The Planets:
Mercury:  Low in the southeast about an hour before the sun comes up, you will find Mercury, but only for the middle weeks of January.  It will reach its greatest height above the horizon on January 17.

Venus:  This planet, named after the ancient goddess of beauty, is absolutely brilliant this month.  Venus can be found in the constellation of Capricornus the Goat (which has a shape similar to a rowboat) in the southwestern part of the sky.  Look for the most brilliant object in that part of the sky right after sunset.  If you have some really good binoculars or a telescope, look for the planet Uranus within 1 visual degree of Venus on January 14.

Earth:  You may wonder why we include the Earth in this month's Skyline, since we can always see it from our vantage point.  This is a reminder that Earth reaches "perihelion", its closest point to the Sun, on January 4^th at noon, Central Standard Time.  Since Earth's orbit is not spherical, but rather an ellipse (stretched out circle), its distance from the Sun varies throughout the year by as much as 3 million miles. 

Mars: Look for Mars high above the southern horizon at sunset.  It still glows with a reddish hue, and resides in the constellation of Pisces the Fish.  On January 27, look for Mars within a few degrees of the First Quarter Moon.  Mars sets around 1 AM.

Jupiter:  Next to Venus, Jupiter is the brightest object in the sky (other than the moon).  After Venus sets, look for Jupiter rising in the eastern sky around 10:30 in early January, and even earlier as the month progresses.  Jupiter is residing in Leo the Lion.  Look for the backward question mark, or sickle shape of his head.  Follow the lines of his body eastward to the tail section, where you will find this largest planet in our solar system.  On January 12, look for a waning gibbous moon with a few degrees of Jupiter.

Saturn:  The ringed planet resides in Gemini the Twins, which is the constellation to the northeast of Orion the Hunter.  Look for the two bright stars that form the heads of the brothers, Castor and Pollux.  Saturn is located below the "knees" of the brothers.  If you have a telescope, take the opportunity to view this beautiful planet as it presents itself to us "tipped over" with a beautiful view of the rings and southern hemisphere.  We won't see the planet this way again until 2034!  By the time the sun sets, Saturn is in the eastern sky, but of course the best views are later in the evening as the planet rises to its highest point in the sky.

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!