Scanning this patch of sky with binoculars or a small telescope will also reveal the Triangulum Galaxy bottom left , and sitting within our own Milky Way galaxy and much closer to home at 1, light years away, the star cluster NGC top left. Use bright star Mirach centre , which is times larger and nearly 2, times brighter than our Sun, as a guide to finding these deep sky objects. This patch of sky is home to a remarkable solar system that lies around 44 light years away from us.
The star Titawin top - labelled is part of a system that has three other stars around it, but also hosts four large planets, most likely gas giants like Jupiter.
The constellation of Andromeda can be seen rising in the east soon after dark. One of the fascinating things about stargazing is being able to observe the passing of the seasons each year, with the familiar patterns of the stars and constellations rising and setting. The distinctive winter constellations of Taurus and Orion can once again be seen in the early hours, following Andromeda across the night sky.
Jupiter and Saturn again feature prominently. Draw a line on each of the images above using bright stars Vega and Altair as a guide, and you can see that Jupiter, being the closer of the two to the Sun and therefore orbiting more quickly, has moved furthest on its year orbit of the Sun, while Saturn has only moved a fraction of its year journey around the Sun.
The position of the two planets in the coming weeks means that the hot, ionised gases expelled from the Sun will start to cause interference with the signals travelling to and from our spacecraft on and around Mars. Towards the end of the month, the scientists overseeing these spacecraft will cease communications with them for more than a week, to prevent the spacecraft from receiving, and potentially acting upon commands that could have been corrupted by this interference.
Did you know: Due to the positions, distances and speeds of the planets, Mercury spends more time as the closest planet to Earth than the other planets! By the end of September, the Andromeda Galaxy will be more than 3,,,km nearly 2,,, miles closer to our own Milky Way Galaxy than it was a year ago. With the spring constellations dipping low in the north west after sunset, see if you can spot the constellation of Ursa Major the Great Bear , which appears to be stood on the horizon as darkness falls.
Finally, the first full moon of appears on 28 January, while those looking for the darkest skies can use the moonless nights around 13 January to see more stars and fainter night sky objects. The last week of January provides an excellent opportunity to see the ISS as it orbits our planet at around 27,km 17,m per hour.
Comment by Simon Q posted on on 15 January Loving these updates Derek - such a good thing to have available to learn more about what we can see in the night sky. Comment by Gracie posted on on 18 January Brilliant blog Derek, please keep them coming! So inspiring as a reminder to keep looking up at our precious night sky.
By submitting a comment you understand it may be published on this public website. Please read our privacy notice to see how the GOV. UK blogging platform handles your information. We inspire and lead the UK in space, to benefit our planet and its people. Find out more. Happy New Year! Sirius bottom left , Procyon top left and the constellation of Orion right can be seen high in the south from around 10pm through January.
An image of the Orion Nebula, or Messier 42, taken through a small telescope. Credit: Bray Falls Instagram: Astrofalls. The effect will just about be visible from the UK if skies are clear, as it occurs a little before moonset, around am times may differ depending on your location. The Moon will be sitting very low, just above the north-western horizon. On clear nights, have a go at spotting the International Space Station! You can find out when your best chance of spotting the ISS from your location by checking out this page.
Whether you are watching the skies from your back garden or discovering your nearest dark sky site, remember to stay safe and warm and to give your eyes plenty of time to adjust to the darkness to see the faintest objects!
Happy Stargazing! You must be logged in to post a comment. Spacecraft On clear nights, have a go at spotting the International Space Station! More you might be interested in Science Learning At Home. The Jodrell Bank Gift Shop. Loading Comments
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