{"id":220402,"date":"2026-01-06T23:10:04","date_gmt":"2026-01-06T23:10:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/220402\/"},"modified":"2026-01-06T23:10:04","modified_gmt":"2026-01-06T23:10:04","slug":"venus-reaches-superior-solar-conjunction-on-january-6-2026-what-does-it-mean-and-can-you-see-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/220402\/","title":{"rendered":"Venus reaches superior solar conjunction on January 6, 2026: What does it mean and can you see it?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Celestron NexStar 8SE<\/p>\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:56.25%;\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/jbkGMddB6fL6irTmR92Wgc.jpg\" alt=\"The Celestron NexStar 8SE Computerized Telescope side view with accessories details\"   loading=\"lazy\" data-new-v2-image=\"true\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/jbkGMddB6fL6irTmR92Wgc.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/jbkGMddB6fL6irTmR92Wgc.jpg\" class=\"pinterest-pin-exclude pinterest-pin-exclude pinterest-pin-exclude\"\/>\n<\/p>\n<p>(Image credit: Celestron)<\/p>\n<p class=\"fancy-box__body-text\">We reckon the <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/target.georiot.com\/Proxy.ashx?tsid=72128&amp;GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Famazon.com%2Fdp%2FB000GUFOC8%2Fref%3Dasc_df_B000GUFOC81706720400000%3Fth%3D1%26tag%3Dhawk-future-20%26ascsubtag%3Dspace-us-4856451374984046238-20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"sponsored noopener nofollow\" data-url=\"https:\/\/target.georiot.com\/Proxy.ashx?tsid=72128&amp;GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Famazon.com%2Fdp%2FB000GUFOC8%2Fref%3Dasc_df_B000GUFOC81706720400000%3Fth%3D1%26tag%3Dhawk-future-20%26ascsubtag%3Dspace-us-1144524029526569645-20\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"hawklinks\" data-google-interstitial=\"false\" data-placeholder-url=\"https:\/\/target.georiot.com\/Proxy.ashx?tsid=72128&amp;GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Famazon.com%2Fdp%2FB000GUFOC8%2Fref%3Dasc_df_B000GUFOC81706720400000%3Fth%3D1%26tag%3Dhawk-future-20%26ascsubtag%3Dhawk-custom-tracking-20\" data-merchant-name=\"Amazon US\" data-merchant-id=\"1471\" data-merchant-network=\"Amazonus\" data-merchant-url=\"amazon.com\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\">Celestron NexStar 8SE<\/a> is the best motorized telescope out there as it&#8217;s great for astrophotography, deep-space observing and it offers stunning detailed imagery. It is a little pricey but for what you get, it&#8217;s good value. For a more detailed look, you can check out our <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/celestron-nexstar-8se-telescope-review\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/celestron-nexstar-8se-telescope-review\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Celestron NexStar 8SE review<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p id=\"1a70a979-021f-433e-ad8b-cdecb8cda2be\">Venus will align with the sun and Earth to undergo a superior solar conjunction later today (Jan. 6), but what does that mean and, more pressingly, will you be able to see it happen? Read on to find out more.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\">The planets of the <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/16080-solar-system-planets.html\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/16080-solar-system-planets.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">solar system<\/a> orbit <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/58-the-sun-formation-facts-and-characteristics.html\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/58-the-sun-formation-facts-and-characteristics.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">the sun<\/a> in a complex and ever-shifting ballet, which can see them appear as glorious star-like objects to the naked eye for months on end or render them entirely lost from view as they slip into the glare of our parent star.<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"elk-seasonal\" class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-url=\"\" href=\"\" target=\"_blank\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"none\"\/><\/p>\n<p id=\"1a70a979-021f-433e-ad8b-cdecb8cda2be-2\"><a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/44-venus-second-planet-from-the-sun-brightest-planet-in-solar-system.html\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/44-venus-second-planet-from-the-sun-brightest-planet-in-solar-system.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Venus<\/a> \u2014 which is often referred to as <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/54-earth-history-composition-and-atmosphere.html\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/54-earth-history-composition-and-atmosphere.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Earth<\/a>&#8216;s twin thanks to its comparable size and rocky composition \u2014 treads a tighter orbit around our parent star than our own Blue Marble. As a result, it never strays far from the horizon, while taking it in turns to appear in the evening and morning sky \u2014 periods which astronomers refer to as &#8220;apparitions.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>You may like<\/p>\n<p id=\"01cdc55e-333f-47ce-a25b-725f53eedda3\">At 12:10 p.m. EST (17:10 GMT) on Jan. 6, Venus&#8217; orbit will see it line up behind the sun from the perspective of Earth in an event known as a superior solar conjunction, marking its transition from a morning object to an evening object, according to <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/in-the-sky.org\/news.php?id=20260106_11_101\" target=\"_blank\" data-url=\"https:\/\/in-the-sky.org\/news.php?id=20260106_11_101\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">In-the-sky<\/a>. This is also the time when Venus reaches apogee, its most distant point from Earth in its orbit.<\/p>\n<p>Sadly, the glare of the sun makes it impossible to see Venus in the weeks surrounding either a superior solar conjunction or an inferior solar conjunction, when the rocky world passes between Earth and the sun. However, Venus is expected to emerge back into view in February <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/astronomy-essentials\/visible-planets-tonight-mars-jupiter-venus-saturn-mercury\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-url=\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/astronomy-essentials\/visible-planets-tonight-mars-jupiter-venus-saturn-mercury\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">per EarthSky<\/a> and will reach its highest altitude in the morning sky on June 5.<\/p>\n<p>Want to be ready to <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/ultimate-moon-observation-guide\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/ultimate-moon-observation-guide\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">see the moon<\/a>-like phases of Venus when it rises higher in the evening sky over the coming months?? Then be sure to check out our roundups of the <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/15693-telescopes-beginners-telescope-reviews-buying-guide.html\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/15693-telescopes-beginners-telescope-reviews-buying-guide.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">best telescopes<\/a> for viewing solar system planets that are available in 2026.<\/p>\n<p>If you&#8217;re new to the night sky, you may also want to see our picks of the <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/best-stargazing-apps\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/best-stargazing-apps\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">best smartphone astronomy apps<\/a>, which use augmented reality technology to help pinpoint the locations of everything from planets and <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/nebula-definition-types\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/nebula-definition-types\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">nebulas<\/a> to distant galaxies and stars.<\/p>\n<p class=\"newsletter-form__strapline\">Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Celestron NexStar 8SE (Image credit: Celestron) We reckon the Celestron NexStar 8SE is the best motorized telescope out&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":220403,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[111,139,69,147,392],"class_list":["post-220402","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-space","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-science","tag-space"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/220402","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=220402"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/220402\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/220403"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=220402"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=220402"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=220402"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}