Best Night Sky Events of January 2016 (Stargazing Maps)

Jupiter and the Moon, January 2016

Starry Night Software

Wednesday, January 27, 10 p.m. local time. Jupiter and the moon are close in the sky, and rise together around 10 p.m. local time.

Mercury, January 2016

Starry Night Software

Mercury is well placed low in the western sky at the beginning of the month for observers in the northern hemisphere. It passes inferior conjunction on the 14th, and is then well placed in the eastern sky at the end of the month for observers in the southern hemisphere.

Venus, January 2016

Starry Night Software

Venus continues to shine brightly at dawn all month, but is dropping towards the sun. It passes close to Saturn on the morning of the 9th.

Mars, January 2016

Starry Night Software

Mars, in the morning sky, moves eastward against the starry background, but westward in the sky. It passes from Virgo to Libra on the 17th.

Jupiter, January 2016

Starry Night Software

Jupiter shines brightly in eastern Leo, rising in the late evening.

Saturn, January 2016

Starry Night Software

Saturn reappears in the dawn sky in Ophiuchus.

Uranus, January 2016

Starry Night Software

Uranus is well placed in Pisces in the western evening sky all month.

Neptune, January 2016

Starry Night Software

Neptune sets in the early evening in the constellation Aquarius.

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Geoff Gaherty
Starry Night Sky Columnist

Geoff Gaherty was Space.com's Night Sky columnist and in partnership with Starry Night software and a dedicated amateur astronomer who sought to share the wonders of the night sky with the world. Based in Canada, Geoff studied mathematics and physics at McGill University and earned a Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of Toronto, all while pursuing a passion for the night sky and serving as an astronomy communicator. He credited a partial solar eclipse observed in 1946 (at age 5) and his 1957 sighting of the Comet Arend-Roland as a teenager for sparking his interest in amateur astronomy. In 2008, Geoff won the Chant Medal from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, an award given to a Canadian amateur astronomer in recognition of their lifetime achievements. Sadly, Geoff passed away July 7, 2016 due to complications from a kidney transplant, but his legacy continues at Starry Night.