January 2
January 2 is the 2nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 364 days remain until the year's end. It falls in winter (northern hemisphere) and under the astrological sign of Capricorn.
Day of year
2
Days remaining
364
ISO week
1
Zodiac
Capricorn
Season
Winter
Sun declination
-22.9°
External references
Curated jump-off points to the major almanacs, encyclopaedias and primary sources for this date.
Wikipedia: this day →Britannica: this day →LoC: Today in History →History.com: this day →On-This-Day.com →BBC: On This Day →NYT: this day →Time and Date →NASA APOD archive →U.S. Naval Observatory →Wolfram|Alpha →Wikidata →Google Books →JSTOR →Internet Archive →
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Astronomy
Computed via Cooper's formula. Positive declination = Sun north of the celestial equator (Northern Hemisphere summer).
On January 2 the Sun's declination is approximately -22.9°. At this latitude the Sun is south of the celestial equator, giving the Northern Hemisphere shorter days than nights.
For specific rise/set times at your location, see the U.S. Naval Observatory, or the NASA APOD archive for any imagery published on a January 2.
Position in the year
Holidays & observances
- Berchtoldstag (Switzerland, parts)
- Day after New Year's (NZ, Scotland)
Events
A selection of widely-documented historical events that took place on this date. Years marked BCE follow standard astronomical convention.
- 1492 — The fall of Granada — Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand II and Isabella I completed the Reconquista. ↗(534 years ago)
- 1788 — Georgia became the fourth U.S. state to ratify the Constitution. ↗(238 years ago)
- 1900 — U.S. Secretary of State John Hay announced the Open Door Policy on China. ↗(126 years ago)
- 1959 — The Soviet Union launched Luna 1, the first spacecraft to leave Earth's gravity well. ↗(67 years ago)
- 1971 — 66 football fans were crushed to death at Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow. ↗(55 years ago)
Notable births
Notable deaths
Numerical & calendrical curiosities
| Day-of-year (2) | 2 · prime |
|---|---|
| Days remaining (364) | 2^2 × 7 × 13 |
| Date code DDMMYYYY | 02012026 · no palindrome in next 200 years |
| Sun declination | -22.92° (Cooper approximation) |
| Distance from solstice | 13 days |