The new astronomical year

Each January brings some of our finest evening skies of any month. We must wait until the late evening, though, to see Jupiter, our first bright planet of the night, rise in the E in Leo. Mars, following in the early hours, stands to the left of Spica in Virgo before dawn when Venus is alongside Saturn and low in the SE. Jupiter's opposition on 8 March is followed by those of Mars on 22 May and Saturn 12 days later, both low down in Britain's sky.