January 2024 - On & Off Earth
Kicking off 2024, there are a few knowns; an extra day will be added to February to keep our calendars accurate and another Great American Eclipse will have millions on the move to see the moon block the midday sun on April 8th. The election in November will demand and command much attention in the second half of the year. The late 2023 release of a new Rolling Stones album AND a new Beatles song lead me to believe most anything is possible in the new year.
Three big rain events in December did blunt the statewide drought that extending back to late summer and helped recharge groundwater reserves. Less than an inch of snow for the entire year is a troubling trend, especially as a skier… and retired teacher. I don’t need the snow days but students and teachers sure enjoy a day off in mid-winter. Just be careful what you wish for!
If we remember back two years ago, our little swath of central Virginia was in a complete state of devastation from the snowpocalypse of January 3rd, 2022. Most of us were without power, trapped under a heavy blanket of deep snow and ice, our driveways and roads blocked with bent, broken and mangled trees. The snow is long gone but I still see traces of the storms’s destruction walking in my woods.
To get out for a walk this month requires a little planning and timing; January is not generous with sunlight. In a tilted, orbital glitch, the first eleven day are the latest sunrises of the year, all showing the sun up at 7:25am Richmond time; the 5th the actual latest. We only gain 10 minutes of morning light over the entire month. Evening walks get an extra thirty minutes of light by month’s end. I like to extend my evening walks even further with the extra light from the waxing moon, this month is best from MLK day(15th) until the Full Wolf Moon on the 25th.
During the long hours of darkness, January offers plenty of brilliant sky treats. Bright Jupiter continues to dominate the early evening sky, soon trailed by the sparkling winter constellations. The waxing moon will do the monthly fly-by of Jupiter on the 18th. The moon will slide by much dimmer Saturn on the nights of the 13th and 14th. The sun has Sagittarius as a backdrop as the new year begins, appearing to move into Capricorn on the 20th.
Anyone up in the extended morning darkness will find Venus an easy spot in the east as the Morning Star. On the morning of the 8th, a thin waning crescent moon will be very near Antares, the heart of Scorpio, with Venus slightly above them. The moon will actually occult (cover) Antares for skywatchers on the west coast. We’ll just see the moon and reddish star very close before the sun washes out the view. Mercury, making a brief new year appearance is the ‘star’ near the moon the next morning.
A New Year always presents itself as a fine moment to assess just where we are in time. We have a chance to start anew; goals, resolutions and habits all ready to be tweaked, perhaps improved and upgraded, as we all set off on a new ride around the sun. My continuing goal for this column is to get you out for a daily wander on your planet. January may require you to bundle up to handle the chill but there is much to enjoy on a mid-winter’s walk. And, if your goals includes seeing the Stones one more time… good luck getting those tickets!
Randy Holladay
oldrockguy@gmail.com
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