What’s Up in the Sky – January 2023

AAA Observers’ January Guide

January’s Evening Planets: Bright Venus will be visible until around 6 PM, moving between Capricornus the Sea-goat and Aquarius the Water Bearer though January. Red Mars will be in Taurus the Bull all night. Jupiter can be seen in Pisces the Fish until 9 PM and setting earlier every night. Saturn will be visible until 8 PM in Capricornus and setting earlier every night. Find Uranus in Cetus the Sea Monster. Neptune will be in Aquarius the Water Bearer until 10 PM and setting earlier every night.

January’s Evening Stars: The Winter Triangle of Sirius (the brightest star viewed from Earth) in Canis Major the Great Dog; Betelgeuse in Orion the Hunter; and Procyon in Canis Minor the Small Dog will be up all night. Find Castor and Pollux in Gemini the Twins, Rigel in Orion, Aldebaran in Taurus, and bright Capella in Auriga the Charioteer. See the stars of constellations Andromeda, Cassiopeia, Perseus, Cepheus, Draco, Aries, Taurus, and Ursa Major and Ursa Minor (the Big and Little Dippers).

January’s Morning Planets: Bright Mercury will be in Sagittarius the Archer as of 6 AM in the second half of January. Find Mars in Taurus until 5 AM and setting earlier every night, until 3 AM by the end of January.

January’s Morning Stars: The Winter Triangle of Sirius, Betelgeuse, and Procyon will be up until the morning. See the Summer Triangle of Vega in Lyra the Harp, Deneb in Cygnus the Swan, and Altair in Aquila the Eagle as of 6:30 AM and earlier every day this month.  Find Capella in Auriga, Arcturus in Boötes the Herdsman, Spica in Virgo, Vega in Lyra, and Aldebaran in Taurus until the morning. See the stars of Leo, Gemini, Cassiopeia, Hercules, Hydra, Cepheus, Draco, Libra, and the two Dippers.

January Skylights:

  • Jan 3 Quadrantids Meteor Shower peaks- Predawn
  • Jan 4 Earth at Perihelion (91.4 million miles from Sun)
  • Jan 6 Full Moon at 6:10 PM
  • Jan 8 Moon at apogee (252,600 miles away)
  • Jan 14 Last quarter moon at 9:10 PM
  • Jan 21 New Moon at 3:55 PM
  • Jan 21 Moon at perigee (221,600 miles away)
  • Jan 22 Venus and Saturn conjunction – Sunset
  • Jan 26 Mars, Moon, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn line up – Sunset
  • Jan 28 First Quarter Moon at 10:20 AM
  • Jan 30 Mercury shines at its greatest elongation, midnight