The Nation’s Capital will soon be hosting two significant events that draw large crowds: next week’s state funeral for former President Jimmy Carter, followed by Donald Trump’s second inauguration as President of the United States.

After an incident being investigated as a terrorist attack in New Orleans Wednesday, extra precautions, some visible and some not, are going into place in D.C.

At 7th and F Streets Northwest outside Capital One Arena Wednesday night, vehicle barriers blocked access to F Street.

The area was busy with people attending the Washington Wizards game. Normally, the street is closed to vehicle traffic by the presence of one or more police cruisers.

There was also a heavier than usual presence of Metro Transit Police officers around the Gallery Place-Chinatown Metro stop adjacent to the arena. The agency posted on social media that it has heightened security across the transit system.

Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith spoke with reporters at a 5K race event earlier in the day.

“Any time there is an incident such as what happened in New Orleans, we always heighten our security, and here in the District, we will continue to do the same today and throughout the rest of the week,” she said.

The Chief was asked how the horrific event in New Orleans affects security preparations for two upcoming events, which will bring crowds to the District.

“We’ve been preparing for large crowds. That’s what we specialize here in in the District of Columbia,” she said. “The Metropolitan Police Department will continue to work very closely with our local and state partners to see if there are any critical threats to the District, and if there are, we will posture ourselves accordingly.”

People’s eyes sometimes glaze over when they hear “See something, say something,” but community concern can and has helped prevent attacks both in the U.S. and overseas.

Washington DC is slated to host three major events in January; January 6th, Jimmy Carter’s funeral, and Donald Trump’s inauguration. Following the terrorist attack in New Orleans DC police plan to heighten security and increase police presence.

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.

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