January 29-31, 2026: Watch the waxing gibbous moon pass Jupiter near the Gemini Twins during the overnight hours as the lunar orb heads toward the Full Snow Moon.
By Jeffrey L. Hunt
Jupiter, Moon, and Gemini
Moving eastward each night and heading toward the Full (Snow) Moon on February 1 at 4:09 p.m. Central Time, the season’s second bright moon dominates the evening and overnight sky.
After sunset, the waxing humped (gibbous) moon approaches and passes Jupiter. Early risers can see the moon positioned between Jupiter and Pollux, the brighter of the Gemini Twins.
The bunching of Jupiter and the moon is visible nearly all night, so anyone who steps outside during the overnight hours can see the pairing. Simply look for the bright moon and the brilliant starlike object nearby.
With Venus hidden in bright sunlight, Jupiter is the brightest starlike body in the sky. To the unaided eye it resembles a star, though through a telescope the Jovian Giant’s cloud belts and four large moons are easily visible.
Early risers and those awake overnight can watch the moon approach Jupiter. About three hours before sunrise, the bright moon is in the west-northwest. The Gemini Twins are nearly at equal altitude — height above the horizon — with bright Jupiter positioned between them.
Before Sunrise
Here’s what to see — west-northwest sky before sunrise
- January 30: The moon, 91% illuminated, is about 15° up in the west-northwest. It is over 10° to Jupiter’s lower right.
- January 31: The 97% illuminated lunar orb is nearly 25° above the west-northwest horizon. It is 4.5° above Jupiter. Notice that Jupiter, the moon, and Pollux are nearly in a vertical line, with the moon between the planet and the star.
An hour after sunset, bright Jupiter is near the Gemini Twins, nearly 9° to Pollux’s upper right and over 10° to Castor’s lower right. From night to night, the moon moves from the upper right to the lower left.
When the group is in the eastern sky, Castor is above Pollux, with Jupiter — during this apparition — positioned to Pollux’s upper right.
After Sunset
Here’s what to see — eastern sky after sunset
- January 29: The bright gibbous moon, 89% illuminated, is over halfway from the horizon to overhead. Jupiter is over 15° to the lunar orb’s lower left, while Castor is over 10° to the lower left.
- January 30:The 95% lit moon is over one-third of the way from the eastern horizon to overhead. Jupiter is 3.7° to the moon’s lower right, while Gemini’s stars are 7.6° to the lower left.
- January 31:The nearly Full moon is about one-fourth of the way from the east-northeast horizon to overhead. It is nearly 15° to Jupiter’s lower left and nearly 10° below Pollux.
Watch the moon pass Jupiter and the Gemini Twins during the nighttime hours as the lunar orb moves steadily eastward against the sidereal background.
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