The Planets:
Mercury:  Fast-moving Mercury is best seen during the first week of the month in the western sky.  This little planet sets within an hour after sunset.  The planet re-emerges in the eastern dawn sky during the last week of the month, below and left of bright Venus.

Mars:  Look eastward in the predawn hours to find Mars rising in the constellation Libra.  Mars is not very bright, and could be difficult to find where not for its proximity to bright Venus.

Venus:  Beautiful Venus rises in the predawn hours in the eastern sky, also in the constellation Libra.  Venus is shining at almost -5 apparent magnitude.  If you look slightly to the right and up from Venus, you will find duller Mars.

Jupiter:  At the beginning of the month, Jupiter rises about 8:30 PM in the eastern sky at the edge of the constellation, Cancer the Crab.  By the end of January, it is rising about 6:30 PM.  You can follow the planet all night as it makes it way westward to set at sunrise.  The largest planet in our solar system is shining at a bright -2.3 apparent magnitude.  It is the second brightest object in our night sky after the moon.  Because Jupiter makes one full rotation in less than ten hours, you can watch the prominent features change position, as well as Jupiter's four largest moons.

Saturn:  The jewel of the sky rises in the east at sunset and sets in the west slightly before sunrise.  It is located on the edge of the constellation of Taurus the Bull, near the tip of Orion's club.  If you recently acquired a new telescope, you don't want to miss Saturn.  The view couldn't be any better.  Saturn reached opposition on December 17 (Earth is between it and the Sun), placing Saturn in our sky for all night viewing.  Saturn is closer to us than it has been for the last 30 years.   The rings of Saturn are tipped toward Earth. What a great opportunity for viewing!

Meteor Showers:
Comets passing through our solar system lose part of their tails when melted by the sun's heat, leaving dusty debris behind.  As earth revolves around the sun, earth spins through these pockets of space clutter.  This frictional encounter with earth's atmosphere disintegrates these particles producing "shooting stars".  This month, watch for the Quadrantid meteor shower in the predawn hours on January 4, with the radiant slightly below the handle of the Big Dipper.  Viewers in North America can expect about 30 meteors per hour on an almost moonless night.

Constellations:  Caelum, Dorado, Mensa, Orion, Reticulum, Taurus

Looking for a Little More?  If this Skyline whets your appetite, try this website:  skymaps.com/downloads.html.  It offers a two page pdf brochure that you can print out for free.  It has a basic skymap and short lists of visual, binocular, and small telescope objects.  It is really good--check it out!