Table of contents

What: The full moon meets with Jupiter, the king of the planets, and the brightest stars in Gemini, Castor and Pollux

When: Saturday January 3, starting approx. 1.5 hours after sunset

Equipment needed: Naked eye or binoculars (recommendations: Cometron 7x50)

How: The full moon will rise toward the northeast around the time of sunset, but you’ll need to wait a few minutes to see Jupiter close to it, and the stars of Gemini will only become visible about an hour and a half after sunset. They will rise higher in the sky for a few hours and keep making their way west until they set in the northwest around the time of sunrise.

What: The waxing crescent moon meets Saturn, the ringed planet

When: Thursday January 22, approx. 1 hour after sunset to 4 hours after sunset

Equipment needed: Naked eye

How: Wait until darkness, at least an hour after sunset. Find the moon toward the southwest. Beside it, you’ll see what looks like a bright star, which is actually Saturn. They may not be close enough to see them both together with binoculars, but if you have binoculars, Neptune is in the same field of view as Saturn. They will get even closer together in February. Check below for more information about that encounter.

What: The waxing gibbous moon meets with the Pleiades star cluster

When: Tuesday January 27, starting approx. 1.5 hours after sunset

Equipment needed: Naked eye or binoculars (recommendations: Cometron 7x50 or Ultima 10x50)

How: The waxing gibbous moon will rise toward the northeast in around noon, but you’ll need to wait until darkness (at least 1.5 hours after sunset) to see the Pleiades star cluster near it. They will rise higher in the sky for a few hours and keep making their way west until they set in the northwest before sunrise. They will get further from each other as the night progresses. Although this can technically be seen with the naked eye, the gibbous moon is very bright and could make it challenging to see the Pleiades nearby without binoculars.

What: The waxing gibbous moon meets with Jupiter, the king of the planets

When: Friday January 30, starting approx. 1.5 hours after sunset

Equipment needed: Naked eye or binoculars (recommendations: Cometron 7x50)

How: The waxing gibbous moon will rise toward the northeast in mid-afternoon, but you’ll need to wait until darkness to see Jupiter close to it. They will rise higher in the sky for a few hours and keep making their way west until they set in the northwest before sunrise. In early evening, they'll be close enough to each other to see together in a pair of binoculars.

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What: The almost full moon passes in front of Regulus, the brightest star in the Leo constellation

When: Monday February 2, evening (exact time depends on location)

Equipment needed: Naked eye, binoculars (recommendations: Cometron 7x50 or Ultima 10x50), or telescope (recommendations: Starsense Explorer LT 80AZ or Starsense Explorer LT 114AZ)

How: Check an astronomy app like Stellarium to see if the occultation is visible from your location.

Once you’ve determined that it’ll be visible from your location, find a location away from light pollution. The moon will rise in early evening between the east and northeast, but Regulus will not be visible until about an hour and a half after sunset, when it’s dark. The moon will pass in front of the star sometime in the evening, depending on your location. To find the exact timing of the occultation, use an app like Stellarium. Centre on the moon, go to February 2 in the evening, and move forward in time by minutes to see when the Regulus appear to move behind the moon and reappear. Note that the disappearance or reappearance will only be visible if the objects are above the horizon but the sun has set at least an hour and a half before. If the sun is not far below the horizon, it may be possible to see but difficult because of the bright dusk light.

Note that the gibbous moon is a lot brighter than the Regulus, and binoculars or a telescope would make the observation a lot easier.

If the occultation is not visible from your location, it will be a close conjunction of the moon and Regulus. Look at the moon anytime in the night of February 2 to 3 to see the two celestial objects together.

Where: Antarctica

What: The moon will pass directly in front of the sun, creating an annular solar eclipse for a certain parts of the world

When: Tuesday February 17, times vary depending on location

Equipment needed: Solar eclipse glasses, solar binoculars, or solar telescope. Never look directly at the sun without certified solar viewing filters, even during the partial or annular phase of an eclipse.

How: Observers in certain regions of Antarctica will be able to view an annular solar eclipse, depending on exact location. Madagascar and the southern tips of Africa and South America will see a partial solar eclipse. See this Time and Date page for more info on this eclipse.

An annular solar eclipse happens when the moon passes directly in front of the sun as seen from parts of the Earth, but the moon is further from the Earth than average. This will make it look like a ring of sun around the smaller moon.

What: The waxing crescent moon meets Mercury

When: Wednesday February 18, approx. 1 hour after sunset to 1.5 hours after sunset

Equipment needed: Naked eye, binoculars (recommendations: Cometron 7x50 or Ultima 10x50), or telescope (recommendations: Starsense Explorer LT 80AZ or Starsense Explorer LT 114AZ)

How: Wait until darkness, at least an hour after sunset. Find the very thin crescent moon close to the horizon toward the west. Beside it, you’ll see what looks like a bright star, which is actually Mercury. Shortly after sunset, you may see a very bright "star" closer to the horizon, which is actually Venus. You can use binoculars or a telescope to see them up close.

What: Saturn, the ringed planet, meets Neptune, the furthest planet

When: Wednesday to Saturday, February 18-21, approx. 1.5 hours to 2 hours after sunset

Equipment needed:Telescope (recommendations: Starsense Explorer LT 80AZ or Starsense Explorer LT 114AZ)

How: Look close to the western horizon starting about 1 hour after sunset. With the naked eye, you will see Saturn, looking like a bright star. Once the sky has darkened some more, point your telescope at it and you should see Neptune in the same field of view. Neptune is never visible to the naked eye. Note that there will be several stars in the field of view that are brighter than Neptune, so you can use the above simulation to help you identify the distant planet. Both planets will be low on the horizon, so a clear, unobstructed view is essential to catch this event. They will set not long after Neptune becomes visible. These planets can be observed together through a telescope for a few days before or after the dates above, but these are the times of closest approach.

What: Mercury, the planet nearest the sun, is at its best evening visibility of the year

When: Thursday February 19, approx. 45 minutes after sunset to approx. 1.5 hours after sunset

Equipment needed: Naked eye or binoculars (recommendations: Cometron 7x50 or Ultima 10x50mm)

How: Mercury is notoriously difficult to see because it always stays close to the sun, moving back and forth between the evening sky and the morning sky. On February 19, its apparent distance from the sun, along with the springtime angle of the ecliptic will make it easier to see. February 19 will be the best, but it should be fairly good for 2-3 days before and after as well. Get a clear view of the horizon toward the west. Start looking near that horizon about 45 minutes after sunset. Venus will be visible earlier, closer to the horizon, because it’s a lot brighter. Mercury will appear after Venus, looking like a fairly bright star in the glow of sunset near the horizon. It will set about 1.5 hours after the sun. This will be visible to the naked eye but binoculars would make it easier to find.

What: The first quarter moon meets with the Pleiades star cluster

When: Monday February 23, starting approx. 1.5 hours after sunset

Equipment needed: Naked eye, binoculars (recommendations: Cometron 7x50 or Ultima 10x50), or telescope (recommendations: Starsense Explorer LT 80AZ or Starsense Explorer LT 114AZ)

How: The first quarter moon will be visible in the blue sky starting in late morning, but you’ll need to wait until darkness (at least 1.5 hours after sunset) to see the Pleiades star cluster near it. After darkness, they will make their way down toward the northwest horizon, where they will set after midnight. Although this can technically be seen with the naked eye, the first quarter moon is fairly bright and could make it challenging to see the Pleiades nearby without binoculars.

What: The waxing gibbous moon meets with Jupiter, the king of the planets

When: Night of Thursday to Friday, February 26-27, starting approx. 1.5 hours after sunset

Equipment needed: Naked eye or binoculars (recommendations: Cometron 7x50)

How: The waxing gibbous moon will rise toward the northeast in early afternoon, but you’ll need to wait until darkness to see Jupiter close to it. They will rise higher in the sky for a few hours and keep making their way west until they set in the northwest before sunrise. They'll be close enough to each other to see together in a pair of binoculars, but your naked eye is all you need.