What planets and stars can we see tonight?
What can you see in the night sky this month? The highlight is Mars’ occultation! From visible planets to bright stars, astronomer Bob Berman highlights what a regular stargazer can see (without any equipment) throughout the month of January 2025. Let’s look up!
See Planet Rise and Set times for your location.
Astronomy Highlights for January 2025
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.
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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, the King of Planets.
January 13: This is the headliner of the month! The Moon will meet up with and then eclipse Mars. This rare event will happen halfway up in the eastern sky in most locations, with Mars now at its brightest until 2031. The occultation is visible throughout the mainland U.S. and nearly all of Canada, beginning between 7:30 and 8:00 p.m. local time, depending on the location. Mars will reappear in the sky about an hour later.
January 15: The red planet Mars comes into opposition tonight! This means that Earth will pass between it and the Sun.
Check out 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!
Credit: Petr Horálek/NASA
January’s Full Moon
Full Wolf Moon
The first full Moon of 2024 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!
Bob Berman
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I've been seeing Jupiter a lot this month, and I've looked at it through binoculars! I thought I could see the stripes a little! It was definitely worth trying out!
I would really love to see you put out an astronomy calendar featuring Bob Berman’s work. It’s my favorite part of the daily newsletter. Thanks and Happy New Year!
Thank you for keeping us night owls in check as to what's going on when. My calendar is full of times I need to be out looking upwards. Now that I got a telescope for Christmas, maybe I can get a better look up there!
I loved your article of events.... I would love to read more on a weekly or daily basis with what may be visible each night depending on the weather....... I also love to share your articles with my family, friends & co-workers. Thank you very much.
