#StandWithUkraine

Search

Discover the night sky

In January

... What's in the sky | at a glance
In January we have Dogs, Cats, we look at our closest neigbours and learn how to enjoy "Gastronomy". This time of the year, looking north we are gazing towards the edge of the galaxy. Janus was the Roman deity that gave the name to January.

Headlines

What's in the sky

The Milky Way - always there

The Milky Way is always in the sky. By definition, it is the sum of 150 billion stars, so bright that from Earth we can see them as a continuous band of light. Some of these stars we can resolve (stargazer’s slang for distinguish) with our eye, some other with binoculars and telescopes. 

If you need directions in New Zealand at night, just follow the Milky Way. It will lead you to the Southern Cross, which is in the Milky Way. A few more steps and you will know precisely where the south is.

How to find South
Constellations, Asterisms and the seasonal sky
In January, we look towards the edge of the Milky Way, marked by the constellations of Orion and Taurus. To the right of Orion is Canis Major, the great dog. The galaxy then flows through the False Cross, Diamond Cross, and Southern Cross as the Carina-Crux region gets higher on the south celestial circle. In the photo below, the bright blue star to the left is Sirius, the brightest star in the sky, followed by a bright Canopus, the second brightest star in the sky, and lower right is Eta Carinae. Image taken with a Canon Ra, 16 sec at f 2.0, ISO 4,000 and a Sigma Art 24mm lens. The photo is straight out of the camera – unprocessed. Location – Star Safari Observatory, 41 lat S, NZ.
Photo of the Milky Way as seen from Star Safari observatory in Wairarapa, near Martinborough

Circumpolar Stars - look to the south

Stars of the circumpolar region never set never rise, they move around in a circle in 23 hours and 56 minutes. 

They too, just like the Milky Way are always visible (except during daytime).

Because of that, they are at different heights in the sky at different times of the night or of the year if you look at them just after sunset. 

The Milky Way intersects the circumpolar region in the Carina-Crux region.  Asterisms in the circumpolar region of the Milky Way are The Fish in the Frying Pan, The Diamond Cross, the False Cross. 

The bright stars Canopus and Achernar are also circumpolar stars as seen from New Zealand and so are the Magellanic Clouds, our pet galaxies. 

Read More about the circumpolar region
In the circumpolar region, the Large Magellanic Cloud is in an excellent position to observe; you can see the famous Tarantula Nebula. The Southern Cross slowly climbs into view, and you can see the fantastic asterism of the Fish in the Frying Pan – photo below. Image taken with a Canon Ra, 15 sec at f 2.0, ISO 4,000 and a Sigma Art 24mm lens. The photo is straight out of the camera – unprocessed—location – Star Safari Observatory, 41 lat S, NZ.

Planets

Not all planets are visible at one given time, some are in the morning sky, some are in the evening sky and some are hiding behind the Sun.

Planet Jupiter is visible to the left of the image as a bright object.

The Inner Planets

When they are visible, you will ONLY see Mercury and Venus just after sunset or just before sunrise as they are close to the Sun.

The Outer Planets

It is possible for the outer planets: Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune to be seen at any time of the night, depending where they are on their orbit.

You will need binoculars and telescopes to see Uranus and Neptune. They are very dim, so no one figured out they were planets until 13 March 1781 (Uranus) and 23 September 1846 (Neptune).

In January 2024, Saturn is a golden star-like object near the western horizon, setting soon after sunset. Jupiter is in the northwest and is visible most of the evening into the night. In the photo to the left, Jupiter is the bright object to the left of the image.

Other interesting astronomical events this month

January 2024 had a few conjunctions between the Moon and the planets. Mercury was furthest from the Sun on January the 13th and visible in the morning. The Bootides meteor shower was on January 20th at 5 AM. Comae Berenicid is also a meteor shower on the 22nd of January.

If you are hunting for meteor showers, check them out here: List of Meteor Showers. Meteor showers in the Southern Hemisphere occur really low near the horizon. They are hard to see and by no means comparable with the Perseids (the most famous of all). We will just have to get used to the idea that in the Southern Hemisphere, as much as we have other spectacular things in the sky, we just don’t “do” meteor showers.

Plan your stargazing

The sky is genuinely dark when the Sun is 12 degrees below the horizon. This is what is called night. 12 degrees below the horizon is 48 minutes after sunset.

For astrophotography, you wish to have a sky as dark as possible. 

Twilight is the period between sunset and night. During that time, we indirectly see scattered light from the Sun after it sets.

For a successful stargazing night, you must know your sunset and sunrise times and the phase of the Moon.

Learn more about twilight here

The Moon

Remember to always check out the phase of Moon when you plan your stargazing.

The Moon is the enemy of the Milky Way, and faint objects observing. It casts so much light that dim, deep sky objects wash out in the Moonlight. The Moon is like a giant reflector, reflecting light from the Sun. And yet, according to NASA, the Moon has a very low albedo: 0.07. Albedo is the amount of light reflected by an object compared to the light it receives. So the Moon only reflects 0.07% of the light it receives from the Sun, yet it is so bright!

The Moon is full on Friday, 26 January 2024 at 06:53 NZDT and New Moon was on January 12.

Moon Facts 101

There is a rabbit on the Moon!

Yes, there is. You can see it clearly from the Southern Hemisphere, where the rabbit lives.

The Sun

Happy Perihelion! This summer we hope you’ll get some sleep since the Sun is only missing from the sky for a few hours during the night. In 2024, we will have plenty of auroras.

Book a Sunset Starrytelling
Stargaze with us in Wairarapa, 10 minutes from Martinborough
In January, the Sun is at its closest distance to Earth. This is called perihelion because Earth’s orbit around the Sun is an elliptical path. Perihelion was on 3 January 2024 1:38 p.m. and we were 147,100,632 km from the Sun. Not only that we are closest to the Sun this time of the year, but from the Southern Hemisphere, Earth’s axis leans towards the Sun, hence is summertime. The Sun rises early in January. To catch the sunrise on the 1st of January, you’d have to wake up around ten to six AM (more or less a few minutes every year), but by the end of the month, you can sleep almost half an hour more as the Sun rises around six twenty AM on the 31st of January. It sets very late, around 9 PM at the beginning of the month and about twenty minutes earlier at the end of it.

Apps we use for stargazing

SkySafari 7 Pro
Stargazing
@space_samuel

A Review of SkySafari 7 Pro

The app we use to navigate around the night sky is SkySafari 7 Pro. Developed by Simulation Curriculum Corp, this app is a great way to learn about stars, planets and deep sky objects.

Read More »

Is Stargazing a hobby? Use your knowledge and contribute to science! Will show you how.

There is no better way to learn about the night sky than by observing it yourself. We found the perfect citizen science programme where you can learn about the night sky and use that knowledge to help protect the Earth. It is called Globe at Night. It involves learning where to find a particular constellation in the sky and then count the number of stars in it.  

We are part of Globe at Night an international network of citizen scientists.

Join a Globe at Night survey as a citizen scientist

Globe at night

Featuring this month

Orion

The measurements taken for the Globe at Night must be done on a moonless night. This is why Globe at Night recommends they are done around the New Moon. 

This month’s campaign dates are: 

January 02-11, 2024
This is a photo of the constellation Orion and two bright stars, Sirius in Canis Major and Procyon in Canis Minor
Orion constellation is to the left and Sirius and Procyon are each side of the Milky Way

Globe at Night is a citizen science programme where people measure the darkness of the night sky. 

A study conducted by researchers from the GFZ German Research Center for Geosciences, the Ruhr-Universität Bochum and the US National Science Foundation’s NOIRLab, dubbed the “Globe at Night” Citizen Science Project, included 50,000 naked eye night sky observations made by volunteers between 2011 and 2022.

It revealed that satellite measurements misreported the amount of existing light pollution: (1) by missing the horizontal light  – such as light from advertising or billboards. (2) because current satellites measuring it are less sensitive to blue light.

Just like the 50,000 citizen scientists participating in the study, you can help for the 2024 round. This is also a great opportunity to know your night sky. 

At Star Safari, we encourage all our visitors to become a citizen scientist and help Globe at Night figure out how much energy we, humans, waste, illuminating the skies at night. Nestled within the world’s 21st Dark Sky Reserve in Wairarapa, Star Safari isn’t just a destination—it’s a movement. 

Through Spaceward Bound New Zealand, we provide educational programmes for schools that explain the effects of light pollution to students and teachers. We also include Globe at Night. 

Also check the Wairarapa Dark Sky Reserve. 🌟🌌🔭

All you need to do is count the number of stars you see in the constellation featured by Globe at Night. You can do this on your street (or any place you like really). Then open their webpage (click button below), look at their maps and estimate how the sky looks like to you. All data is reported anonymously. 

Report here

Below are a couple of articles you can read about Globe at night

Globe At Night citizen science program reveals rapid increase in light pollution around world (Radio NZ)

Light pollution is erasing stars from the night sky at breakneck pace. It’s only going to get worse. (Space.com)

Historical and Cultural perspectives of the night sky
April
@milkywaykiwi

Open Sesame April

Just like “Open sesame”, “Open April” is a pleonasm but we might have forgotten it is because the word April was invented long ago and far, far away, all the way to the other side of the world in Ancient Rome.

Read More »
The Night Sky
@milkywaykiwi

January, a name with a story

Where did January get its name? The first month of the Gregorian calendar, ushers in the new year with a blend of anticipation and nostalgia. But have you ever wondered why it’s called January and what significance this month holds in various cultures around the world? Let’s journey through time and across continents to explore the origins of “January” and discover other names and customs associated with this pivotal time of year.

Read More »
Load More

In conclusion, despite having very short nights, the night sky in January is excellent, full of marvellous sights. Enjoy the warmth of the summer and some fantastic constellations, deep-sky objects, and planets for stargazing.

Binocular objects

Do you have a pair of binoculars? Great job! They are the best way to start browsing the night sky, and they will help you familiarise yourself with what you will be looking at in a telescope later on. Orion’s Sword is the best place to start! In January’s night sky, the Pleiades and the Beehive Cluster in Cancer are significant binocular objects.  Jupiter and Saturn are exciting sights, and of course, the Moon, when it is up, is a great place to see. Sometimes binoculars are tiring to hold up, so a great idea is to get a tripod for them and a chair for you. This is the easiest way to start a stargazing journey as an armchair astronomer (we recommend Moonchairs). Anything on the Milky Way will be significant to look at, and as you browse along to the south, you will see some spectacular sights near the False Cross, Diamond Cross and Southern Cross.

Deep sky objects in the night sky in January

The night sky in January is rich in galaxies and planetary nebulae. Sombrero Galaxy is back in action, though you must stay up after midnight to see it. Eskimo Nebula, Crab Nebula, M68, Ghost of Jupiter Nebula, M67, the Beehive Cluster, M48, NGC4103, M42 and M41 are a few of the objects we see at night this time of the year. Sculptor Galaxy is still there, and the Fornax Cluster, too. On the circumpolar region, all objects in the False Cross, the Diamond Cross and the Southern Cross are visible, and Omega Centauri is coming into view. In addition, 47 Tucanae and Tarantula Nebula are great to look at. NGC1617 is another excellent find.

Clear skies,

Hari and Sam

Check out our latest podcast - supported by Arrow FM Wairarapa.

Stargaze with us from Wairarapa

What's on at Star Safari in Wairarapa, NZ
Star Safari - book here

If you are in Wairarapa, come stargazing with us.

Wairarapa is now an official Dark Sky Reserve – find out more here.

We have the best telescope equipment for public viewing on the North Island, with the most extensive range of powerful telescopes for stargazing. And, of course, we have hot chocolate.

 

Experience astronomy and space in virtual reality VR when the sky is cloudy.

When we are not doing stargazing with the public or with our own telescopes, we turn to SLOOH to explore the Universe. If you are really passionate about astronomy, want to learn more or just expand your knowledge, SLOOH is the next level. See you there, make sure you join the Star Safari club and say hi. 

Learn astronomy online

What is SLOOH?

Patented technology to explore space.  Robotic, mountaintop, online telescopes, live 18+ hours per day.

Curated journey of discovery. Space is a vast wilderness and Slooh is like a national park, with trails and guides. 

Communal exploration of the Universe. Learn from fellow members using the telescopes. 

Give yourself
some space

Fancy being an armchair astronomer? Join Slooh
Search
search our site

Milky-Way.Kiwi is a social enterprise for quality and affordable access to the night sky run by professional space science communicators. We provide educational services for teachers and schools – Spaceward Bound NZ, stargazing and astronomy and space courses and programmes for the public – Star Safari and we write about space and astronomy with a New Zealand perspective. 

At Star Safari, everyone 15 and younger is FREE because we believe that young people should not pay for inspiration.

Follow us on social media

Medium Rss Instagram Twitter Facebook-f