Monthly Night Sky information provided by Chris Vaughan (@Astrogeoguy) at Starry Night Education (@StarryNightEdu).
The moon will reach its new phase on Wednesday, January 29 at 7:36 a.m. EST, 4:36 a.m. PST, or 12:36 GMT. At that time our natural satellite will be located in Capricornus and 4.6 degrees south of the sun. While new, the moon is travelling between Earth and the sun. Since sunlight can only reach […]
On Thursday, January 30, the motion of the distant, blue-green planet Uranus through the background stars of eastern Aries will slow to a stop – completing a westward retrograde loop that it began in early September. After tonight, the planet will begin to creep eastward again. At magnitude +5.7, Uranus can be seen in binoculars […]
The western sky on Friday, January 31 after sunset will offer a pretty sight and photo opportunity when the slim crescent of the waxing moon will shine below Saturn, with much brighter Venus gleaming above them. The moon and Saturn will be close enough to share the view in binoculars (orange circle). Hours later, observers […]
The western sky after sunset on Saturday, February 1 will offer a pretty sight when the slim crescent moon will shine close to the brilliant planet Venus, while the medium-bright, yellowish dot of Saturn shines about a fist’s diameter below them (or 10 degrees to their celestial southwest). After the sky darkens fully, around 6:30 […]
On Monday, February 3, the very bright planet Jupiter will temporarily cease its motion (dotted line) through the background stars of central Taurus – marking the end of a westward retrograde loop that it began in early October. The planet will be gleaming high in the southern sky every evening. After tonight, Jupiter will resume […]