January 26, 2026: Jupiter and Saturn are visible after sunset with a gibbous moon high in the sky. Learn how moonlight affects views of Uranus and Neptune.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 7:09 a.m. CST; Sunset, 4:58 p.m. CST. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times.
Evening Sky
Bright Jupiter, Saturn, and the gibbous moon are visible after sundown. Mercury, Venus, and Mars are lost in bright sunlight, while Uranus and Neptune are affected by strong moonlight. Step outside about one hour after nightfall and look high in the southern sky for the gibbous moon, 59% illuminated.
Gibbous Moon and Uranus
Tonight, the lunar orb is nearly 11° to Hamal’s lower left, Aries’ brightest star, and about 13° to the lower right of the Pleiades star cluster. Use a binocular to spot the stars.
Tomorrow evening, the moon occults (eclipses) some of the stars in the stellar bundle for skywatchers in Europe. More northerly latitudes see more stars occulted. When night falls across North America, the moon is east of the stars. The moon sets about five hours before tomorrow’s sunrise.
Planet Uranus is in the same binocular field with the Pleiades, but the bright moon nearby interrupts the view. Better nights lie ahead to see the Tilted Planet with less moonlight interference.
Saturn and Neptune
Saturn is about one-third of the way from the horizon to overhead, about 30° above the horizon. While it does not compete with Venus or Jupiter, Saturn is the brightest star-like object in this region of the sky. The Ringed Wonder starts the night farther westward as the season continues, appearing in bright twilight after sunset next month. Tonight, it sets more than four hours after nightfall.
Through a telescope, Saturn’s rings are visible as a narrow line that appears to cut through the planet. We currently see the rings nearly edge-on. In the future, more of Saturn’s southern hemisphere becomes visible.
Faint Neptune is in the same binocular field with Saturn, but moonlight washes out the view. The solar system’s most-distant planet’s observing window is closing as it follows Saturn into brighter twilight. After the moon returns to the waning gibbous phase, look for Neptune before it is too low in the sky after twilight ends.
Bright Jupiter and Gemini
At this hour, bright Jupiter is nearly 30° above the eastern horizon. It is the brightest star-like body in the sky tonight. To our eyes, it appears as a bright star, but through a telescope its cloud features are visible, along with four of its largest moons.
The Jovian giant retrogrades in front of Gemini, 8.5° to Pollux’s upper right and 10.1° to Castor’s lower right. This apparent reversal occurs when our faster-moving world overtakes and passes Jupiter and the other outer planets. Normally, the planets move eastward against the sidereal background, but near opposition — which occurred about two weeks ago — Jupiter appears to reverse direction. The planet continues this retrograde motion for about six more weeks.
During the evening, Jupiter and the stars appear higher in the eastern sky, reaching their highest points before midnight. Later, they appear lower in the western sky, standing just above the west-northwest horizon during morning twilight.
This evening, look for Jupiter, Saturn, and the gibbous moon. Tomorrow evening, look for the moon near the Pleiades star cluster.
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