Happy New Years and welcome to 2022! Days are beginning to get longer, and Moon’s cycle restarts almost in line with the new year. The Earth will be at its closest point to the Sun, despite how cold winter weather usually is. The Quandrantid Meteor Shower will give a spectacular show with over 120 meteors per hour.
The upcoming cold nights makes January one of the best months for viewing constellations, especially the Winter Triangle Asterism. An asterism is a recognizable pattern of stars which is not a constellation. The Winter Triangle is an asterism viewable during the winter months that creates a triangle between the following stars:
Siruis, of Canis Major, the brightest star in the night sky
Betelgeuse, of Orion, the Hunter
Procyon, of Canis Minor, the Little Dog
In the middle of the Winter Triangle is the constellation Monoceros, the Unicorn.
The Winter Triangle, image made using Stellarium, a free open-source planetarium.
Happy New Years from Wild Hemlock!
Table of Contents
Check out the Glossary of Astronomical Events if you need any explanations!
Moon Phases
 | New Moon January 2nd |
 | First Quarter Moon January 9th |
 | Full Moon December 18th |
 | Third Quarter Moon December 26th |
All times are in Eastern Standard Time (EST) or Eastern Daylight Savings Time (EDT).
Moon Facts
| Perigee: | 1st, 30th |
| Ascending Node: | 12th |
| Apogee: | 14th |
| Descending Node: | 27th |
| Moon Name: | Wolf Moon |
Meteor Showers
Quandrantid Meteor Shower
| Radiant Point Constellation: | Bootes |
| Peak Date: | January 3rd |
| Best Time, EST: | After 9 PM or Before Dawn |
| Direction to Look: | North Northeast, near horizon |
| Learn More: | In-The-Sky.Org |
γ-Ursae Minorid Meteor Shower
| Radiant Point Constellation: | Ursa Minor, or the Little Dipper |
| Peak Date: | January 19th |
| Best Time, EST: | Anytime After Dark |
| Direction to Look: | Zenith |
| Learn More: | In-The-Sky.Org |
Planetary Alignments
 | Earth at Perihelion January 4th The Earth is at its closest point to the Sun. |
 | Venus Inferior Solar Conjunction Dec 13th In line between the Earth and the Sun |
  | Mercury and Saturn Geocentric Conjunction January 12th Astrophotography opportunity |
| Pluto in Solar Conjunction January 16th On opposite side of Sun from the Earth |
| Uranus exits Retrograde January 18th Planet reverses apparent orbital direction |
Lunar Conjunctions
 | Mercury Lunar Conjunction Jan 3rd |
 | Saturn Lunar Conjunction Jan 4th |
 | Jupiter Lunar Conjunction Jan 5th |
 | Mars Lunar Conjunction Jan 29th |
| Mercury Lunar Conjunction Jan 30th |
January 2022
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