Topline<\/p>\n
A moonless night sky<\/a> this weekend presents an opportunity for stargazers after some of the best conditions of the year. With a slim crescent moon<\/a> retreating from view and bright planets and star clusters high in the sky, this is a perfect time to head outside and look up. Whether you\u2019re scanning for Orion\u2019s Belt, tracing the arc of the Winter Circle or catching a rare glimpse of Jupiter at its brightest, this weekend\u2019s new moon \u2014 which sets up Chinese New Year<\/a>, Ramadan and a \u201cring of fire\u201d solar eclipse<\/a> in February \u2014 offers a fine celestial lineup for amateur astronomers and casual skywatchers alike. Here\u2019s what to see even from a light-polluted city. <\/p>\n Orion and the Winter Milky Way over a grand old barn in Alberta, Canada. A new moon on Sunday, Jan. 18, means dark skies and some of the best stargazing conditions of the year. (Photo by: VW Pics\/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)<\/p>\n Universal Images Group via Getty ImagesKey Facts<\/p>\n The moon will be reduced to a 10%-lit waning crescent on Friday, Jan. 15, and just 5% on Saturday, Jan. 16, before disappearing entirely at the new moon on Sunday, Jan. 17. The lack of moonlight makes this the darkest weekend of 2026 so far. <\/p>\n Jupiter, having just reached opposition on Jan. 10, is now shining at magnitude -2.7, making it brighter than any star in the sky. It will be visible all night long in the constellation Gemini, right beside the bright twin stars Castor and Pollux.<\/p>\n With the moon and its natural light pollution unable to wash out fainter stars, constellations and other objects will shine brighter than ever. Stargazers in the Northern Hemisphere rate January as one of the best months because of its long, dark nights and crisp, clear air with less haze. <\/p>\n The constellations of winter in the Northern Hemisphere. <\/p>\n StellariumThree Constellations To Find This Week<\/p>\n January\u2019s night sky is anchored by three of winter\u2019s most iconic constellations: <\/p>\n Orion, Taurus and Gemini. Orion, \u201cThe Hunter,\u201d is the easiest to find \u2014 just look for the three aligned stars of his Belt (Alnitak, Alnilam and Mintaka). Above Orion and to the right is Taurus, home to the red giant Aldebaran and several star clusters. High in the sky is Gemini, where Jupiter now outshines everything around it, including the constellation\u2019s \u201ctwins,\u201d Castor and Pollux. <\/p>\n The Hyades star cluster is the “V” shape around Aldebaran, with the Pleiades star cluster directly above.<\/p>\n StellariumThree Deep-Sky Objects To Target<\/p>\n Three of winter\u2019s most stunning objects are ideally placed this weekend. Near Taurus lies the Pleiades, a delicate cluster of hot, young stars visible to the naked eye (find it by following Orion\u2019s Belt up into the night sky). Slightly lower and wider is the Hyades, forming a \u201cV\u201d around Aldebaran. Look below Orion\u2019s Belt to find the Orion Nebula (M42), where new stars are forming. It\u2019s visible to the naked eye, but looks fabulous in binoculars as a hazy patch of light.<\/p>\n The constituent stars of the “Winter Circle.” <\/p>\n StellariumHow To Trace The \u2018winter Circle\u2019<\/p>\n The Winter Circle \u2014 also called the Winter Hexagon \u2014 is a vast asterism made of the season\u2019s brightest stars. If you can identify Orion\u2019s Belt, you\u2019re halfway there \u2014 follow it down to Sirius and up to Aldebaran to orient yourself. Now find the circle, begin at the bottom, at Sirius in the constellation Canis Major, the brightest star in the night sky. From there, move clockwise to Procyon, then to Pollux in Gemini (with bright Jupiter nearby). Continue to Capella, overhead in Auriga, then to Aldebaran in Taurus, and finally down to Rigel in Orion before closing the loop at Sirius.<\/p>\n What\u2019s Next In The Night Sky<\/p>\n After the Jan. 17 new moon, the lunar cycle begins again. Look west just after sunset on Jan. 19, 20 and 21 for a crescent moon both bathed in Earthshine \u2014 the faint glow from sunlight reflected off Earth. Later in the month, the moon will brush close to the Pleiades on Jan. 27 and pass near Jupiter again on Jan. 30, forming a beautiful celestial tableau with Gemini\u2019s twin stars. <\/p>\n Further ReadingForbesYour Ultimate Guide To Stargazing And Astronomy In 2026By Jamie Carter<\/a>ForbesYour Full Moon Guide For 2026 \u2014 All 13 Dates For Your DiaryBy Jamie Carter<\/a>ForbesA \u2018Wolf Moon\u2019 Rises With The \u2018Seven Sisters:\u2019 The New Year\u2019s Night SkyBy Jamie Carter<\/a>ForbesHere\u2019s The Date For Chinese New Year 2026 \u2014 And What Animal You AreBy Jamie Carter<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Topline A moonless night sky this weekend presents an opportunity for stargazers after some of the best conditions…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":241183,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[94974,85,46,3955,8245,88126,129786,24082,129785,129784,141,145,2588,129783],"class_list":["post-241182","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-space","tag-how-to-go-stargazing","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-jupiter","tag-moon","tag-new-moon","tag-new-moon-january-2026","tag-night-sky","tag-one-is-the-full-moon","tag-planet-parade","tag-science","tag-space","tag-stargazing","tag-stargazing-tips"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241182","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=241182"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241182\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/241183"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=241182"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=241182"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=241182"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}