Night Sky Highlights for January-March 2026
By Jim Mazur
Solar System
Total Lunar Eclipse in the morning of March 3
You will have to get up early on the Monday morning of March 3 to see this eclipse. In Connecticut, totality will begin only about 20 minutes before the Moon sets in the west, so a good view toward the western horizon is important. Here are the key times:
3:44 am: Penumbral phase begins
4:50 am: Umbral phase begins
6:04 am: Total eclipse begins
6:23 am: Moon sets
Mercury
The best chance to see Mercury this winter will be during the days surrounding February 22. It will be visible low in the west after sunset.
Venus
Venus will be too close to the Sun to observe in January and early February, but then it slowly gets higher in the west after sunset in late February and throughout March. It will continue to shine in the western sky throughout the spring and summer this year.
Mars
Mars will be on the far side of the Sun, lost in the glow of morning twilight throughout the winter months.
Jupiter
Jupiter is in Gemini not far from the twin stars of Castor and Pollux, and throughout the winter it will be high in the sky and well placed for evening observing.
Saturn
Saturn will be visible in the western sky after sunset in January and February, but it will be getting closer to the Sun each day, and in March it will become lost in the evening twilight.
Uranus
Uranus is about 4 or 5 degrees south of Messier 45, the Pleiades, and it will be easy to see in small telescope or even binoculars if you know where to look. A finder chart can be found at: https://theskylive.com/uranus-info
Neptune
Neptune is close to Saturn, and like Saturn it will be visible in the west in the early evenings of January and February. A finder chart for Neptune is available here: https://theskylive.com/neptune-info
Deep Sky Objects
Here are a few favorites of the winter sky.
Messier 36, 37, and 38, Auriga
Three impressive open clusters with distinctly different appearances. Star-hop chart
Messier 42 and 43, Great Nebula, Orion
A beautiful sight in any telescope, with the Trapezium stars in the center. Star-hop chart
Messier 78, Orion
A nice reflection nebula just above the belt of Orion. Star-hop chart
Messier 79, Lepus
A good globular cluster for a medium or large scope. Star-hop chart
Messier 97, Owl Nebula, and Messier 108 Ursa Major
The Owl Nebula is a large but faint planetary nebula, with the spiral galaxy M108 about a degree to the northwest. Star-hop chart
NGC 2392 (Caldwell 39), Clown Face Nebula, Gemini
A planetary nebula that resembles a face surrounded by a big round collar. Star-hop chart
NGC 2419 (Caldwell 25), Intergalactic Wanderer, Lynx
The most distant globular cluster in the Milky Way, 270,000 light years away. Star-hop chart
WZ Cassiopeiae
A striking optical double star, one red carbon star of variable magnitude and a blue 8.3 magnitude secondary. Star-hop chart
Castor A and B, Gemini
The components of this bright double star are magnitudes 1.6 and 3.0, 5.2″ apart.