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Sky Digest

Monday, 26 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 57%
Dark window: 17:47 – 06:12 (12 h 25 m)

Bright moon tonight — best deep-sky viewing after moonset (02:34)

Planet Highlights

Jupiter mag -2.7 · 54° alt · Gemini Details
GRS transit tonight:
Callisto Occultation begins
Callisto Occultation ends

Comets

PANSTARRS mag 7.3 · 9° alt · Pegasus Details
bright 2.40 AU Perihelion: Apr 19 (in 23d)

For Beginners (naked eye)

M41
Little Beehive Cluster Open Cluster
mag 4.5

At 21:00 look low in the south

Canis Major
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 halfway up in the west

Andromeda

Binocular Targets

U Ori
Variable Star
mag 5.4

At 21:00 look high in the south

Ori
M35
Shoe-Buckle Cluster Open Cluster
mag 5.3

At 21:00 look high in the south

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 southeast

Gem
M38
Starfish Cluster Open Cluster
mag 7.4

At 21:00 look near the zenith

Auriga
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 northeast

Ursa Major
3 Gem
Variable Star
mag 5.8

At 21:00 look high in the south

Gem

Big Scopes (8–12 inch)

Z Cam
Variable Star
mag 10.0

At 21:00 look high in the northeast

Cam
NGC 2126
Open Cluster
mag 10.0

At 21:00 look near the zenith

Aur
M97
Owl Nebula Planetary Nebula
mag 9.9

At 21:00 look halfway up in the northeast

Ursa Major
C5
IC 342 Galaxy
mag 9.2

At 21:00 look high in the northwest

Camelopardalis
RX And
Variable Star
mag 10.2

At 21:00 look high in the west

And

The Week Ahead

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NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day

NGC 55: A Galaxy of Nebulas

Can you see nebulas in other galaxies? Yes, some nebulas shine brightly enough -- if you know how to look. Clouds of hydrogen and oxygen emit light at very specific colors, and by isolating them, astronomers and astrophotographers can reveal structures that would otherwise be too faint to notice. This deep, 50-hour exposure highlights glowing hydrogen (red) and oxygen (blue) across galaxy NGC 55, viewed nearly edge-on. Also known as the String of Pearls Galaxy, NGC 55 is often compared to our Milky Way's satellite galaxy the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), although NGC 55 lies much farther away at about 6.5 million light-years. The resulting image uncovers a sprinkling of emission nebulas within and sometimes above the galaxy's dusty disk, offering a detailed look at distant star-forming regions. Jigsaw Galaxy: Astronomy Puzzle of the Day

Image credit: Wolfgang Promper; Text: Ogetay Kayali (MTU) — APOD is a service of NASA and Michigan Tech. U.

View on NASA APOD

Space News

How Europe will power the journey to the Moon and back

The European Service Module is a critical component of Artemis II, providing propulsion, power, and life support for the first crewed mission to the Moon in over 50 years.

ESA — 27 Mar 2026

NASA Releases Artemis II Moon Mission Launch Countdown

NASA has released the launch countdown for Artemis II, which will send four astronauts (including Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen) on a 10-day journey around the Moon.

NASA — 26 Mar 2026

NASA to Unveil Complete Roman Telescope, Host Media Briefing

NASA will unveil the fully assembled Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope on April 21, marking a major milestone as the mission completes construction and prelaunch testing.

NASA — 26 Mar 2026

NASA’s IXPE Gets Fresh Look at Supernova

NASA's IXPE mission has captured new observations of supernova RCW 86, providing fresh scientific data that complements previous telescope observations of this cosmic event.

NASA — 26 Mar 2026

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