Hello, Happy New Year, and welcome to 'Sky Watch' for January!
We're accustomed to embarking on a new voyage around our local star every January, but it hasn't always been that way. Based on ecclesiastical tradition, the ‘Petersphere’ year began on the 25th of March for centuries, right up until 1752, before finally changing to the 1st of January!
The Winter night sky offers some of the best observations of the year. Listen to this month's Sky Watch to discover why.
Written by Petersphere resident, astronomical expert and amateur astronomer Geoff Burt, and voiced by Claire Vennis, every month Shine Radio presents a Sky Watch of our unique dark skies.