More January Winter Sky Splendors

The planets Venus and Saturn were doing a close dance around each other in the late January skies. In this view looking southwest from Bowman Woods Park in Cedar Rapids, Iowa at 7:17 pm CST on the evening of Sunday, January 26, 2025, the -4.54 magnitude planet Venus is above the 1.14 magnitude planet Saturn. Image is a 1.6 second exposure at f/4, ISO 400, 34mm focal length.

7:20 pm. Looking toward the southeast sky. The bright object at left is the -1.18 magnitude planet Mars. With Mars are the bright stars in the constellation Gemini--Castor (upper, magnitude 1.56) and Pollux (magnitude 1.15). The bright planet Jupiter is at upper right (magnitude -2.56). With Jupiter in the constellation Taurus is the 0.84 magnitude star Aldebaran. The lone bright star at lower center is Procyon (magnitude 0.37) in the constellation Canis Minor. 4 second exposure at f/4, ISO 400, 24mm focal length.

7:28 pm. A front and center look at the constellation Orion, looking southeast. The bright star at upper left is the 0.43 magnitude Betelgeuse, at center top is 1.62 magnitude Bellatrix, and at right center is 0.15 Rigel. The very bright star at lower left is -1.47 magnitude Sirius, the brightest star in our skies and situated in the constellation Canis Major. Air temperature was 18 degrees F. Nikon Z6ii camera.

Fast forward one day and a blazing sunset nearly eluded me because of its fast change in lighting. The spectacle was nearly gone when I captured this iPhone 11 camera image of it at 5:20 pm CST, Monday, January 27, 2025 from the parking lot at Noelridge Christian Church. Air temperature was 44 degrees F.