Visible planets in January 2024

Find out which planets you can see in the night sky in January 2024.

By Pete Lawrence

Published: Thursday, 04 January 2024 at 09:54 AM

Jupiter is well placed at the start of January 2024, and is our pick of the planets for the month, although towards the end of the month it will begin to disappear from view.

Shining at mag. –2.4, the planet will appear a disc full of detail with an apparent diameter of 43 arcseconds at the start of January 2024.

Use a small telescope to see its disc, with Jupiter’s iconic banding clearly visible.

Chart showing the locations of planets Jupiter and Uranus in January 2024. Click on the chart to zoom in. Credit: Pete Lawrence

A 100mm or larger scope will show Jupiter’s storm feature known as the Great Red Spot.

Also take time to see Jupiter’s Galilean Moons, which are easily seen through a small telescope.

For more advice, read our guide on how to observe Jupiter through a telescope.

Below is our summary of planets visible in January 2024.

The phase and relative sizes of the planets in January 2024. Each planet is shown with south at the top, to show its orientation through a telescope. Credit: Pete Lawrence
The phase and relative sizes of the planets in January 2024. Each planet is shown with south at the top, to show its orientation through a telescope. Click to zoom in. Credit: Pete Lawrence

Jupiter

Mercury 

Morning planet Mercury shines at mag. +0.6 and rises 100 minutes before the Sun on 1 January. It subsequently brightens, shining at mag. –0.2 and rising 90 minutes before sunrise on 17 January, with mag. –3.9 Venus 11.1° to the west. Mercury and Mars appear close on 27 January.

Rising 52 minutes before the Sun, mag. +1.3 Mars is located 21 arcminutes southeast of mag. –0.2 Mercury. On 28 January, Mars appears 0.5° west-southwest of Mercury. By month’s end, slowly heading back towards the Sun, Mercury becomes harder to see. 

Venus 

Venus is a morning object, rising 3 hours before sunrise on 1 January and shining at mag. –3.9. On the morning of the 8th, a 12%-lit crescent Moon appear 8.1° southwest of Venus and on 9 January, now as a 6%-lit crescent, 9.8° southeast of the planet.

On 16 January, mag. –3.9 Venus and –0.2 Mercury appear 11.1° apart. Venus retains its brilliance but its position deteriorates, rising 100 minutes before sunrise on 31 January. 

Mars 

Mars is too dim and close to the Sun to be visible. On 27 January, mag. +1.3 Mars sits 20 arcminutes from mag. –0.2 Mercury, a tricky sighting due to low, pre-sunrise altitude. 

Saturn 

Evening planet Saturn is losing its battle with the twilight. On 1 January, it appears around 20° above the southwest horizon as darkness falls. A lovely 14%-lit crescent Moon sits 4.5° east of mag. +0.8 Saturn on the evening of 14 January. 

Uranus 

An evening object, Uranus is close to mag. +4.3 Botein (Delta (δ) Arietis). At mag. +5.7 it’s theoretically visible to the naked eye, but binoculars are recommended. Its green hue requires a telescope. Just after darkness falls on 19 January, the 67%-lit Moon lies 2.3° north of Uranus. The planet reaches 54° altitude, due south, in darkness the whole month.

Neptune

Evening planet Neptune appears south of the Circlet asterism in Pisces. At mag. +7.9 it’s past its best, losing altitude under dark-sky conditions all month. It sits 1.3° north of the 24%-lit Moon’s centre on the evening of 15 January, just before moonset. 

This guide appeared in the January 2024 issue of BBC Sky at Night Magazine