This is the Saint Louis Science Center’s NIGHT SKY UPDATE for the week of Friday, January 21, 2022.

Information updated weekly or as needed.

Times given as local St. Louis time which is Central Standard Time (CST). For definitions of terminology used in the night sky update, click the highlighted text. If relying on times posted in Universal Time (UT), St. louis is -6 hours when CST.

Public Telescope Viewings

With the changing recommendations from the CDC regarding COVID-19, conversations regarding the return of star parties at the Saint Louis Science Center have begun. We are close to bringing back our public telescope viewings, but a few details still need to be worked out. We will post future updates as we learn more about when we can bring back telescope viewings.

Observing Highlight of the Week

The Moon, Venus and Mars are great early morning targets this week. On January 29, 2022, the Moon and Mars will exhibit an appulse and the Moon and Venus will exhibit similar phases. Sky image created using Stellarium. The Moon and Venus phases were simulated using NASA Solar System Simulator v4.0.

This week we will continue with the Moon as it wraps up its synodic cycle. On January 25, 2022, the Moon reaches last quarter phase and new moon occurs on January 31, 2022. At the start of the week, the Moon still rises in evening hours, but after the January 25, the Moon rises after midnight. For those that do not fancy observing before sunrise, your best chance to see the Moon will come after sunrise when the Moon will be easy to spot in mid to late a.m. hours.

As we mentioned a few weeks ago, the ideal time to spot the Moon in the daytime is when it is near its quarter phases. When near last quarter, you can easily spot the Moon after sunrise. On January 25, the Moon will be found due south as the sun rises.

The Moon will rise closer to sunrise each day and as such, it will swing by Mars and Venus at the end of the week. As the Moon appears to approach these planets, first the Moon will swing by the bright red supergiant star Antares on January 26 and 27. On January 29, 2022, the Moon will exhibit an appulse and conjunction with the planet Mars. The pair will be easy to spot in the southeast before sunrise.

If you have the means to safely observe planets in the day, the Moon and Venus will exhibit similar crescent phases on January 29. Both should be visible in binoculars but be very careful to not look at the Sun. Venus will appear 26° from the Sun and the Moon will be about 30° from the Sun. Daytime views of the planets can be rewarding but there is some danger if you are not careful. If you are inclined to attempt a daytime view of the Moon and Venus on January 29, I recommend doing so around 8:00 a.m. At this time the Sun is still low in the southeast making it easier to use a building to ensure the Sun is blocked from view. 

The Sun and Moon


The Moon as seen from the International Space Station, on July 31, 2011.
Credit: NASA

Sunrise is at 7:14 a.m. on Friday, January 21 and sunset is at 5:10 p.m. providing us with roughly 10 hours of daylight. Even after sunset, the light from the Sun will dimly illuminate our sky for roughly 1 hour and 30 minutes. This period is called twilight, which ends around 6:43 p.m. this week. For those with a sundial, local noon occurs around 12:12 a.m. this week.

DaySunriseSunset
2022-01-217:14 a.m.5:10 p.m.
2022-01-227:14 a.m.5:11 p.m.
2022-01-237:13 a.m.5:12 p.m.
2022-01-24 7:12 a.m.5:14 p.m.
2022-01-25 7:12 a.m.5:15 p.m.
2022-01-26 7:11 a.m.5:16 p.m.
2022-01-27 7:10 a.m.5:17 p.m.
2022-01-28 7:10 a.m.5:18 p.m.
2022-01-29 7:09 a.m.5:19 p.m.

Moon 

Moonrise for Friday, January 21 occurs at 8:58 p.m. and moonset will occur at 10:05 a.m. on the following day. On Friday, January 21 the Moon will exhibit a waning gibbous phase with 87% of the lunar disk illuminated. Last quarter moon occurs on January 25, 2022, at 7:41 a.m.

International Space Station (ISS) Observing

Credit: NASA

Visible passes of ISS from St. Louis for the week of January 21 occur during evening hours. The best pass this week occurs on January 23. Use the table below for information about this and other visible passes this week.

Catch ISS from St. Louis starting Friday, January 21

DateStartsMax. altitudeEnds
TimeAlt.Az.TimeAlt.Az.TimeAlt.Az.
22 Jan-1.1 19:03:2610NW 19:04:3812NNW 19:04:3812NNW
23 Jan-1.3 18:14:2910NW 18:16:2615NNW 18:18:2310NNE

Magnitude (Mag): The Measure of brightness for a celestial object.  The lower the value is, the brighter the object will be.

Altitude (Alt):  The angle of a celestial object measured upwards from the observer’s horizon.

Azimuth (Az):  The direction of a celestial object, measured clockwise from an observer’s location with north being 0°, east being 90°, south being 180° and west being 270°.

For information about ISS flyovers and other visible satellites, visit www.heavens-above.com

Detailed information regarding all unmanned exploration of our universe, missions past, present, and planned, can be found at Jet Propulsion Laboratories:

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/

The Visible Planets

Looking southwest, at 5:45 p.m. January 22, 2022. Credit: Stellarium, EG 

Looking southeast, at 6:20 am, January 23, 2022. Credit: Stellarium, EG 

This week, four naked eye planets are visible. Jupiter and Saturn are visible in the southwest after sunset although Saturn will soon be lost to the Sun’s glare. Venus and Mars are both seen in the southeast before sunrise.

Venus

Venus has started a morning apparition and as such will be seen in the southeast before sunrise. This morning apparition lasts until the third week of October 2022 . Venus reaches superior conjunction on October 22, 2022. Look for this bright planet around 6:15 a.m. low in the southeast.

Mars

A new apparition for Mars has begun. Mars rises at 5:08 a.m. Start looking for Mars around 6:00 a.m. as it clears trees and buildings. Mars will continue to climb out of the Sun’s glare as it heads towards opposition later this year on December 7, 2022.

Jupiter

Look for Jupiter in the southwest as it starts to darken outside. Jupiter sets at 7:45 p.m. and will set about 20 minutes earlier each week. Jupiter reaches superior conjunction on March 5, 2022.

Saturn

Saturn is becoming increasingly difficult to find. There is still a small window in which you might find the ringed planet before it sets at 6:08. At 0.7 magnitude, Saturn will be difficult to pull out of the twilight glare. To find Saturn you will need a clear southwest view and you may need binoculars to see it. Start looking about 15 to 20 minutes after sunset and you may still spot Saturn about 5° above the horizon. Make absolute sure the Sun has set. Saturn reaches superior conjunction on February 4, 2022. Saturn’s current apparition is ending. By the end of February 2022, Saturn will join Mars in the morning sky before sunrise.

James S. McDonnell Planetarium

Night Sky Update: January 21 – January 29, 2022