ORRERYBest day to have a hard conversation

Talk / discuss — January 2026

The best days to have a hard conversation in January 2026.

Computed in America/New York (Eastern Time). Event and interval times include their Eastern Time zone label (EDT or EST). A different timezone shifts the day boundaries — the sky doesn’t change, but the local days it lands in can.

This month has passed. The current month is have a hard conversation in October 2026.

You’ve got the conversation on the calendar. Here is January 2026, scored for talking: every hour rated on the Moon void-of-course, Mercury retrograde, the Moon’s phase, and its next applying aspect for this decision — then averaged per day. Scores start at 50. Higher scores mean more favorable conditions under Orrery’s rules, not a higher chance of success. Check the times against your availability.

The month’s best stretch opens Fri, Jan 16, 7:00 AM EST and holds until Sun, Jan 18, 11:00 AM EST, scoring 67.

Amber rows below are the days that stretch touches. Scores compare moments; they do not promise results.

Rows list factors in that day’s hourly samples. An applying aspect’s exact date can fall on a later day.

DateDayScoreThe computed sky
Jan 1Thu47Waxing Moon (sampled hours)
Jan 2Fri45Applying Moon–Mercury opposition · exact Fri, Jan 2, 2026, 9:57 AM ESTWaxing Moon (sampled hours)Void-of-course Fri, Jan 2, 2026, 7:23 AM EST – Fri, Jan 2, 2026, 8:09 AM EST
Jan 3Sat53Waning Moon (sampled hours)Waxing Moon (sampled hours)
Jan 4Sun54Waning Moon (sampled hours)Void-of-course Sun, Jan 4, 2026, 7:59 AM EST – Sun, Jan 4, 2026, 8:43 AM EST
Jan 5Mon55Waning Moon (sampled hours)
Jan 6Tue59Applying Moon–Mercury trine · exact Wed, Jan 7, 2026, 3:01 AM ESTWaning Moon (sampled hours)Void-of-course Tue, Jan 6, 2026, 8:04 AM EST – Tue, Jan 6, 2026, 11:56 AM EST
Jan 7Wed57Applying Moon–Mercury trine · exact Wed, Jan 7, 2026, 3:01 AM ESTWaning Moon (sampled hours)
Jan 8Thu52Applying Moon–Mercury square · exact Fri, Jan 9, 2026, 7:33 PM ESTWaning Moon (sampled hours)Void-of-course Thu, Jan 8, 2026, 6:22 PM EST – Thu, Jan 8, 2026, 7:05 PM EST
Jan 9Fri45Applying Moon–Mercury square · exact Fri, Jan 9, 2026, 7:33 PM ESTWaning Moon (sampled hours)
Jan 10Sat43Waning Moon (sampled hours)Void-of-course Sat, Jan 10, 2026, 12:54 PM EST – Sun, Jan 11, 2026, 5:55 AM EST
Jan 11Sun56Applying Moon–Mercury sextile · exact Mon, Jan 12, 2026, 4:43 PM ESTWaning Moon (sampled hours)Void-of-course Sat, Jan 10, 2026, 12:54 PM EST – Sun, Jan 11, 2026, 5:55 AM EST
Jan 12Mon62Applying Moon–Mercury sextile · exact Mon, Jan 12, 2026, 4:43 PM ESTWaning Moon (sampled hours)
Jan 13Tue54Waning Moon (sampled hours)Void-of-course Tue, Jan 13, 2026, 5:58 PM EST – Tue, Jan 13, 2026, 6:33 PM EST
Jan 14Wed55Waning Moon (sampled hours)
Jan 15Thu55Waning Moon (sampled hours)
Jan 16Fri64Applying Moon–Mercury conjunction · exact Sun, Jan 18, 2026, 10:47 AM ESTWaning Moon (sampled hours)
Jan 17Sat67Applying Moon–Mercury conjunction · exact Sun, Jan 18, 2026, 10:47 AM ESTWaning Moon (sampled hours)
Jan 18Sun56Applying Moon–Mercury conjunction · exact Sun, Jan 18, 2026, 10:47 AM ESTWaning Moon (sampled hours)Waxing Moon (sampled hours)Void-of-course Sun, Jan 18, 2026, 4:56 PM EST – Sun, Jan 18, 2026, 5:17 PM EST
Jan 19Mon47Waxing Moon (sampled hours)
Jan 20Tue45Waxing Moon (sampled hours)Void-of-course Tue, Jan 20, 2026, 9:16 PM EST – Wed, Jan 21, 2026, 1:49 AM EST
Jan 21Wed45Waxing Moon (sampled hours)Void-of-course Tue, Jan 20, 2026, 9:16 PM EST – Wed, Jan 21, 2026, 1:49 AM EST
Jan 22Thu47Waxing Moon (sampled hours)
Jan 23Fri51Applying Moon–Mercury sextile · exact Fri, Jan 23, 2026, 6:16 PM ESTWaxing Moon (sampled hours)
Jan 24Sat39Waxing Moon (sampled hours)Void-of-course Sat, Jan 24, 2026, 4:36 PM EST – Sun, Jan 25, 2026, 1:05 PM EST
Jan 25Sun27Applying Moon–Mercury square · exact Mon, Jan 26, 2026, 5:50 AM ESTWaxing Moon (sampled hours)Void-of-course Sat, Jan 24, 2026, 4:36 PM EST – Sun, Jan 25, 2026, 1:05 PM EST
Jan 26Mon44Applying Moon–Mercury square · exact Mon, Jan 26, 2026, 5:50 AM ESTWaxing Moon (sampled hours)
Jan 27Tue48Applying Moon–Mercury trine · exact Wed, Jan 28, 2026, 3:00 PM ESTWaxing Moon (sampled hours)Void-of-course Tue, Jan 27, 2026, 12:57 PM EST – Tue, Jan 27, 2026, 3:55 PM EST
Jan 28Wed56Applying Moon–Mercury trine · exact Wed, Jan 28, 2026, 3:00 PM ESTWaxing Moon (sampled hours)
Jan 29Thu44Waxing Moon (sampled hours)Void-of-course Thu, Jan 29, 2026, 2:56 PM EST – Thu, Jan 29, 2026, 5:31 PM EST
Jan 30Fri47Waxing Moon (sampled hours)
Jan 31Sat41Applying Moon–Mercury opposition · exact Mon, Feb 2, 2026, 8:55 AM ESTWaxing Moon (sampled hours)Void-of-course Sat, Jan 31, 2026, 4:51 PM EST – Sat, Jan 31, 2026, 7:08 PM EST

How to read this

Void-of-course— after the Moon’s last exact aspect in a sign, before it enters the next. The classical read: finish things; don’t start them. Exact times are in the void calendar for January 2026. Mercury retrograde — the traditional caution for messages, deals, and signatures; station times to the second are in the retrograde dates. Waxing / waning — growing favors starts, thinning favors finishing. The applying aspect— the Moon’s next exact contact with this decision’s planet, easy angles helping, hard angles dragging. The full rulebook — which conventions Orrery follows and which it refuses — is in Method.

Nearby

The coming week, in one email

Astrological rankings for the coming week, calculated for your timezone. Free, with an unsubscribe link in every email.

One email a week — the coming week’s windows, computed for . Free, no account. Stop any time, one click.

Engine 0.6.1 · config v3 · JPL de440s.bsp · tzdata 2026.3. Rankings use the computed conditions and the scoring rules published in Method.