Overview
- Jupiter reaches its brightest and closest point of the year around January 9–10, shining all night and revealing its four Galilean moons through binoculars.
- January 3’s full moon coincides with the Quadrantid meteor shower peak, washing out most meteors and limiting expected rates to roughly a handful per hour.
- Full moons on January 3, February 1 and March 3 culminate in a March 3 total lunar eclipse that is at least partly visible across the U.S., with the best complete view in the West.
- Saturn remains an early-evening target in January as Uranus and Neptune need optics, while Venus and Mercury sit too close to the sun before Venus returns to evenings in late February and pairs briefly with Saturn on March 8.
- Sirius stands high just after midnight on January 1, and Earth reaches perihelion on January 3 at 12:15 p.m. Eastern.