January's new moon clears the sky for prime Jupiter and Saturn viewing

January 18, 2026’s new moon will yield dark skies ideal for skywatchers: Jupiter and Saturn will dominate the January night, with Jupiter rising around 4 p.m. and visible for hours in the east, and Saturn high in the southwest after sunset in the Northern Hemisphere; Mercury, Venus and Mars remain too close to the Sun to see that month. In the Southern Hemisphere, the inverted sky highlights southern constellations with Jupiter as a reference point. The article also offers tips for spotting bright stars and constellations like Orion, Sirius, Aldebaran, the Pleiades and the Hyades, and notes that deep-sky observing is best away from light pollution during a new moon.