What’s Up in Denver? January 5th through 11th, 2026

Here’s a brief look at what’s going on in the Mile High City this week.

January 5:

Io and its shadow transiting Jupiter. Photo by J. Spencer/Lowell Observatory/NASA/ESA

Look for the shadow transit of Io across Jupiter’s face followed closely by the moon itself. With Jupiter close to its opposition on January 10th, Jupiter’s moons and their shadows cross the planet very close together. Look for Io’s shadow to appear at 18:53, Look for the moon itself to begin its transit at 19:07 and end at 21:09, and look for Io’s shadow to disappear at 21:11.

January 6:

Catch the waning gibbous Wolf Moon next to Regulus, the brightest star in the constellation Leo low in the eastern sky around 9:30 PM
Mercury reaches Aphelion, its farthest point in its orbit from the Sun, causing it to move slightly more slowly and appear a bit dimmer than usual: 4:00 AM
Venus reaches Superior Conjunction, when it lies on the far side of the Sun from Earth, making it hidden in the Sun’s glare and unobservable from our night sky as it begins its move back to the evening sky. 9:00 AM

January 7:

NASA Night Sky Network Social Hour starting with Artemis outreach information, but open to all things amateur astronomy (Free virtual program): Online via Zoom (registration required): 6:00 PM
DAS Astrophotography Special Interest Group (ASIG) – General & Beginner Meeting (Free virtual DAS member program): Online via Zoom (check membership email or Slack for details): 7:00 PM
Dark Sky Colorado Certification webinar: Recording Light Measurements (Free virtual program): Online via Zoom (registration required): 11:00 AM
Moon reaches Descending Node, when it crosses the ecliptic from north to south, moving from above Earth’s orbital plane to below it: 4:22 AM

January 8 (Earth’s Rotation Day):

Standley Lake Stargazing (Free virtual program): Online via Zoom: 6:00PM

January 9:

Mars is at conjunction with the Sun as it passes into the morning sky: 5:00 AM

January 10:

Jupiter at Opposition: tonight, Earth lies directly between Jupiter and the Sun, making the giant planet brighter than at any other time of the year and visible all night long as it rises in the constellation Gemini at sunset and sets at sunrise.
Kalamazoo Astronomical Society: Online Viewing Session (Free virtual program): Online via Zoom (registration required): 7:00 PM
Last quarter Wolf Moon: 8:48 AM

January 11:

Catch the waning crescent Wolf Moon next to Spica in the constellation Virgo around 2:00 AM
SCFD Free Day (in-person event): 📍Denver Museum of Nature and Science: All Day

This Week’s Meteoric Activity:

You can keep track of the activity of meteor showers as well as those beyond the limits of visual observing by visiting the NASA Meteor Shower Portal.

Quadrantids (QUA): Pre-dawn hours in northern Boötes — 10 – 3 per hour
Anthelion (ANT): 1:00 AM in central Gemini — 1 per hour
Comae Berenicids (COM): 5:00 AM in northeastern Leo — 1 per hour
α Hydrids (AHY): 2:00 AM near the Monoceros–Hydra border — Less than 1 per hour
January Leonids (JLE): 3:00 AM in northwestern Leo — Less than 1 per hour
December σ Virginids (DSV): Last hour before dawn in northern Virgo — Less than 1 per hour