After 2 lovely days, that is done
Now, ain't no heat, ain't no sun..
Today On Earth
It's tough being Mojo...
January 2026
On & Off Earth
It is difficult to write a column in any January without either looking forward into the coming year or backward as the current year closes. Locally, a look back at 2025, a year without hurricane or earthquake issues, the sudden switch from far above normal rainfall as July ended to barely 6” since, leaves us well below our yearly average, meaning drought concerns will carry into the new year.
Long range weather forecasters, studying the sloshing about of the Pacific’s equatorial waters and shape-changes in the Polar Vortex have seen, in their rather hazy crystal balls, that we are in for a milder, less snowy start to 2026. Betting on their forecast is a sure sign you have a gambling problem. There is a much safer bet for 2026.
The easy bet for 2026, there will be a daily, growing buzz and hype ahead of the celebration of America’s 250th birthday. It has always been difficult to travel the Old Dominion without bumping into American history, our nation began here. Virginians stirred the cauldron of revolution, penned the documents that established our democracy and since the beginning, have provided leadership in war and peace. Prepare to celebrate!!
To get out in front of the naming confusion about to accelerate, here’s the current search list of tongue twisters. Pick a favorite and practice the pronunciation, you will have to say it more than once. Are you going with the official choice: the Semiquincentennial, or perhaps another tongue-twister, the Sestercentennial? Or give Bisesquicentennial a try. Simpler to say, ‘it’s our Quarter Millennial celebration’ or, my personal favorite: The Big-Two-Five-Ohh! Being old and remembering back 50 years, Bicentennial sure was easy.
January, on a planet unimpressed with a puny expanse of 250 years, settles into the heart of winter. Tilted away, our closest approach (perihelion) to our local star on the 3rd will produce little warming. Unrelated to perihelion, the Full Wolf moon is also on the 3rd. The 4th is the latest sunrise of the year but morning daylight is slow to expand. Sunset times grow a little faster but it’s near the end of the month before our life giving orb sets after 5:30. That orb begins the year in Aquarius, drifting, for our view, into Capricorn on the 20th.
With all that darkness, January is the perfect time to get out for some stargazing. Yes, it is cold but there are no bugs, snakes or humid, blurring air. Cold air is still and more stable and allows stars to sparkle. And, the stars of winter are some of the sky’s brightest and most colorful. This winter, steadily outshining them all is Jupiter, parked for the season in Gemini.
As I have suggested, to aid sky gazing, download one of the many free sky apps to your phone. I use SkyView Lite, it works day or night, inside or out and the warm way to do winter viewing is to start inside. Pre-plan your view direction, pick a star or constellation target and point your phone that way while still indoors. I recommend as your winter sky guide, find Orion, the Hunter. By 8pm, the line of three stars in Orion’s Belt grab your eyes in the southeastern sky and becomes a pointer, down to Sirius, up towards Aldebaran and beyond.
The short hours of daylight in January are not to be squandered. There will be warm days to shed the heavy coats, perhaps more snow to tromp through and a bundled up walk on a chilly day makes the warmth back inside that much sweeter. Those trips outside, phone quiet in a pocket will also offer welcome respite from the pending hype that is the Big Two Five Ohh!!
A final thought and big THANK YOU to the Central Virginian for allowing me to share my thoughts about our planet for the last six years..and to the kind and encouraging words from readers. It has been my pleasure and as I stated way back at the beginning, I am a lucky guy! Thank you all!!
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