Sky Events

January 2026

January 1: Moon at perigee

January 3: Full Moon; Earth at perihelion; conjunction of Moon & Jupiter with angular separation of 3°41′; Quadrantid meteor shower peaks

January 6: Comet 24P/Shaumasse reaches peak brightness (mag. 8.4)

January 10: Jupiter at opposition, Last Quarter Moon

January 18: New Moon

January 19: γ-Ursae Minorid meteor peaks

January 23: Conjunction of Moon and Saturn with angular separation of 4°21′

January 25: First Quarter Moon

January 29: Moon at apogee

January 30: Conjunction of Moon and Jupiter with angular separation of 3°50′

Planets in January

Mercury: Poor visibility planet, not likely visible

Venus: Not visible this month

Mars: Not visible this month

Jupiter: Excellent visibility, reaches opposition January 10th

Saturn: Excellent evening visibility, rings come more into view as month progresses

February 2026

February 1: Full Moon

February 2: Lunar occultation of Regulus

February 8: α-Centaurid meteor shower peaks

February 9: Last Quarter Moon

February 17: New Moon

February 18: Lunar Occultation of Mercury at dusk

February 19: Mercury greatest eastern elongation; conjunction of Moon and Saturn with separation of 4°38′

February 20: Mercury at highest altitude in evening sky

February 24: First Quarter Moon; Moon at perigee

February 27: Conjunction of Moon and Jupiter with separation of 3°57′

Planets in February

Mercury: Visible in the evening sky throughout the month

Venus: Visible in the evening sky beginning mid-month

Mars: Not visible this month

Jupiter: Good viewing in the western sky

Saturn: Visible in the evening sky throughout the month

March 2026

March 3: Full Moon, partial lunar eclipse around sunrise/moonset

March 10: Moon at apogee; Jupiter ends retrograde motion

March 11: Last Quarter Moon

March 18: New Moon

March 20: Vernal Equinox; Conjunction of Moon and Venus with separation of 4°37′

March 22: Moon at perigee

March 25: First Quarter Moon, Mercury at highest altitude in morning sky

March 26: Conjunction of Moon and Jupiter with separation of 3°52′

Moon 28: Moon 1.2° north of Beehive Cluster

Planets in March

Mercury: poorly placed morning planet, gaining visibility throughout the month

Venus: Visible in the evening sky throughout the month