January’s First Week In Photos: Northern Lights, Moon-Venus Conjunction & More! [1-7 Jan]

Welcome to the very first edition of our Best Photos collections! As we enter 2025, the night sky has already gifted us with spectacular sights. This week’s highlights include the breathtaking New Year’s Northern Lights and the enchanting Moon-Venus conjunction — a celestial pairing that lit up the January skies on the first days of the year.

In this collection, we’re also introducing an exciting expansion of our rubric! Beyond astrophotography, look forward to mesmerizing views of Earth, natural phenomena, and more in our next collections as we strive to showcase the beauty of our universe in all its glory.

Astronaut’s First Photo Of 2025

NASA astronaut Don Pettit started the year with a stunning shot of Earth, describing it as a “New Year’s light show.” This photo captures the beauty of our planet from space like no other!

This stunning photo was captured aboard the International Space Station (ISS), where Pettit has been living and carrying out research since September on his fourth space mission.

New Year’s Northern Lights

Captured by Margaret Murphy in Midleton, Co. Cork, this amazing photo showcases the Northern Lights painting the night sky. A rare and breathtaking sight for the region, it’s a perfect celestial celebration to ring in the new year.

Daniel Wilson captured this stunning display of Northern Lights from Tettenhall, England. The soft colours shifting across the sky added a stunning beauty to the New Year.

Aurora Borealis Over Newgrange

This captivating photo captures the aurora borealis glowing softly over Newgrange, an ancient passage tomb in Ireland known for its alignment with the winter solstice.

The northern lights shone through despite some cloud cover, adding a modern touch of wonder to this prehistoric site, as the author Sryan Bruen mentioned.

Astronaut’s Fingernail Clipping

One of the week’s more poetic moments came from a snapshot of the waning crescent moon by astronaut Don Pettit. He nicknamed it a “glowing fingernail clipping in the sky.”

As we embark on 2025, we eagerly look forward to more breathtaking photos from the astronauts aboard the ISS, capturing the wonders of our planet and beyond!

Venus & Moon Conjunction

The Venus-Moon conjunction turned into a stunning celestial event, captivating stargazers worldwide. Its beauty illuminated skies across the globe, making it a true highlight of the new year.

This enchanting photo by Beth Pratt captures the dazzling pair shining in the Sierra foothills, showcasing Venus’ glow next to the soft crescent moon.

Venus And Fox Charlie

The Venus-Moon conjunction not only delighted stargazers but warmed hearts unexpectedly. This charming photo by Richard Bowler Wildlife Photography features his fox, Charlie, gazing up at the night sky with Venus glowing near the crescent moon.

Eclipse Pair

This impressive image by NASA “Astronomy picture of the day” features a time-lapse of an eclipse pair. And here is the explanation what is actually going on in it. Eclipses often occur in pairs. Twice a year, during an eclipse season, the Sun, Moon, and Earth align, creating both lunar and solar eclipses. However, it’s rare for total (or total and annular) lunar and solar eclipses to occur in the same season. In 2024, the season produced a partial lunar eclipse on 18 September and an annular solar eclipse on 2 October. These time-lapse images were captured from Somerset, UK (left) and Rapa Nui, Earth. The 2025 season will feature a total lunar eclipse on 14 March and a partial solar eclipse on 29 March, and another total lunar eclipse on 8 September, followed by a partial solar eclipse on 21 September.

Thank you to all the photographers who shared their amazing images for our best photos of last week’s collection! We greatly appreciate your dedication and passion for astrophotography. Here’s to many more breathtaking photos and clear skies ahead for your future stargazing adventures!