By Melanie McQuigg (Y12)
Clear skies and dark nights await this week! The heavens are putting on a remarkable show, from the first New Moon of the year to a meteor shower hidden in the depths of space and a rare meeting of planets. So grab your coats and marvel at the beauty of the night skies above! Here is what you need to know to catch these celestial moments.
First New Moon-19th of January
This will be the first New Moon of 2026, and with the moon being positioned between the Earth and the Sun, its bright face will be hidden, leaving the sky an inky black. The lack of moonlight will provide the high contrast necessary to see objects that are usually washed out by the lunar glare. Some of the best things to see that night will be: the Beehive Cluster (M44), which is a swarm of over 1000 stars near the Cancer constellation, the Orion Nebula, which looks like a cloud of gas and the Andromeda Galaxy, which is the closest galaxy to ours, will appear as a so,ft elongated smudge in the Andromeda constellation. You will be able to see all these remarkable things without a telescope.
Peak of the Gamma Ursae Minorids Meteors-20th of January
This lesser-known meteor shower will reach its peak, and while this is a minor shower, the almost pitch-black sky will create a great viewing environment, which will allow you to see even the faintest streaks of light that would normally be washed out. These meteors will appear to radiate from the constellation Ursa Minor (the Little Dipper) in the northern sky. The best appearance of these meteors will be just before dawn. You won’t need anything to see these, so you might see them on your way to school.
Moon near Saturn and Neptune, 22nd of January
The moon will return to the evening sky as a delicate, thin crescent and will begin a close approach to Saturn. The pair will shine low above the southwest horizon just after sunset. You will be able to see this with the naked eye, but if you use binoculars or a telescope, you might see the ice giant, Neptune, which will be hovering near the duo.