Night sky highlights for January 2026

Check out the night sky this month, January 2026. Here are videos and links to websites highlighting the top sights to observe.

** What’s Up: January 2026 Skywatching Tips from NASA | NASA JPL

What are some skywatching highlights in January 2026?

Jupiter is at its biggest and brightest all year, the Moon and Saturn pair up, and the Beehive Cluster buzzes into view.

0:00 Intro
0:11 Jupiter at opposition
0:50 Moon and Saturn conjunction
1:11 The beehive cluster
2:00 January Moon phases

Additional information about topics covered in this episode of What’s Up, along with still images from the video, and the video transcript, are available at https://science.nasa.gov/skywatching/whats-up/.

Phases of the Moon for January 2026. Credits: NASA JPL

** What to see in the night sky: January 2026 | BBC Sky at Night Magazine

Pete Lawrence and Paul Abel reveal the best things to see in the night sky to kick off a new year of stargazing. Happy 2026 everyone!

** Sky & Telescope’s Sky Tour Podcast — January 2026 | Sky & Telescope Youtube

In this month’s episode, start with one of the year’s best meteor showers, then spend some time with Jupiter, and check out a mythical queen and hunter who have ego problems. So bundle up, grab your curiosity, and come along on this month’s Sky Tour.

See also

** The Night Sky | January 2026 | Jupiter Close to Earth | Quadrantid Meteor Shower | Late Night Astronomy

The Quadrantid Meteor shower peaks and the king of the planets makes it’s closest pass to Earth. Let’s take a look at what you can go out to see in the night sky for January of 2026!

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Timestamps:
0:00 Quadrantid Meteor Shower
1:05 Jupiter Opposition
2:27 The Moon
3:05 The Planets
3:52 Comet 24P/Schaumasse
4:26 Comet C/2024 E1 Wierzchos
4:48 Deep Sky Challenge

** What’s in the Sky this Month | September 2026 | High Point Scientific on Youtube

In this episode of What’s in the Sky this Month, Teagan reviews some of the beautiful celestial objects you can see in January!

Read the full January 2026 Newsletter: https://www.highpointscientific.com/a…

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Chapters
00:00 – Introduction
00:36 – Nearest Neighbors
02:01 – Jupiter at Opposition
03:10 – The Quadrantid Meteor Shower
03:41 – Messier 41
04:43 – Castor
05:24 – The Rosette Nebula
06:29 – Conclusion