Overview
- Jupiter reaches opposition on January 10, making it fully illuminated, visible all night, and at its brightest for 2026.
- The planet will shine around magnitude −2.6, brighter than any star and outshone only by the Moon and Venus, though Venus is not currently visible.
- Find it near the twin stars Castor and Pollux in Gemini, rising at sunset and climbing high by midnight with Orion nearby.
- Binoculars can show Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto, while a small telescope may reveal cloud belts and, with good conditions, the Great Red Spot.
- Jupiter is at its closest to Earth for the year around January 9–10, and January also features a Saturn–Moon conjunction on January 23 and the Beehive Cluster visible on clear evenings.