January 28, 2026: Daylight length, the gibbous moon, and planet visibility tonight. Find Jupiter, Saturn, and the moon, with notes on Mercury, Venus, Uranus, and Neptune.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 7:07 a.m. CST; Sunset, 5:01 p.m. CST. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times.
Almanac for Sun, Moon, and Planets
Sun: At Chicago’s latitude, daylight lasts 9 hours, 54 minutes, while in Miami its duration is 10 hours, 56 minutes. In Anchorage, the sun shines 7 hours, 28 minutes, increasing four to five minutes each day. The sun is overhead at noon at latitude 18° south.
Moon: The evening humped (gibbous) moon, 80% illuminated, is high in the east-southeast as darkness falls. The lunar orb is over 10° to ruddy Aldebaran’s upper left, Taurus’ brightest star, and 6.2° to Elnath’s upper right, the Bull’s northern horn. During the night, as Earth rotates and the stars appear to move westward, the moon slowly shifts westward as well. About two hours before sunrise, near the time of moonset, the Moon–Elnath gap is over 2.1°. At moonset in the Pacific Time Zone, the moon passes about 1.0° below the star. From Honolulu, the moon is about half that distance.
Inner Planets
Mercury: After superior conjunction a week ago, the Elusive World races toward its greatest elongation on February 19 for its best appearance of the year. Some calendars may show a Venus–Mercury conjunction. Yes, they are near each other, but they set during bright evening twilight, about 20 minutes after sunset.
Venus: The Evening Star slowly moves in the western sky after nightfall, making its first appearance later next month.
Bright Outer Planets
Mars: The Red Planet is in bright sunlight. It is moving into the morning sky, rising less than 10 minutes before sunrise.
Jupiter: The Jovian Giant shines in the sky nearly all night. An hour after sunset, bright Jupiter is in the eastern sky. After tonight’s moonlight fades, it is brighter than all stars. The planet retrogrades in front of Gemini’s stars, 8.6° to Pollux’s upper right and 10.2° to Castor’s lower right, the Twins. Jupiter is high in the south before midnight, setting in the west-northwest about an hour before sunrise.
Saturn: The Ringed Wonder is the second bright planet in this evening’s sky. An hour after nightfall, find it about 30° above the southwest horizon. It is the brightest “star” in the region. Saturn’s rings are visible through a telescope as nearly a thin line that appears to run through the planet. Saturn is lower in the sky and disappearing into brighter evening twilight later next month. It sets over four hours after sundown.
Faint Outer Planets
Uranus: The Tilted World is in the same field of view of a binocular with the Pleiades star cluster, although tonight’s moonlight interferes with the view. Wait until the moon is out of the sky at the end of evening twilight — about 90 minutes after sundown — to see it.
Neptune: The Distant Blue World is washed out tonight by bright moonlight. It is in the same field of view of a binocular with Saturn, although it is a challenging sight, even under ideal conditions. The planet’s window of visibility is quickly closing. Soon it appears lower in the sky, where thicker air dims and blurs celestial bodies, and then, like Saturn, disappears into bright evening twilight. When it reappears in the morning sky after solar conjunction, Saturn is too far east to fit into the same binocular field of view, making Neptune even more difficult to find.
As daylight slowly increases across the Northern Hemisphere, locate the Jovian Giant, the Ringed Wonder, and the humped (gibbous) moon during the evening hours.
LATEST ARTICLES
- 2026, August 5: Moon, Saturn, Mars, Mercury, and Venus
August 5, 2026: Watch the moon separate from Saturn, Mars move beyond Taurus’ horns, Mercury retreat into twilight, and brilliant Venus approach Virgo’s Spica. - 2026, August 4: Look for Four Planets and Moon During Nighttime Hours.
August 4, 2026: Saturn, Mars, Mercury, and Venus are visible. Watch Mars march away from Zeta Tauri, Mercury after greatest elongation, Saturn with the moon, and Venus approaching Spica. - 2026, August 2-5: Waning Moon Passes Saturn Before Sunrise
August 2-5, 2026: Watch the waning moon approach and pass Saturn during morning twilight. Follow the moon’s eastward motion from Pisces’ starfield toward Aries before the Last Quarter phase. - 2026, August 2-5: Mars Passes Between Taurus’ Horns During August Morning Twilight
August 2-5, 2026: Watch Mars march eastward in front of Taurus as it passes between Elnath and Zeta Tauri. Follow the Red Planet’s changing position during morning twilight. - 2026, August 1: Lammas Day Almanac: Buck Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune
August 1, 2026: Lammas Day marks summer’s traditional midpoint. Follow the Buck Moon, Mercury near greatest elongation, brilliant Venus, Mars between Taurus’ horns, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.