January Skywatching: What to look out for
A rare planetary "alignment" - well, more like a scattering!
Happy New Year!
Here’s to hoping 2025 brings clearer skies than last year—especially as we embark on an exciting new project. We’re officially kicking off the Northwest Highland Geopark Dark Sky Survey, aiming to secure a dark sky reserve designation for the area (you can read more about this in our last post - we’ve already taken our first readings!).
So what can we expect from January…
You may remember my earlier post on T Corona Borealis, the “blaze star” expected to go ‘nova’. This hasn’t happened yet but it has dimmed which is an indicator it may be soon (it dimmed in June also!). It’s on an 80 year cycle so it wont be long.
There’s been a lot of buzz online about a supposed “great planetary alignment” on January 25. While it’s true that six planets will line up along the ecliptic—the plane of our solar system—it’s not as rare or dramatic as some might think. This alignment is a natural result of all planets orbiting in the same plane, a feature of how solar systems form from rotating clouds of gas and dust. So, while it’s a striking sight for stargazers, it’s hardly a signal of a universal reset. Still, it’s worth stepping outside to enjoy!
The screenshot above shows the exact positions of the planets on January 25. Rather than a perfect alignment, it’s more of a celestial scattering. That said, it’s a fantastic night for planetary observations—six planets will be visible, or seven if you count Earth! It’s a great opportunity to tick a few off your stargazing checklist.
The best time to view will be around 7:00 PM. Saturn will be low in the west alongside Venus, while Mars will have already risen in the east, with the other planets scattered in between.
Timing is key for this event. Saturn will set first at around 8:30 PM, followed by Venus at 9:20 PM, Neptune at 9:45 PM, Uranus at 3:40 AM, Jupiter at 5:15 AM, and finally Mars, which will remain visible until after sunrise.
To spot Neptune and Uranus, a telescope will be essential, but the rest can be seen with the naked eye. For photography enthusiasts, a DSLR with a wide-angle (15mm) lens and a 20-second shutter speed should capture all the planets in one stunning frame.
This January you can also look up for…
NE - means visible to the naked eye.
BIN - requires binoculars (7 x 50mm recommended minimum)
TEL - telescope required.
2nd - Jupiter moon Io will transit Jupiter and its shadow will be obvious (TEL)
3rd - Venus and the crescent moon will meet in the southwest after sunset (NE)
3rd - Peak of the Quatranid meteor shower (NE)
4th - the moon occults Saturn (NE)
7th - Titan will cast a shadow on Saturn surface (TEL)
9th - Uranus visible as a green dot under moon (BIN)
16th - Mars at opposition - so quite bright (NE)
17th - Venus and Saturn close to each other in SW after sunset (NE)