BY PAT BEERS BLOCK
Happy New Year and welcome to this month’s highlights of celestial events visible in Fluvanna County!
Fun events to view in January
This month’s premier skylight performer, weather permitting, could be the Quadrantids meteor shower (Class I, Major) that will appear from early to mid January ( www.amsmeteors.org). Other events of interest include the escapades of the moon with various planets and stars, again ensuring that the moon is a key player in our celestial calendar. Additionally, there are a significant number of planetary, and planet/star conjunction alignments to capture your interest.
Now that we have some insight into major events anticipated for January, let’s get ready to engage in observing these events by setting up your star gazing equipment, charging your cell phones and linking to Sky Guide, Sky View Lite, or any other star gazing applications that you find useful, and settling into your favorite viewing spot to witness the magic of the night and early morning skies!
Weeks 1-2 (January 1-11)
January 2 and 3 are good evenings to view the planet Venus within close proximity to the waxing (getting larger) crescent moon. On January 4 the planet Saturn appears within close proximity to the moon; this is the only time in 2025 when this conjunction (visually close to one another) will occur.
The Quadrantid meteor shower will continue from its late December appearance until January 12. Although this is a Class 1 shower, the peak of the shower on January 3 will only last about 4 hours, and the meteor flares might be dim and difficult to see.
On January 6-7, the moon will be entering its first quarter phase, a time when the Earth experiences neap tides. The moon will appear to be a “half-moon” with the right side of the moon illuminated with light.
The moon will be in conjunction with the Pleiades (aka the 7 Sisters, and Messier 45) within the constellation Taurus on January 9. The Pleiades are part of an open star cluster; these stars were all born together about 100 million years ago and are located within a nebula (aka cosmic cloud).
On January 10, Venus will be most visible after midnight in the western sky as it reaches its greatest distance from the Sun. Being well beyond the Sun’s light, Venus can shine brightly in the night sky, about one hour after sunset.
Week 3 (January 12-18)
From January 11 through January 25, the planets Venus and Saturn will be in conjunction and visible within a few hours of sunset.
On January 13 the moon will be in conjunction with both Pollux of the constellation Gemini, and the planet Mars. The moon moves into its full moon phase this evening; enjoy the smiling face of our Earthly satellite.
On January 14, Mars will be in conjunction with the Beehive Cluster (aka Messier 44) within the constellation Cancer.
On January 15, Mars will be in opposition (close to) to Earth and made bright by the Sun’s light. Mars will be at its apex of brightness for 2025 and visible throughout the night.
The moon and the star Regulus, within the constellation Leo, will be in conjunction on January 16.
Week 4 (January 19-25)
The moon will be in occultation (crossing over another celestial body) with the star Spica within the constellation Virgo on January 20. This occultation makes it seem like the covered celestial body has disappeared from the sky.
The moon moves into its last quarter phase on January 21. The moon will be illuminated on the left half of its surface.
On January 23, the moon with be in conjunction with the star Pollux of the constellation Gemini.
Week 5 (January 26-31)
To end the month of January, the moon will complete its lunar cycle on January 29 and move to its new moon phase.
So ends the celestial highlights that we can look forward to observing throughout the month of January. Also worth exploring throughout this and the new year are NASA’s asteroid detection events, space rocket and satellite launches, and sky shows like the aurora borealis that might appear in Fluvanna. With the perpetual motion of planets and stars, the daily changing sky promises to entertain you for a lifetime!
Until next month, keep your eyes facing the morning and evening sky to see the wonders of our universe as we Earthlings travel through it!
[information has been extracted from Astronomy Calendar of Celestial Events 2025 – Sea and Sky (seasky.org); https://eclispe.gsfc.nasa.gov; https://highpointscientific.com/astronomy-hub; https://amsmeteors.org/meteor-showers; and Wikipedia]
