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This is the Griffith Observatory Sky Report for the period between January 1 and January 31, 2022. Here are the events happening in the sky of southern California.

Mercury starts January in the evening sky. Look for the planet low in the western sky just after sunset. On the 1^st, the sun sets at 4:55 p.m., PST, and Mercury sets at 6:14 p.m., PST. On the 7^th, Mercury reaches greatest eastern elongation. On the 20^th, the sun sets at 5:12 p.m., PST, and Mercury sets at 5:40 p.m., PST. For the rest of the month Mercury is close to the sun and cannot be observed. Do not observe any planet when it comes close to the sun, for the danger to the eyes is great.

Venus is in the evening sky, low in the southwest. On the 1^st, Venus sets at 5:52 p.m., PST. Within a few days, Venus will be close to the sun and cannot be observed. On the 15^th, Venus rises in the morning sky at 5:57 a.m., PST, and the sun rises at 6:59 a.m., PST. On the 31^st, Venus rises at 4:38 a.m., PST, and the sun rises at 6:51 a.m., PST. On that date Venus is a thin crescent with a width of 50 arcseconds and 15 percent of the disk illuminated.

Mars rises at 4:58 a.m., PST, on January 1 and at 4:38 a.m., PST, on the 31^st. Mars is a disk only four arcseconds wide and will not show any surface features through a telescope.

Jupiter is in the southwest as evening starts. On the 1^st, the sun sets at 4:55 p.m., PST, and Jupiter sets at 8:47 p.m., PST. On the 31^st, the sun sets at 5:23 p.m., PST, and Jupiter sets at 7:20 p.m., PST. For all of January, Jupiter is observable for only a short time. A telescope capable of magnification 50x will show the Red Spot, and the four bright Galilean moons may be seen moving back and forth, roughly in a line centered on Jupiter.

Saturn is ending its appearance in the evening sky. On the 1^st, Saturn sets at 7:16 p.m., PST. By the 20^th, the sun sets at 5:12 p.m., PST, and Saturn sets at 6:12 p.m., PST. For the rest of the month, Saturn will be too close to the sun to be observed.  Saturn is low in the southwest. The rings and Saturn’s largest moon Titan may be seen with a telescope capable of magnification 50x.

Uranus is in the constellation of Aries the Ram and is observable most of the night. On the 1^st, Uranus sets at 2:26 a.m., PST. On the 31^st, the planet sets at 12:28 a.m., PST. On the 15^th, Uranus is at Right Ascension 2^h 32^m 55^s with a declination of +14° 35ʹ 48ʺ. Uranus is only 3.6 arcseconds wide, and so a telescope with a magnification of 150x is needed to show its diminutive disk.

Neptune is in the constellation Aquarius the Water Bearer. On the 1^st, Neptune sets at 10:22 p.m., PST. On the 31^st, the planet sets at 8:27 p.m., PST. On the 15^th, Neptune is at Right Ascension 23^h 27^m 34^s with a declination of -4° 43ʹ 38ʺ. Neptune is only 2.2 arcseconds wide, and so a telescope with a magnification of 150x is needed to show the disk.

New moon occurs on the 2^nd, first quarter on the 9^th, full moon on the 17^th, last quarter on the 25^th, and new moon again on the 31^st.

SPECIAL EVENTS

The Quadrantid meteor shower will peak on the night of the 3^rd and through the morning of the 4^th. The moon will be a day past new moon and will not interfere with observations. The peak usually only lasts six hours and may produce 25 meteors per hour.

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