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Thursday, 1 January 2026 | Default Location
Showing the sky from Greenwich, London. Log in to use your own location.
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Tonight at a Glance

Waxing Gibbous 96%
Dark window: 17:21 – 06:38 (13 h 17 m)

Bright moon tonight — deep-sky viewing will be limited

Planet Highlights

Jupiter mag -2.7 · 38° alt · Gemini Details
GRS transit tonight:
Io Transit ends
Io Shadow transit begins
Io Shadow transit ends
Callisto Transit begins
+1 more — Details
Saturn mag 1.0 · 16° alt · Aquarius Details
Rings: Barely open (1.1° north face)

Comets

PANSTARRS mag 6.8 · 24° alt · Pegasus Details
bright 2.21 AU Perihelion: Apr 19 (in 19d)

For Beginners (naked eye)

Hyades
Open Cluster
mag 0.5

At 21:00 look high in the south

Taurus
M42
Great Orion Nebula Nebula
mag 4.0

At 21:00 look halfway up in the southeast

Orion
M45
Pleiades, Seven Sisters or Subaru Open Cluster
mag 1.6

At 21:00 look high in the south

Taurus

Binocular Targets

Algol
HIP 14576; Beta Per; 26 Per Variable Star
mag 2.1

At 21:00 look near the zenith

Per
M34
Spiral Cluster Open Cluster
mag 5.5

At 21:00 look near the zenith

Perseus
M31
Andromeda Galaxy Galaxy
mag 3.4

At 21:00 look high in the west

Andromeda

Small Scopes (3–6 inch)

Castor
HIP 36850; Alpha Gem; 66 Gem Double Star
mag 2.0

At 21:00 look halfway up in the east

Gem
M38
Starfish Cluster Open Cluster
mag 7.4

At 21:00 look high in the southeast

Auriga
NGC 246
Planetary Nebula
mag 8.0

At 21:00 look low in the southwest

Cet
M81
Bode's Galaxy Galaxy
mag 6.9

At 21:00 look high in the northeast

Ursa Major
32 Eri
Double Star
mag 4.8

At 21:00 look halfway up in the south

Eri

Big Scopes (8–12 inch)

T Tau
Double Star
mag 9.3

At 21:00 look high in the south

Tau
NGC 1496
Open Cluster
mag 10.0

At 21:00 look near the zenith

Per
NGC 1514
Planetary Nebula
mag 10.0

At 21:00 look high in the south

Tau
C5
IC 342 Galaxy
mag 9.2

At 21:00 look near the zenith

Camelopardalis
M76
Little Dumbbell Nebula Planetary Nebula
mag 10.1

At 21:00 look near the zenith

Perseus

The Week Ahead

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NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day

Auroral Corona

Cycle 25 solar maximum made 2025 a great year for aurora borealis (or aurora australis) on planet Earth. And the high level of solar activity should extend into 2026. So, while you're celebrating the arrival of the new year, check out this spectacular auroral display that erupted in starry night skies over Kirkjufell, Iceland. The awesome auroral corona, energetic curtains of light streaming from directly overhead, was witnessed during a strong geomagnetic storm triggered by intense solar activity near the March 2025 equinox. This boreal skyscape captures the evocative display in a 21 frame panoramic mosaic.

Image credit: Roi Levi — APOD is a service of NASA and Michigan Tech. U.

View on NASA APOD

Space News

Sendoff for Artemis II Crew

NASA's Artemis II crew, including astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, was officially introduced ahead of their crewed lunar mission.

NASA — 30 Mar 2026

NASA Selects Intuitive Machines to Deliver Artemis Science, Tech to Moon

NASA awarded Intuitive Machines $180.4 million to deliver seven science payloads to the lunar surface as part of the Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative supporting Artemis.

NASA — 27 Mar 2026

NASA Releases Artemis II Moon Mission Launch Countdown

NASA released the launch countdown for Artemis II, targeting no earlier than April 1, 2026, for the first crewed mission to take humans around the Moon in over 50 years.

NASA — 26 Mar 2026

NASA Names Scientists to Support Lunar South Pole Science

NASA selected 10 scientists to shape the lunar surface science plan for Artemis astronauts, including deploying instruments and collecting Moon rocks at the lunar south pole.

NASA — 27 Mar 2026

Never Miss a Meteor Shower

A complete calendar of annual meteor showers with peak dates, hourly rates, moon interference, and radiant positions. Plan ahead and know exactly when to look up.

Never Miss a Meteor Shower Open Meteor Showers

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