The iconic Earthrise image of Earth appearing over the moon’s horizon as captured by William Anders from the Apollo 8 spacecraft, taken during a live broadcast with NASA astronauts from the lunar orbit on December 24, 1968. It was the first time humans had left Earth orbit, the first time we witnessed the sky of another world. The same day this image was captured – Christmas Eve 1968 – astronaut Frank Borman, commander of Apollo 8, signed off: “Good night, good luck and God bless all of you, all of you on the good Earth.” To all of you, the EarthSky team says, ditto! And we love you. Image via NASA.
Watch for the young moon on Christmas Eve
If you’re out looking at holiday lights, check out the pretty young moon. The waxing crescent moon – getting thicker every day – will hang low in the western sky about 30 minutes after sunset. Start looking for it soon after the sun disappears. Try to catch it during the evening twilight, when its glowing crescent will shine in a colorful sky. Chart via EarthSky.
Available now: EarthSky’s 2026 lunar calendar! Makes a great gift. Get yours today!
Read more: Do you love twilight? The 3 stages explained
Both Venus and Mars are behind the sun
Venus and Mars are the planets next-inward (Venus) and next-outward (Mars) in orbit around our sun. Venus is the brightest planet visible from Earth! We miss it in our skies! But both Venus and Mars are now traveling across the sky with the sun each day. This view is from the sun-observing SOHO spacecraft. Here the sun is behind an occulting disk, blocking out the central glare. The superior conjunction of Venus, when it will be most directly aligned behind the sun from Earth, will come on January 6. It’ll return to visibility in our evening sky in February 2026. Mars will reach its superior conjunction on January 9. Southern Hemisphere viewers might glimpse it before dawn in February, but we in the Northern Hemisphere probably won’t see it until March. Images via NASA/ SOHO.
December evening planets
Here’s an overhead chart depicting 2 bright planets visible in the December evening sky from the Northern Hemisphere. Jupiter will rise in the eastern evening sky and remain visible through dawn. Meanwhile, Saturn will shine brightly in the western sky and set before midnight by the month’s end. The 2 planets lie along the path the sun travels in the daytime (the green line on our chart). Chart via EarthSky.
December 26 evening: Moon slips by Saturn
The waxing crescent moon will pay a close visit to the steady golden light of Saturn on the evening of December 26. They’ll set a little before midnight. The moon will also be near Saturn the night before and after the 26th. Chart via EarthSky.
Read more: Saturn’s rings are weird and wonderful: 10 facts here
December 27: 1st quarter moon
The moment of 1st quarter moon will fall at 19:10 UTC on December 27, 2025. That’s 1:10 p.m. CST. Did you know you can see an X and V on the 1st quarter moon? Here’s how to see them. A 1st quarter moon rises around noon your local time and sets around midnight. Watch for a 1st quarter moon high in the sky at sundown.
Want more? Here are 4 keys to understanding the moon’s phases.
December 30 and 31 evenings: Moon, Pleiades and Aldebaran
On the evenings of December 30 and 31, the waxing gibbous moon will be visible near Aldebaran and the Pleiades star cluster. Aldebaran is the fiery eye of Taurus the Bull. They’ll be visible for a few hours past midnight. Chart via EarthSky.
Our charts are mostly set for the northern half of Earth. To see a precise view – and time – from your location, try Stellarium Online.
Early-January meteors … the Quadrantids
The predicted peak for the Quadrantid meteor shower is 0:36 UTC on January 4, 2026. The best time to watch for the 2026 Quadrantids is the hours before dawn on January 4. They can (briefly) produce over 100 meteors per hour. However, in 2026, a bright waning gibbous moon will interfere with all but the brightest Quadrantids. Luckily, the Quadrantids often produce really bright meteors known as fireballs.
Read more: All you need to know about Quadrantid meteors
January 4 evening: Moon, Jupiter and a trio of bright stars
On the evening of January 4, the waning gibbous moon will lie near bright Jupiter and the twin stars of Gemini, Castor and Pollux. And the brightest star in Canis Minor, Procyon, is nearby. You can see them through dawn the next morning. Chart via EarthSky.
January 5 and 6 evenings: Moon, Regulus and the Sickle
In the late evening hours of January 5 and 6, the waning gibbous moon will be near Regulus, the brightest star in Leo the Lion. Regulus is the period at the bottom of a backward question-mark pattern of stars known as the Sickle. They’ll set after sunrise the next morning. Chart via EarthSky.
Read more: Meet Regulus, Leo the Lion’s Heart and brightest star
Our charts are mostly set for the northern half of Earth. To see a precise view – and time – from your location, try Stellarium Online.
December stars and constellations
If you’re out stargazing on any December evening, look for these stars and constellations high overhead in the evening sky. Give your eyes time to adjust to the darkness. And consider heading to a dark-sky site for the best views of the stars.
In December, look overhead and northward for the M- (or W-) shaped constellation Cassiopeia the Queen. Then, look nearby for the graceful shape of the constellation Perseus and its bright star Mirfak. Plus, Perseus contains the star Algol – known as the Demon Star – because it changes in brightness roughly every 3 days. Chart via EarthSky.Cassiopeia can also help you find the Double Cluster in Perseus. It consists of 2 open star clusters near each other on the sky’s dome. The 2 clusters reside in the northern part of the constellation Perseus, quite close to the constellation Cassiopeia the Queen. Just scan that area with your binoculars for 2 glittering groups of stars. The breathtaking Double Cluster will be there. Chart via EarthSky.The constellation Taurus the Bull is visible in the evening sky now and is close to the easy-to-see constellation Orion the Hunter. It’s home to 2 favorite star clusters and a famous supernova remnant. The Hyades open star cluster forms the V-shaped face of the Bull in Taurus with the bright red star Aldebaran as the fiery eye of the Bull. Another open star cluster, the Pleiades, is nearby. Chart via EarthSky.
January stars and constellations
If you’re out stargazing on any January evening, look for these stars and constellations high overhead in the evening sky. Give your eyes time to adjust to the darkness. And consider heading to a dark-sky site for the best views of the stars.
Taurus the Bull contains 2 star clusters that are easy to spot, the Pleiades and the Hyades.The constellation of Gemini the Twins is high in the January evening sky. It’s twin stars are Pollux and Castor. And in January 2026, the bright planet Jupiter is near the twin stars of Gemini. Chart via EarthSky.The Winter Circle (or Winter Hexagon) isn’t a constellation. It’s an asterism, made of 6 bright stars in the winter evening sky for the Northern Hemisphere (and summer sky for the Southern Hemisphere). It covers a large portion of the sky. And once you can find these bright stars, you can use them to trace out their constellations. Plus in 2026, the bright planet Jupiter is joining them and it’s brighter than all the stars. Chart via EarthSky.
December evening planets
Bright Jupiter will rise in the east soon after sunset this month. And it’ll be near the twin stars of Gemini, Castor (the slightly dimmer one) and Pollux (the slightly brighter one). Also, the bright star Procyon is not far away. Jupiter is visible through dawn and will reach opposition – when we fly between it and the sun – on January 10, 2026. It’ll be biggest and brightest then. The moon visits Jupiter around December 7. Chart via EarthSky.Saturn lies in the west in the evening hours of December. It’s the brightest object in that part of the sky, other than the passing moon. And Saturn lies far above a star of similar brightness, Fomalhaut. Saturn reached opposition — when Earth flew between Saturn and the sun — on September 21. The ringed planet rises well before sunset and will set after midnight around December 1st, and then, by month’s end, it’ll set before midnight. Saturn will shine at 1.2 magnitude by month’s end as it lies among the stars of Aquarius the Water Bearer. The rings of Saturn open back up a little this month, going from -0.6 degrees to -1.5 degrees. The moon visits Saturn on December 26 and 27. Saturn will remain visible in the evening sky through February 2026. Chart via EarthSky.
December morning planets
For Northern Hemisphere viewers, Mercury will shine in the bright morning twilight low on the eastern horizon from December 1 until around December 25. It’ll reach its greatest distance from the sun on December 7. This will be the best morning apparition of Mercury for the Northern Hemisphere in 2025. Chart via EarthSky.
January evening planets
As darkness falls, Jupiter will shine brightly in the east this month. And it’ll be near the twin stars of Gemini, Castor (the slightly dimmer one) and Pollux (the slightly brighter one). Also, the bright star Procyon is nearby. Jupiter is visible all night and will reach opposition – when we fly between it and the sun – on January 10, 2026. It’ll be biggest and brightest then. The moon visits Jupiter around January 3 and 30. Chart via EarthSky.Saturn lies in the west in the evening hours of January. It’s the brightest object in that part of the sky, other than the passing moon. Saturn reached opposition — when Earth flew between Saturn and the sun — on September 21. The ringed planet rises well before sunset and will set late evening this month. Saturn will shine at 1.1 magnitude all month as it lies among the stars of Aquarius the Water Bearer. The rings of Saturn open back up a little this month, going from -1 degrees to -2.2 degrees. The moon visits Saturn on January 22 and 23. Saturn will remain visible in the evening sky through February 2026. Chart via EarthSky.
Where’s Venus, Mercury and Mars? They are too close to the sun this month and not visible.
Sky dome map for visible planets and night sky
Here is the sky dome view for December 2025. It shows what is above the horizon at mid-evening for mid-northern latitudes. The view may vary depending on your location. Image via Guy Ottewell’s 2025 Astronomical Calendar.Here is the sky dome view for January 2026. It shows what is above the horizon at mid-evening for mid-northern latitudes. The view may vary depending on your location. Image via Guy Ottewell’s 2026 Astronomical Calendar.
Read more: Guy Ottewell explains sky dome maps.
Heliocentric solar system visible planets and more
Heliocentric view of solar system, December 2025. Chart via Guy Ottewell’s 2025 Astronomical Calendar. Used with permission.Heliocentric view of solar system, January 2026. Chart via Guy Ottewell’s 2026 Astronomical Calendar. Used with permission. Plus Guy Ottewell explains heliocentric charts here.
Read more: Guy Ottewell explains heliocentric charts.
Some resources to enjoy
For more videos of great night sky events, visit EarthSky’s YouTube page.
Don’t miss anything. Subscribe to daily emails from EarthSky. It’s free!
Visit EarthSky’s Best Places to Stargaze to find a dark-sky location near you.
Post your own night sky photos at EarthSky Community Photos.
See the indispensable Observer’s Handbook, from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.
Visit Stellarium-Web.org for precise views from your location.
Almanac: Bright visible planets (rise and set times for your location).
Visit TheSkyLive for precise views from your location.
Attention amateur astronomers! Guy Ottewell’s popular and informative Astronomical Calendar for 2025 is available in both electronic and printed versions.
Bottom line: Visible planets and night sky guide. Look for the waxing crescent moon hanging low in the western sky about 30 minutes after sunset.
