7 Distinctive Astronomical Events During January 2025

Arab Weather - With the beginning of the new year, we look forward to improving our conditions and achieving our dreams. As for the night sky, it promises us magical astronomical scenes that make us wait impatiently for the year 2025.

Quadrantid meteor shower

Meteor showers are a unique astronomical phenomenon, in which meteors fall at higher than usual rates as a result of the Earth passing through the rocky remains of a comet or asteroid as it orbits the Sun.

When: It runs from December 23 to January 12, peaking on the night of January 3-4.

Observation: More than 120 meteors per hour can be seen from a remote area away from light pollution, especially between 2 a.m. and sunrise.

Although it will be late to appear in the Arab world, it will be enjoyable for astronomy enthusiasts to watch.

January conjunctions

• January 3: The crescent moon stands next to Venus, the brightest object in the sky, with a distinct white color after sunset.
• January 4: The crescent moon appears next to Saturn, which appears as a yellowish-white star but is less bright.
• January 10: The Moon is next to Jupiter, shining like a lantern in the night sky.
• January 13: Conjunction with Mars, which appears as a distinct red star.

How does the moon move?

The Moon appears to move across the sky every day, moving between the planets and stars. This apparent change reflects the Moon's orbit around the Earth.

Moon and Stars: Featured Scenes

• January 21: The Moon appears very close to Arcturus, a bright star in the constellation Boötes.
• January 25: Just before sunrise, the crescent moon meets the bright red star Antares.

Interesting information about stars

1. Arcturus: One of the 20 brightest visible stars, it is a spectroscopic binary system whose second star cannot be seen even with large telescopes.
2. Antares: A giant star at the end of its life, shining as brightly as 10,000 suns, and expected to explode in the future, forming a neutron star or a black hole.

The year 2025 holds many amazing astronomical phenomena, which makes us look forward to the night sky with great passion. How wonderful it is to spend our nights with these scenes that remind us of the greatness and vastness of the universe!

See also:

Earth reaches perihelion at closest distance from the sun next Saturday

The "faint" Quadrantid meteor shower peaks next Friday

Sources:

The Island