Another year of weather observation is upon us, and there’s a lot to look forward to in 2025! Here are some of the celestial events that have occurred this year, including multiple meteor showers, occultations of Mars and the Pleiades, a "ringless" Saturn, and the first total lunar eclipse in the U.S. since 2022. As these events unfold, Space.com's "Night Sky" column will provide comprehensive coverage of most of them.
January 3: Quadrant meteor shower - This very high peak meteor shower is expected to reach its maximum today at 14:00 GMT. It will favour the west coast of North America, where dawn will break as the Quadrant reaches its end. An observer can see between 60 and 120 meteors per hour in a dark sky. The east coast will be affected by morning twilight and sunrise, but the number of meteors will still be felt. The moon does not have an effect.
January 9: Moon occults Pleiades - The waxing gibbous moon passes over the famous opening star in the evening. The Pleiades star cluster is best viewed with binoculars or a small, low-powered camera. The stars will disappear from the dark side of the moon and reappear on the bright side about an hour later. Winter to spring: "The Venus Show" - In January and February, the brightest planet glides across the night sky, captivating onlookers. It is very low in the west about four hours after sunset. In March, it sets against the sun, but even in the dark sky it appears as a beautiful long crescent. Venus comes into the morning sky in April and reappears in early spring as a magnificent predawn object.
January 13: Moon occults Mars - The full moon will pass in front of Mars in the evening. In just two days of opposition, Mars will shine almost as brightly as Sirius, the brightest star in the sky.
February 6: The Moon Hide the Pleiades Again - The Moon passes in front of the Pleiades again, but this time it appears low in the western sky after midnight. The Midwestern United States can expect to see this; in the eastern United States, the event occurs when the moon crosses the horizon or after the moon sets.
March 13-14: Total Lunar Eclipse - This event will benefit the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii, because the world, with a population of over 1 billion, will be looking toward the Moon as it begins to fall into Earth's shadow. The lunar eclipse will occur mostly after midnight in the eastern half of North America, while it will be mostly visible in the western half on the evening of March 13.
March 23 - May 6: Most of Saturn's rings disappear - When viewed through a telescope, Saturn's famous rings appear to have disappeared. From our perspective on Earth, the rings will turn toward Earth on March 23, tilting them so that we won't be able to see the northern half, but we won't be able to see the southern half respond either. However, the Sun is still shining in the northern half of the ring; we have to wait until May 6 when the Sun finally begins to illuminate the southern half of the ring. They will then reappear as thin streaks across Saturn's disk. But after 44 days, the ring will be barely visible with even the largest telescopes.
March 29: Solar Eclipse - The Sun's shadow cone, which appears as a total eclipse, will completely miss Earth and pass about 180 miles (290 kilometers) above the horizon. North. However, the Moon's outer shadow, or penumbra, will cover part of the Northern Hemisphere, causing a partial solar eclipse that will be visible to varying degrees from northwestern Africa, much of Europe (except for some eastern parts), and northwestern Russia. Greenland and parts of eastern North America
June 29: Moon and Mars Pairing - The Moon and Mars are in a harmonious relationship. At this time, the Moon will be crescent-shaped and will be visible below Mars, which has been largely out of sight at night since January. But at night, the two stars make a beautiful appearance in the western-western sky.
July 20: Third Pleiades Occultation - If only from an aesthetic standpoint, this could be the best Moon/Pleasures interaction of 2025. As seen from the eastern United States, the elongated, waning crescent will approach the Seven Sisters before dawn, but will not begin to obscure a star until the sky begins to lighten at dawn, about an hour before sunrise. The sky will be darker in the west, and you will be able to see the moon occulting and revealing members of this group. Binoculars or a small electronic device will enhance the "Da Vinci glow" (Earthshine), which will make the Moon look beautiful in 3D.
August 11-12: Moonlight Perseid Meteor Shower - Unfortunately, this year's famous meteor shower will be affected by the bright moon rising around 9:20 p.m. Many faint meteors were seen on the evening of August 11 at 9:45 p.m. and into the night of August 12. However, the Perseids do occasionally produce bright rocks or meteors (called bolides) that appear mid-flight, so it's worth the effort to find them even if the moon is still there. These types of meteors are so beautiful and bright that they attract people's attention even on the moon.
November 5: Supermoon - Today, the moon will be complete at 8:19 a.m. ET. The full moon will also be the largest moon of the year, as it coincides with the moon's perigee (closest point to Earth) about nine hours later. The moon is only 221,726 miles (356,833 kilometers) from Earth, giving skygazers the spectacle of a larger, brighter moon known as a "supermoon."
December 14: Geminid Meteor Shower - This is the best and most spectacular meteor shower display of the year. In good conditions, up to 75 slow and beautiful Geminid meteors can be seen per hour. This year, the moon is a waning crescent with very little impact. These meteors will appear from a point in the sky near the star Castor the Gemini (hence the name "Geminids") and will appear high in the northeast around 10:00 p.m. Even when the moon is low in the sky, the meteor shower is still worth watching. See More
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