January 2014 Celestial Highlights

January Sky

Early January - 8:30 p.m. (EST)

Late January - 7:30 p.m. (EST)

Perihelion: Earth reaches its closest annual distance to the sun on January 4 at 91.4 million miles away.

Quadrantid Meteor Shower: in the northeast after 3 a.m. on January 3, over 60 meteors per hour. 

Visible Planets:

MERCURY very low in the west-southwest forty minutes after sun set after January 23.

VENUS very low in the west-southwest forty minutes after sunset until January 3. Behind the sun on January 11. Low in the east-southeast forty minutes before sunrise after January 19. Below the crescent Moon on January 2 at 5:45 p.m. 

MARS rises in the east before 1 a.m. at the beginning of January and before midnight at the end of the month. Above the moon and the star Spica on January 23 at 3 a.m.

JUPITER rises in the east-northeast at sunset, and is visible all night. Next to the bright waxing gibbous moon on January 14.

SATURN rises in the east-southeast before 4 a.m. at the beginning of the January and before 2 a.m. by the end of the month. Directly next to the waning crescent moon on January 25 at 5 a.m.

Use the Big Dipper to locate:

The North Star

Capella

Pollux and Castor

Use Orion's Belt to locate:

Aldebaran

Sirius

To use this map:

Face south and hold the map above your head. The stars on the map will match those in the sky.

Such is our view from Earth…