StarryTrails.com

Happy New Year!!
Early winter sunsets give us plenty of time to enjoy the fabulous planet show after the sun goes down. Dazzling Venus has returned to the evening sky and can be found low in the west-southwest one hour after sunset on January 1 and two hours after sunset on January 31. Dim Saturn is up just to the left of Venus, brilliant Jupiter is high in the south and bright red, orange Mars is high in the southeast.

      Grab your binoculars and focus on Jupiter. It helps to rest your arms on a table or steady surface. You will see four pinpoints of light. These are the largest Galilean Moons of Jupiter. Throughout the month, Venus slides along the ecliptic and meets up with Saturn on January 22 for a very close encounter. The pair will be less than one degree apart and will be in the same field of view through a telescope.

     For our hike, we will head out one hour after sunset. This will be at 6:00 pm at the beginning of January and 6:30 pm by months end. Grab your winter coat, hat, gloves, warm socks, and boots. Do you have your Starry Trail map and binoculars? Let’s enjoy! Follow us on Facebook & get weekly updates of the night sky also any special events! Plus, there are printable kids’ activity sheets & more!

Here’s what you’ll need to start exploring tonight’s sky:

Plus, Hoover-Price Planetarium, Canton OH – Videos
Host Suzie Dills provides a look at the celestial highlights in the night sky!

 Make sure you check the sky chart in your area to make sure there are clear skies!
Clear Sky Cleveland Chart –

I’m VERY excited to share my children’s books with everyone!

Stella’s Starry Adventures!
Join Stella, as she takes you on an adventure through the night sky!
Kids will love learning about the constellations and more with Stella as their guide!

Stellas’ books are available on Amazon – In Print and Kindle versions.