Northern Sky: January 21 - February 3

Deane Morrison is a science writer at the University of Minnesota, where she authors the Minnesota Starwatch column.

A waning moon in the morning sky late in January; Jupiter is brilliant and high in the south with Saturn low in the southeast. A crescent moon hangs above Mercury on January 25.

Venus is the brightest planet, seen in the southwest; Sirius - the brightest star - can be seen in the southeast.

(Photo by Michael Wilson on Flickr)