MARS AT OPPOSITION TONIGHT - 16/01/2025 💖✨️

This evening, stargazers will be treated to a special astronomical event. Tonight (16/01/2025) the amazing red planet Mars will reach a position in relation to the Sun and Earth known as “Opposition”.

“What does this mean?” we hear you say. When a planet reaches opposition, this means it is one of the best times of the year to observe that planet.

When a planet reaches opposition, this means that the planet is in alignment with the Sun and Earth, with the planet on the opposite side of the Earth compared to the sun. During this time, the planet can appear larger and brighter than at any other time of year.

Mars will be shining at an impressive magnitude of -1.4 and will reach a peak altitude of around 60 degrees at its highest point in the sky. Whilst Mars has been a prominent feature of our nighttime skies for a while now, it will appear even more impressive at opposition.

Mars can be found in the constellation of Gemini the twins, very close by to the bright stars Pollux and Castor (the heads of the twins) and roughly half way between the bright planet Jupiter and the waning gibbous Moon.

Mars will appear in our skies during the early evening twilight, not too long after it will have risen above the horizon during daylight towards the North-East at around 15:23. Mars will become easier to spot as the skies become darker and as the planet climbs higher in the sky travelling towards the South where it will reach its highest elevation of 60 degrees high at roughly 00:10. Following this, the red planet will then begin to descend travelling towards the North-West where it will set at roughly 08:57.

You don’t need any special equipment to view this opposition, however if you own a pair of binoculars or a telescope you may be able to make out more detail.

When viewed by eye, Mars will appear as a bright star like object in the sky displaying a beautiful red/orange hue.

When viewed with a pair of binoculars or a small telescope, Mars’ red colour may become more apparent. If you view the planet with a larger telescope under good seeing conditions, you may also be able to make out one of the planet's frozen ice-caps!

- Wrap up warm! The long and dark nights of January can be particularly chilly, so make sure to dress warm if you’re heading out.

- You can tell the difference between stars and planets by seeing if they twinkle! Stars will appear to twinkle, but planets shine with a consistent solid brightness.

- You don’t need to be anywhere particularly dark to view Mars because it will be very bright, however being in a dark location will allow you to see more of the other celestial delights in the night sky.

- If you are in a dark location, allow your eyes 15 – 20 minutes to adjust to the darkness without looking at any bright lights. This will allow you to see even more faint objects in the night sky. You may also wish to block the Moon from view to help your night vision. If you need to use a torch, use a torch that emits only red light. Red light interferes with your night vision much less than white light.

- You don’t need any special equipment to view this opposition, but a pair of binoculars or a telescope may allow you to see more detail.

There are many other celestial treats in our night skies at this moment in time, here is a small selection of amazing night sky sights to look out for:

- There are several minor meteor showers active at the moment, including the December Leonis Minorids. This means that you may have a chance of seeing some meteors (aka shooting stars) blaze across the night sky.

- Fairly close by to Mars, all the beautiful winter constellations including the distinct constellation Orion plus the large asterism known as the “Winter Circle” can be seen towards the South.

- The beautiful open star cluster the Pleiades (aka the Seven Sisters) can be found in the zodiacal constellation of Taurus the bull, very close by to the bright planet Jupiter.

- The winter Milky Way in all its glory can be seen stretching all the way across the sky. The light from the 90% illuminated Moon will make the Milky Way difficult to see whilst producing so much light, however it's certainly something to look out for at this time of year, especially when the moon is not brightening our skies.

- The amazing Andromeda Galaxy can be spotted to the eye as a small faint elliptical fuzzy in the constellation of Andromeda.

- We are still in the Aurora season and the Northern Lights may be seen dancing on our Northern horizons on nights of strong auroral activity. Typically, the bright Moon tends to wash the aurora out, however occasionally there are displays that are so strong they are visible despite the moonlight.

As well as the red planet Mars, January is a great time to spot the other bright planets…

- The brilliantly bright planet Venus can currently be easily seen shining brightly at a blazing magnitude of -4.59 towards the West in the early evening around and after sunset. Venus will become visible just before the Sun sets at around towards the South and will descend towards the West where it will set at around 20:45.

- The amazing ringed planet Saturn can be found in the constellation of Aquarius the water bearer very close by to Venus. Saturn will become visible as the skies become darker following sunset, and will set in the west at around 20:49. 

- The gas giant Jupiter will be visible in the constellation of Taurus and will become visible towards the East shortly after Venus appears in the twilight sky. Jupiter will be easily visible all night long, shining very brightly at magnitude -2.64. Jupiter will climb in the sky travelling towards the South where it will reach its highest in the sky about 57 degrees high at around 20:57. Jupiter will then begin to descend towards the North-West where it will set in the morning twilight at around 05:15. 

If you would like to know more about the rest of the celestial treats that can be seen throughout January, please head to our YouTube channel to watch our Night Sky Guide video for January 2025.

The sight of Mars at opposition will be beautiful whether seen by eye, binoculars or telescope, and Mars’ opposition will be an excellent opportunity to capture images of the red planet. If you can, we recommend heading out to witness the planet Mars at opposition!

Clear skies! 💖