January 31 - Watermelon Snow

Watermelon Snow - Pink or reddish colored snow, with a slight melon scent. This is caused by algae that thrive in freezing water.

Mecury Leaves Evenings - Mercury exits the evening sky around January 31.

Venus Jupiter Morning - On the morning of January 31st, Venus and Jupiter can be seen together in the morning sky.

January 22 - Top Seal

Top Seal - (Pinnipedia) At their winter breeding grounds, many male seals (bulls) will fight for supremacy over a territory and a harem of 30 to 100 females (cows). The second-place beta bull will assist the alpha bull by patrolling the harem's perimeter for any challengers.

January 15 - Snowy Owl

Snowy Owl - (Bubo scandiacus) A large white owl about 2 feet tall with yellow eyes, made famous by the Harry Potter books and movies. In North America they are found on the Arctic tundra. Oil drilling and poaching are among the most significant dangers they face today.

January 11 - Alpine Lake

Alpine Lake - These scenic lakes can be found in the mountain ranges of the Alps throughout Switzerland, Austria and Italy. However, the term Alpine Lake is also used generously for lakes found in any high or lofty mountain range across the globe.

Spica/Moon - The bright star Spica joins the Moon in the mornings of January 11th and 12th.

January 8 - Bear Species

There are 8 species of bears found in the world today. Unfortunately 6 out of the 8 (75%) are threatened with extinction, according to recent assessments by IUCN Bear and Polar Bear Specialist Groups.

All bears are classified as carnivores, with each species having a variable degree of herbivorous tendency. The panda, for example, is almost exclusively a plant eater. The polar bear is almost entirely a carnivore.

Black Bear - Ursus americanus
American Black Bear
Cinnamon Bear
Kermode Bear
Glacier Bear
Florida Black Bear



Brown Bear - Ursus arctos
Alaskan Brown Bear
Asiatic Brown Bear
European Brown Bear
Grizzly Bear
Himalayan Snow Bear
Kodiak Bear
Syrian Bear


Polar Bear - Ursus maritimus
Ice Bear
Nanook Polar Bear
Sea Bear
White Bear
Walking Bear



Asiatic Black Bear - Selenarctos thibetanus
Black beast
Dog bear
Formosa bear
Giant cat bear (Japan)






Sloth Bear - Melursus ursinus
Aswail
Baloo (Kipling)
Honey bear
Jungle joker
Lip bear







Sun Bear - Ursus malayanus
Bruang (Sumatra name)
Maylay Bear
Dog Bear (Thailand)
Ape Man




Spectacled Bear - Tremarctos ornatus
short-faced bear






Giant Panda - Ailuropoda melanoleuca
Bai Bao (White Leopard)
Fiery Fox
Shi Ti Shou (Iron Eating Beast)
Shining Cat
Cat Bear
Black and White Bear

January 2 - Perihelion

Perihelion - On January 2nd around midnight UT, Earth reaches its closest orbital point to the Sun this year - 91.65 million miles away. At Perihelion, Earth is 3 million miles closer to the Sun than when it is at its farthest point in July, at Aphelion.