January at a glance

January’s night sky is resplendent with bright stars, vibrant constellations and numerous interesting deep sky objects. Centre-stage is Orion, the Hunter, its seven bright stars forming an easily recognisable pattern. Three stars of similar brightness at Orion’s centre form Orion’s Belt – a navigational hub for the winter sky. Follow Orion’s Belt northwest to the orange giant Aldebaran (Alpha (a) Tauri), the red eye of Taurus, the Bull. Extend the belt line beyond Aldebaran to arrive at the Pleiades, aka the Seven Sisters. Compare and contrast the Pleiades with the V-shaped Hyades next to Aldebaran. The Hyades is our closest open cluster and ancient – around 625 million years old. To us it looks sparse and composed of cool, dim reddish stars. In contrast, the Pleiades were formed just 100…

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The Astronomer's Yearbook (Digital) - 1 Issue, Astronomer's Yearbook 2022

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