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Read news from the world of astronomy for the week of January 6, 2023.
Latest News
A tour of Jupiter’s moons and a mission to a “metal asteroid” are among the spacecraft to be launched in 2023.
Astronomical observatories enjoy some of the world’s darkest night skies. But even there light pollution is spreading, a new study suggests.
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Observing Highlights
The full Moon rises in the east-northeast just before sunset. After nightfall you can see that it shines between the hearts of the Gemini stick figures, if you use binoculars to help piece out the constellation through the moonlight.
The Winter Hexagon is not only key to finding six of the season’s most prominent constellations but also a gateway to a more than a half-dozen delightful double stars.
Why do we look up? Because we are a way for the universe to know itself; and perhaps because the universe is a way for us to know ourselves.
For those well north of the equator, January’s long nights provide lots of time to enjoy the starry sky — and the stars of winter are spectacular!

Community
World-renowned Canadian amateur astronomer Jack Newton has found it fascinating to witness and record fluctuations in the solar cycle. He has recorded the Sun while its stormy behavior builds to a maximum, and its magnetic field reverses. On January 20th, sit back and enjoy capturing the phenomenon along with him.
Acclaimed astrophotographer Akira Fujii’s wide-field views of the constellations have been a hallmark of S&T for nearly four decades.