Derekscope

• Spica – it’s actually a spectroscopic binary (double star) in the constellation Virgo, with two massive blue‑white stars orbiting each other about every 4 days.
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• Binoculars
  Even with good binoculars, Spica still appears as one point of light.
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• Telescope
  Only very large professional telescopes (or advanced spectroscopic equipment) can detect the two stars ~ they’re separated by less than 0.1 arcseconds — far below the resolution of amateur telescopes.
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• The Last Quarter Moon occurs on Saturday 10th January 2026, at 10:49 am.
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• It will be visible from the night sky into the daylight, with moonrise at 01:29am and moonset at 12:11pm.
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• Jupiter reaches opposition, meaning Earth is directly between the Sun and Jupiter at 08:34am in the constellation Gemini (The Twin).
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• This is when the giant planet is closest, brightest, and visible all night long.
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• Jupiter reaches opposition and is at its closest distance to Earth for the year.
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• At opposition, Jupiter is not only closest but also largest in apparent size, making details easier to see.
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Observing Tips

• Binoculars (7×50 or 10×50)
  Spot the four Galilean moons.
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• Small telescope (80–100mm)
  See cloud bands and the Great Red Spot.
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• Medium telescope (150mm+)
  Watch moon shadows crossing Jupiter’s disk.
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• Urban observers
  Jupiter is bright enough to cut through light pollution,
  so even city skies offer a good view.
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Algol Minima

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• The bright variable star Beta Persei (Algol) reaches its minimum brightness at 23:21 pm in the late evening on Friday 9th 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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• Mars will be in solar conjunction with the Sun, making it completely unobservable.
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• At this time in late morning at 11:07am, Mars lies on the far side of the solar system from Earth, hidden in the Sun’s glare.
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Algol Minima

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• The bright variable star Beta Persei (Algol) reaches its minimum brightness at 02:32 am in the early morning on Wednesday 7th 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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• Venus is hidden in the Sun’s glare, so it cannot be observed safely.
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• Because of alignment : Earth > Sun > Venus, all in a straight line at 17:10 / 5.10pm.
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• Superior conjunction happens about every 584 days. / 1.6 calendar year.
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• The Moon will pass close to Messier 44 (the Beehive Cluster) on both Sunday 4th and Monday 5th January 2026.
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• The Moon’s brightness will wash out much of the Beehive’s faint stars, but binoculars will still reveal the brighter groups of stars.
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• The full moon on Saturday 3 January 2026 is widely classified as a “Moon After Yule”. (Wolf Moon as US moon folklore name ~ In the UK, we call it – Moon After Yule.)
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• The first supermoon of the year, meaning the Moon is nearly at its closest point to Earth (perigee) when it becomes full, so it can appear slightly larger and brighter than a typical full moon.
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