Topline<\/p>\n
This week features a sky where winter\u2019s brightest stars strain to be seen as the moon grows from gibbous to full. The Pleiades, Taurus\u2019s horns and Gemini\u2019s twin stars \u2014 the latter with Jupiter in their midst \u2014 all share the sky with the waxing moon, culminating in Sunday\u2019s full \u201cSnow Moon\u201d rising with Regulus in Leo. Here\u2019s everything you need to know about stargazing and astronomy this week (Jan. 26-Feb. 1, 2026). <\/p>\n
he waning gibbous moon sets behind the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro on August 20, 2024. (Photo by Pablo PORCIUNCULA \/ AFP) (Photo by PABLO PORCIUNCULA\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
AFP via Getty ImagesTimeline<\/p>\n
Tuesday, Jan. 27Moon and M45: tonight brings one of January\u2019s most eye-catching close calls: the waxing gibbous moon \u2014 now about 70%-lit \u2014 sits just to the left of the Pleiades star cluster (also called M45) in the constellation Taurus. Face southeast about an hour after sunset to see them together. While the moon\u2019s brightness will wash out many of the cluster\u2019s fainter stars, the core stars of the Pleiades \u2014 often called the Seven Sisters \u2014 should still be visible. <\/p>\n
Friday, Jan. 30Moon and Jupiter: tonight, the almost-full moon will pass close to giant planet Jupiter, now three weeks past its annual opposition. Just after dark, look east for the two solar system objects, which will appear to be just four degrees apart. Castor and Pollux \u2014 the twin stars of Gemini \u2014 will be just to the planet\u2019s upper left. <\/p>\n
Sunday, Feb. 1Full \u201cSnow Moon\u201d rises: today\u2019s full moon \u2014 the second of winter \u2014 becomes 100%-lit at 12:09 p.m. EST and rises into the eastern sky during dusk across North America. Traditionally known as the Snow Moon, it\u2019s also been called the Hunger Moon or Storm Moon. Face east-northeast around sunset to watch the golden disk rise, then look just below it for Regulus, the brightest star in the constellation Leo. It\u2019s also known as a \u201cLittle King\u201d star. The ancient Persians called it a Royal Star, along with Fomalhaut, Aldebaran, and Antares, which were each positioned at the seasonal turning points of the solstice and equinox. <\/p>\n
Photo of the constellation Gemini with annotations from IAU and Sky & Telescope. Here is the non-annotated version.<\/p>\n
E. Slawik\/NOIRLab\/NSF\/AURA\/M. Constellation Of The Week: Gemini, \u2018the Twins\u2019<\/p>\n
High in the east after dark, Gemini is home to the twin stars Castor and Pollux. Pollux, slightly brighter and warmer in color, represents the immortal brother in Greek mythology; Castor, cooler and white, is the mortal twin. Between them lies a rich star field where the moon and Jupiter pass this week. Deep-sky objects like the open cluster M35 can be found near the feet of the Twins \u2014 a great target for telescope users once the moonlight fades \u2014 though the most obvious nearby object is, for now, Jupiter. <\/p>\n
The times and dates given apply to mid-northern latitudes. For the most accurate location-specific information, consult Stellarium<\/a> and other online planetariums. Check my main feed<\/a> for more in-depth articles on stargazing, astronomy, eclipses and more.<\/p>\n Further ReadingForbes2026 Will Bring A \u2018Blood Moon,\u2019 \u2018Ring Of Fire\u2019 And Total Solar EclipseBy Jamie Carter<\/a>ForbesYour Full Moon Guide For 2026 \u2014 All 13 Dates For Your DiaryBy Jamie Carter<\/a>Forbes3I\/ATLAS: The Truth About The Interstellar Comet Everyone\u2019s WatchingBy Jamie Carter<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Topline This week features a sky where winter\u2019s brightest stars strain to be seen as the moon grows…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":304132,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[77],"tags":[149628,18,19,17,2663,149626,133,149631,149630,149629,149627],"class_list":{"0":"post-304131","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-science","8":"tag-best-time-to-stargaze-january","9":"tag-eire","10":"tag-ie","11":"tag-ireland","12":"tag-jupiter","13":"tag-night-sky-january-2026","14":"tag-science","15":"tag-stargazing-january","16":"tag-stargazing-northern-hemisphere","17":"tag-stargazing-tips","18":"tag-winter-constellations-guide"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/115960483940838977","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/304131","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=304131"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/304131\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/304132"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=304131"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=304131"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=304131"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}