Washington, D.C

What’s up in the sky? What DC stargazers should watch for in January – WTOP News

Published

1 year ago

January 1, 2025

What’s up in the sky? What DC stargazers should watch for in January – WTOP News

Welcome to WTOP’s inaugural monthly feature of “What’s up in the sky?” Here’s what D.C. stargazers can watch for regarding the moon, stars and planets in January.

“What’s up in the sky?” is a recurring feature and publishes on the first of every month. You can find it on WTOP’s The Space Place. Email Greg your space questions and he might answer them in the next edition.

Welcome to WTOP’s inaugural monthly feature of “What’s up in the sky?” Each month will feature the best the sky has to offer stargazers regarding the moon, planets and stars and space-related events that might interest you taking place in the D.C. region will be included as well.

Maybe you got lucky with Santa and you have new binoculars, an astronomy app and/or telescope to usher in a year of stargazing. If not, it is never too late to get equipped!

Let’s get to the sky for January 2025!

The internet has headlines about what is being hailed as a rare “January 25 parade of planet.” The online stories are full of hype and inaccuracies and some even focus more on astrology than astronomy.

The real deal is that January 2025 is a very exciting month and start to the New Year for stargazers.

Must-see sky sights for January

The bright and glorious constellations of winter will greet you as soon as it gets dark. Take some time to find Orion the Hunter, Taurus the Bull, Gemini the Twins and others.

Jan. 2-3: Quadrantid Meteor Shower

Jan. 3: The crescent moon and bright Venus pair up in the Southwestern sky at dusk. Look for Earthshine on the moon.

Jan. 4: The waxing crescent moon and Saturn pair up high in the Southwestern sky at dusk

Jan. 9: The waxing gibbous moon is in the Pleiades Star Cluster. Binoculars are recommended to see this one.

Jan. 10: The waxing gibbous moon and Jupiter pair up high in the East.

Jan. 12: Mars is closest to Earth 9 a.m. at 59,703,891 miles.

Jan. 13-14: This is the highlight of the month as the moon occults (covers) Mars. Check the list to see the closest city to your location. Be outside before the time listed. Binoculars and telescopes are ideal for this event. Mars disappears at 9:16 p.m. in D.C. and reappears at 10:30 p.m.

Jan. 15-16: Mars is at opposition in the Eastern sky at sunset and visible all night.

Jan. 17: Venus pairs up with Saturn in the Southwestern sky at dusk.

Jan. 17: Bright and reddish-orange Mars lines up with the two brightest stars in Gemini, the Twins — Castor and Pollux — for an eye catching sight of the three of them in a line in the East.

Jan. 31: The waxing crescent moon will be to the lower right of Saturn with Venus above at dusk.

Jan. 31: Once again Mars and the two brightest stars in Gemini, the Twins — Castor and Pollux — join up, this time for an impressive triangle formed by the three of them in the East.

The moon

Jan. 6: First quarter

Jan. 13: January’s full moon is called the full wolf moon

Jan. 21: Last quarter

Jan. 29: New moon

The planets

In January, Mercury is low in the Southeast sky about an hour before sunrise and binoculars will help immensely to find the bright yellowish planet.

Venus blazes above the southwest horizon as it gets dark, you can’t miss it.

Earth is at perihelion (closest to the Sun for the year) on Jan. 4 at 8 a.m. 147,103,686 km.

Mars is closest to the Earth and at its brightest this month and is quite the sight. Mars rises in the East at 8 p.m. as the month begins but reaches opposition, which is directly opposite the Sun and rising at sunset on Jan. 15. In a small telescope some surface features can be spotted and identified with this nifty tool.

Jupiter is bright and located high in the sky all month, only the moon and Venus are brighter than the king of the planets. A pair of 7×50 binoculars will show the four main moons of Jupiter looking like “stars” in a line which constantly changes. You can identify the moons by using this link. A small telescope can reveal features in Jupiter’s atmosphere.

Saturn is high in the southwestern sky. A small telescope will show that Saturn’s rings are currently almost edge on, which is quite the sight.

Uranus can be spotted with binoculars using this star chart to locate it. In small telescopes you can detect the color of the planet but not much else.

Neptune needs a telescope to be viewed and it is worth seeing its deep blue color.

Pluto is way out there in the solar system and requires taking images through a telescope spaced days apart to hunt it down.

DC-area events

January events at Virginia State Parks can be found here.

The NOVAC General Meeting will be at George Mason University at 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 12.

The National Capital Astronomers will have its meeting at 7 p.m. on Jan. 11. The topic will be “On the Trail of the Missing Galaxies: The Oldest Stars in the Neighborhood” and will be led by Thomas Brown (STScI), On the Trail of the Missing Galaxies: The Oldest Stars in the Neighborhood.

The Analemma Society will be holding Friday Night Public Viewing Sessions at Observatory Park at Turner Farm in Great Falls, Virginia, from 7:30-9:30 p.m.

The Smithsonian Air & Space in D.C. and Chantilly has a lot of astronomy-related stuff in January.

You can check here and here for astronomy clubs that are outside the DMV.

Added bonus

Download NASA’s 2025 Science calendar, which features out of this world pictures and information.

The Planetary Society’s Space Events 2025 Calendar is another resource for tracking space missions.

Use this useful tool to create a custom star chart for your location to help you find your way around the stars.

You can also send in any space related questions to my email address. Suggestions about this feature are also welcome.

You are starting off 2025 right by enjoying the beauty and serenity of the night sky … and you will be glad you did.

Follow Greg Redfern on Facebook, Bluesky and his daily blog to keep up with the latest news in astronomy and space exploration.

Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

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Washington, D.C

DC weather: Sunny, mild Tuesday; showers return Wednesday

Published

2 hours ago

May 12, 2026

Press Room

DC weather: Sunny, mild Tuesday; showers return Wednesday

WASHINGTON – A sunny, dry and mild Tuesday for the Washington, D.C. region, with highs near 71 degrees.

What we know:

The day starts chilly, with temperatures in the 40s and a few upper 30s in the area. Plenty of sunshine with some light winds that will make for a pleasant afternoon. FOX 5’s Taylor Grenda says it’s a good day for outdoor plans, with temperatures climbing into the low 70s by mid‑afternoon. Winds may turn a bit breezy overnight, but conditions will remain cool and dry.

Rain chances return Wednesday as clouds increase. The morning and early afternoon look mostly dry, but the evening commute could turn soggy on Wednesday. Grenda says to expect two rounds of showers tomorrow – one around 5 p.m. and another after sunset – with a slight chance of isolated thunderstorms. The severe weather threat appears to be limited.

Behind the system, Thursday turns cooler and breezy, with highs only in the mid‑60s. Temperatures rebound into the 70s Friday before a warm, more humid stretch arrives over the weekend. Highs could reach the 80s by Saturday and Sunday and the 90s by Monday.

DC weather: Sunny, mild Tuesday; showers return Wednesday

The Source: Information in this article comes from the FOX 5 Weather Team and the National Weather Service.

WeatherNewsWashington, D.C.MarylandVirginia

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Washington, D.C

Nonprofit sues the federal government over plans to paint Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool blue

Published

14 hours ago

May 11, 2026

Press Room

Nonprofit sues the federal government over plans to paint Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool blue

With a blue sky above the Lincoln Memorial, people walk along the reflection pool in Washington, D.C., on June 9, 2023.

Jose Luis Magana/AP

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Jose Luis Magana/AP

A nonprofit is suing the National Park Service, the Department of the Interior and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum over the decision to resurface the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool at Washington D.C.’s National Mall, and to paint the pool’s basin blue.

The suit was filed Monday in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia by The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF), an education and advocacy organization. In the suit, TCLF is asking a federal judge to halt the project, saying that the Trump administration failed to have the project reviewed federally, as is dictated by the National Historic Preservation Act.

The White House ballroom, reflecting pool resurfacing, Kennedy Center renovations and a triumphal arch are among the many changes Trump wants to make in D.C.

President Trump revealed his plans for the pool do-over last month in “American flag blue,” saying that the project would take one week and $2 million, and that it would be completed in time for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4. A few days later on Truth Social, the president posted a fake image of himself and several of his administration officials in swimsuits, along with an unidentified woman in a gingham bikini, lounging in the water with the Washington National Monument at the rear. (Swimming in the reflecting pool is prohibited by federal law.)

Workers paint a corner of the reflecting pool blue on Monday morning.

In a YouTube video posted by the White House on April 23, Trump called the pool “filthy dirty” and said it “leaked like a sieve.” In that video, Trump said he was going to call three companies that he has worked with in the past – “all they do is swimming pools” – and say, “Give me a good price.”

The New York Times reported last Friday that the contract for the reflecting pool’s resurfacing was awarded in a $6.9 million no-bid contract to a company called Atlantic Industrial Coatings, which previously has never held any federal contracts.

An employee at the Atlantic Industrial Coatings confirmed in a telephone call on Monday that it has been contracted for this project, but referred all other questions to the Department of the Interior.

The Times reported on Monday that the final cost of the project could be upward of $13 million, per documents it says it has obtained. The Department of the Interior did not confirm the cost of the project, but wrote: “The contract price reflects the effort necessary to expedite the timeline of completing the leak prevention coating project—more people, more materials, more equipment and longer hours ahead of our 250th.”

In an unsigned statement emailed to NPR Monday afternoon, the Interior Department wrote: “The National Park Service chose the best company to expedite the repair of the iconic Reflecting Pool ahead of our 250 celebrations. The choice of American Flag Blue will enhance the visitor experience by making the pool reflect the grand Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument. NPS is also investing in a state-of-the-art ozone nanobubbler filtration system and will now have a dedicated crew who will maintain the grounds’ from wildlife. The Department is proud of the work being carried out by our Park Service to ensure this magical spot can be enjoyed for not only our 250th, but for many generations to come.”

Critics of the project, including TCLF, don’t share that vision – and are taking particular umbrage at the color.

“The reflecting pool should not be viewed in isolation; it is part of the larger ensemble of designed landscapes that comprise the National Mall,” Charles A. Birnbaum, the president and CEO of TCLF, said in a statement emailed to NPR Monday. “The design intent, to create a reflective surface that is subordinate, is fundamental to the solemn and hallowed visual and spatial connection between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial. A blue-tinted basin is more appropriate to a resort or theme park.”

The National Park Service regularly cleans out algae, goose droppings and other detritus from the reflecting pool. The last major renovation of the reflecting pool, which included the installation of a new circulation and filtration system, took place during the Obama administration at a reported cost of $34 million.

Before founding TCLF in 2008, Birnbaum served for 15 years as the coordinator of the Historic Landscape Initiative for the National Park Service.

A view of the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. in February. On Monday, a group of eight architecture and culture groups filed a federal lawsuit against President Trump and the arts complex's board to halt a planned renovation.

TCLF has another open lawsuit against the federal administration: it is one of eight cultural and architecture groups currently suing President Trump and the Kennedy Center board over the planned renovations of the complex, which are planned to start in July.

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Washington, D.C

K-9 Knox to be honored at ceremony in Washington, D.C. on Monday

Published

1 day ago

May 11, 2026

Press Room

K-9 Knox to be honored at ceremony in Washington, D.C. on Monday

The memorial service will be held at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial at 1 p.m.

WASHINGTON D.C. – A brave K-9 hero from the region will be honored at the Annual National Police K9 Memorial Service on Monday afternoon.

K-9 Knox died in the line of duty last year after he was accidentally hit by a police vehicle while pursuing a suspect involved in a stolen vehicle incident. He was a 3-year-old German shepherd and had served as a narcotics detection and patrol apprehension K-9 for the Roanoke Police Department since May 2023.

The memorial service will include a wreath-laying ceremony and will be held at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C., at 1 p.m. The event will open with a musical performance by Frank Ray, and the guest speaker will be Deputy Jared Hahn of the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office K-9 Unit.

The San Antonio Police Department Blue Line Choir will sing the national anthem, and the Emerald Society Pipes & Drums band will also perform.

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