Stargazing Summary
As befits a year in which we honor the solar system, four of the five worlds visible to the unaided eye are in view this month. Venus and Mercury adorn the morning sky, Jupiter is in the evening sky, and Saturn lines up between them. Only Mars is missing, lurking in the Sun's brilliant glare. As compensation, one of the fainter planets is also in unusually good view: Uranus lines up quite close to Jupiter, making it easy to locate, although you need binoculars to see it.
More stargazing information: http://stardate.org/nightsky
Radio Program Highlights
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January 3-9: The camel-leopard. A faint constellation wheels high across the north on winter evenings. Its name combines the camel and the leopard. Yet the constellation itself represents an entirely different creature.
January 10-16: Lunar loopiness. Big swirls decorate the surface of the Moon like ribbons of cream in a cup of hot coffee. And their origin is still a mystery. Join us for lunar swirls, plus the lunar twilight zone and much more.
January 17-23: Counting planets. A mission that's designed to hunt for Earth-like worlds is helping with the census of all planets beyond our own solar system. Join us for details, plus the changing tableau of the night sky.
January 24-30: Ice world. One of the most intriguing worlds in the solar system is Titan, the largest moon of Saturn. It's intriguing because it looks a lot like Earth, but with one big difference: it's hundreds of degrees colder. Join us for details.
January 31: Tick-tock. The Big Dipper wheels around the North Star like the hour-hand of a celestial clock, ticking off the hours of the night. Join us for the Big Dipper, plus many more wonders in the night sky.
January Program Schedule: http://stardate.org/radio/calendars
Find an Affiliate: http://stardate.org/radio/affiliates.php
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