Editor’s Note: It is a new year and we continue looking up as HMNS Astronomer James Wooten explains the sky happenings for the month of January, including the science behind perihelion. Jupiter is still in the evening sky; look for it in the south southwest at nightfall. Jupiter is brighter than any star we ever […]
The Big Dipper is above the North Star, with its handle pointing up. From that handle, you can ‘arc to Arcturus’ and then ‘speed on to Spica’; those stars are in the west at dusk. Leo, the Lion, is also in the west at dusk. Jupiter is to the left of Spica in […]
This star map shows the Houston sky at 9 pm CST on January 1, 8 pm CST on January 15, and dusk on January 31. To use the map, put the direction you are facing at the bottom. The Sky This Month The Great Square of Pegasus sets in the western sky. Taurus, […]
This month, Venus shifts from the evening to the morning sky. For the next few days, look for it low in the southwest at dusk. If no buildings or trees block the view, you can still make out Venus in the twilight; it outshines everything in the sky but the Sun and the Moon. Notice […]
Venus remains in the west at dusk. It outshines everything but the Sun and Moon, so you can begin observing it during deep twilight. Saturn is now shining in the south/southwest at dusk. Although not as bright as Venus, it does outshine the stars around it, so you can’t miss it. Mars and Jupiter emerge […]
Happy New Year! This January, Mars continues to fade as it drops into the Sun’s glare. It is low in the southwest at dusk. Jupiter is now up all night long. Opposition, when Earth is directly between Jupiter and the Sun and Jupiter literally rises at sundown and sets at sunup, is Jan. 3. After […]
