January 2022 Dates of Interest

Look up for these January events in the sky:  On January 3-5, it will be possible to  observe the moon, Saturn, Jupiter, Venus, and Mercury, and maybe even the “ultrafast” comet, C/2021 A1 (Leonard)

January 4 is perihelion, the closest approach of our nearest star

January 7 is Old Rock Day – hope you have a gneiss celebration (and don’t take the Canadian Shield for granite).

January marks two commemorations related to the Holocaust:  January 17 recognizes Raoul Wallenberg, a Swedish diplomat who risked his life to save tens of thousands of Hungarian Jews, and January 27 is International Holocaust Remembrance Day, marking the anniversary of the Soviet army’s liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi concentration and death camp.

January 24 is the World Day for African and Afrodescendant Culture (WDAC), a day to recognize and highlight the contributions of the many living cultures of the African continent and the African diasporas around the world, as well as their role in driving sustainable development, dialogue, and peace.

If you celebrate any of these, or have suggestions for upcoming celebrations or observances, please drop us a line or send a picture to CriticalLinks@centreforinquiry.ca.