  8. This is one of your early Hannuka presents as you wished.  Don’t lose sight of your star for it will look over you and keep you safe forever
  9. You are not only one of Grandma’s very loved stars, but now you are a shining star in the entire universe.    Love forever,  Texas Grandma
  10. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!    My love for you will last as long as the stars shine in the heavens.    Love,  Jane

Be sure to check out our Twitter and Facebook pages where we’ll keep you up-to-date on all things Name A Star Live!

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Happy one year anniversary!   I wanted to name this star after you so that you always think of me when you look up at the night’s sky. I’ve never loved anyone as much as I love you.

Top Ten Star Messages

Each Name A Star Live Gift Set includes a letter-size star certificate that displays the name of the star, astronomical information about the star, and an area where you can include a breif personal message for your gift recipient.

Here are some notable messages our customers wrote in September:

  1. You are the sweetest, cutest thing in the universe.
  2. A girl with your beauty needs to have a place in this world forever.  Inside and out you’re beautiful.  I love you.
  3. May your life always shine as brightly as your star.  Happy 50th!
  4. You truly are the best guy for me. I know that you could not love me any better. You always surprise me with how sweet you are and I am so lucky to have someone like that in my life.
  5. Know that wherever you go, wherever you are,  Daddy’s Guiding Light will be there to lead you.
  6. These stars symbolize our everlasting love. They will be together forever and always, and just like our love; never faltering, and always true.
  7. We’ve named a star for your Mother.  “Perhaps they are not stars in the sky,  but rather openings where our loved ones   shine down to let us know they are happy.”
  8. To my niece on her baptism, I love you til all the stars burn out!
  9. Now even when we are apart I can look to the stars and be with you. May it shine just like its namesake.
  10. “It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air.”  – W.T. Ellis

Be sure to check out our Twitter and Facebook pages where we’ll keep you up-to-date on all things Name A Star Live!

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Top Ten Star Messages

As part of our launch of this Name A Star Live blog, we are including a monthly feature where we list the top ten interesting messages our customers have included on their star certificates during the past month.  (Of course, we remove the names and other personal information from the messages before posting them here.)   Each Name A Star Live Gift Set includes a letter-size star certificate that displays the name of the star, astronomical information about the star, and an area where you can include a breif personal message for your gift recipient.

Here are some notable messages our customers wrote in July:

  1. To be a star, you must shine your own light, follow your own path, and don’t worry about the darkness, for that is when the stars shine brightest.  You are a star to me.  I love you!
  2. Thank you for your “out of this world” performance!
  3. This is just a little gift to demonstrate my love for you and that our love will always be in the sky, somewhere, living among the many other wonders of this universe.
  4. This star is dedicated to our marriage.  This star will forever sparkle, as our love for each other.  I love you.
  5. Congratulations on 30 years together!  May your star shine brightly forever.  All my love.
  6. In loving memory of your priceless little star.  May she long watch over you both until you all meet again….  With our sincerest condolences.
  7. Hope you had a beautiful christening!  May you always shine as bright as your star.  We love you!
  8. To the one I love the most in this galaxy.  Happy first year anniversary.
  9. Happy Birthday Star Lady!!!
  10. The Sun, the Moon, the Earth, and Mars,  Galaxies, Comets, Planets, and Pulsars,  All, my dear Gran, will be blessed by the star  I’ve named after you, the best Gran by far.

Be sure to check out our new Twitter and Facebook pages where we’ll keep you up-to-date on all things Name A Star Live!

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