Another graphic (below) made with Stellarium shows the proper cardinal directions around the planets before sunrise. Yes, the NASA graphic above has incorrect direction labels (we'll blame an intern), but the text is correct. To see them, look to the southeast in late January before sunrise where this trio will be rising. The moon phase will be edging ever closer to new in late January, but a sliver should still be visible to make for some fantastic astrophotography of the moon and our two closest planetary neighbors, Mars and Venus. The silver lining: sunrises are still (relatively) late in the morning. The bad news: you're going to have to get up before sunrise to see this pairing of the planets and the moon. January 29th: The Moon and Two Inner Planets Use this tool to see the current Moon phase and to plan ahead for other Moon views. So, while the sun is low on the horizon, the full moon will be dominating the night sky.Ĭheck out the tool below to find out what phase the moon is in right now. While this is not a "supermoon," the tilt of the earth will make the moon move nearly overhead in the Northern Hemisphere's midlatitudes. The first full moon of the year occurs on January 17th and is known most commonly as the Wolf Moon or the Ice Moon. Spotting the International Space Station is always a great activity and is easy to do thanks to this handy tool. If you're in a more northerly latitude, check the Space Weather Prediction Center frequently for updates about when the aurora borealis may be active in your area. Since we're in a bit of a meteor shower lull this time of year (after the early January Quadrantids), it can be a good time to focus on looking for other celestial objects. While temperatures may keep many stargazers indoors, the long nights mean extra time to find planets, constellations, or even satellites. It's pretty cold out there - I'm not including you, Florida - but it is winter, after all.
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