Strange Universe 1/2/22

It will be a great sky year, so let’s get a sneak preview. Start now, the next clear evening. There’s Venus, the Evening Star, still close to its absolute brightest as it hovers low above the sunset point in the fading dusk. Steadily-braced binoculars or any small telescope will reveal its crescent shape, now bigger yet thinner than any time this year. It’s the best time to see it.