NASA’s January 2026 Skywatching Guide: Planets & Star Clusters

Generally, You Should Always Look Up At The Night Sky To See What Is Happening.
Usually, I Like To Start By Looking For The Biggest And Brightest Objects.
Sometimes, The Best Time To See These Objects Is When They Are At Their Closest Point To Earth.
Obviously, This Is Called Opposition, And It Happens On January 10 With Jupiter.
Normally, You Can See Jupiter In The Constellation Gemini, And It Will Be One Of The Brightest Objects In The Night Sky.
Apparently, The Only Objects That Will Be Brighter Than Jupiter Are The Moon And Venus.
Anyway, You Should Try To See Jupiter After Sunset By Looking Towards The East.
Hopefully, You Will Have Clear Skies, And You Won’t Need Any Special Equipment To Spot Jupiter.
However, A Pair Of Binoculars Or A Telescope Will Make The Experience Even Better.

Jupiter Takes Center Stage

Basically, Jupiter Is The King Of Planets, And It Will Shine Brighter And Appear Larger Than At Any Other Time This Year.
Clearly, This Is A Great Opportunity To See Jupiter At Its Best.
Usually, I Would Recommend Using A Telescope To Get A Closer Look At Jupiter.
Sometimes, You Can Even See The Cloud Bands On Jupiter With A Good Telescope.
Obviously, This Is A Great Time To Learn More About Jupiter And Its Moons.
Generally, You Can Find A Lot Of Information About Jupiter Online Or In Books.
Normally, I Would Suggest Starting With Some Basic Research Before Trying To See Jupiter.
Anyway, You Should Definitely Try To See Jupiter This Month.

A Lunar Date with Saturn

Apparently, The Moon And Saturn Will Share The Stage In A Celestial Dance Known As A Conjunction.
Usually, This Happens On January 23, And It Is A Great Opportunity To See These Two Objects Together.
Sometimes, The Moon And Saturn Will Appear Close Together In The Night Sky, Even Though They Are Actually Millions Of Miles Apart.
Obviously, This Is A Great Time To Learn More About The Moon And Saturn.
Normally, You Can Find A Lot Of Information About These Objects Online Or In Books.
Generally, I Would Recommend Using A Telescope To Get A Closer Look At The Moon And Saturn.
Anyway, You Should Try To See The Moon And Saturn On January 23.

Some More Information About Saturn

Basically, Saturn Is A Gas Giant, And It Has Some Really Cool Rings.
Sometimes, You Can See The Rings Of Saturn With A Good Telescope.
Usually, I Would Recommend Using A Telescope With A High Magnification To See The Rings.
Apparently, The Rings Of Saturn Are Made Up Of Ice And Rock Particles.
Obviously, This Is A Great Time To Learn More About Saturn And Its Rings.
Normally, You Can Find A Lot Of Information About Saturn Online Or In Books.
Generally, I Would Suggest Starting With Some Basic Research Before Trying To See Saturn.
Anyway, You Should Definitely Try To See Saturn This Month.

Explore the Beehive Cluster

Generally, You Should Try To See The Beehive Cluster This Month.
Sometimes, The Beehive Cluster Is Also Known As Messier 44 Or M44.
Usually, This Open Star Cluster Is Made Up Of At Least 1,000 Stars.
Apparently, The Beehive Cluster Was First Observed By Galileo In 1609.
Obviously, This Is A Great Time To Learn More About The Beehive Cluster.
Normally, You Can Find A Lot Of Information About The Beehive Cluster Online Or In Books.
Basically, You Should Try To See The Beehive Cluster After Sunset And Before Midnight.
Anyway, You Should Look To The East To See The Beehive Cluster.
Hopefully, You Will Have Clear Skies, And You Won’t Need Any Special Equipment To Spot The Beehive Cluster.
However, Binoculars Or A Telescope Will Provide A More Detailed View.