What to observe in the sky in January 2025?
01 Jan. 2025
Best period for deep sky observation
It is recommended to observe nebulae and galaxies when the Moon is not visible. Its brightness diminishes the darkness of the sky and reduces the quality of observations of faint and diffuse objects.
Refer to the following calendar for the best days this month.
Celestial Scene of the Month
Selection of a target or group of targets particularly suitable for mosaic capture.
"Plan my Night" of the month
Suggested observation program you can automate with "Plan My Night."
Give each object as much observation time as you can to get the best result.
Northern Hemisphere
Using the dual-band filter is not recommended for this plan, as it involves a mix of object types.
Early Night : Pleiades cluster and nebula
Constellation: Taurus
Mosaic mode recommended.
Mid night: California nebula
Constellation: Perseus
Mosaic mode recommended.
Late night: M81 and M2 galaxies
Constellation : Ursa Major
While they fit the native field of view of Vespera, using the mosaic mode to slightly extend the field of view will result in a more enjoyable framing.
Southern hemisphere
Early night: Tarentula Nebula
Constellation: Doradus
Mosaic mode is recommended to capture the many small nebulae and star cluster that surround it.
Mid night: Orion nebula (M42)
Constellation : Orion
Mosaic mode is recommended to get the nebula extensions
Late night: Omega Centauri globular cluster.
Consellation : Centaurus
Challenging Target of the Month.
Barnard 22 and IC2087
Visibility: Northern hemisphere
Constellation: Taurus
Barnard 22 is a dark nebula that contains the small reflection nebula IC 2087. Since Barnard 22 is quite large, using mosaic mode is recommended for this observation. As a dark nebula, an extended acquisition time is required to make it stand out from the sky background. Do not use the dual band filter for this observation.
IC2169
Visibility: Southern and northern hemisphere
Constellation: Unicorn
IC2169 is a pretty small reflection nebula. Yet, being associated with dark nebulae and a nearby H2 region, it can be interesting to capture it with the mosaic mode. As faint nebula, an extended acquisition time is required to make it stand out from the sky background. Do not use the dual band filter for this observation.
Magnitude and apparent size reminder
Astronomical events of the month
January 3
Peak of the Quadrantid meteor shower.
Up to 110 meteors per hour.
January 4
Visible from Europe just after sunset.
Night of January 9 to 10
The Moon passes through the Pleiades.
January 13
Keep an eye on comet C/2024 G3.
It may become visible to the naked eye from the Southern Hemisphere, provided it survives its closest approach to the Sun.
January 13
Mars occultation by the Moon.Visible from United States and north-west Africa just after sunset.
January 18
Venus-Saturn conjunction.
To be observed just after sunset.
Both planets will be visible in the same field of view in mosaic mode. However, you’ll need to set a manual target with the shortest possible exposure time, as mosaic mode isn’t available for live observation.
January 26
Observe an underrated galaxy: M106.
Located in the Canes Venatici constellation, not far from the famous M51.
