January 2007

Venus remains low, barely above the western horizon at sunset. The stars of Capricorn will pass by it this month and the stars of Aquarius draw closer.

Saturn keeps rising earlier each night next to Leo. As January starts, the ringed planet rises about mid-evening. By the end of the month, look for it in the east not long after sunset.

At the start of January, Mercury, Mars, and Jupiter remain lined up in the morning sky after their super close meeting last month. Mercury is dropping into the sunrise. If you can find it during the first few days of January, you're lucky. After that, Mars will remain above the teapot of Sagittarius and the brighter Jupiter somewhat above it.

By the end of the month, Mercury reappears in the evening sky hugging the horizon below Venus. You may need a telescope to positively identify it. It will be in gibbous phase just like Venus, but much dimmer. Click here to see a simulated picture of this event.

Earth is at perihelion on the 3rd at 20h UTC.

The Quadrantid meteor shower is expected to peak on the 3rd. The full moon will wash out the view, but you can try to look for up to 40 blue streaks across the sky per hour. The radiant is two thirds of the way from the Big Dipper to Boötes. For areas north of 40 degrees north latitude, the radiant is up all night. Whether the radiant is up or not, many observers in the northern hemisphere may see the meteors in the north.

If you're watching the sky on the 6th from Alaska, northwestern Canada, northeastern Russia, or the northern Scandinavian countries, Saturn will disappear behind the moon for a while. It's called an occultation. The peak time is at 18 hours UTC. Everywhere else on Earth, if the moon is above the horizon at the time, Saturn will be seen to the south of it.

This month's Venus-Moon conjunction occurs on the 20th at 16 hours UTC. Skywatchers in Antarctica or on the southern tips of Africa and South America will see Venus disappear behind the moon.