Sky Tonight—January 29, Moon and Venus still close before sunrise
Of course, when we say that the moon and Venus shine close together, we really mean they occupy nearly the same spot on the sky’s dome.
Sky Tonight—January 28, Moon and Venus in dawn and predawn sky tomorrow
Given clear skies, you cannot miss seeing the waning crescent moon with the blazing planet Venus before sunrise tomorrow (Saturday, January 29)
Sky Tonight—January 27, Saturn starts retrograde on January 27
Starting today – on January 27, 2011 – Saturn will begin to go in a retrograde or westward direction in front of the constellation Virgo
Sky Tonight—January 26, Star Achernar marks the end of the River
It is only if you are in the extreme southern U.S., or farther south on Earth’s globe, that you can see the famous star that marks the end of the…
Sky Tonight—January 25, Last quarter moon, Saturn, Spica before sunrise
The last quarter moon and the planet Saturn will shine on opposite sides of the bright star Spica before sunrise tomorrow (January 26)
Sky Tonight—January 24, Moon, Saturn, Spica from midnight until dawn
You can also tell Saturn from the star Spica by color. Saturn appears golden while Spica shines blue-white.
Sky Tonight—January 23, Eridanus-a winding river of stars
Eridanus is one of the longest and faintest constellations.
Sky Tonight—January 21, Identify the Winter Circle and winter’s brightest stars
This pattern of stars is not a constellation. It is many separate stars in different constellations.
Sky Tonight—January 20, Orion the Hunter easy to spot in January night sky
The constellation Orion the Hunter is probably the easiest to pick out of all the constellations in the winter sky.
Sky Tonight—January 19, Full moon rises in east around sunset
This is the first full moon after the December solstice. In North America, we commonly call this full moon the Old Moon or Moon After Yule.