Its name literally means "foot of the centaur" and comes from the term "Rijl al-Qanṭūris" in Arabic. And, of course, Ursa Major the Greater Bear – which contains the Big Dipper asterism – is one of the most famous of all star patterns. You will receive a verification email shortly. Courtesy Skatebiker/Wikimedia Commons. In Miami, the bottom, lit limb of the moon will cover the star at 10:09 p.m. EST. Please refresh the page and try again. At magnitude +5.75, Uranus can be seen in binoculars (red circle) and backyard telescopes, and even with unaided eyes, under dark skies. Sky map showing night sky tonight in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. There were flashing red blue and white lights in patterns unlike a airplane or drone. [50] At a distance of 2.6 pc or 8.6 light years, the Sirius system contains two of the eight nearest stars to Earth,[51] and is the fifth closest binary system. You'll need an unobstructed southwestern horizon to catch Jupiter before it sets at 6 p.m. in your local time zone. By month-end, Neptune will be rather low in the west by the time the sky darkens enough to see it. On Monday, January 11, Mercury's orbital motion (red curve) will lift the planet a thumb's width to the lower left (or 1.5 degrees to the celestial south) of bright Jupiter – with dimmer Saturn two fingers widths to their lower right (celestial west). That’s when the two planets will be so close they appear as one big bright spot. Where is Mars, Saturn or Venus? Thus, around midnight tonight, Cassiopeia circles directly west (left) of Polaris, whereas the Big Dipper sweeps to Polaris’ east (right). The dimmest object visible in the night sky under perfectly dark conditions is about magnitude 6.5. They are indeed related – recently born of the same primordial gas cloud. Please deactivate your ad blocker in order to see our subscription offer. Over the rest of the night, the moon's orbital motion will carry it half as far from Vesta, and the diurnal rotation of the sky will lift the asteroid above the moon. So bright is our sister planet, it has been mistaken for a UFO. Brighter stars are magnitude 2 or 1. The loop will continue through its April 4 opposition, and into late April. © From dark sky locations the magnitude 7.9 planet can be observed in good binoculars and backyard telescopes. Vesta will cross the southern sky during the bulk of the night. With Jessica Lange, Tommy Lee Jones, Powers Boothe, Carrie Snodgress. In the southwestern sky on Monday, January 4, the waning gibbous moon will pass near the main belt asteroid designated (4) Vesta. We see Sirius as the brightest star in the sky because it's close to the Earth, therefore its luminosity appears more intense. Jupiter will disappear by month end – and then reach solar conjunction on January 29. The best time to view the distant planet will be as soon as the sky darkens fully—when the planet will be about one-third of the way up the southwestern sky. This feature is very obvious in good binoculars and backyard telescopes. Directed by Tony Richardson. Jan. 15, 2006: Stardust spacecraft returns samples of comet dust, Curiosity rover celebrates 3,000 Martian days on the Red Planet, After 'Apollo 11': New short film goes into 'Quarantine' after first moon landing, NASA extends planetary science missions at Mars and Jupiter. Prepare for skywatching: If you plan to be out for more than a few minutes, and it's not a warm summer evening, dress warmer than you think necessary. Look out for a big orangey-white circle in the sky. Order yours before they’re gone. The North Star? Tonight, magnitude 6.65 Vesta can be found sitting several finger widths to the right (or 4.25 degrees to the celestial south) of the bright star Denebola, the lion's tail. Regions to the north and south will see the moon pass very close to that star. › Sandia Sentinel Fireball Camera Network, El Paso, Texas (NMSU All Sky Camera Network) During January, Venus will remain visible as a very bright, magnitude -3.9 object sitting low over the southeastern horizon before sunrise. Our monthly astronomy guide for stargazers January’s highlights Mercury lies in the evening sky.Mars is still bright and visible from dusk. Rigel Kentaurus, also known as Alpha Centauri, is the third brightest star in the night sky. Light Pollution: Even from a big city, one can see the moon, a handful of bright stars and sometimes the brightest planets. A dazzling evening “star,” Venus comes out in twilight and sticks around long enough to outshine all the real stars against a dark sky. Jupiter and Saturn are becoming ever harder to pick up low in bright twilight, but bring those binoculars on Saturday Jan. 9th. Asterism: A noteworthy or striking pattern of stars within a larger constellation. Since sunlight can only reach the far side of the moon, and the moon is in the same region of the sky as the sun, the moon becomes completely hidden from view for about a day. On January 20, Mars will sit only 1.6 degrees to the north of Uranus, outshining the blue-green planet by a factor of 164! At that time Earth will sit 91.399 million miles (147.093 million km) from our star—or 1.67% closer than our mean distance of 1.0 Astronomical Units. This shower's most intense period, when 50 to 100 meteors per hour can occur, lasts only about 6 hours surrounding the peak, which is predicted to occur on Sunday, January 3 at 10:00 GMT (or 5 a.m. Eastern time). SPACE.com offers skywatching tips. Named for a now-defunct constellation called the Mural Quadrant, the annual Quadrantids meteor shower runs from December 30 to January 12. It's also the smallest full … The January full moon will occur at 2:16 p.m. EST (or 19:16 GMT) on Thursday, January 28. Following its December, 2020 solar conjunction, Mercury will return to view in the southwestern evening sky after the first week of January. Going fast! getty. If you're in the suburbs, simply turning off outdoor lights can help. Current Night Sky: January 2021 Getting close to the Sun, some easy outer-planet spotting, and a chance to catch quick-moving Mercury. On January 14, magnitude 5.75 Uranus will complete a retrograde loop that began in mid-August. Ideally, the sky should be very clear, with the observer at a high altitude, the star passing overhead, and the sun low down on the horizon. If you're stuck in a city or suburban area, a building can be used to block ambient light (or moonlight) to help reveal fainter objects. The event will be observable in binoculars and backyard telescopes – but remember that a telescope (red circle) will likely invert and/or mirror the scene shown here. North of about 40 degrees north latitude (the latitude of Denver, Colorado), the Big Dipper always stays above the horizon (if your horizon is level). After sunset, look just above the southwestern horizon after sunset on Saturday, January 9 to see Mercury sitting just a thumb's width to the lower left (or 1.7 degrees to the celestial south) of Saturn—with brighter Jupiter positioned above them. On Saturday, January 23, the large main belt asteroid designated (4) Vesta will begin a westward retrograde loop (red path with dates) through the stars of Leo. This apparition will be a very good one for observers located at mid-Northern latitudes – but the planet's position north of the evening ecliptic will make Mercury difficult to see from southern latitudes. On January 14 the crescent moon will be positioned a fist's diameter to the upper left (or 10 degrees to the celestial southeast) of Jupiter, with dimmer Mercury midway between them – setting up a lovely photo opportunity. Low in the southeastern sky on Monday, January 11, the delicate crescent of the old moon will sit a few finger widths to the right (or 4 degrees to the celestial southwest) of the bright planet Venus. About 3½ hours later, Earth will occupy that same location in space. The best viewing time will be around 5:20 p.m. local time – but you'll need an unobstructed view to the southwest. From the southern half of the U.S., the Big Dipper is actually partially or totally beneath the horizon this month in the evening hours. Polaris resides halfway between Cassiopeia and the Big Dipper, so these two star formations are like riders on opposite sides of a Ferris wheel. Mercury and Saturn will be a challenge to see within the evening twilight – except for skywatchers at southerly latitudes, where the sky will darken faster. Meteor Activity Outlook for December 26, 2020-January 1, 2021. At 5:00 GMT on Wednesday, January 13, the moon will officially reach its new moon phase. Due to its shape, the Pleiades are sometimes confused with the Little Dipper. Betelgeuse is a red supergiant star and believe it or not it is about 900 times bigger than the Sun. When new, the moon is traveling between Earth and the Sun. Not surprisingly, many cultures, including Aztec, Maori, Sioux, Hindu, and more, have noted this object and developed stories around it. Unfortunately, a bright moon will greatly reduce the number of Quadrantids meteors in 2021. Use brighter Jupiter to find dimmer Mercury and Saturn. A terrific season of Jupiter viewing will end in January. Southwest sky, right after sunset, on December 21. Rigel is a very hot blue-white supergiant star and is about 80 times bigger than the Sun. One-tenth as bright Saturn will sit only 2 degrees below (or to the celestial west) of Jupiter all month long. What is the bright star in the sky? A private detective teams up with an ex-cop to solve a kidnapping case in Montana. Donate: Your support means the world to us. Once the sky darkens on Monday evening, January 25, skywatchers can look for the large open star cluster known as Messier 35, or the Shoe-Buckle Cluster, sitting just to the upper right (or celestial west) of the bright waxing gibbous moon in Gemini. Look in the south-southwest sky at sunset or just after to see the sight, and be sure you've got a clear view along the horizon. Use the moonless first half of January to try seeing the magnitude 5.7 planet with unaided eyes or binoculars. The Whole Sky images show the entire sky as a big round picture. That same evening, the waxing, half-illuminated moon will be positioned 7 degrees to the southwest of the two planets. It’s found low in the northeastern sky at nightfall or early evening as seen from mid-northern locations. We zoomed up on this bright star in the night sky and it is quite amazing. Mercury will become easier to see just before it sets at 6:18 p.m., and then the moon will drop below the horizon at 6:35 p.m. On Thursday, January 14, the distant, blue-green planet Uranus will temporarily cease its motion through the distant stars of southwestern Aries—completing a westward retrograde loop that began in mid-August (red path with labelled dates:times). Monthly skywatching information is provided to Space.com by Chris Vaughan of Starry Night Education, the leader in space science curriculum solutions. The four points of the Compass ( N orth, E ast, S outh and W est) are shown together with the position of the Sunset. They are always on opposite sides of the North Star. Watch it climb in the southwest throughout the month, and be sure to catch it on the 26th and 27th, when a waxing crescent moon appears near it. What planets are visible? When the sun has large sunspots, they can be seen without a telescope. Its name literally means "foot of the centaur" and comes from the term "Rijl al-Qanṭūris" in Arabic. After the moon rises late on Sunday evening, magnitude 7.1 Vesta will be sitting several finger widths below (or 4 degrees to the celestial east) of the moon. If you can find Jupiter, binoculars might show you the ringed planet sitting less than 2 degrees to Jupiter's lower right. Sirius is an A-type star and shines with a white-blue color. After Thursday, the planet will begin to move eastward again. Below, find out what's up in the night sky tonight (Planets Visible Now, Moon Phases, Observing Highlights This Month) plus other resources (Skywatching Terms, Night Sky Observing Tips and Further Reading). That 'star' you can see is a planet! The moon will remain close to them on January 21. The orbital motion (red arc) of Mercury will be carrying the speedy planet between Earth and the sun, while the gas giants will be on the far side of our star. The winter stars feature the brightest collection of the year. Sky map showing night sky tonight in Houston, Texas, USA. Orion becomes the center of attention, with his three belt stars drawing a line to the right, pointing to the red star Aldebaran, the “eye” of Taurus, the Bull. Bottom line: Watch the celestial clock and its two great big hour hands – Cassiopeia and the Big Dipper – as they swing around the North Star every night! To best see Messier 35's stars, hide the bright moon beyond the left edge of your binoculars' field of view. Adjust to the dark: If you wish to observe faint objects, such as meteors or dim stars, give your eyes at least 15 minutes to adjust to the darkness. At first quarter, the moon always rises around noon and sets around midnight, so it is also visible in the afternoon daytime sky. In mid-evening the bright red planet will be positioned three finger widths to the lower right (or 3.25 degrees to the celestial northwest) of Uranus. Image of the Big Dipper via Yuri Beletsky Nightscapes. Being 11 times fainter than Jupiter, Saturn will be lost to view in the southwestern twilight after the opening week of January. Whether a star has 10 times the mass of the Sun or 150 solar masses, it’s going to appear blue to our eyes. Rigel Kentaurus, also known as Alpha Centauri, is the third brightest star in the night sky. The rest of its home constellation Taurus, the Bull sits below the cluster. Visual Magnitude: This is the astronomer's scale for measuring the brightness of objects in the sky. The distinctive shape of Cassiopeia makes her very noticeable among the stars of the northern sky. During this period, the moon reaches its full phase on Tuesday December 29th. Never underestimate the beauty of double stars. Red stars are much cooler than blue-white stars so just by looking at the colors of these two stars you can tell their relative temperatures. Future US, Inc. 11 West 42nd Street, 15th Floor, At a distance of 8.6 light years, it is the fifth closest stellar system. Both the planet and that star will appear together in the field of view of a telescope at low magnification. They are opposite each other, one on either side of the North Star.