2026, January 21: Mercury Turns to the Evening Sky as Jupiter Dominates the Night

January 21, 2026: Mercury reaches superior conjunction and begins its return to the evening sky, while Jupiter shines all night near Gemini. Saturn and a waxing crescent moon round out the scene after sunset. Take the last view of Neptune for this apparition.

Jupiter, Gemini, January 6, 2014
Image Caption – 2014, January 6: Jupiter is in the eastern sky with Gemini’s Castor and Pollux.

by Jeffrey L. Hunt

Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 7:12 a.m. CST; Sunset, 4:52 p.m. CST.  Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times.

Mercury at Superior Conjunction

Mercury - Superior conjunction and Greatest elongation
Chart Caption – 2026: January 21-February 19: Mercury is at superior conjunction and then greatest elongation when the speedy world appears in the western sky after sundown.

Mercury is at superior conjunction today on the sun’s far side. This marks the beginning of the planet’s next evening appearance, which peaks on February 19 with its greatest elongation, the widest separation from the sun. During the week following greatest elongation, Mercury appears during brighter twilight with Venus.

Between superior conjunction and greatest elongation, Mercury moves nearly one-third of the way around its solar orbit, seeming to outrun Venus as that planet slowly emerges from bright sunlight into the western the evening sky. Meanwhile, Mars, the slowest of the four terrestrial planets, continues to linger in bright sunlight.

After Sunset, Saturn, Crescent Moon in Southwest

Saturn, Moon, January 21, 2026
Chart Caption – 2026, January 21: The waxing crescent moon is in the western sky after sundown, to the lower right of Saturn.

After sunset tonight, find the waxing crescent moon, 10% illuminated, nearly 25° above the southwest horizon and nearly 20° to Saturn’s lower right. The lunar orb displays earthshine, a soft illumination on the moon’s night portion from sunlight reflected from Earth’s features.

Last Call for Neptune

Saturn, Neptune - Binocular view
Chart Caption – 2026, mid-January: Through a binocular, locate Neptune with peripheral vision. Find Saturn and the distant stars 20, 24, 27, and 29 Piscium (Psc).

If you have not yet seen Neptune, look for it in the same binocular field with Saturn beginning at the end of evening twilight, about 90 minutes after nightfall. The viewing window lasts for about an hour before the most-distant planet in the solar system sinks lower, where the thicker atmosphere near the horizon blurs and dims celestial bodies. This is one of the final nights to see Neptune during this apparition.

Bright Jupiter on All-Nighter

Jupiter, Gemini, January 21, 2026
Chart Caption – 2026, January 21: Bright Jupiter is in the eastern sky near the Gemini Twins, Castor and Pollux. Use a binocular to see it near Wasat.

Farther eastward, bright Jupiter shines in the sky nearly all night. With Venus near the sun, the Jovian Giant is the brightest starlike body in tonight’s sky.

Jupiter is easily found in the east-northeast after sunset. As the sky darkens, it appears higher in the eastern sky and shines in front of Gemini, 8.1° from Pollux and 10.0° to the lower right of Castor, the Twins. Look carefully for Wasat (Delta Geminorum), 0.6° to Jupiter’s lower right. A binocular helps with the view, especially in suburban settings with outdoor lighting, although the planet is visible to unaided vision from rural locations.

Jupiter continues to retrograde for about another six weeks. Watch it slowly open a gap with Wasat as the planet appears to move westward against the starry background.

Jupiter appears high in the southern sky before midnight and low in the west-northwest during early morning twilight.

During February, Mercury appears in the western sky during evening twilight. Tonight, look for Jupiter, Saturn, and the crescent moon.

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