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Ephemeris: 01/23/2026 – The new space race

January 23, 2026

This is Ephemeris for Friday, January 23rd. Today the Sun will be up for 9 hours and 28 minutes, setting at 5:39, and it will rise tomorrow at 8:09. The Moon, 2 days before first quarter, will set at 11:17 this evening.

In the 1960s The United States and the Soviet Union engaged into what was called the space race. A race that was essentially to be the first nation to set foot on the Moon. It was a race the United States won when Neil Armstrong set foot on the Moon on July 20th 1969. We are now engaged in another space race, this time with China. It looks like Russia is sitting this one out, or are helping the Chinese, though it looks like the Chinese are out innovating them with their own reusable rockets. The stakes are higher this time. There is a place on the Moon in which everyone is interested. That being the Moon’s South Pole which has water in the form of ice in permanently shadowed craters, which would be worth its weight in gold.

The astronomical event times given in this blog are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (Lat 44.7° N, Long 85.7° W; EST, UT – 5 hours) unless stated otherwise. Times will be different for other locations.

Addendum

A 1/10th scale model of the China's Long March 10 rocket, purported to be their Moon Rocket.
A 1/10th scale model of the China’s Long March 10 rocket, purported to be their Moon Rocket. It is supposed to be ready for a human landing attempt on the Moon by 2030. Credit: Shujianyan.

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