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The Moon:
First Quarter: January 1st and 31st
Full Moon: January 9th
Last Quarter: January 16th
New Moon: January 23rd
As an aid to identification the Moon will be nearby Jupiter on the 2nd, Pleiades & Hyades on the 5th, Mars on the 14th, Saturn on the 16th & 17th and Venus on the 26th.
Mercury - now speeding into the morning dawn in the south east just before sunrise. It will very quickly be lost in the Sun’s glare.
WARNING – DO NOT TRY AND LOOK FOR MERCURY AFTER THE SUN HAS RISEN.
Venus - now starting to become very prominent in the evening sky after sunset. Its altitude and brightness increase throughout the month, becoming just under magnitude –4 by the end of the month. Through a telescope it will show a gibbous phase.
WARNING – DO NOT TRY AND LOOK FOR VENUS UNTIL THE SUN HAS SET.
Mars - rises by 9:00pm by the end of the month. It is still very small in a telescope at only 12” of arc, but conditions will improve over the next few months as its distance from Earth decreases.
Jupiter - still big and bright at magnitude -2.2 and dominates the evening sky. Sets before midnight by the end of the month.
Saturn - now visible relatively high up in the morning sky, at magnitude 1.7 and culminating around dawn. The disk is tilted about 15 degrees towards Earth making detail easier to see in the rings. It is slowly losing altitude over the next few years, so make the most of any observing opportunities you can.
Uranus - now too low down in the evening twilight so is difficult to observe.
Neptune - like Uranus, very difficult to observe.
Quadrantid Meteor Shower: Maxima occurring on the 3rd & 4th. Estimated rates predicted to be about 100 per hour. Moon is well out of the way and will not interfere with observing in the evening sky.
For a much fuller guide, graphics and the latest news visit
Dave Eagle
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The Night Sky 
