There's so much in store for sky-watchers in 2025 (try the biggest supermoon for years), but why not begin with some of the year's finest celestial sights?
January begins with a stunning meteor shower -- the last until April -- and the moon occulting the Pleiades, a half-lit Venus, and, most remarkably, a total eclipse of a bright Mars by the moon.
Here's everything you need to know about stargazing, moon-watching and the night sky in January 2025:
The Quadrantids are not a well-known meteor shower, but they can produce about 120 "shooting stars" per hour at their peak. That happens on Jan. 3. The Quadrantids are also known for their bright fireball meteors, which can appear anywhere in the night sky. It should be a good show this year, though the peak will be ongoing as darkness falls in North America, so get looking as soon as it gets dark. A crescent moon shouldn't get in the way too much.
The Pleiades is one of the most beautiful sights in the night sky. This open cluster of seven bright stars (also known as the "Seven Sisters") is close to the ecliptic -- the sun's path through our daytime sky -- more or less where you'll also find the moon. So occasionally, the moon covers up (or occults) the Pleiades. Look high above east when it gets dark for an 81%-lit waxing gibbous moon to move across the Pleiades over three or four hours. Use binoculars.
Planets have phases -- but only two of them. If you've ever wanted to see Venus half-lit -- and looking a little like the moon -- put a small telescope on it after sunset tonight. It's at a brief dichotomy -- its half-lit phase -- because it's an inner planet, with respect to Earth, so it never appears "full" from our point of view because it never gets the sun's full glare. It's so close and bright that only those with telescopes can see its phases.
When: a few hours after sunset on Monday, Jan. 13-Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025
Where: southern sky
Here comes one of the highlights of 2025 -- the bright planet Mars was eclipsed for a few hours by a near-full "Wolf Moon." The action will occur between 8:44 p.m. EST on Monday, Jan. 13 and 00:52 a.m. EST on Tuesday, Jan. 14, but exact timings will depend on where you observe from. See In-the-sky.org and its useful map and timings for more details.
The day after a significant astronomical event (see above) comes the rising of January's full moon, the "Wolf Moon." Get somewhere with a good view of the eastern horizon to watch it appear just after the sun has set in the west.
At its once-in-26-months opposition, Mars is a stunning sight to the naked eye or through a telescope. At its biggest, brightest, and best, the visibly red planet will rise in the east during dusk and set in the west during dawn. The planet will look at its very best this week and next but remain visible in the night sky until the end of November.
The sight of two planets seemingly close to each other in the night sky is beautiful, but the keen-eyed should watch this event over a few weeks, during which Venus and Saturn will inch closer each night before the big night, then drift away. It's a convenient post-sunset sight low in the western sky.