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Sky Digest

Sunday, 11 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 Crescent 39%
Dark window: 17:28 – 06:31 (13 h 2 m)

Planet Highlights

Jupiter mag -2.7 · 45° alt · Gemini Details
GRS transit tonight:
Europa Occultation begins
Europa Occultation ends

Comets

PANSTARRS mag 6.8 · 18° alt · Pegasus Details
bright 2.24 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 south

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
M35
Shoe-Buckle Cluster Open Cluster
mag 5.3

At 21:00 look high in the southeast

Gemini
M81
Bode's Galaxy Galaxy
mag 6.9

At 21:00 look high in the northeast

Ursa Major

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
NGC 1817
Open Cluster
mag 7.7

At 21:00 look high in the south

Tau
M43
De Mairan's Nebula Nebula
mag 9.0

At 21:00 look halfway up in the south

Orion
M101
Pinwheel Galaxy Galaxy
mag 7.9

At 21:00 look low in the north

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
NGC 1560
Galaxy
mag 11.5

At 21:00 look high in the north

Cam
M76
Little Dumbbell Nebula Planetary Nebula
mag 10.1

At 21:00 look high in the west

Perseus

The Week Ahead

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🌗 39% 🌗 30% 🌘 22% 🌘 14% 🌘 8% 🌘 4% 🌑 1%

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day

M104: The Sombrero Galaxy in Infrared

This floating ring is the size of a galaxy. In fact, it is a galaxy -- or at least part of one: the photogenic Sombrero Galaxy, one of the largest galaxies in the nearby Virgo Cluster of Galaxies. The dark band of dust that obscures the mid-section of the Sombrero Galaxy in visible light actually glows brightly in infrared light. The featured image, digitally sharpened, shows the infrared glow, recently recorded by the orbiting Spitzer Space Telescope, superposed in false-color on an existing image taken by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope in visible light. The Sombrero Galaxy, also known as M104, spans about 50,000 light years and lies 28 million light years away. M104 can be seen with a small telescope in the direction of the constellation Virgo. Jigsaw Galaxy: Astronomy Puzzle of the Day

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 awards Intuitive Machines $180.4 million to deliver seven science payloads to the lunar surface through the CLPS initiative, supporting the Artemis program's robotic lunar infrastructure.

NASA — 27 Mar 2026

NASA Names Scientists to Support Lunar South Pole Science

NASA selects 10 scientists to develop the lunar surface science plan for Artemis astronauts, including instrument deployment and sample collection at the lunar south pole.

NASA — 27 Mar 2026

NASA Releases Artemis II Moon Mission Launch Countdown

NASA releases the countdown timeline for Artemis II, the first crewed mission around the Moon targeting launch no earlier than April 1, 2026.

NASA — 26 Mar 2026

How Europe will power the journey to the Moon and back

Europe's Service Module will provide critical propulsion, power, and life support systems for the Artemis II crewed lunar mission, highlighting international cooperation.

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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