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Wednesday, 7 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

Waning Gibbous 77%
Dark window: 17:25 – 06:34 (13 h 9 m)

Bright moon tonight — best deep-sky viewing before moonrise (21:27)

Planet Highlights

Jupiter mag -2.7 · 42° alt · Gemini Details
GRS transit tonight:
Io Occultation begins
Io Occultation ends
Europa Occultation begins

Comets

PANSTARRS mag 6.8 · 21° alt · Pegasus Details
bright 2.21 AU Perihelion: Apr 19 (in 20d)

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
M31
Andromeda Galaxy Galaxy
mag 3.4

At 21:00 look high in the west

Andromeda

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
M33
Triangulum/Pinwheel Galaxy Galaxy
mag 5.7

At 21:00 look high in the west

Triangulum

Small Scopes (3–6 inch)

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

At 21:00 look high in the east

Gem
M38
Starfish Cluster Open Cluster
mag 7.4

At 21:00 look high in the southeast

Auriga
Blue Snowball
NGC 7662 Planetary Nebula
mag 9.0

At 21:00 look halfway up in the west

And
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)

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
M97
Owl Nebula Planetary Nebula
mag 9.9

At 21:00 look halfway up in the northeast

Ursa Major
M76
Little Dumbbell Nebula Planetary Nebula
mag 10.1

At 21:00 look high in the west

Perseus

The Week Ahead

Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue
🌖 77% 🌖 68% 🌖 58% 🌗 48% 🌗 39% 🌗 30% 🌘 22%

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day

Simeis 147: The Spaghetti Nebula Supernova Remnant

Its popular nickname is the Spaghetti Nebula. Officially cataloged as Simeis 147 and Sharpless 2-240, it is easy to get lost following the looping and twisting filaments of this intricate supernova remnant. Seen toward the boundary of the constellations of the Bull (Taurus) and the Charioteer (Auriga), the impressive gas structure covers nearly 3 degrees on the sky, equivalent to 6 full moons. That's about 150 light-years at the stellar debris cloud's estimated distance of 3,000 light-years. The supernova remnant has an estimated age of about 40,000 years, meaning light from this powerful stellar explosion first reached the Earth when woolly mammoths roamed free. Besides the expanding remnant, this cosmic catastrophe left behind a pulsar, a fast-spinning neutron star that is the remnant of the original star's core. The featured image was captured last month from Forca Canapine, Italy. Portal Universe: Random APOD Generator

Image credit: Saverio Ferretti — APOD is a service of NASA and Michigan Tech. U.

View on NASA APOD

Space News

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

NASA awarded Intuitive Machines $180.4 million to deliver science payloads to the lunar surface as part of the CLPS initiative supporting the Artemis program, advancing human return to the Moon.

NASA — 27 Mar 2026

NASA Names Scientists to Support Lunar South Pole Science

NASA selected 10 scientists to develop the science plan for Artemis astronauts on the lunar surface, including instrument deployment, observations, and Moon rock collection.

NASA — 27 Mar 2026

NASA Releases Artemis II Moon Mission Launch Countdown

NASA released the launch countdown schedule for Artemis II, the first crewed mission to send four astronauts around the Moon, targeting no earlier than April 1.

NASA — 26 Mar 2026

How Europe will power the journey to the Moon and back

Europe's Service Module, providing propulsion, power, and life support, is a critical component enabling the Artemis II mission to send astronauts around the Moon and return them safely.

ESA — 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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