Earth Gets Closest To Sun And Moon Occults Saturn: The Night Sky This Week

Each Monday, I pick out North America’s celestial highlights for the week ahead (which also apply to mid-northern latitudes in the northern hemisphere). Check my main feed for more in-depth articles on stargazing, astronomy, eclipses and more.

The Night Sky This Week: Dec. 30, 2024-Jan. 5, 2025

From classic conjunctions between the moon and both Venus and Saturn to 2025's first meteor shower, here’s everything you need to know about stargazing and astronomy this week:

Monday, Dec. 30: New Moon

At 5:27 p.m. EST, today is every stargazer’s favorite moment of the month—the new moon. This lunar phase sees the moon roughly between the Earth and the sun, making the moon invisible but the night skies free from moonlight.

That makes tonight the very best of the month for stargazing, though in practice, the entire week is near-perfect beforehand (and a few days after) is perfect. In the coming evenings, a crescent moon will appear after sunset.

Friday, Jan. 3: A Moon-Venus Conjunction

Look to the southwest an hour after sunset, and for a couple of hours, you’ll be able to see the beautiful sight of a bright Venus less than a couple of degrees from an 18%-lit waxing crescent moon. The view will be enhanced further by Saturn's presence above the pair.

Friday, Jan. 3: Quadrantid Meteor Shower Peaks

When it comes to meteor showers, the Quadrantids are not well known despite causing about 120 “shooting stars” per hour at its peak, which occurs tonight. Caused by 2003 EH1 — an asteroid or a possible “rock comet,” according to NASA — the Quadrantids are also known for their bright fireball meteors, which can appear anywhere in the night sky.

However, their radiant point is close to the end of the handle of the Big Dipper. With a crescent moon setting well before the peak, it should be a good show this year — but North Americans will need to start looking as soon as it gets dark.

Saturday, Jan. 4: Earth At Perihelion

Earth’s orbit of the sun is not a perfect circle. Today is “Perihelion Day,” the point at which the Earth is closest to the sun for the entire year. The word comes from the Greek words peri (near) and helios (sun). Today, it will be 91.4 million miles (147,100,632 km) from the sun, while on Jul. 3, its aphelion will put it 94.5 million miles (152,099,968 km) distant, according to timeanddate.com.

Saturday, Jan. 4: A Moon-Saturn Conjunction

Look to the southwest from an hour after sunset, and you’ll see Saturn less than a degree below a 28%-lit waxing crescent moon. Below will be bright Venus, setting due west.

From Europe, Africa, western Russia and eastern Greenland the moon will occult Saturn, according to in-the-sky.org, which has a helpful map showing the visibility of the occultation across the world.

The final easily visible such occultation of until 2036, The Virtual Telescope Project will host an online observation from 17:15-18:30 UTC (12:15-1:30 p.m. EST).

Constellation Of The Month: Quadrans Muralis

There are 88 constellations of stars in the night sky—all codified by the International Astronomical Union—so why bother looking for one that doesn’t officially exist anymore? This week, it’s the Quadrantid meteor shower, which gets its name because its “shooting stars” appear to come from a constellation once called Quadrans Muralis.

It was rendered meaningless when the IAU came up with the official list. It’s between the constellations of Boötes and Draco, near the end of the handle of the Big Dipper, according to NASA.

The times and dates given apply to mid-northern latitudes. For the most accurate location-specific information, consult online planetariums like Stellarium.

Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.