Saturday (Saturn’s Day), January 1, 2005:
5 PM CST – The Earth is at the point in its orbit where it is closest to the Sun, perihelion ~ 91.1 million miles. At this point it is summer in the southern hemisphere and winter in the northern hemisphere.

Sunday (Sun’s Day) January 2, 2005:
Comet C/2003 K4 LINEAR is at opposition, the Earth is between the comet and the Sun

Monday (Moon’s Day), January 3, 2005:
Quadratid meteor shower – active January 1 to 5 with a possible ZHR ~ 120 meteors/hour, last quarter moon rises around midnight
11:46 AM CST – Last Quarter Moon

Tuesday (Mars’ Day), January 4, 2005:
7:43 AM Houston Time – Latest sunrise
4 PM CST – The Moon is at its descending node, it is crossing the plane of the Earth’s orbit (ecliptic) and heading south

Saturday, January 8, 2005:
8 PM CST – Jupiter is at west quadrature, the Earth - Sun – Jupiter line makes a 90o angle and Jupiter rises around midnight

Sunday, January 9, 2005:
1 PM CST – Saturn is at its ascending node, it’s crossing the plane of the Earth’s orbit and heading north
8 PM CST – The Moon, Mercury and Venus are within a 5o circle rising about 6 AM in the morning sky

Monday, January 10, 2005:
4 AM CST – The Moon is at perigee, the point in its orbit where it is closest to the Earth ~ 224,000 miles
6:03 AM CST – New Moon (higher than normal high tides, called spring tides, occur at new and full moon, this is conjunction with perigee should produce exceptionally high tides)

Wednesday (Venus’ Day), January 12, 2005:
1 PM CST – Mercury is at its descending node

Thursday (Mercury’s Day), January 13, 2005:
12 AM CST – Mercury and Venus are about a third of a degree apart in the morning sky rising about 6:30 AM
4 PM CST – Saturn is at opposition, that is the Earth is between Saturn and the Sun, Saturn rises about sunset and it sets about sunrise so it is visible all night
Comet C/2004 Q2 Machholz is passing through the Pleiades

Saturday, January 15, 2005:
8 PM CST – Mars is at its descending node

Monday, January 17, 2005:
Delta Cancrid meteor shower – active January 1 to 24, ZHR ~ 4 meteors/hour, first quarter moon sets around midnight
12:57 AM CST – First Quarter Moon
1:33 AM CST – The Moon is at its ascending node

Tuesday, January 18, 2005:
2 AM CST – Venus is at its descending node

Wednesday, January 19, 2005:
6 AM CST – The Sun leaves the astronomical constellation of Sagittarius the Archer and enters the astronomical constellation of Capricornus, the Goat

Thursday, January 20, 2005:
11 PM CST – Comet 944 Hidalgo is at perihelion, its closest approach to the Sun at about 5.7 AU (an AU is the average Earth-Sun distance ~ 93 million miles) and north of the plane of the Solar System.

Sunday, January 23, 2005:
1 PM CST – The Moon is at apogee, the point in its orbit where it is furthest from the Earth
9 PM CST – Mercury is at aphelion, the point in its orbit where it is furthest from the Sun ~ 44 million miles from the Sun

Monday, January 24, 2005:
2 PM CST – Comet C/2004 Q2 Machholz is at perihelion. Its closest approach to the Sun approximately 110 million miles from the Sun north of the plane of the Solar System

Tuesday, January 25, 2005:
4:32 AM CST – Full Moon, Old Moon, Moon after Yule

Friday, January 28, 2005:
69th Meeting of the North Houston Astronomy Club