The Night Sky This Week: January 29–February 4, 2024

You can stargaze any time of year, but you do need a clear sky. It helps to avoid light pollution, but the moon’s phase is much more important. The main thing to avoid is a full moon, which bleaches the night sky. The week before a full moon is also tricky. In fact, the best moon phase is from the third quarter to the new moon, when there’s no moonlight before midnight. With no moon and a clear sky, you’ll see a few thousand stars, the Milky Way (in summer), meteors, and satellites—all with your naked eyes. It’s accessible to anyone who takes the time to look. That’s exactly what happens this week, with Friday’s third quarter moon—which rises at midnight and sets at midday—clearing the way for a great view of the stars and constellations of winter. Take some time to go stargazing, picking out the likes of Orion, Taurus and Auriga in the southeastern night sky as soon as it gets dark. It’s also a great week to find the closest giant galaxy to our own—Andromeda! Look to the south before sunrise this morning to see an 65%-lit waning gibbous moon just a degree from Spica, the brightest star in the constellation Virgo.