Hello ...
Happy New Year! Here's your Cosmic Pursuits newsletter for January 2026!
1. The year 2026 arrives with a promising but brief meteor shower and a meeting of the full Moon and Jupiter in the evening sky. Jupiter reaches opposition this month, shining at magnitude -2.7 and presenting a bright and fat disk for telescopic observation. Venus and Mercury lie on the other side of the Sun out of view in January, but Saturn lingers in the southwest. And
the Sun continues intermittent activity that may trigger auroral displays. Here's what to see in the Night Sky This Month...
2.
It's big, beautiful, photogenic, and it's surrounded by star clusters. Let's tour the lovely Rosette Nebula and its environs in the constellation Monoceros, the Unicorn.
3. Jupiter reaches opposition this month
and reaches prime position for observing and imaging. Our 2026 Jupiter Observing Guide helps you get the best view of this immense gas giant.
4. For something a little different, let's take a tour of the ZWO astronomy camera factory in Suzhou, China to get a glimpse of the future of amateur astronomy.
5. Finally, here are the best science images of 2025 according to the journal Nature.
And the quote of the month - a little motivation for all of us to get out and see the night sky as the new
year begins:
“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.”
- C. S. Lewis
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Wishing you clear skies!
Brian Ventrudo
Publisher
CosmicPursuits.com
