January stargazing: A supermoon, asteroid, and one very large planet

Popular Science...

The stargazing calendar for 2026 gets off to a bit of a contrary start. January is all about opposition, which is the astronomical term for a configuration where a celestial object is directly opposite the sun in the sky. These configurations generally provide great opportunities for viewing the object in question, because from our perspective, it will be both fully illuminated and also far removed from the sun’s glare. Here’s what’s on tap for the first month of the new year. 

January 2: Asteroid 40 Harmonia In Full Opposition

2026 starts with an opportunity to take a look at an asteroid: Asteroid 40 Harmonia. The space rock is located in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Harmonia is chiefly notable for its size: at just under 70 miles in diameter, it’s in the top 1 percent of the largest asteroids ever observed. 

Even so, you’ll need a decent telescope to get a look at it when it reaches full opposition to the sun on the evening of January 2. If you’re possessed of such a telescope, In the Sky recommends looking for the asteroid at its peak elevation above the southern horizon, just before midnight on January 2.

January 3: Full Wolf Supermoon

The first full moon of 2026 is the Wolf Moon. And it’s a supermoon—the fourth in a row! As per the Farmer’s Almanac, it will reach full illumination at 5:03 a.m. EST on January 3, so set your alarm and get howling.

It also goes along with early January’s opposition theme.  A full moon is also basically a case of two celestial bodies—in this case, the sun and the moon—being on opposite sides of the earth. The moon is tidally locked to the Earth, so one of its hemispheres always faces towards us. When the moon is full, that hemisphere is directly opposite the sun. In facing towards us, it is also positioned directly toward the sun. This means the entire hemisphere is illuminated by sunlight, allowing us to see it.

January 3–4: Quadrantids Meteor Shower Predicted Peak

Unfortunately for meteor enthusiasts, the supermoon will almost certainly obscure this year’s installment of the Quadrantids. This shower isn’t super straightforward to catch at the best of times—its peak only lasts a few hours, although the meteors themselves can be spectacularly fiery and bright. This year’s peak is predicted for the night of January 3 and early hours of January 4. If you’re lucky, you might still see a fireball or two in the northeastern sky.

January 10: Jupiter In Full Opposition

As January’s celestial objects in full opposition to the sun theme continues, a new challenger arrives on January 10. Look up there in the constellation Gemini! Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Is it an absolute unit? Well, technically speaking it’s actually a colossal ball of hydrogen and helium that weighs more than twice as much as every other planet combined, and it’s rumbling into the night sky this month without an ounce of shame.

We speak, of course, of Jupiter, the stoutest of stout celestial bodies. January 10 will provide one of the best chances to see our solar system’s largest planet in all its glory. Jupiter will rise in the east at sunset and will be highest in the sky around midnight. Technically, it will reach full opposition at 3:34 a.m. EST on January 10, but it should be easily visible to the naked eye all night.

Anyone with a small telescope (or even some decent binoculars) should also be able to see Jupiter’s four Galilean moons—Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. If you’re wondering, they’re called the Galilean moons because they were first identified as moons of Jupiter by Galileo Galilei in early 1610.

Anyway, remember that you’ll get the best experience if you get away from any sources of light pollution,let your eyes acclimatize to the darkness,and check out our stargazing tips before heading off into the night.

Until next month!

The post January stargazing: A supermoon, asteroid, and one very large planet appeared first on Popular Science.

More at Popular Science