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Bright star on January evenings? It’s the planet Jupiter
We are displaying a larger swath of sky than we usually do on tonight’s chart. That is because we are showing you how to star-hop from the three stars of Orion’s Belt to the star Aldebaran and the Pleiades star cluster. Aldebaran and the Pleiades cluster reside within the constellation Taurus the Bull.
However, you will not need Orion’s Belt to locate Taurus the Bull tonight, because the bright waxing gibbous moon sits right in front of the Bull. The Pleaides star cluster lies to the west of tonight’s moon, while Aldebaran, the constellation’s brightest star, lodges to the south. Despite the moonlit glare, you may be able to see Aldebaran, the Bull’s eye. You may even be able to spot the Pleiades cluster, which marks the location of the Bull’s shoulder.
- The Pleiades, Click for a larger image
Like any constellation, Taurus the Bull is much easier to make out on a dark, moonless night. Starting the first weekend of February, you will have a solid week of moon-free evenings for viewing the Bull.
This evening, the moon nearly pinpoints the sun’s position relative to the backdrop stars for late May. Every year, the sun in its annual journey in front of the constellations of the Zodiac passes through Taurus from about May 13 to June 21.
Venus is the bright object up before dawn in January
Written by Bruce McClure
Astronomy Picture of the Day from NASA/JPL
U.S. Naval Observator Astronomical Information center
The York County Astronomical Society
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