Skywatching Tips By NASA In January 2023: Mars, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn and a comet

Moon with Mars, and later with Jupiter, and a close conjunction of Venus and Saturn and a comet coming close to Earth will grace pre-dawn skies.  (NASA)

Throughout the month you can see four planets without the aid of binoculars or a telescope. (NASA)

The four planets which you can see in the sky in January are Mars in the east, Jupiter high overhead, and Saturn in the southwest with Venus. (NASA)

On January 2, you can find the Moon and Mars high in the southeast after sunset, in a lovely grouping with the Pleiades and Aldebaran. (NASA)

Then from about January 18th to the 24th, you can get to watch Venus cross paths with Saturn as the glow of sunset fades. (NASA)

 The two planets appear at their closest on January 22, when they will be only a third of a degree apart in the sky. (NASA)

On the 23 of January 2023, the two planets are still only a degree apart, and will be joined by a slim crescent moon. (NASA)

 On January 25th, looking to the southwest 30-45 minutes after sunset, look high above Venus and Saturn to find the Moon only a degree apart from Jupiter, about halfway up the sky. (NASA)

A recently discovered comet is now passing through the inner solar system and should be visible with a telescope and likely with binoculars. (NASA)

 NASA reavealed that the comet, named C/2022 E3 (ZTF), was first sighted in March last year, when it was already inside the orbit of Jupiter. (NASA)