Night Sky for January 2025: Planets, Stars, and the Moon

See Planet Rise and Set times for your location.

Astronomy Highlights for January 2025

All month, just after sunset, you’ll find FOUR planets visible! 
 

January 1: The new year starts off with some celestial fireworks! At twilight, the crescent Moon hovers low with dazzling Venus to its upper left and Saturn between them.

January 4:  It’s the year’s closest approach to our great star, also known as the perihelion, at 8:28 a.m. This is the point in Earth’s orbit when it’s closest to the Sun, though it’s still about 91.4 million miles away!

January 10: Tonight, the Moon forms a stunning conjunction with Jupiter. Look first for the Moon and you’ll find the King of Planets very nearby.

January 13: This is the headliner of the month! The Moon will occult Mars. In other words, the Moon will eclipse or pass in front of the red-orange planet Mars and reappear in the sky about an hour later. Look towards the east around 8:30 P.M. EST (5:30 PT). 

January 15: The red planet Mars comes into opposition tonight! This means that Earth will pass between it and the Sun. Mars appears at its biggest and brightest. Opposition happens every couple of years. Some are brighter than others. This will be the brightest Mars appears until 2031. 

January 17 to 18: Look for bright Venus toward the west about 90 minutes after sunset. Within just two finger widths, you’ll spot Saturn. This is the Venus-Saturn conjunction. Telescope users will notice that Saturn’s rings appear gone, replaced by a straight line across the planet. This happens because the rings are now angled sideways to Earth, which occurs only once every 15 years. Though the rings are most edge-on in March, Saturn will be too buried in solar glare to see, making January the last opportunity to view this rare alignment. Otherwise, you’ll have to wait until 2039.

January 25: A Great Planet Alignment? You may see a lot of media hype about a “great planet alignment” on January 25. It’s not unusual to see planets in a long line in the sky and note Uranus and Neptune are not even visible with the naked eye or binoculars. However, what is special is to see four bright planets at the same time! It will be an amazing planet display you don’t want to miss. Look to the southwest for super-bright Venus and Saturn. Then, look southwest for Jupiter high in the sky. Finally, look east for orange-red Mars. Read Bob Berman’s article about the most amazing planet display in years.

Check out Bob’s highlights of the February Night Sky to see what’s coming up!

January’s Quadrantids Meteor Shower

The Quadrantids are the first major meteor shower of the year, peaking the night of Saturday, January 4, into the morning of the 5th. Fortunately, in 2025, the Moon will be a waxing crescent, allowing us to see even some of the fainter meteors. Your best bet is to view after the Moon sets on the 4th of January, just before dawn. See your Moon rise and set times and the 2025 Meteor Shower Calendar for the next sighting of shooting stars!

January’s Full Moon

Full Wolf Moon

The first full Moon of the year reaches peak illumination on Monday, January 13, at 5:27 P.M. EST. Look for the Moon to rise from the northeastern horizon around sunset that evening. It’s known in some cultures as the Wolf Moon. There are alternative names as well. Learn more about the Full Wolf Moon.

January Constellation: Orion

All of Orion’s stars are easy to spot in the winter sky. Let’s do some old-fashioned stargazing and take a look at the Orion constellation!

January’s Brightest Star: Sirius

The brightest “star” of the night sky is Sirius, the Dog Star. Ready to star hop? Just look up towards Orion, the Hunter, and his bright belt. Then, follow it downward. Orion’s Belt always points to Sirius. Read more about Sirius.

See our January Star Chart for the brightest stars in this month’s sky!