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By NASA
Skywatching Skywatching Home What’s Up Eclipses Explore the Night Sky Night Sky Network More Tips and Guides FAQ Four Planets in One View!
Each evening this month, enjoy a sweeping view of four bright planets at once. Also look for a close approach of Venus and Saturn, Mars occulted by the Moon, and meteors!
Skywatching Highlights
January 3 – Quadrantid meteor shower peaks: This is a moderate shower, usually delivering 20 to 30 meteors per hour under clear, dark skies at its peak. No interference from the Moon makes this year’s peak a better bet for meteor watching.
January 13 – Moon Occults Mars: For skywatchers in the continental U.S. and Eastern Canada, the Moon will appear to pass in front of Mars this evening. Times vary by location, so check your favorite skywatching app for details.
January 17-18 – Venus and Saturn conjunction: Over a couple of weeks, the two planets come within just a couple of finger widths’ distance apart in the sky (about 2 degrees). They’re at their closest on the 17th and 18th.
All month – Four planets Visible: In the first couple of hours after dark, you’ll find Venus and Saturn in the southwest, Jupiter high overhead, and Mars in the east. (Uranus and Neptune are there too, but a telescope is needed to see them.) Planets always appear a long a line on the sky to the “alignment” isn’t special. What’s less common is seeing four or five bright planets at once, which doesn’t happen every year. Is it a “planet parade”? This isn’t a technical term in astronomy, so call it what you wish!
All month – Mars at Opposition: The Red Planet is directly opposite the Sun from Earth and shines brightly all night. It’s in the east as night falls and in the southwest at dawn.
Transcript
What’s Up for January?
Cue the planet parade, Saturn and Venus cross paths, Mars expresses its opposition, and the outlook for the Quadrantid meteors.
In January, you’ll have the opportunity to take in four bright planets in a single, sweeping view.
Sky chart showing the planetary lineup visible after dark in January 2025. NASA/JPL-Caltech All month after dark, you’ll find Venus and Saturn in the southwest for the first couple of hours, while Jupiter shines brightly high overhead, and Mars rises in the east. Uranus and Neptune are there too, technically, but they don’t appear as “bright planets.” These multi-planet viewing opportunities aren’t super rare, but they don’t happen every year, so it’s worth checking it out.
Now, these events are sometimes called “alignments” of the planets, and while it’s true that they will appear more or less along a line across the sky, that’s what planets always do. That line is called the ecliptic, and it represents the plane of the solar system in which the planets orbit around the Sun. This is, incidentally, why we sometimes observe planets appearing to approach closely to each other on the sky, as we view them along a line while they careen around the cosmic racetrack.
Sky chart showing Venus and Saturn appearing quite close together on Jan. 17 and 18, 2025. NASA/JPL-Caltech This is exactly what we’ll be seeing from Venus and Saturn as they head for a super close approach in mid-January. After the beginning of the month, they quickly get closer and closer each evening, appearing at their most cozy on the 17th and 18th before going their separate ways. Remember, they’re really hundreds of millions of miles apart in space, so when you observe them, you’re staring clear across the solar system!
Mars reaches “opposition” this month, which is when the planet lies directly on the opposite side of Earth from the Sun, forming a straight line. This is around the time when the planet is at its closest to Earth, making it appear at its biggest and brightest. For Mars, oppositions happen about every two years. This one won’t be the most spectacular ever, but it’s still closer than average, and provides a great opportunity to observe the nearby planet where NASA has five missions currently operating.
And on the 13th, the full Moon cozies up to Mars, appearing super close to the Red Planet that evening. Across the U.S. and Eastern Canada, the Moon will appear to pass in front of Mars over a couple of hours, as the pair rise into the eastern sky. Mars also will be the lone planet in the sky on January mornings. You’ll find it hanging out in the west in morning twilight.
The Quadrantid meteors peak in the early morning hours on January 3rd. Interference from moonlight won’t be a problem, as the Moon is a mere crescent and sets early in the night. The way to see the most meteors is to observe after midnight from clear, dark skies away from bright city lights, and let your eyes adapt to the dark. The meteor rate will be highest as dawn approaches, and you’ll see more meteors from rural locations than in the suburbs. Now, this is a shower best seen from the Northern Hemisphere, and observers in the Northwest and Pacific region will likely have the best viewing this year.
Here are the phases of the Moon for January:
The phases of the Moon for January 2025. NASA/JPL-Caltech Stay up to date on all of NASA’s missions exploring the solar system and beyond at science.nasa.gov. I’m Preston Dyches from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and that’s What’s Up for this month.
Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA
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By NASA
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, and NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy, react as they are recognized by employees during a NASA agencywide all hands on Dec. 6, 2024, at the NASA Headquarters Mary W. Jackson Building in Washington.Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy will speak with NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Butch Wilmore, Suni Williams, and Don Pettit on Monday, Jan. 6, to discuss their mission aboard the International Space Station.
The Earth to space call coverage begins at 1:30 p.m. EST on NASA+. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media.
NASA’s Commercial Crew Program has delivered on its goal of safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation to and from the International Space Station from the United States through a partnership with American private industry. This partnership is opening access to low Earth orbit and the space station to more people, science, and commercial opportunities. The space station remains the springboard to NASA’s next great leap in space exploration, including future missions to the Moon and eventually, to Mars.
For NASA’s launch blog and more information about the mission, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew
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Meira Bernstein / Josh Finch
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
meira.b.bernstein@nasa.gov / joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov
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Last Updated Dec 30, 2024 LocationNASA Headquarters Related Terms
International Space Station (ISS) Commercial Crew Humans in Space ISS Research Johnson Space Center View the full article
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By NASA
President Carter, wife Rosalynn and daughter Amy are shown a scale model of the crawler that transported the total shuttle launch configuration to Pad 39 from the Vehicle Assembly Building by NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Director Lee Scherer in 1978.NASA The following is a statement from NASA Administrator Bill Nelson on Sunday’s passing of President Jimmy Carter:
“President Carter was the pinnacle of a public servant, dedicating his life to making our world a better place. He showed us each and every person has the power to make a difference. From providing for those in need, protecting the environment, and championing civil and human rights, President Carter was a good man who always strove to do what was right. He embodied the very best of humanity and his life and legacy are an example to the United States and the world.
“NASA’s Voyager 1, the most distant human-made object from Earth, carries a message from President Carter that captures his core goodness and grace:
“’If one such civilization intercepts Voyager and can understand these recorded contents, here is our message: This is a present from a small distant world, a token of our sounds, our science, our images, our music, our thoughts, and our feelings. We are attempting to survive our time so we may live into yours. We hope someday, having solved the problems we face, to join a community of galactic civilizations. This record represents our hope and our determination, and our good will in a vast and awesome universe.’
“President Carter understood an important truth: that we find common ground when we look to the stars. His words will forever belong to the heavens, and his legacy has forever bettered our country – and our Earth. The NASA family and I are keeping the Carter family close in our thoughts. May President Carter rest in peace.”
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Meira Bernstein / Cheryl Warner
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
meira.b.bernstein@nasa.gov / cheryl.m.warner@nasa.gov
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Last Updated Dec 29, 2024 EditorJennifer M. DoorenLocationNASA Headquarters View the full article
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By NASA
4 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
From left to right: Astrolab’s FLEX, Intuitive Machines’ Moon RACER, and Lunar Outpost’s Eagle lunar terrain vehicle at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. NASA/Bill Stafford Through NASA’s Artemis campaign, astronauts will land on the lunar surface and use a new generation of spacesuits and rovers as they live, work, and conduct science in the Moon’s South Pole region, exploring more of the lunar surface than ever before. Recently, the agency completed the first round of testing on three commercially owned and developed LTVs (Lunar Terrain Vehicle) from Intuitive Machines, Lunar Outpost, and Venturi Astrolab at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
As part of an ongoing year-long feasibility study, each company delivered a static mockup of their vehicle to Johnson at the end of September, initiated rover testing in October and completed the first round of testing in December inside the Active Response Gravity Offload System (ARGOS) test facility. Lunar surface gravity is one-sixth of what we experience here on Earth, so to mimic this, ARGOS offers an analog environment that can offload pressurized suited subjects for various reduced gravity simulations.
NASA astronauts Raja Chari (left) and Randy Bresnik (right) sit inside Lunar Outpost’s Eagle lunar terrain vehicle evaluating the seat configuration during testing at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. NASA/David DeHoyos NASA astronaut Jessica Meir grabs a lunar geology tool from a tool rack on Lunar Outpost’s Eagle lunar terrain vehicle during testing at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.NASA/James Blair NASA astronaut Joe Acaba prepares to climb on top of Intuitive Machines’ Moon RACER lunar terrain vehicle to get to a science payload during testing at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.NASA/Josh Valcarcel NASA astronaut Jessica Meir puts a science sample inside of a storage box on Intuitive Machines’ Moon RACER lunar terrain vehicle during testing at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.NASA/James Blair NASA astronaut Frank Rubio (left) and NASA spacesuit engineer Zach Tejral (right) sit inside Astrolab’s FLEX lunar terrain vehicle evaluating the display interfaces during testing at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.NASA/James Blair NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins stores science payloads on Astrolab’s FLEX lunar terrain vehicle during testing at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.NASA/Robert Markowitz This is the first major test milestone within the Lunar Terrain Vehicle Services contract and to have actual rovers delivered only four months after these companies were awarded is remarkable.
steve munday
NASA's Lunar Terrain Vehicle Project Manager
NASA’s engineering teams conducted tests where suited NASA astronauts and engineers performed tasks, maneuvers, and emergency drills on each rover. With astronauts acting as the test subjects, these human-in-the-loop tests are invaluable as crewmembers provide critical feedback on each rover’s design functionality, evaluate display interfaces and controls, and help identify potential safety concerns or design issues. This feedback is shared directly with each commercial provider, to incorporate changes based on lessons learned as they evolve their rover design.
“We are excited to have mockups from all three LTV commercial providers here at Johnson Space Center,” said Steve Munday, LTV project manager. “This is the first major test milestone within the Lunar Terrain Vehicle Services contract and to have actual rovers delivered only four months after these companies were awarded is remarkable.”
NASA engineer Dave Coan (left) and NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins (right) sit inside from Intuitive Machines’ Moon RACER lunar terrain vehicle evaluating the crew compartment during testing at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.NASA/James Blair Testing consisted of NASA astronauts and engineers taking turns wearing both NASA’s Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit planetary prototype spacesuit as well as Axiom Space’s Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit lunar spacesuit. The test teams performed evaluations to understand the interactions between the crew, the spacesuits, and the LTV mockups.
While wearing NASA’s prototype spacesuit, crew members were suspended from ARGOS allowing teams to mimic theone-sixth gravitational field of the lunar surface. This allowed the crew members to conduct tasks on the outside of each rover, such as gathering or storing lunar geology tools, deploying science payloads, and handling cargo equipment, as if they are walking on the Moon.
NASA astronaut Joe Acaba raises the solar array panel on Lunar Outpost’s Eagle lunar terrain vehicle during testing at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.NASA/Robert Markowitz While wearing Axiom Space’s pressurized spacesuit, teams evaluated the level of ease or difficulty in mobility crewmembers experienced when entering and exiting the rovers, the crew compartment and design, and the functionality of interacting with display interfaces and hand controls while wearing thick spacesuit gloves.
As part of testing, teams also conducted emergency drills, where engineers simulated rescuing an incapacitated crew member. As part of NASA’s requirements, each rover must have a design in place that enables an astronaut to single-handedly rescue their crewmates in the event of an emergency.
NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins picks up a lunar geology tool from a stowage drawer on Astrolab’s FLEX lunar terrain vehicle during testing at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.NASA/Robert Markowitz Since NASA selected the companies, Intuitive Machines, Lunar Outpost, and Venturi Astrolab have been working to meet NASA’s requirements through the preliminary design review. In 2025, the agency plans to issue a request for task order proposals to any eligible providers for a demonstration mission to continue developing the LTV, deliver it to the surface of the Moon, and validate its performance and safety ahead of Artemis V, when NASA intends to begin using the LTV for crewed operations.
Through Artemis, NASA will send astronauts – including the next Americans, and the first international partner astronaut – to explore the Moon for scientific discovery, technology evolution, economic benefits, and to build the foundation for future crewed missions to Mars.
Learn about the rovers, suits, and tools that will help Artemis astronauts to explore more of the Moon:
https://go.nasa.gov/3MnEfrB
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Last Updated Dec 17, 2024 Related Terms
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