January offers some of the brightest skies of the year.
Dominating the southern evening sky is Orion, with its brilliant stars Betelgeuse (orange-red) and Rigel (blue-white).
Orion’s Belt (three stars in a neat line) lead downward to Sirius, the brightest star in the entire night sky. Upwards, the belt stars lead to the reddish Aldebaran and the Hyades cluster, in Taurus. Higher still is the Pleiades (Seven Sisters) which is a stunning open cluster. Whilst visible to your naked eye, the use of binoculars will reveal dozens of stars.
What’s more, Jupiter blazes away in Gemini in January. On the 10th, it will rise at sunset and be visible all night. Binoculars or a small telescope are recommended in order to see its four moons that Galileo first saw on 7th January 1610, which demonstrated to him that the Earth is not the only centre of rotation in the universe.
Saturn lingers in the west below the square of Pegasus, setting around 10 PM.
For binocular users: The Pleiades and Hyades clusters are spectacular. If skies are dark, sweep toward Andromeda Galaxy (M31) in Andromeda.
January 2026 – Best Times
- Orion & Sirius: Visible from dusk until after midnight, best seen around 8–10 PM.
- Pleiades & Hyades: Overhead by 9 PM, great until midnight.
- Jupiter: All night, at its highest around midnight.
- Andromeda Galaxy: Best early evening, 6–8 PM, before setting.