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Sky Digest

Tuesday, 13 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 22%
Dark window: 17:30 – 06:29 (12 h 58 m)

Aurora Forecast — Very unlikely

Kp 3.7 / need 7 Bz 1.9 nT

Geomagnetic activity far below the Kp 7 needed at your latitude.

View full forecast

Planet Highlights

Jupiter mag -2.7 · 46° alt · Gemini Details
GRS transit tonight:
Io Shadow transit begins
Io Transit begins
Io Shadow transit ends
Io Transit ends
+2 more — Details

Comets

PANSTARRS mag 6.8 · 17° 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 1605
Open Cluster
mag 10.7

At 21:00 look near the zenith

Per
NGC 7048
Planetary Nebula
mag 11.0

At 21:00 look low in the northwest

Cyg
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
M74
Phantom Galaxy Galaxy
mag 9.4

At 21:00 look halfway up in the southwest

Pisces

The Week Ahead

Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon
🌘 22% 🌘 14% 🌘 8% 🌘 4% 🌑 1% 🌑 0% 🌑 1%

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day

A Solar Eruption from SDO

What just leapt from the Sun? A towering structure of solar plasma suddenly rose from the Sun's surface and unfurled into space -- a structure so large that many Earths would easily fit within it-- marking the onset of a dramatic Coronal Mass Ejection (CME). The event was captured in striking detail in late 2024 by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), whose continuous monitoring improves space weather forecasts and helps humanity better understand how solar activity affects satellites, GPS, radio communications, and power grids on Earth. The featured video blends three extreme-ultraviolet views from SDO’s Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA), revealing how plasma at different temperatures surged upward as the eruption unfolded. Here, red highlights cooler, denser material lifted from the Sun’s lower atmosphere, while yellow traces hotter, million-degree coronal loops stretching outward as magnetic fields open. After the main outburst, the Sun’s magnetic fields quickly reorganize.

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 Artemis program, advancing capability to support crewed lunar missions.

NASA — 27 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 instrument deployment and sample collection at the lunar south pole.

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 around the Moon with four astronauts.

NASA — 26 Mar 2026

How Europe will power the journey to the Moon and back

Europe's Service Module will provide propulsion, power, and life support for Artemis II astronauts on their 10-day journey around the Moon and back to Earth.

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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