January 2025

Hello and welcome to UT Skywatch!

We kick off the new year with our first meteor shower on the morning of the 3rd. The Quadrantids are actually a major meteor shower. Under best observing conditions you might see 100 or more per hour during the peak. It appears there are two sources for this shower. A recently discovered asteroid/defunct comet, 2003 EH1 and more recently Comet 69P/Machholz is also considered a contributor to this shower. If you don’t look, you surely will not see any meteors.

Venus is the brightest object in the west at sunset and is in conjunction with a waxing crescent moon on the 3rd.

Saturn in the WSW at sunset and setting at around 10 p.m. by mid-month and is joined by a waxing crescent moon on the 4th.

Jupiter is very bright and high in the East, impossible to miss, all month and is joined by a waxing gibbous moon on the 10th.

Mars is at opposition on the 16th and is opposite the earth from the sun making for a much nicer view since it is closer. Mars is joined by a full moon on the 13th.

The moon phases for this month are 1st quarter on the 6th, full on the 13th, last quarter on the 21st and new on the 29th.