January’s Astronomy Events
January‘s night sky houses some visits by the moon to our gas giants, and the chance to catch a meteor shower.
All images are from SkySafari 6 and can be clicked on for a full screen version.
03 – The full moon is less than five degrees from Jupiter in Gemini this evening, and only 3° from Pollux. This sky chart shows the view at 8pm.
10 – Jupiter is always one of the most pleasing views through the telescope that we have as astronomers. Tonight, it reaches opposition, which is when the planet is opposite the sun from our perspective. This is the time when Jupiter is closest to us, making it larger than usual, and it’s visible all night long. The star chart below shows the planet at 8pm, and your telescope will reveal the Jovian disc to be almost 47 arcseconds wide.
22 – The moon features again this evening, this time it’s close to Saturn in Pisces, with the Great Square of Pegasus looking on.
30 – We’re returning to Gemini as the first month of 2026 comes to a close, and with the same actors we saw earlier: the moon, Jupiter and Pollux. This time, the moon and Jupiter are ‘inside’ the constellation. The view in the star chart below is from 8pm.
