Derekscope

• The Moon reaches its First Quarter phase at 12:44pm, with 50% illumination in the constellation Taurus (The Bull).
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• The Moon is waxing again, heading toward the next Full Moon on Sunday 1st February 2026.
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• The crescent Moon meets Saturn in the evening sky.
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• At around the same time, the two objects will also make a close approach, technically called an appulse.
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• Appulse
  This meaning two bodies appear very near each other in the sky – usually the planets or the Moon – appear close to one another in the sky.
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• Dwarf planet Pluto is in solar conjunction with the Sun at 10:20am today.
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• This means Pluto lies on the far side of the solar system, directly behind the Sun from Earth’s perspective, and is completely hidden in the Sun’s glare.
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• About 3.38 billion miles away from Earth to Pluto.
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• Light travel time roughly 5 hours for the light cross that gap.
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• Never look at the Sun directly that the eye can be permanently damaged.
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• BSL Version

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• On the evening of Thursday 22nd January, the Moon and Saturn will be visible low in the southwest sky after sunset.
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• On Friday 23rd January, the Moon & Saturn become visible after dusk, around 17:30pm, about 30–35° above the horizon, and setting by 21:30pm.
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Algol Minima

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• The bright variable star Beta Persei (Algol) will reach its minimum brightness at 20:10 / 8.10pm in the evening on Wednesday 21st January and will be visible from the UK.
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• Here’s a list of upcoming minimum brightness times for Algol – read more.
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• At this point, Mercury is hidden in the Sun’s glare and completely unobservable from Earth.
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• It’s also the moment when Mercury is farthest from Earth in its orbit, about 130 million miles (210 million km) away, hidden behind the Sun.
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• Recently solar activity has been raised the high level (red alert) to over 800 nT (nanotesia) and seen here in Milton Keynes today at 6.30 pm but it’s a shame the clouds eventually rolled in.

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• Comet 24P/Schaumasse made its closest approach to the Sun on Thursday 8th January.
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• The period between Thursday 15th – Wednesday 28th January 2026, will have a less intrusive moon, improving chances to see fainter comets (best seen before dawn roughly 02:30am – 5:30am).
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• Binoculars are often essential – a small telescope helps for fainter objects or better detail.
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• It is predicted to reach maximum brightness of magnitude +10.
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• It wasn’t Mars, it was Antares, the red giant star in Scorpius.
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• Antares can easily be mistaken for Mars, the red planet, because it shines as a bright red star in the constellation Scorpius.
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• Binoculars
  By magnifying the view and reducing glare, binoculars make the red hue stand out more strongly.
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• Small telescope
  Even better — you’ll see Antares glowing with a deep orange‑red tint, contrasting beautifully against nearby stars.
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• BSL Version

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• The Moon reaches apogee ~ the farthest point in its orbit from Earth.
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• The Moon appears slightly smaller and dimmer in the sky compared to perigee.
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