January 12: Mars closest to Earth, near moon and Twins
Mars will be closest to Earth at 14 UTC on January 12, 2025. It’ll be 5.3 light-minutes away at a distance of 0.642 astronomical units (59,703,891 miles or 96,084,099 kilometers). That evening evening, you’ll find Mars not far from the bright waxing gibbous moon. Gemini’s twin stars – Castor and Pollux – will be nearby. Mars will be at opposition – when Earth flies between it and the sun – on January 15-16. Around now, it’s at its brightest for the year 2025. Chart via EarthSky.
Everyone on Earth will see the full Wolf Moon on the night of January 13. The crest of the moon’s full phase will come at 22:27 UTC (4:27 p.m. CST) on January 13. And here’s a double whammy! As seen from around the globe, that night’s full moon will lie near the bright red planet Mars. Mars is closest to Earth for this 2-year period on January 12. That’s because Mars is opposite the sun from Earth now, at opposition on January 15-16. And a full moon is also opposite the sun. So it makes sense that this month’s full moon will be near Mars. What’s more, a few lucky observers – in parts of North America, northwest Africa, Azores and Cape Verde Islands – will see the moon occult – or pass in front of – Mars. If you look outside on the night of January 13 and don’t see Mars … that might be because it’s behind the moon! Details on the occultation here. Look near the moon and Mars for the twin stars of Gemini: Castor and Pollux. The moon, Mars and twin stars will almost be in a straight line, and they’ll be visible all night. Chart via EarthSky.Here’s a binocular view of the full moon approaching Mars, eventually passing in front of it, on the evening of January 13. Mars should be bright enough to spot in the glare of the moon. Chart via EarthSky.
Here’s the view of 4 bright planets on the evening of January 15, 2025. By the way, Uranus and Neptune are there as well but require optical aid to see. All these planets will lie along the path the sun travels in daytime (the green line on our chart). Brilliant Venus dazzles in dark skies in the west, with the steady golden light of Saturn nearby. They are closest to each other on the evenings of January 17 and 18. High overhead is bright Jupiter, and visible all night is the red planet Mars. Mars will reach opposition – when it lies opposite Earth from the sun – on January 15-16.
January 15-16: Mars biggest and brightest for 2025
Mars can appear bright or faint in our sky. 2024 was mostly a faint year, but Mars has been steadily brightening for a few months. It’ll reach opposition – when Earth will pass between it and the sun, bringing Mars closest and brightest – on January 15-16. It’ll be at its brightest for 2025. The next time it’ll be at its brightest is February 2027. Catch it soon!
Will the planets align on January 25, 2025? By now, you might have seen the breathless announcements claiming that they will. Is it true? Get the scoop on planets in January 2025 from EarthSky’s OB stargazers Deborah Byrd and John Goss!
January moon phases video
EarthSky’s Marcy Curran created this 1-minute video preview of the moon phases for the month of January 2025. This month is the full Wolf Moon and it passes in front of Mars from some locations. Plus the moon visits several other bright planets. Check it out!
January 15 and 16 evenings: Moon, Regulus and Sickle
The waning gibbous moon will lie near Regulus, the brightest star in Leo the Lion, on the evenings of January 15 and 16. Regulus is the punctuation mark at the bottom of a pattern of stars that looks like a backward question mark. It’s an asterism – a distinct group of stars – known as the Sickle. They’ll rise late evening and be visible through dawn. Chart via EarthSky.
Our charts are mostly set for the northern half of Earth. To see a precise view – and time – from your location, try Stellarium Online.
January 17 and 18 evenings: Venus and Saturn pair up
Dazzling Venus will lie close to the steady golden light of Saturn after sunset on January 17 and 18, 2025. Saturn has been closing in on Venus all month and will soon become difficult to see in the evening twilight in February. Chart via EarthSky.Here’s a binocular view of Venus and Saturn on the evenings January 17 and 18, 2025. Chart via EarthSky.
January 20 and 21 mornings: Moon and Spica
The moon, close to its 3rd quarter phase, will lie near the bright star Spica on the mornings of January 20 and 21. What’s more, a few lucky observers in Cape Verde Islands, parts of west and south Africa, and south Madagascar will see the moon occult – or pass in front of – Spica at 5 UTC on January 21. Others will see the moon close to Spica. So, if you look outside on the morning and don’t see Spica … that might be because it’s behind the moon! Spica is the brightest star in Virgo the Maiden. They’ll rise around midnight and be visible through dawn. And it’s a good time to look for the moon in the morning daylight sky. Chart via EarthSky.
The moment of last quarter moon will fall at 20:31 UTC (2:31 p.m. CST) on January 21, 2025. It’ll rise after midnight your local time and set around noon. Look for it high in the sky before dawn.
The moon will reach apogee – its farthest distance from Earth in its elliptical orbit – at 5 UTC on January 21, 2025, when it’s 251,219 miles (404,298 km) away.
January 24 and 25 mornings: Moon and Antares
The waning crescent moon will lie close to red Antares on the morning of January 24, 2025. Antares is the brightest star in Scorpius the Scorpion. What’s more, a few lucky observers in parts of Madagascar, south Australia, south Polynesia, and New Zealand will see the moon occult – or pass in front of – Antares at 0 UTC on January 25. Others will see the moon close to Antares. So if you look outside on the morning of January 24 and don’t see Antares … that might be because it’s behind the moon! Then it will lie between Antares and the horizon on the next morning. Look for them about an hour before sunrise. Do you see a glow on the unlit portion of the moon? That’s earthshine. It’s light reflected from Earth. Chart via EarthSky.
The thin waning crescent moon will move away from Antares and will hang closer to the eastern horizon before sunrise on January 26 and 27. Look for them about 40 minutes before sunrise. Chart via EarthSky.
Our charts are mostly set for the northern half of Earth. To see a precise view – and time – from your location, try Stellarium Online.
January 30 and 31 evenings: Moon, Venus and Saturn
The thin waxing crescent moon will hang in the bright twilight low on western horizon shortly after sunset on January 30, 2025. Brilliant Venus will shine much higher in the sky with the steady golden light of Saturn nearby. On the last evening of January, the crescent moon full with earthshine will float near Venus and will lie close to Saturn. Chart via EarthSky.
If you’re out stargazing on any January evening, look for these stars and constellations overhead in the sky.
First, look for one of the most recognizable constellations in the sky,Orion the Hunter. It’s visible in both hemispheres. It rises in the east on January evenings. The 3 bright stars in a row – Orion’s Belt – are sure to catch you eye. Chart via EarthSky.Next, look for the 5-star W or M shape of Cassiopeia the Queen. Not only is it easy to spot, it is useful to find other stars, constellations and deep-sky objects. Look for it high overhead as darkness falls in early January. Chart via EarthSky.
Our charts are mostly set for the northern half of Earth. To see a precise view – and time – from your location, try Stellarium Online.
Stargazing tips for beginners
January morning planet
During the first half of January, Northern Hemisphere viewers can find Mercury well placed in the bright morning twilight about 30 minutes before sunrise. The little planet might be difficult to spot, but binoculars might help. The bright star Antares will shine nearby. Mercury reached its farthest distance from the sun in late December. Chart via EarthSky.
All-sky charts for January evening planets
Here’s the view of 4 bright planets on the evening of January 5, 2025. They will lie along the path the sun travels in daytime (the green line on our chart). If you have an unobstructed view of the sky, you can easily see all 4 of them at once. By the way, Uranus and Neptune are there as well but require optical aid to see. Brilliant Venus is a beacon in dark skies in the west with the steady golden light of Saturn nearby. Venus will reach its greatest distance from the sun on January 9-10. Venus and Saturn will continue getting closer to each other through January 17, then move apart. High overhead is bright Jupiter – it’s brighter than all stars – and then the red planet Mars is in the eastern sky. Mars is visible all night and is as bright as Sirius, our brightest star. Mars will be closest to Earth on January 12.Here’s the view of 4 bright planets on the evening of January 15, 2025. By the way, Uranus and Neptune are there as well but require optical aid to see. They will lie along the path the sun travels in daytime (the green line on our chart). Brilliant Venus dazzles in dark skies in the west, with the steady golden light of Saturn nearby. They are closest to each other on the evenings of January 17 and 18. High overhead is bright Jupiter, and visible all night is the red planet Mars. Mars will reach opposition – when it lies opposite Earth from the sun – on January 15-16.
January planet visible all night
Mars is on display this month and closing in on the bright stars Castor and Pollux. It’ll be visible all night this month. Mars will be closest to Earth – about 5.3 light-minutes away – on January 12. Mars will lie near the full moon on January 13 and will be occulted by the moon at 4 UTC on January 14. Then it’ll lie opposite the sun from Earth – or at opposition – on January 15-16. It’ll reach magnitude -1.4, matching that of Sirius, our brightest star. Mars is closest to Earth roughly every 2 years. So we won’t see Mars this bright again until 2027. Chart via EarthSky.
January evening planets
Venus shines brightly after dark in the western evening sky and will reach its greatest distance from the sun on January 9-10. It’ll set about 4 hours after sunset and is a beacon in a dark sky. Saturn will be there too – it’s less bright than Venus – but they’ll make a lovely pair in the evening sky as they race toward each other. Their closest approach will be on the evenings of January 17-18, 2025. The planetary pair will make an eye-catching sight and lie about 2.2 degrees apart at their closest. Chart via EarthSky.Bright Jupiter will lie high in the east in the evening sky. It is surrounded by the bright stars Capella and Aldebaran, and the Pleiades and Hyades star clusters. Jupiter was at its brightest last month and will fade a bit this month. But it still outshines even the brightest stars. Jupiter will rise before sunset in January and set a few hours before sunrise by month’s end. It’ll remain in the constellation of Taurus the Bull until it passes behind the sun – in its solar conjunction – in June. Chart via EarthSky.
Our charts are mostly set for the northern half of Earth. To see a precise view – and time – from your location, try Stellarium Online.
Sky dome maps for visible planets and night sky
Here is the sky dome view for January 2025. It shows what is above the horizon at mid-evening for mid-northern latitudes. A broad arrow on the celestial equator shows how far the sky will rotate in the next hour, carrying stars up from the eastern and down to the western horizon. The view may vary depending on your location. Image via Guy Ottewell’s 2025 Astronomical Calendar.
Attention amateur astronomers! Guy Ottewell’s popular and informative Astronomical Calendar for 2024 is available in both electronic and printed versions.
Bottom line: Visible planets and night sky guide. Today, Mars is closest to Earth in its orbit, although it will not reach opposition until January 15-16.
Meet Marcy Curran, our voice of the night sky on EarthSky YouTube. Check out her popular short videos in the Sky category on our YouTube channel. When she's not making videos, Marcy is an EarthSky editor, helping to keep our night sky guide up-to-date and just generally helping to keep the wheels turning around here. Marcy has enjoyed stargazing since she was a child, going on family camping trips under the dark skies of Wyoming. She bought her first telescope in time to see Halley’s Comet when it visited the inner solar system in 1986. She co-founded her local astronomy club and remains an active board member. Marcy taught astronomy at her local community college for over 20 years. She and her husband live in Wyoming, in a rural location, with an all-sky camera and super-good horizon views! And, their observatory will soon be ready to photograph the night sky.
“I can sometimes see the moon in the daytime” was a cosmic revelation that John Jardine Goss first discovered through personal observations at age 6. It shook his young concept of the universe and launched his interest in astronomy and stargazing, a fascination he still holds today. John is past president of the Astronomical League, the largest U.S. federation of astronomical societies, with over 24,000 members. He's earned the title of Master Observer and is a regular contributor to the video series, “Global Star Party.” He has authored the celestial observing guides “Exploring the Starry Realm,” and “Carpe Lunam,” and “Take Your First Steps, an Introduction to Amateur Astronomy.” John also wrote for twenty years the monthly stargazing column, Roanoke Skies, for the Roanoke Times, and currently writes a bimonthly column, Skywatch, for Blue Ridge Country magazine. He has contributed to Sky and Telescope magazine, the IDA Nightscape, the Astronomical League’s Reflector magazine, and the RASC Observer’s Handbook.
Our Editor-in-Chief Deborah Byrd works to keep all the astronomy balls in the air between EarthSky's website, YouTube page and social media platforms. She's the primary editor of our popular daily newsletter and a frequent host of EarthSky livestreams. Deborah created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. In 2020, she won the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society, the largest organization of professional astronomers in North America. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.
Kelly Kizer Whitt - EarthSky’s nature and travel vlogger on YouTube - writes and edits some of the most fascinating stories at EarthSky.org. She's been writing about science, with a focus on astronomy, for decades. She began her career at Astronomy Magazine and made regular contributions to other outlets, including AstronomyToday and the Sierra Club. She has nine published books, including a children's picture book, Solar System Forecast, and a young adult dystopian novel, A Different Sky.
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