January 2026 – What’s Up!

Week of 26th January

• Astronomical Twilight ends at 18:43 GMT at the start of the week and at 18:52 GMT by the end of the week.
• Saturn (+1.1) sets at around 21:25 GMT this week. Jupiter (-2.6) transits at around 23:00 GMT. The 95% Waxing Gibbous Moon is in conjunction with Jupiter on Friday.
• Given the bright Moon this week, we are on the hunt for brighter targets and Messier open clusters fit the bill perfectly. Start with M52 (+6.9) on the border of Cepheus and Cassiopeia, then on to M103 (+7.4) close to the W of Cassiopeia, finishing with M34 (+5.2) in Perseus. A splattering of sparkling jewel boxes!
• The Moon is Full on Sunday – the Snow Moon.
• The Sun currently has 9 active regions and the sunspot number is 147.
• There are multiple visible evening ISS passes this week (click here for full ISS pass details).

Week of 19th January

• Astronomical Twilight ends at 18:33 GMT at the start of the week and at 18:41 GMT by the end of the week.
• Jupiter (-2.7) transits at 23:30 GMT this week. Saturn (+1.2) sets at around 21:35 GMT. Look out for the Crescent Moon in conjunction with Saturn on Friday evening.
• We travel to Cassiopeia for this week’s observing targets. Start with Caroline’s Rose, NGC 7789 (+6.7) a dense open cluster about 6000 light years away. Then on to Achird (+3.5), a double star with a separation of 13 arcseconds and colours described as gold and garnet! Finally to the Owl Cluster, NGC 457 (+6.4), an open cluster about 8000 light years away that resembles an owl, if you have a healthy imagination!
• The Moon is Waxing Crescent all week.
• The Sun currently has 7 active regions and the sunspot number is 124.
• There are multiple visible evening ISS passes this week (click here for full ISS pass details).

Week of 12th January

• Astronomical Twilight ends at 18:24 GMT at the start of the week and at 18:32 GMT by the end of the week.
• Jupiter (-2.7) rises at 15:56 GMT and transits at around 00:05 GMT this week. Saturn (+1.2) sets at around 22:00 GMT.
• Given the New Moon, this week’s targets are the faint fuzzy remains of exploded stars that need a good dark sky to stand out. Start in Taurus to hunt down the Crab Nebula, M1 (+8.4), a supernova remnant about 6000 light years away. Then move into Gemini to find the Eskimo Nebula, NGC 2392 (+9.2), just below Jupiter. This is a planetary nebula, the remains of a low mass star such as the Sun, which is about 4000 light years away. You will need a telescope to find these two objects. Good luck!
• The Moon is New on Sunday.
• The Sun currently has 4 active regions and the sunspot number is 65.
• There are multiple visible evening ISS passes this week (click here for full ISS pass details).

Week of 5th January

• Astronomical Twilight ends at 18:16 GMT at the start of the week and at 18:23 GMT by the end of the week.
• Jupiter reaches opposition on Saturday, meaning that it is directly opposite the Sun when viewed from Earth. This is the best time to observer Jupiter as it will appear at its largest and brightest in our sky. Given the time of year, the ecliptic is very high, so Jupiter is at an altitude of about 60° when it transits, making it even better placed for observation. We just need clear skies!
• Saturn (+1.2) sets at around 22:30 GMT, Neptune (+7.9) is just a few degrees east of Saturn, and Uranus (+5.6) is just below the Pleiades, transiting at around 20:40 GMT.
• Orion is climbing higher in our southern sky and is full of interesting targets: start with the Great Orion Nebula, M42 (+4.0), an emission nebula that is best observed in binoculars, then move to the easternmost star of Orion’s Belt, Alnitak (+4.2), a tricky double star to split at a separation of just 2.1 arcseconds, you’ll need a telescope for this one.
• The Moon is Last Quarter on Saturday.
• The Sun currently has 7 active regions and the sunspot number is 136.
• There are multiple visible evening ISS passes this week (click here for full ISS pass details).