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Sky Digest

Tuesday, 20 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 Crescent 4%
Dark window: 17:39 – 06:20 (12 h 41 m)

Planet Highlights

Jupiter mag -2.7 · 51° alt · Gemini Details
GRS transit tonight:
Europa Transit ends
Europa Shadow transit begins
Europa Shadow transit ends
Io Shadow transit begins
+4 more — Details

Comets

PANSTARRS mag 7.0 · 12° alt · Pegasus Details
bright 2.26 AU Perihelion: Apr 19 (in 21d)

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

U Ori
Variable Star
mag 5.4

At 21:00 look high in the southeast

Ori
M37
Salt and Pepper Cluster Open Cluster
mag 6.2

At 21:00 look high in the southeast

Auriga
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 1907
Open Cluster
mag 8.2

At 21:00 look near the zenith

Aur
M43
De Mairan's Nebula Nebula
mag 9.0

At 21:00 look halfway up in the south

Orion
C5
IC 342 Galaxy
mag 9.2

At 21:00 look near the zenith

Camelopardalis
RX Lep
Variable Star
mag 5.7

At 21:00 look halfway up in the south

Lep

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
NGC 1560
Galaxy
mag 11.5

At 21:00 look high in the north

Cam
NGC 1964
Galaxy
mag 10.8

At 21:00 look low in the south

Lep
NGC 1637
Galaxy
mag 10.9

At 21:00 look halfway up in the south

Eri

The Week Ahead

Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon
🌒 4% 🌒 9% 🌒 16% 🌒 25% 🌓 35% 🌓 46% 🌔 57%

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day

Io in True Color

The strangest moon in the Solar System is bright yellow. The featured picture, an attempt to show how Io would appear in the "true colors" perceptible to the average human eye, was taken in 1999 July by the Galileo spacecraft that orbited Jupiter from 1995 to 2003. Io's colors derive from sulfur and molten silicate rock. The unusual surface of Io is kept very young by its system of active volcanoes. The intense tidal gravity of Jupiter stretches Io and damps wobbles caused by Jupiter's other Galilean moons. The resulting friction greatly heats Io's interior, causing molten rock to explode through the surface. Io's volcanoes are so active that they are effectively turning the whole moon inside out. Some of Io's volcanic lava is so hot it glows in the dark.

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 science payloads to the lunar surface as part of the Artemis program, advancing cargo delivery capabilities for future crewed missions.

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 Moon's south pole.

NASA — 27 Mar 2026

NASA Releases Artemis II Moon Mission Launch Countdown

NASA releases the launch countdown for Artemis II, targeting no earlier than April 1, 2026, for the crewed mission that will send four astronauts around the Moon.

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 central to the Artemis II mission, demonstrating international collaboration on the crewed lunar journey.

ESA — 27 Mar 2026

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