{"id":792251,"date":"2024-12-24T10:11:06","date_gmt":"2024-12-24T15:11:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/?p=792251"},"modified":"2024-12-24T10:11:06","modified_gmt":"2024-12-24T15:11:06","slug":"top-astronomy-events-for-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/?p=792251","title":{"rendered":"Top Astronomy Events for 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><em>Catching the best sky watching events for the coming year 2025.<\/em><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Comet C\/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS captured over the McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory, Arizona. Credit: Robert Sparks<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>How about that eclipse in 2024? Certainly, the Great North American Eclipse of April 8<sup>th<\/sup> 2024 was one for the ages, instilling the eclipse-chasing bug in many a new skywatching fan. Now, for the bad news: 2025 is a rare, totality free year, featuring only a pair of remote partial solar eclipses. The good news is, there\u2019s lots more in store to see in the sky in 2025, with a pair of fine total lunar eclipses, Mars at its best, and lunar occultations galore. And hey, the Sun is still mighty active, and the cosmos does still owe us another fine comet.<\/p>\n<p><span id=\"more-169952\"\/><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-2024-the-year-in-brief\"><strong>2024: The Year in Brief<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>To be sure, the April eclipse was spectacular\u2026 but 2024 was almost more notable for the unpredictable. First, the Sun unleashed <em>two <\/em>epic solar storms, sending amazing aurora displays southward towards latitudes and populations of skywatchers that rarely see them. Then, Comet C\/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS survived perihelion in late September, and went on to put on a fine show for northern hemisphere watchers at dusk in October. All of this transpired against a record number of rocket launches worldwide, as SpaceX and its competitors race to fill the sky with Starlink and its ilk.<\/p>\n<p>Will artificial stars outnumber real ones in the coming generation? We\u2019re differently witness to an evolving sky, as the clockwork gears unfold in the drama of the heavens above us.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-rules\"><strong>The Rules<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>First up, some ground rules. We think of this list as a \u2018best of the best\u2019 for the year, distilled down to top events, with a little strangeness thrown in to make things unique. Think conjunctions closer than a degree, comets brighter than +6<sup>th<\/sup> magnitude, etc. as a sort of \u2018101 Top Astronomy Events for the Year.\u2019<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-top-12-events-for-2025\"><strong>The <\/strong><strong>Top <\/strong><strong>12 Events <\/strong><strong>for 2025<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Such is astronomy and skywatching in 2025. First, here\u2019s a quick subjective rundown of the dozen very best skywatching events to look forward to in the coming year:<\/p>\n<p>-The peak for Solar Cycle 25 continues<\/p>\n<p>-Mars at opposition in January<\/p>\n<p>-Venus rules the dusk sky at the start of the year, and transitions to the dawn sky<\/p>\n<p>-A once a generation Major Lunar Standstill sees the Moon swinging wide north-to-south<\/p>\n<p>-Saturn\u2019s rings are edge on as seen from our Earthly vantage point<\/p>\n<p>-Comet G3 ATLAS \u2018may\u2019 break negative magnitudes in January<\/p>\n<p>-Two total lunar eclipses for the year worldwide<\/p>\n<p>-Lunar occultations worldwide for the stars Spica, Regulus and Antares<\/p>\n<p>-A rare \u2018triple year\u2019 for lunar-stellar occultations<\/p>\n<p>-The Moon meets up with Saturn and Mars multiple times in 2025<\/p>\n<p>-A rare, \u2018smiling emoticon\u2019 triple conjunction involving the Moon, Regulus and Venus on September 19th<\/p>\n<p>-The Moon occults sections of Messier 45 (The Pleiades) on every pass for 2025<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/53713693630_647362a44e_c.jpg\" alt=\"Aurora\" class=\"wp-image-170153\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/53713693630_647362a44e_c.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/53713693630_647362a44e_c-435x580.jpg 435w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/53713693630_647362a44e_c-188x250.jpg 188w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Aurorae light up the sky over Ottawa, Canada. Credit: Andrew Symes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-sun-the-seasons-and-the-solar-cycle-in-2025\"><strong>The Sun, the Seasons and the Solar Cycle in 2025<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>We\u2019re just coming off of the historic solar maximum in 2024 for Solar Cycle Number 25, and the wild ride is far from over. On an 11-year period from one maxima to the next, the Sun doubtless has more in store for 2025 in terms of space weather and aurora. We\u2019re now on a long, slow downslide towards solar minimum in 2029-2030.<\/p>\n<p>Earth reaches perihelion on January 4<sup>th<\/sup> at 0.98333 AU in 2025, and aphelion on July 3<sup>rd<\/sup> at 1.01664 AU from the Sun.<\/p>\n<p>Seasons in 2025 start on:<\/p>\n<p>March 20<sup>th<\/sup> (northward equinox)<\/p>\n<p>June 20<sup>th<\/sup> (northward solstice)<\/p>\n<p>September 22<sup>nd<\/sup> (southward equinox)<\/p>\n<p>December 21<sup>st<\/sup> (southward solstice)<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-moon-in-2025\"><strong>The Moon in 2025<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"2025 Moon Phases - Northern Hemisphere - 4K\" width=\"1110\" height=\"624\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/RROlja1ob_4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>2025 is a \u2018hilly\u2019 year for the path of the Moon, as we cross what\u2019s known as a Major Lunar Standstill. The actual node crossing for the event occurs on January 29<sup>th<\/sup>. The Moon\u2019s orbit is inclined a little over five degrees relative to the ecliptic plane. The entire orbit of our Moon is also dragged (mainly by the Sun) one revolution every 18.6-years, in what\u2019s known as lunar nodal precession. All this means that once every 18.6 years, the Moon \u2018swings wide\u2019 in the sky, as the tilt of its orbit is applied to the Earth\u2019s versus the ecliptic plane.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"715\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Rome-Moon-715x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Lunar Standstill\" class=\"wp-image-170154\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Rome-Moon-715x1024.jpg 715w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Rome-Moon-405x580.jpg 405w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Rome-Moon-175x250.jpg 175w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Rome-Moon-768x1099.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Rome-Moon-1073x1536.jpg 1073w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Rome-Moon.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 715px) 100vw, 715px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A rare \u2018Lunar Standstill\u2019, seen down the Sistine Axis in Rome, Italy in late 2024. Credit: Gianluca Masi.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-a-hilly-year\">A \u2018Hilly Year\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>We just had the northernmost Full Moon the decade on December 15<sup>th<\/sup>, 2024, and we\u2019re due for the southernmost Full Moon on June 11th.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"665\" height=\"181\" src=\"https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Chart2.jpg\" alt=\"Lunar Standstills\" class=\"wp-image-170155\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Chart2.jpg 665w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Chart2-580x158.jpg 580w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Chart2-250x68.jpg 250w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 665px) 100vw, 665px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Major and Minor Lunar Standstills for the first half of the 21st century. Credit: Dave Dickinson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The year is also rare in that a Black Moon (in the old-timey sense as the third New Moon in an astronomical season with four) occurs on August 23<sup>rd<\/sup>, and the Harvest Moon nearest to the September Equinox occurs in October, on the 7<sup>th<\/sup>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\">\n<table class=\"has-fixed-layout\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"4\"><strong>Moon Phases for 2025 (in Universal Time)<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td colspan=\"2\"><em>Closest Perigee\u2013May 26 1:53 UT (357,309 km)<\/em><\/td>\n<td colspan=\"2\"><em>Most Distant Apogee-Oct 24 15:31 UT (405,614 km)<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>New Moon<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>Brown Lunation<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>Full Moon<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>Notes<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Dec 30 \u2013 22:28 UT (2024)<\/td>\n<td>1262<\/td>\n<td>Jan 13 \u2013 22:28 UT<\/td>\n<td>1<sup>st<\/sup> Full Moon of 2025<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Jan 29 \u2013 12:37 UT<\/td>\n<td>1263<\/td>\n<td>Feb 12 \u2013 13:54 UT<\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Feb 28 \u2013 00:47 UT<\/td>\n<td>1264<\/td>\n<td>Mar 14 \u2013 6:56 UT<\/td>\n<td>Total Lunar Eclipse (Mar14)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Mar 29 \u2013 11:00 UT<\/td>\n<td>1265<\/td>\n<td>Apr 13\u2013 00:24 UT<\/td>\n<td>Partial Solar Eclipse (March 29)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Apr 27 \u2013 19:33 UT<\/td>\n<td>1266<\/td>\n<td>May 12 \u2013 16:58 UT<\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>May 27 \u2013 3:04 UT<\/td>\n<td>1267<\/td>\n<td>Jun 11 \u2013 7:46 UT<\/td>\n<td>Closest Full Moon of the year, Southernmost Full Moon of 2025<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Jun 25 \u2013 10:34 UT<\/td>\n<td>1268<\/td>\n<td>Jul 10 \u2013 20:39 UT<\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Jul 24 \u2013 19:12 UT<\/td>\n<td>1269<\/td>\n<td>Aug 9 \u2013 7:57 UT<\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Aug 23 \u2013 6:07 UT<\/td>\n<td>1271<\/td>\n<td>Sep 7 \u2013 18:11 UT<\/td>\n<td>Total Lunar Eclipse (Sep 7) 3<sup>rd<\/sup> New (Black) Moon in Season<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Sep 21 -19:55 UT<\/td>\n<td>1272<\/td>\n<td>Oct 7 \u2013 3:49 UT<\/td>\n<td>October Harvest Moon Partial Solar Eclipse (Sep 21)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Oct 21 \u2013 12:26 UT<\/td>\n<td>1273<\/td>\n<td>Nov 5 -13:20 UT<\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Nov 20 \u2013 6:48 UT<\/td>\n<td>1274<\/td>\n<td>Dec 4 \u2013 23:15 UT<\/td>\n<td>Long Night\u2019s Full Moon Most distant Moon of the year<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Dec 20 \u2013 1:44 UT<\/td>\n<td>1275<\/td>\n<td>Jan 3 \u2013 10:04 UT<\/td>\n<td>1<sup>st<\/sup> Full Moon of 2026<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-eclipses-in-2025\"><strong>Eclipses in 2025<\/strong><\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/52077067754_7f93c23551_c.jpg\" alt=\"Total lunar eclipse\" class=\"wp-image-170156\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/52077067754_7f93c23551_c.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/52077067754_7f93c23551_c-580x418.jpg 580w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/52077067754_7f93c23551_c-250x180.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/52077067754_7f93c23551_c-768x553.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Totality! As seen on May 16th, 2022. Credit: Andrew Symes.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>As mentioned previous, 2025 features 4 eclipses\u2014the minimum number than can occur in a calendar year. These are 2 total lunar and 2 partial solar eclipses, bookending two eclipse seasons in 2025:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"813\" height=\"795\" src=\"https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Mar-TLe.jpg\" alt=\"The path and visibility of the March total lunar eclipse. credit: NASA\/GSFC\/Fred Espenak.\" class=\"wp-image-170157\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Mar-TLe.jpg 813w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Mar-TLe-580x567.jpg 580w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Mar-TLe-250x244.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Mar-TLe-768x751.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Circumstances for the total lunar eclipse on the night of March 13-14th. Credit: Fred Espenak\/GSFC\/NASA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>-A total lunar eclipse on the night of March 13-14<sup>th<\/sup> for the Americas;<\/p>\n<p>-A partial solar eclipse for March 29<sup>th<\/sup> spanning the North Atlantic;<\/p>\n<p>-A total lunar eclipse on the night of September 7-8<sup>th<\/sup> centered on Central Asia;<\/p>\n<p>-A partial solar eclipse on September 21<sup>st<\/sup> for New Zealand and the South Pacific.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"250\" height=\"270\" src=\"https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/SE2025Mar29P.gif\" alt=\"eclipse\" class=\"wp-image-170158\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An animation of the March 29th partial solar eclipse. Note that the umbral shadow of the Moon juuuust misses the Earth (!) Credit: NASA\/GSFC\/A.T. Sinclair. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-inner-planets-in-2025\"><strong>The Inner Planets in 2025<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Fleeting Mercury reaches greatest elongation six times in 2025 (3 in the dawn and 3 in the dusk) marking the best time to spy the elusive world:<\/p>\n<p>-March 8<sup>th<\/sup> \u2013 Mercury is 18\u00ba east (dusk)<\/p>\n<p>-April 21<sup>st<\/sup> \u2013 Mercury is 27\u00ba west (dawn, best for 2025)<\/p>\n<p>-July 4<sup>th<\/sup> -Mercury is 26\u00ba east (dusk)<\/p>\n<p>-August 19<sup>th<\/sup> \u2013 Mercury is 18\u00ba west (dawn)<\/p>\n<p>-October 29<sup>th<\/sup> \u2013 Mercury is 24\u00ba east (dusk)<\/p>\n<p>-December 8<sup>th<\/sup> \u2013 Mercury is 21\u00ba west (dawn)<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Venus is busy in 2025. The brilliant world starts off dominating the evening sky, reaching greatest elongation 47 degrees east of the Sun on January 10<sup>th<\/sup> and shining at magnitude -4.5. This is the best apparition of Venus since 2017. Venus then takes the plunge towards the Sun, passing less than nine degrees north of the Sun on March 21st-22nd. This is a good time to try the challenging feat of seeing Venus near inferior conjunction\u2026 just make sure that the Sun is physically blocked from view.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"535\" src=\"https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/49962255018_e6987a35e6_c.jpg\" alt=\"Venus\" class=\"wp-image-170159\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/49962255018_e6987a35e6_c.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/49962255018_e6987a35e6_c-580x388.jpg 580w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/49962255018_e6987a35e6_c-250x167.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/49962255018_e6987a35e6_c-768x514.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Venus near inferior conjunction in 2020. Credit: Shahrin Ahmad. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Venus then goes on to a fine dawn appearance for the remainder of 2025, reaching greatest elongation 46 degrees west of the Sun on June 25<sup>th<\/sup>.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-outer-planets-in-2025\"><strong>The Outer Planets in 2025<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The big ticket planetary event kicks off 2025, when Mars reaches opposition on January 16<sup>th<\/sup>. To be sure, this opposition is part of an unfavorable cycle as the Red Planet is currently moving away from us towards aphelion on April 16<sup>th<\/sup>, 2025, but noteworthy as it marks the biannual Mars observing season. At its best, Mars shines at -1.5 magnitude and presents a disk 15\u201d across.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/50428740573_8a2e464888_c.jpg\" alt=\"Mars\" class=\"wp-image-170160\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/50428740573_8a2e464888_c.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/50428740573_8a2e464888_c-580x580.jpg 580w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/50428740573_8a2e464888_c-250x250.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/50428740573_8a2e464888_c-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/50428740573_8a2e464888_c-100x100.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Mars from 2020. Credit: Andrew Symes.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Beyond opposition, Mars spends most of the rest of 2025 in the evening sky, and reaches solar conjunction on January 9<sup>th<\/sup>, 2026.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-jupiter-in-2025\">Jupiter in 2025<\/h2>\n<p>Jupiter reached opposition on December 7<sup>th<\/sup>, 2024, skips in 2025, and heads to opposition next on January 10<sup>th<\/sup>, 2026. Jupiter last performed such a bypass in 2013. Callisto (the only major moon that can \u2018miss\u2019 Jove) starts shadow-casting and passing back into Jupiter\u2019s shadow on May 11<sup>th<\/sup>. This is a prelude to another bidecadal mutual eclipse season for Jupiter\u2019s moons starting in 2026.<\/p>\n<p>We have three double shadow transit seasons to watch for in 2025:<\/p>\n<p>(Thanks to John Flannery and the late John O\u2019Neill who edited the \u2018Sky-High\u2019 publication for the Irish Astronomical Society for years for calculating and passing this info on).<\/p>\n<p>-February 25<sup>th<\/sup> (Ganymede-Europa)<\/p>\n<p>-October 13<sup>th<\/sup> (Ganymede-Io)<\/p>\n<p>-October 29<sup>th<\/sup> (Io-Europa)<\/p>\n<p>-November 5<sup>th<\/sup> (Io-Europa)<\/p>\n<p>-November 21<sup>st<\/sup> (Callisto-Io)<\/p>\n<p>Also watch for a unique event, when only Callisto is visible on October 6<sup>th<\/sup>. Jupiter reaches solar conjunction on June 24<sup>th<\/sup>, transitioning from the dusk to dawn sky.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-saturn-in-2025\">Saturn in 2025<\/h2>\n<p>Saturn starts off 2025 in the evening sky, and passes behind the Sun and into the dawn sky on March 12<sup>th<\/sup>. Saturn reaches opposition once on September 21<sup>st<\/sup>, marking the best time to spy the ringed world.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"535\" src=\"https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/52288692316_6bf56e94fa_c.jpg\" alt=\"Tilt of Saturn\" class=\"wp-image-170161\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/52288692316_6bf56e94fa_c.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/52288692316_6bf56e94fa_c-580x388.jpg 580w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/52288692316_6bf56e94fa_c-250x167.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/52288692316_6bf56e94fa_c-768x514.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The changing tilt of Saturn\u2019s rings. Credit: Shahrin Ahmad.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Saturn\u2019s rings are edge on on March 23<sup>rd<\/sup>, 2025, providing us a twice every 29-year view of an apparently \u2018ring-less\u2019 Saturn\u2026 just think how bland the solar system would be, if Saturn always appeared thus?<\/p>\n<p>Ring plane-crossing also means it\u2019s time to see Saturn\u2019s moons transiting across its disk. These are tougher to spot versus the Galilean moons of Jupiter, though shadow transits of 0.8\u201d Titan are in the range of backyard telescopes. Use the IMCCE\u2019s site to generate shadow transits for Titan in 2025.<\/p>\n<p>Looking outward, Uranus reaches opposition on November 21<sup>st<\/sup> in the constellation Taurus, Neptune passes opposition on September 23<sup>rd<\/sup> in Pisces, and distant Pluto hits opposition on July 25<sup>th<\/sup> in Capricornus.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-best-conjunctions-and-groupings-in-2025\"><strong>The Best Conjunctions and Groupings in 2025<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>2025 is an intriguing year for lunar-planetary meetups. First off, you have a rare chance to see all of the naked eye planets (from Mercury to Saturn) in the evening sky at once in mid-March, as Mercury briefly completes the scene.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"832\" src=\"https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dawn-April-25th-1024x832.jpg\" alt=\"Dawn\" class=\"wp-image-170162\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dawn-April-25th-1024x832.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dawn-April-25th-580x471.jpg 580w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dawn-April-25th-250x203.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dawn-April-25th-768x624.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dawn-April-25th.jpg 1357w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The sky scene looking eastward on the morning of April 25th.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The best planet-versus-planet pairing occurs on August 12<sup>th<\/sup> with Jupiter and Venus just 54\u2019 apart, 36 degrees from the Sun at dawn. The best planet-versus-bright star conjunction for the year happens when Venus passes 30\u2019 north of Regulus on September 19<sup>th<\/sup>, also at dawn. Incidentally, a remote region in the Siberian Arctic will actually see the 5% illuminated waning crescent Moon cover the pair simultaneously, while the rest of us will see a skewed, \u2018smiley face\u2019 emoticon grouping hanging in the dawn sky, demonstrating that perhaps the Universe does indeed have a sly sense of humor.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/2025-Venus-Regulus-1024x600.jpg\" alt=\"Venus v Regulus\" class=\"wp-image-170165\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/2025-Venus-Regulus-1024x600.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/2025-Venus-Regulus-580x340.jpg 580w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/2025-Venus-Regulus-250x147.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/2025-Venus-Regulus-768x450.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/2025-Venus-Regulus-1536x901.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/2025-Venus-Regulus.jpg 1663w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Venus vs. Regulus on September 19th. Credit: Dave Dickinson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>A triple conjunction grouping of this sort won\u2019t grace the skies of our fair planet again until February 13<sup>th<\/sup>, 2056, when the Moon, Mars and Mercury meet up.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"858\" src=\"https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dawn-Aug-20th-1024x858.jpg\" alt=\"Dawn\" class=\"wp-image-170163\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dawn-Aug-20th-1024x858.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dawn-Aug-20th-580x486.jpg 580w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dawn-Aug-20th-250x210.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dawn-Aug-20th-768x644.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dawn-Aug-20th.jpg 1329w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Looking eastward on the morning of August 20th. Credit: Stellarium<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-bright-planets-vs-clusters\">Bright Planets vs. Clusters<\/h2>\n<p>Three planets that transit the Beehive Cluster (Messier 44) in 2025:<\/p>\n<p>-May 4<sup>th<\/sup> Mars vs. M44 (83\u00ba from the Sun at dusk)<\/p>\n<p>-July 2<sup>nd<\/sup> Mercury vs. M44 (25\u00ba from the Sun at dusk)<\/p>\n<p>-August 31<sup>st<\/sup> Venus vs. M44 (31\u00ba from the Sun at dawn)<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"773\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/14009980488_1dbe8cde7f_h-773x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Saturn v Moon\" class=\"wp-image-170168\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/14009980488_1dbe8cde7f_h-773x1024.jpg 773w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/14009980488_1dbe8cde7f_h-438x580.jpg 438w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/14009980488_1dbe8cde7f_h-189x250.jpg 189w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/14009980488_1dbe8cde7f_h-768x1017.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/14009980488_1dbe8cde7f_h-1159x1536.jpg 1159w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/14009980488_1dbe8cde7f_h.jpg 1176w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Moon occults Saturn in 2014. Credit: Paul Stewart<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Planets Occulted by the Moon in 2025<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Moon occults 4 naked eye planets (all except Jupiter) a total of 7 times in 2025:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\">\n<table class=\"has-fixed-layout\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Date<\/td>\n<td>Planet<\/td>\n<td>Moon Phase<\/td>\n<td>Region<\/td>\n<td>Notes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Jan 4<\/td>\n<td>Saturn<\/td>\n<td>+25%<\/td>\n<td>Europe<\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Jan 14<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>Mars<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>+99%<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>N. America\/Africa<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Feb 1<\/td>\n<td>Saturn<\/td>\n<td>+13%<\/td>\n<td>Alaskan Arctic<\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Feb 9<\/td>\n<td>Mars<\/td>\n<td>+91%<\/td>\n<td>N. Europe\/Asia<\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Mar 1<\/td>\n<td>Mercury<\/td>\n<td>+2%<\/td>\n<td>Central Pacific<\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Jun 30<\/td>\n<td>Mars<\/td>\n<td>+24%<\/td>\n<td>S. America<\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Sep 19<\/td>\n<td>Venus<\/td>\n<td>-6%<\/td>\n<td>NW N. America<\/td>\n<td>See Venus (daytime)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"808\" height=\"484\" src=\"https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Mars-Occ-Jan-14.jpg\" alt=\"Mars occultation\" class=\"wp-image-170166\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Mars-Occ-Jan-14.jpg 808w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Mars-Occ-Jan-14-580x347.jpg 580w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Mars-Occ-Jan-14-250x150.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Mars-Occ-Jan-14-768x460.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The visibility footprint for the January 14th occultation of Mars by the Moon.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-bright-stars-occulted-by-the-moon-in-2025\"><strong>Bright Stars Occulted by the Moon in 2025<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>2025 is also rare in that the Moon will occult three of the four +1<sup>st<\/sup> magnitude stars that it <em>can<\/em> occult: Spica (11 times), Antares (12 times) and Regulus (6 times). Only Aldebaran sits this one out. Spica occultations are on their way out and headed towards the Antarctic region in 2025, while Regulus events are just sliding on to the scene to the north from the Arctic. Meanwhile, Spica occultations are still ongoing in 2025, and run out in November.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\">\n<table class=\"has-fixed-layout\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Date<\/td>\n<td>Star<\/td>\n<td>Moon Phase<\/td>\n<td>Region<\/td>\n<td>Notes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Jan 21<\/td>\n<td>Spica<\/td>\n<td>-51%<\/td>\n<td>W. Africa\/Atlantic<\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Jan 25<\/td>\n<td>Antares<\/td>\n<td>-16%<\/td>\n<td>Indian Ocean<\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Feb 17<\/td>\n<td>Spica<\/td>\n<td>-77%<\/td>\n<td>South Pacific<\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Feb 21<\/td>\n<td>Antares<\/td>\n<td>-41%<\/td>\n<td>S. South America<\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Mar 16<\/td>\n<td>Spica<\/td>\n<td>-95%<\/td>\n<td>E. Africa\/Indian Ocean<\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Mar 20<\/td>\n<td>Antares<\/td>\n<td>-67%<\/td>\n<td>Australia\/New Zealand<\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Apr 13<\/td>\n<td>Spica<\/td>\n<td>-99%<\/td>\n<td>S. America\/S. Atlantic<\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Apr 16<\/td>\n<td>Antares<\/td>\n<td>-88%<\/td>\n<td>S. Africa<\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>May 10<\/td>\n<td>Spica<\/td>\n<td>+97%<\/td>\n<td>South Pacific<\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>May 14<\/td>\n<td>Antares<\/td>\n<td>-96%<\/td>\n<td>S. Africa<\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Jun 6<\/td>\n<td>Spica<\/td>\n<td>+83%<\/td>\n<td>Antarctica<\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Jun 10<\/td>\n<td>Antares<\/td>\n<td>+99%<\/td>\n<td>Australia\/New Zealand<\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Jul 3<\/td>\n<td>Spica<\/td>\n<td>+60%<\/td>\n<td>Antarctica<\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Jul 7<\/td>\n<td>Antares<\/td>\n<td>+91%<\/td>\n<td>S. Africa\/SW Australia<\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Jul 26<\/td>\n<td>Regulus<\/td>\n<td>+5%<\/td>\n<td>Arctic<\/td>\n<td>1<sup>st<\/sup> of cycle<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Jul 31<\/td>\n<td>Spica<\/td>\n<td>+44%<\/td>\n<td>Antarctica<\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Aug 4<\/td>\n<td>Antares<\/td>\n<td>+80%<\/td>\n<td>Antarctica\/S. South America<\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Aug 23<\/td>\n<td>Regulus<\/td>\n<td>+0.5%<\/td>\n<td>Arctic<\/td>\n<td>Near New<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Aug 27<\/td>\n<td>Spica<\/td>\n<td>+20%<\/td>\n<td>Antarctica<\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Aug 31<\/td>\n<td>Antares<\/td>\n<td>+56%<\/td>\n<td>New Zealand\/Antarctica<\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Sep 19<\/td>\n<td>Regulus<\/td>\n<td>-4%<\/td>\n<td>Arctic<\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Sep 23<\/td>\n<td>Spica<\/td>\n<td>+3%<\/td>\n<td>Antarctica<\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Sep 27<\/td>\n<td>Antares<\/td>\n<td>+28%<\/td>\n<td>Antarctica<\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Oct 16<\/td>\n<td>Regulus<\/td>\n<td>-22%<\/td>\n<td>NE North America<\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Oct 21<\/td>\n<td>Spica<\/td>\n<td>+0.5%<\/td>\n<td>Antarctica<\/td>\n<td>Near New<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Oct 25<\/td>\n<td>Antares<\/td>\n<td>+15%<\/td>\n<td>S. South America<\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Nov 13<\/td>\n<td>Regulus<\/td>\n<td>-37%<\/td>\n<td>N. Europe<\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Nov 17<\/td>\n<td>Spica<\/td>\n<td>-7%<\/td>\n<td>Antarctica<\/td>\n<td>Final of cycle<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Nov 21<\/td>\n<td>Antares<\/td>\n<td>+2%<\/td>\n<td>Southern Indian Ocean<\/td>\n<td>Daytime<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Dec 10<\/td>\n<td>Regulus<\/td>\n<td>-64%<\/td>\n<td>N. North America<\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Dec 18<\/td>\n<td>Antares<\/td>\n<td>-3%<\/td>\n<td>Southern Atlantic<\/td>\n<td>Daytime<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-occultations-of-the-pleiades-by-the-moon-in-2025\"><strong>Occultations of the Pleiades by the Moon in 2025<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The Moon occults the Pleiades 14 times worldwide in 2025, in a series of ongoing occultations running all the way out to 2029:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\">\n<table class=\"has-fixed-layout\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Date<\/td>\n<td>Location favored<\/td>\n<td>Moon phase<\/td>\n<td>Notes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>January 10<sup>th<\/sup><\/td>\n<td>North America\/W. Europe\/NW Africa<\/td>\n<td>+82%<\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>February 6<sup>th<\/sup><\/td>\n<td>Western North America<\/td>\n<td>+69%<\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>March 5<sup>th<\/sup><\/td>\n<td>NE Asia<\/td>\n<td>+43%<\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>April 1<sup>st<\/sup><\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>Europe<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>+17%<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>April 29<sup>th<\/sup><\/td>\n<td>N. Pacific<\/td>\n<td>+4%<\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>May 26<sup>th<\/sup><\/td>\n<td>North America<\/td>\n<td>&lt;1%<\/td>\n<td>Daytime, unobservable<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>June 23<sup>rd<\/sup><\/td>\n<td>NE Africa<\/td>\n<td>-8%<\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>July 20<sup>th<\/sup><\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>North America<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>-24%<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>August 16<sup>th<\/sup><\/td>\n<td>NE Asia<\/td>\n<td>-45%<\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>September 12<sup>th<\/sup><\/td>\n<td>Europe<\/td>\n<td>-67%<\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>October 10<sup>th<\/sup><\/td>\n<td>W. North America<\/td>\n<td>-87%<\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>November 6<sup>th<\/sup><\/td>\n<td>N. Asia<\/td>\n<td>-98%<\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>December 4<sup>th<\/sup><\/td>\n<td>NW North America<\/td>\n<td>-99%<\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>December 31<sup>st<\/sup><\/td>\n<td>N. Asia<\/td>\n<td>+89%<\/td>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-bright-comets-to-watch-for-in-2025\"><strong>Bright Comets to Watch for in 2025<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Right now, there\u2019s only one comet with real potential to reach naked eye visibility in 2025: Comet C\/2024 G3 ATLAS. This comet reaches perihelion 0.094 AU from the Sun on January 13<sup>th<\/sup>, and \u2018may\u2019 top -1<sup>st<\/sup> magnitude or brighter. At magnitude +7 as of writing this in late December 2024, Comet G3 ATLAS <em>could <\/em>become a fine object low in the dawn sky for southern hemisphere observers\u2026 but only if it holds together and performs as expected.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"779\" src=\"https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/54204460065_6465100e77_c.jpg\" alt=\"A bright Geminid\" class=\"wp-image-170167\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/54204460065_6465100e77_c.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/54204460065_6465100e77_c-580x565.jpg 580w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/54204460065_6465100e77_c-250x243.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/54204460065_6465100e77_c-768x748.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A bright Geminid meteor over southern Arizona from 2024. Credit: Eliot Herman<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-meteor-showers-to-watch-for-in-2025\"><strong>Meteor Showers to Watch For in 2025<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Here are prospects for annual meteor showers in 2025:<\/p>\n<p>Quadrantids \u2013 Peak at a Zenithal Hourly Rate (ZHR) of 80 on January 4<sup>th<\/sup> versus a +27% illuminated, waxing crescent Moon.<\/p>\n<p>Lyrids \u2013 Peak on April 22<sup>nd<\/sup> with an ZHR of 18, versus a -32% illuminated, waning crescent Moon.<\/p>\n<p>Eta Aquariids \u2013 Peak on May 5<sup>th<\/sup> with a ZHR of 50, versus a +64% illuminated, waxing gibbous Moon.<\/p>\n<p>Southern Delta Aquariids \u2013 Peak on July 31<sup>st<\/sup>, with a ZHR of 25, versus a +44% illuminated, waxing crescent Moon.<\/p>\n<p>Perseids \u2013 Peak on August 12<sup>th<\/sup>, with an expected ZHR of 100, versus a -87% illuminated, waning gibbous Moon.<\/p>\n<p>Orionids \u2013 Peak on October 21<sup>st<\/sup> with an expected ZHR of 20, versus a New Moon.<\/p>\n<p>Leonids \u2013 Peak on November 17<sup>th<\/sup>, with a ZHR of 10, versus a -5% illuminated, thin waning crescent Moon.<\/p>\n<p>Geminids \u2013 Peak on December 14<sup>th<\/sup>, with a ZHR of 150, versus a -23% illuminated, waning crescent Moon.<\/p>\n<p>Ursids \u2013 Peak on December 22<sup>nd<\/sup>, with a ZHR of 10, versus a 7% illuminated, waxing crescent Moon.<\/p>\n<p>My money is on the Geminids for the best expected meteor shower of 2025. <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-weirdness-and-m-ore\"><strong>Weirdness and <\/strong><strong>M<\/strong><strong>ore<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Well, we\u2019re now officially a quarter of the way into the 21<sup>st<\/sup> century. For fans and users of stellar cartography, 2050.0 coordinates will now slowly start to come into vogue versus 2000.0, as we inch ever closer to mid-century. It\u2019s a strange thought, for those of us who still remember 1950.0 coordinates on star maps (and star maps in general!). Looking out of the solar system, we\u2019re still waiting for the reclusive (and now overdue) recurrent nova T Coronae Borealis to finally pop.<\/p>\n<p>Also, the white dwarf star Sirius b is now at apastron 11.5\u201d from its brilliant primary, making this an excellent time to cross it off of your life-list\u2026 the +4 and +6 magnitude double star 70 Ophiuchus also reaches maximum separation of 6.7\u201d in 2025. Finally, will the defunct Soviet Kosmos 482 Venus mission reenter in 2025? Should we alert the Six Million Dollar Man to stand-by to fight the \u2018Venus Death Probe?\u2019<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-and-a-teaser-for-2026\">\u2026<strong>And a Teaser for 2026<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The sky just keeps turning into 2026. Watch for mutual eclipse season for the major moons of Jupiter, as the moons pass one in front of the other. Also, the ongoing solar cycle is also still expected to be active into 2026, producing sunspots, space weather and more. And (finally!) we\u2019ll see the return of total solar eclipses on August 12<sup>th<\/sup>, as the umbral shadow of the Moon crosses Greenland, Iceland and northern Spain.<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t miss all of these great sky-watching events and more, coming to a sky near you.<\/p>\n<p><em>Credits: It has been a wild year, on the Earth and in the sky above. We always like to say that our sky watching almanac for the coming year is the one post that takes us six months to write, and this year\u2019s is no exception. Lots of research goes into these, and we\u2019ve picked the brains of lots of knowledgeable observers in the process. Thanks to John Flannery at the Irish Astronomical Society, Bob King, Robert Sparks, Andrew Symes, Paul Stewart, Eliot Herman, Guy Ottewell and everyone who contributed over the past year. Additionally, thanks go out to Universe Today Publisher Fraser Cain for hosting these looks at astronomy for the coming year, for going on over a decade now.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>It\u2019s going to be another great year for skywatching in 2025\u2026 and who knows? If the interest is out there, 2026 might see this half-a-year project grow into something bigger.<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"sharedaddy sd-block sd-like jetpack-likes-widget-wrapper jetpack-likes-widget-unloaded\" id=\"like-post-wrapper-24000880-169952-676acee9befad\" data-src=\"https:\/\/widgets.wp.com\/likes\/?ver=14.0#blog_id=24000880&amp;post_id=169952&amp;origin=www.universetoday.com&amp;obj_id=24000880-169952-676acee9befad&amp;n=1\" data-name=\"like-post-frame-24000880-169952-676acee9befad\" data-title=\"Like or Reblog\">\n<h3 class=\"sd-title\">Like this:<\/h3>\n<p><span class=\"button\"><span>Like<\/span><\/span> <span class=\"loading\">Loading&#8230;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"sd-text-color\"\/><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.universetoday.com\/169952\/top-astronomy-events-for-2025\/?rand=772204\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Catching the best sky watching events for the coming year 2025. Comet C\/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS captured over the McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory, Arizona. Credit: Robert Sparks&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":792252,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-792251","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-genaero"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/792251","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=792251"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/792251\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/792252"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=792251"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=792251"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=792251"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}