January has strutted in, and the night sky will dazzle us with its cosmic cabaret. Whether you're a pro with a telescope or enjoy a night of sky-watching with snacks, this month's packed with celestial goodies.
Moon phases
First Quarter Moon | Full Moon (Super Moon) | Last Quarter Moon | New Moon |
January 7, Tuesday 09:57 AM | January 14, Tuesday 08:27 AM | January 22, Wednesday 06:32 AM | January 29, Wednesday 10:37 PM |
At first quarter, one-half of the Waxing Moon appears to be illuminated by the Sun's light, while the other half is in shadow. This is because the Moon is at a 90-degree angle to the Earth and Sun. | During a Full Moon, the Moon's surface is completely illuminated by the Sun. This happens because the Earth is between the Sun and the Moon, and they are aligned in a straight line. | At last quarter, one-half of the Waning Moon appears to be illuminated by the Sun's light, while the other half is in shadow. | A new moon is the first lunar phase, when the Moon and Sun have the same ecliptic longitude. The Moon is aligned with the Sun and the Earth, and the side of the Moon that faces Earth is in darkness. The new Moon is not visible to the naked eye, as it is too close to the Sun’s glare or below the horizon during the day. |
Notable Night Sky Events for January 2025
1 January: Mercury at its highest altitude in the morning sky
Kick off the new year with a celestial treat as Mercury reaches its highest point above the horizon in the morning sky. This elusive little planet, often nicknamed the "Swift Planet" because of its speedy orbit, is notoriously tricky to spot as it is often close to the Sun.
3-4 January: Quadrants Meteor Shower Peaks
The Quadrantid meteors are remnants of dust grains from the extinct comet 2003 EH1, discovered in 2003. The shower favours the Northern Hemisphere due to its radiant staying low on the horizon for southern viewers. Under optimal conditions, it can produce 25–40 meteors per hour. The best viewing time is from midnight to dawn.
3 January: Conjunction of the Moon and Venus
Venus will shine brightly, roughly 4 degrees from a crescent Moon, making this a spectacular sight even with the naked eye. Binoculars or a telescope will enhance the view, revealing Venus’s phase and the Moon’s cratered surface. Look west shortly after sunset for the best view. The duo will set a few hours later, so don’t wait too long!
4 January: Earth at perihelion
On 4 January, Earth reaches perihelion, its closest point to the Sun for the year, at about 147.1 million kilometres away. Despite being closer to the Sun, it’s winter in the northern hemisphere due to the tilt of Earth's axis, not its distance. This milestone is a reminder of our planet's elliptical orbit!
4 January: Beachmere Meet-Up to capture comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) (Cancelled due to weather)
Join me and follow astrophotographers for an early morning Astro session at Beachmere to capture comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS). Comet G3 should be around magnitude 4 or brighter, making it a fantastic target for your cameras and telescopes. Keep an eye on the weather forecasts, as weather is pending for this event.
4 January: Conjunction and occultation of the Moon and Saturn
The Moon and Saturn will share the same right ascension, appearing close together in the night sky. The pair will be separated by about 4 degrees as viewed from Southeast Queensland. Look towards the western sky after sunset. An occultation between the pair will be visible from Europe, Africa, western Russia, and eastern Greenland. Learn more about the occultation.
10 January: Venus at greatest elongation east
Venus will reach its greatest eastern elongation, appearing 47° away from the Sun in the evening sky. At greatest elongation, Venus will display a striking half-phase when viewed through a telescope. From SE QLD, you will catch it early in the evening above the western horizon before it sets.
10 January: Conjunction of the Moon and Jupiter
The Moon and Jupiter will align in the sky, forming a conjunction. The duo will appear to be separated by around 6 degrees from my viewpoint in Queensland. They will be visible from sunset until the dip below the western horizon after 2:30 AM AEST.
12 January: Venus at dichotomy
Venus at dichotomy is when the planet shows up as a perfect half-phase, or 50% illuminated, through a telescope. But here’s the twist—dichotomy doesn’t always happen exactly when expected. This is because of something called the Schröter Effect.
12 January: Mars at perigee
Mars at perigee means it will be at its closest point to Earth in its orbit. At this time, Mars will be approximately 56 million kilometres (34.8 million miles) away from Earth.
Mars perigee happens roughly once every 26 months, and when this occurs, it provides an excellent opportunity for viewing the planet. The apparent size and brightness of Mars in the sky will be significantly increased compared to when it is farther from Earth.
13 January: Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) passes perigee
Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) will make its closest approach to the Earth at a distance of 0.94 AU, or 140,621,998 kilometres. The comet is expected to brighten quickly around perihelion. It could become the brightest comet of 2025 and exceed an apparent magnitude of −3.5.
13 January: Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) passes perihelion
Comet C/2024 G3 (Atlas) will make its closest approach to the Sun at a distance of 0.9 AU.
Visible in the Southern Hemisphere before and after perihelion, and in the Northern Hemisphere's daytime sky around perihelion.
13 January Lunar occultation of Mars
The Moon will pass in front of Mars, creating a lunar occultation visible from parts of the Americas and Africa. This rare event will temporarily obscure Mars from view as the Moon’s disk completely blocks the planet, offering an exciting opportunity for astronomers to observe the precise timing of the occultation. In addition to the occultation, a close conjunction of the Moon and Mars will occur, which will be more widely visible to observers around the world. For those in Southeast Queensland, Australia, the conjunction will be visible on both the nights of January 13 and 14.
16 January Mars at opposition
Mars opposition occurs when Earth passes directly between the Sun and Mars, bringing the two planets closest together in their orbits. This event happens approximately every 26 months, and during opposition, Mars appears particularly bright and large in the night sky, often visible for several weeks. As the planet is opposite the Sun, it rises at sunset, reaches its highest point at midnight, and sets at sunrise.
17-20 January: Conjunction of Venus and Saturn
From the second week of January, look to the western horizon, where Venus and Saturn will begin to appear closer together in the night sky. Their conjunction peaks between the 17th and 20th, when they will be separated by approximately 2 degrees. The conjunction is visible to the naked eye but is best seen through binoculars.
21 January: Lunar occultation of Spica
The Moon will pass in front of Spica (Alpha Virginis), creating a lunar occultation visible from Africa. A wider conjunction of the Moon and Spica will also be visible from other parts of the world. For more information, refer to In-The-Sky.Org.
25 January: Lunar occultation of Antares
The Moon will pass in front of Antares (Alpha Scorpii), creating a lunar occultation visible from several countries and territories, including Madagascar, the Maldives, Mauritius, Réunion, and others. Antares, often referred to as the "heart of the scorpion," is a red supergiant star and one of the brightest in the night sky. Located in the heart of the constellation Scorpius, it is about 550 light-years away from Earth and is roughly 12 times the mass of the Sun.
30 January: Uranus ends retrograde motion
Retrograde motion occurs when a planet appears to move backward in the sky from our perspective on Earth, due to the relative motion of Earth and the outer planet in their orbits. Uranus, being an outer planet, spends about five months in retrograde each year. During this time, its motion appears to slow down and reverse, which can be seen as a period of reflection or inner exploration in astrology.
Planet Visibility for January 2025
Venus: Spends the month moving through Aquarius to Pisces, shining brightly above the western horizon, setting at around 9:00 PM.
Mars: Rises in the east from around 8:00 PM at the start of the month, moving from Cancer to Gemini.
Jupiter: Spends the month in the constellation, Taurus. It is visible most of the night and sets at around 3:00 AM at the start of the month and 1:00 AM at the end.
Saturn: Spends the month in Aquarius near Venus, setting at around 10:00 PM at the start of the month and 8:00 PM at the end.
Uranus: Visible through a high-powered telescope until the early hours of the morning for most of the month.
Mercury: Rises shortly before the Sun at the beginning of the month but is lost in the morning twilight towards the end of the month as it heads towards superior conjunction.
Recommended deep-space targets for January
January is prime time for capturing the wonders of the southern sky, including:
Orion Nebula (M42): A stunning region of star birth located in the sword of Orion. It's visible to the naked eye in dark locations and through binoculars or a telescope.
Tarantula Nebula: Found in the Large Magellanic Cloud, this sprawling nebula is best observed with a telescope.
47 Tucanae: A bright globular cluster near the Small Magellanic Cloud, perfect for telescopic viewing.
Southern Cross and the Pointers: Easily visible in the southern sky, they make for a great beginner’s guide to navigating the stars.