January stargazing: A supermoon, asteroid, and one very large planet
| January 2 | Asteroid 40 Harmonia in full opposition |
| January 3 | Super Full Wolf Moon |
| January 3 and 4 | Quadrantid Meteor Shower Peak Predicted |
| January 10 | Jupiter in full opposition |
The stargazing calendar for 2026 starts off a bit opposite. January is all about opposition, an astronomical term for a configuration in which a celestial object is directly opposite the sun in the sky. These setups generally provide great opportunities for viewing the object in question, since from our perspective it will be both fully illuminated and also away from the sun’s glare. Here’s what awaits you for the first month of the new year.
January 2: Asteroid 40 Harmonia in full opposition
2026 begins with the opportunity to observe an asteroid: asteroid 40 Harmonia. The space rock is located in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Harmonia stands out primarily for its size: with a diameter of just under 70 miles, it is among the top 1% of the largest asteroids ever observed.
Still, you’ll need a decent telescope to observe it when it reaches full opposition to the sun on the evening of January 2. If you have such a telescope, In the Sky recommends looking for the asteroid at its maximum elevation above the southern horizon, just before midnight on January 2.
January 3: Full Wolf Supermoon
The first full moon of 2026 is the Wolf Moon. And it’s a super moon, the fourth in a row! According to the Farmer’s Almanac, it will reach full brightness at 5:03 a.m. EST on January 3, so set your alarm and howl.
This also ties in with the opposition theme from early January. A full moon is also basically a case of two celestial bodies – in this case, the sun and the moon – being on opposite sides of the earth. The Moon is tidally locked to Earth, so one of its hemispheres always faces us. When the moon is full, this hemisphere is directly opposite the sun. Facing us, it is also positioned directly towards the sun. This means that the entire hemisphere is illuminated by sunlight, allowing us to see it.
January 3-4: Predicted peak of the Quadrantid meteor shower
Unfortunately for meteor enthusiasts, the supermoon will almost certainly obscure this year’s Quadrantid episode. This shower is not very easy to catch at the best of times: its peak lasts only a few hours, although the meteors themselves can be spectacularly fiery and bright. This year’s peak is forecast for the night of January 3 and early hours of January 4. If you’re lucky, you might still see one or two fireballs in the northeast sky.
January 10: Jupiter in full opposition
As January’s theme of celestial objects in complete opposition to the sun continues, a new challenger arrives on January 10. Look up there in the constellation Gemini! Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Is it an absolute unity? Well, technically speaking, it’s actually a colossal ball of hydrogen and helium that weighs more than twice as much as all the other planets combined, and it’s thundering across the night sky this month without an ounce of shame.
We are of course talking about Jupiter, the most robust of celestial bodies. January 10 will be one of the best opportunities to see the largest planet in our solar system in all its glory. Jupiter will rise in the east at sunset and will be highest in the sky around midnight. Technically, it will reach full opposition at 3:34 a.m. EST on January 10, but it should be easily visible to the naked eye throughout the night.
Anyone with a small telescope (or even decent binoculars) should also be able to see Jupiter’s four Galilean moons: Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. If you’re wondering, they’re called Galilean moons because they were first identified as moons of Jupiter by Galileo in early 1610.
Either way, remember that you will get the best experience if you move away from any sources of light pollution, let your eyes acclimatize to the dark,And check out our stargazing tips before heading out into the night.
Until next month!
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