Mars stages its best showings of the year as it passes closest to Earth. It will spend several nights near Pollux, the brighter twin of Gemini. Venus, the Evening Star, will stage its own spectacle, in the western sky, sliding past the bright planet Saturn. The beautiful constellations of winter stand high, including Orion and Canis Major, which features Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky.
The full Moon of January is known as the Old Moon, Moon After Yule, or Wolf Moon.
Perigee January 7
Apogee January 20
Moon phases are Central Time
Lepus, the rabbit, is below the feet of Orion the hunter, in the southeast at nightfall. Its brightest star, Arneb, is only about 13 million years old, yet it’s likely to expire within the next million years or so because it’s much more massive than the Sun.
The planets Venus and Saturn are in the southwest at nightfall. Venus is the brilliant Evening Star. Tonight, Saturn stands quite close to the left of Venus. It’s only about half a percent as bright as Venus, but still easy to find.
Regulus, the brightest star of Leo, the lion, is especially easy to spot tonight. It stands above the gibbous Moon as they climb into good view, around 9 or 9:30 p.m.
Mars is at opposition today. It aligns opposite the Sun, so it rises at sunset and remains in view all night. It shines brightest for the year as well. Mars is farther from Earth than at many other oppositions, however, so it’s not nearly as bright as it can be.
Although fainter than during the summer months, the winter Milky Way is worth a look. It arcs high overhead around 8 or 9 p.m., although you need a viewing area free of light pollution to see it. Many bright star clusters punctuate the winter Milky Way.
Mars is at its closest and brightest this week. Tonight, however, it will vanish for a while, hidden behind the Moon. From any given location, Mars will be out of sight for no more than about an hour. The event will be visible across the contiguous U.S.
Mars is especially fetching now because it’s lining up opposite the Sun. It rises at sunset and remains in view all night. It looks like a brilliant orange star. It shines as intensely as Sirius, the brightest true star in the night sky.
Achernar, the brightest star of Eridanus, the river, is visible from south of about Dallas. The rest of Eridanus is in better view. It begins next to the foot of Orion, which is in the east-southeast at nightfall, then curls to the right, then down to the horizon.
The Moon anchors a beautiful lineup tonight. As night falls, the planet Jupiter and the star Aldebaran trickle off to the lower right of the Moon. The trio stays close as it arcs across the sky during the night.
Jupiter is in great view this month. The planet looks like a brilliant star, high in the east at nightfall. Tonight, it’s far to the lower left of the Moon. The gap will narrow during the night, so they will be closer as they set in the wee hours of the morning.
