Rare Meteor Shower, Auroras & Planetary Spectacles: Skywatch Alert (Sept 17

Key Facts

Rare Meteor Outburst? A newly identified Chi Cygnids meteor shower – active only every ~5 years – was predicted to peak around September 13–15. This modest shower produces slow-moving “shooting stars” and might still sprinkle a few meteors per hour on Sept 17–18 earthsky.org foxweather.com. Experts note meteor showers are unpredictable but were hopeful for increased activity this week earthsky.org. Even a few sightings grant bragging rights until the major Orionids next month!
Aurora Alert: A surprise G3 (Strong) geomagnetic storm on Sept 14–15 sparked vivid auroras as far south as Colorado spaceweather.com. “Lots of movement and color… absolutely gorgeous,” one skywatcher in Ontario reported spaceweather.com. The storm is subsiding, but minor G1-level auroras (Kp~5) remain possible on Sept 17–18, especially at high latitudes spaceweather.com swpc.noaa.gov. Keep an eye on northern skies in dark locations; the equinox period often boosts auroral activity (the Russell-McPherron effect near the Sept 22 equinox links Earth’s and Sun’s magnetic fields, enhancing storms spaceweather.com).
Planetary Trio & Saturn’s Showcase: Early on September 19 (pre-dawn Thursday), a dazzling conjunction unites a delicate crescent Moon, brilliant Venus, and Regulus (Leo’s brightest star) closely together in the eastern sky science.nasa.gov. “The Moon will be nestled up right next to both Venus and Regulus, one of the brightest stars in the night sky,” NASA says science.nasa.gov. Meanwhile, Saturn is reaching opposition on Sept 21 and already shines at its brightest of 2025 (around magnitude 0.6, as bright as the brightest stars) earthsky.org. Saturn rises at sunset and is visible all night, with its rings nearly edge-on but still a “stunning sight through any small telescope” earthsky.org. (Tip: a steady pair of binoculars will show Saturn as a tiny oval disk, and a telescope will reveal the rings earthsky.org.) Jupiter is also rising after midnight and dominating the late-night sky, and Venus continues to dazzle as the “Morning Star” low in the east before sunrise science.nasa.gov science.nasa.gov.
No Major Eclipses These Nights: No lunar or solar eclipse occurs on Sept 17–18, but skywatchers just witnessed a total lunar eclipse (“Blood Moon”) on Sept 7–8. And coming up this weekend (Sept 21–22) is the last solar eclipse of 2025: a partial solar eclipse one day before equinox space.com. It will be visible from New Zealand, parts of eastern Australia, and the South Pacific, where up to ~85% of the Sun will be covered by the Moon at peak timeanddate.com. (If you’re in those areas, prepare safe solar viewers – never look at the Sun without proper protection!)
Comet SWAN Soars: A new comet, C/2025 R2 SWAN, was discovered on Sept 12 and has rapidly brightened to about magnitude 6 (just shy of naked-eye visibility) earthsky.org. It sports a 2.5° tail (~5 Moon-widths long in photographs) and as of Sept 16 was sitting near the star Spica in Virgo after sunset earthsky.org earthsky.org. Currently best seen from the Southern Hemisphere (very low in the west at dusk), Comet SWAN is “fairly bright (as comets go)” and visible with binoculars or a small telescope earthsky.org. Northern Hemisphere observers might get a glimpse soon as it climbs farther from the Sun’s glare each evening earthsky.org earthsky.org. Preliminary orbit estimates suggest this long-period comet won’t return for ~22,500 years earthsky.org – a once-in-a-lifetime visitor! If it holds together (comets can be fickle), it may brighten to ~5th magnitude by mid-October when it makes its closest approach to Earth earthsky.org. (Comets are “erratic and unpredictable,” so only time will tell how bright it gets earthsky.org.) Notably, Earth might plow through Comet SWAN’s debris stream around October 4–6, which could produce a brief meteor shower – an intriguing possibility scientists are monitoring spaceweather.com.
Asteroid Flyby (No Danger): On the morning of Sept 18, a skyscraper-sized asteroid designated 2025 FA22 will safely zoom past Earth at about 835,000 km away – roughly 2.2 times the Moon’s distance livescience.com. This ~130–290 m wide space rock was briefly atop ESA’s risk list earlier (it had a tiny chance of a 2089 impact, now ruled out) livescience.com livescience.com. Closest approach occurs around 07:42 UTC on Sept 18, and while it poses no threat, astronomers are excited: “While 2025 FA22 poses no danger, practicing our ability to measure these properties is important, as they influence how an asteroid will react to any attempt to deflect it off a collision course with Earth,” ESA experts noted livescience.com. In other words, this flyby is a valuable dry run for planetary defense. The asteroid will be visible in moderate telescopes (about mag 14 at peak) and you can even watch it live via online telescopes during the flyby livescience.com livescience.com.
ISS & Satellites: The International Space Station is making evening passes over many locations this week. For example, on Sept 17 New York City can see the ISS rise in the WNW around 7:20 pm EDT, flying for ~5 minutes at up to -1.3 magnitude brightness astroviewer.net. At its brightest on high passes, the ISS can rival Venus (around magnitude -4) and is an unmistakable fast-moving “star” crossing the sky. Check NASA’s Spot the Station site to get custom sighting times for your area nasa.gov. Also, don’t be surprised if you notice a “train” of lights in the sky – those would be freshly launched Starlink satellites lining up (a temporary sight a day or two after a launch). Lastly, the era of dazzling Iridium flares is mostly over (since old Iridium satellites were deorbited), but a few satellite flares still occur: any sudden glint of light may be a reflective flash from a rotating satellite. Keep your eyes peeled for these brief sparkles.

Below is your full skywatching guide for the nights of September 17–18, 2025, with details on each phenomenon and tips for viewing. Clear skies!

Meteor Showers: Slow Shooting Stars of September

Chi Cygnids – a Rare 5-Year Meteor Shower: The headline event is the chi Cygnid meteor shower, a newly confirmed minor shower that appears to produce enhanced activity roughly every five years earthsky.org foxweather.com. First noticed after an outburst in 2015, the Chi Cygnids have shown bumps in meteor counts in 2010, 2015, 2020, and now 2025 earthsky.org. NASA/SETI astronomer Peter Jenniskens and colleagues detected increased meteors from this source in late August, suggesting a peak was likely around September 13–15, 2025 foxweather.com.

What makes the Chi Cygnids special is their early evening activity and very slow meteors. The shower’s radiant (in the constellation Cygnus, near the star Eta Cygni) is high overhead right after nightfall for mid-northern latitudes, meaning unlike most showers that are best before dawn, Chi Cygnid “shooting stars” can be spotted in the evening earthsky.org. Their atmospheric entry speed is only ~15 km/s (~33,500 mph) – one of the slowest of any meteor shower earthsky.org foxweather.com. By comparison, the Perseids streak in at 60 km/s. These Chi Cygnids won’t leave long-lasting trains, but their leisurely pace makes them easier to catch with the naked eye when they do appear earthsky.org.

What to Expect: If the five-year pattern held, the peak nights (Sept 13–15) might have produced a small outburst of perhaps a few meteors per hour radiating from Cygnus. By Sept 17–18, the activity is likely trailing off – rates under 1 per hour are expected under dark skies imo.net imo.net (the Chi Cygnids are considered a class III shower: normally quite weak, but capable of rare surprises imo.net). In short, don’t expect a meteor storm by any means. This is more of an astronomical wild card and a challenge for dedicated observers. As EarthSky editors quipped, “With the Chi Cygnids, it’s not about seeing a huge number… Those seeking [them] are inspired by the thrill of the hunt!” earthsky.org. If you manage to spot even one or two of these meteors, congratulations – you’ve caught an exceedingly rare piece of cosmic debris and contributed to our knowledge of this shower.

Scientists’ Take: “While it’s uncertain just how many meteors could be part of this year’s peak, any confirmed activity will add another important data point for this new meteor shower,” noted NASA and SETI scientists foxweather.com. The Chi Cygnids’ parent comet remains unknown – the 5-year periodicity hints at a Jupiter-family comet, but no obvious candidate has been identified earthsky.org. Continued observations (that means you out watching the sky!) can help pinpoint the source. If you see any slow fireballs from Cygnus, report them to meteor organizations (the International Meteor Organization has an online report form imo.net).

Viewing Tips: Find a dark location and give your eyes ~20 minutes to adapt. Face toward Cygnus (overhead in early evening) or simply a darkest part of the sky. The waning crescent Moon won’t rise until late night during this period, so moonlight won’t interfere early in the night – good news for meteor watchers. Bundle up and be patient. Even if Chi Cygnid rates are low, you’ll likely catch a few sporadic meteors (random background “shooting stars”) and maybe some stragglers from other minor showers. Overall meteor activity this week (all sources combined) is estimated around ~10 per hour before dawn under ideal conditions imo.net imo.net – not high, but each meteor you catch will feel extra special knowing you might be witnessing a once-in-five-years phenomenon.

Other Active Showers: A couple of minor, background meteor showers are also active on Sept 17–18:

September Epsilon Perseids (SPE) – Active Sept 5–21, peaked on Sept 9. Only ~1 meteor per hour at best now imo.net. (Despite the name similarity, these are not the major Perseids of August – they’re a much weaker offshoot.)
Aurigids & Piscids – The Aurigids peaked in late August, and the August Beta Piscids (alias Northern δ-Aquariids) wrap up by Sept 17 amsmeteors.org. Both are effectively finished, contributing less than 1 meteor/hr now amsmeteors.org amsmeteors.org.
Anthelion Meteors – Not a specific shower, but a year-round weak source of meteors from the ecliptic (the Anthelion radiant, now in Pisces) continues to produce ~2 meteors/hr imo.net. These medium-speed meteors can come from anywhere along the zodiac.
Sporadics – The majority of meteors on any given night are random. In pre-dawn hours, expect ~8 sporadics per hour under dark skies (less in the evening) imo.net.

So, while no major meteor showers peak on these exact dates, there’s enough miscellaneous meteor activity that vigilant skywatchers might catch a handful of shooting stars each night. And if you do snag a Chi Cygnid, consider yourself part of astronomical history in the making!

Aurora Borealis Forecast: After the Storm, Glimmers of Green

High-latitude skywatchers, keep your cameras ready – the auroral oval is energized this week. In a dramatic kickoff to the week, a fast solar wind stream from a large coronal hole hit Earth on Sept 14, unexpectedly sparking a G3 geomagnetic storm (Kp 7) spaceweather.com. The Northern Lights exploded in intensity on the night of Sept 14–15, delighting skywatchers much farther south than usual. Auroras were sighted across Canada and the northern U.S., with reports as far south as Colorado and Arizona at the peak spaceweather.com. One astonished observer in Ontario exclaimed, “I certainly wasn’t expecting [a display] of this magnitude!” after auroras lit up the sky directly overhead spaceweather.com.

This strong storm came as a surprise because typically a solar wind of that speed (~700 km/s) would produce only a minor disturbance. Scientists attribute the amplification to the “Russell–McPherron effect,” a seasonal phenomenon around the equinoxes that better couples Earth’s and the Sun’s magnetic fields spaceweather.com. Essentially, Earth’s magnetic shield develops slight “cracks” during equinox weeks, allowing solar wind to spark bigger geomagnetic storms than otherwise. “We can expect more of these ‘equinox storms’ from now through mid-October,” SpaceWeather.com noted spaceweather.com. Good news for aurora chasers!

Current Outlook (Sept 17–18): Following the G3 event, geomagnetic activity has subsided but not entirely settled. NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center forecasts continued unsettled conditions, with active to minor storm periods likely. In fact, the official 3-day forecast called for a Kp 5 (G1 Minor storm) as the highest level expected between Sept 16–18 swpc.noaa.gov. This means auroras could still dip into the northern-tier U.S. states and Europe on the nights of 17th and 18th, though less intense and widespread than the weekend’s show. At mid-latitudes, brief Kp 4–5 auroras might flare low on the horizon to the north, while upper latitudes (Scotland, Scandinavia, Canada, Alaska, etc.) may see extended auroral displays overhead if the solar wind’s magnetic orientation is favorable. High-latitude skywatchers actually have better odds around now than during peak summer, because nights are growing longer and darker as we approach the autumn equinox (Sept 22).

Where to look & when: If you’re in northern Europe, Canada, or the northern contiguous U.S. (especially around ~50°N latitude and above), periodically scan the northern horizon on these nights, especially around local midnight to pre-dawn hours when geomagnetic activity often peaks. Look for a faint greenish or whitish glow or arcs that could signify aurora. If a minor geomagnetic storm is underway, you might catch pulsations or even pillars of light dancing. In the southern hemisphere (far south New Zealand, Tasmania, etc.), check the southern horizon for the Aurora Australis if conditions allow.

Maximize your chances: Get away from city lights – dark skies are crucial for spotting auroras at the edge of visibility. A geomagnetic activity app or website (like NOAA’s aurora dashboard) can alert you if Kp levels rise. Auroras can fluctuate quickly, so a period of dullness can suddenly give way to bright curtains of light. If you do witness the Northern Lights, even faintly, allow your camera to see more than your eyes – long-exposure photographs can reveal colorful structures (green, red, purple) that your eyes might only perceive as grayish glows.

Lastly, remember that space weather can be fickle. Forecasts are not guarantees; they’re more like a heads-up. The Sept 14 storm, for example, over-performed relative to expectations. So it’s worth glancing northward even when only minor activity is predicted – you never know when the sky might surprise you with an otherworldly auroral display. And with the autumnal equinox this week, we are in the aurora season: historically, around equinoxes, auroras are more likely. As NOAA notes, strong auroras around the equinox are a well-documented phenomenon spaceweather.com. Keep those fingers crossed and enjoy any heavenly green glow you can catch!

Fun fact: Auroras aren’t just a polar phenomenon of Earth – right now, astronomers have noted increased aurora activity on Jupiter and Saturn as the Sun’s activity ramps up science.nasa.gov. But you’ll need a spacecraft (or a really good telescope and ultraviolet filters) to see those; for us on Earth, the dancing lights near the poles will have to suffice!

Planetary Alignments and Conjunctions

September 2025 offers planet lovers plenty to see, and on Sept 17–18 you can catch both an eye-catching dawn alignment and enjoy the best view of Saturn all year.

Moon–Venus–Regulus Conjunction (Morning of Sept 18 & 19): Set your alarm for about 1–2 hours before sunrise to witness a gorgeous tight grouping in the eastern sky. The waning crescent Moon, only around ~10% illuminated, will join dazzling Venus (magnitude –4.6, unbelievably bright) and Regulus, the blue-white heart of Leo, in a close-knit triangle facebook.com science.nasa.gov.

Sept 18 pre-dawn: The Moon will be a slim crescent a short distance to the right of Venus. All three – Moon, Venus, Regulus – should fit within a binocular field. Venus and Regulus themselves are extremely close (almost a conjunction in their own right) around this date, separated by only ~1°. If you have a clear view of the eastern horizon, you’ll see Venus blazing just above where the Sun will later rise, with little Regulus (1.3 mag, 8th brightest star) twinkling nearby. The Moon will be a delicate crescent slightly higher up.
Sept 19 pre-dawn: Now the Moon will have moved to a position just above Venus and Regulus. This is the headline configuration – on the 19th they form a striking celestial trio. NASA calls it “a magnificent conjunction”: “In the early pre-dawn hours… look east toward the waning crescent Moon… The Moon will be nestled up right next to both Venus and Regulus” science.nasa.gov. Indeed, the Moon will be only ~2° from Venus – an attention-grabbing pairing – with Regulus a couple degrees below Venus. It’s a great photo opportunity; try capturing the earthshine on the Moon (the dark side faintly lit by Earth’s glow) alongside Venus’s brilliant beacon.

This kind of triple conjunction is relatively rare. Venus and the Moon pair up frequently, but adding Regulus (one of the 21 brightest stars) into the mix makes it special. If your sky is clear, don’t miss it – look east after about 4:30–5:00am local time. Venus will rise roughly ~2 hours before the Sun now whenthecurveslineup.com, so by 90 minutes before sunrise the scene is high enough to appreciate.

Viewing tips: You can enjoy the view with the naked eye (Venus and the Moon will command attention), but binoculars will enhance the contrast and might reveal the subtle bluish color of Regulus next to Venus’s pure white shine. Also, note the Moon’s crescent: on Sept 18–19 it will display beautiful earthshine (the ghostly illumination of the lunar night side by reflected light from Earth).

After this, Venus will continue its reign as the Morning Star for the rest of 2025, though it’s gradually sinking closer to the sunrise each week (having been at greatest western elongation in August). Regulus will disappear into dawn by month’s end (it’s near the Sun annually around October). So this meetup is a sort of farewell party for Regulus and a hello to the coming dawns of Venus.

Saturn at Opposition (Sep 21) – Already Big & Bright: Saturn, the majestic ringed planet, is at the pinnacle of its apparition, reaching opposition on September 21. That means on that date Earth lies directly between Saturn and the Sun, and Saturn rises at sunset, sets at sunrise – essentially up all night long. In the days around Sept 17–18, Saturn is 99% of the way to opposition, so its appearance is just about as good as it gets. All September, Saturn has been a fixture in the evening sky, glowing steadily in the constellation Pisces science.nasa.gov earthsky.org.

Here’s why this is exciting:

Maximum brightness: At opposition, Saturn is closest to Earth (~1.28 billion km away this year) earthsky.org, so it shines at its brightest of 2025, about magnitude +0.6 earthsky.org. That’s bright enough to see easily with the naked eye even in suburban skies – Saturn currently outshines most stars (for comparison, it’s a tad dimmer than Arcturus or Vega, but brighter than Aldebaran or Antares). It has a golden-white hue.
All-night visibility: Around these dates, Saturn rises in the east around sunset and is highest in the sky around midnight. By dawn it’s sinking in the west. So you can observe it at any convenient time of night. No need to stay up super late – by 9–10pm local time Saturn is already reasonably placed in the southeastern sky.
Rings and Moons: Although Saturn’s rings are nearly edge-on from our viewpoint this year (tilted only ~2° to our line of sight earthsky.org), they still reflect plenty of sunlight and make Saturn look non-stellar (extended) in binoculars. In fact, the rings reached an edge-on orientation in March 2025 (making them briefly invisible in small scopes then) earthsky.org, but now we see their thin profile. Even a small telescope (60–90mm) at 30× will reveal Saturn’s ring system separated from the globe of the planet – an unforgettable sight. During opposition, a phenomenon called the Seeliger effect makes the rings surge in brightness (due to coherent backscattering of sunlight) – they appear particularly luminous for a few nights around opposition earthsky.org earthsky.org. Saturn’s largest moon Titan (mag ~8.5) is also easy to spot in a telescope, looking like a tiny star nearby; other moons Rhea, Tethys, Dione, and Iapetus are visible in medium telescopes. If you have access to a telescope, don’t miss Saturn now – as EarthSky editors put it, “Saturn’s rings are at their widest and brightest for the year — a stunning sight through any small telescope.” earthsky.org Even though the rings are practically edge-on, this statement refers to their brightness surge at opposition and the fact Saturn is as close as it gets.

For those without telescopes, binoculars can still enhance your Saturn experience: you won’t see the rings per se, but Saturn will appear as a tiny oval or dot of light that is clearly non-twinkling (planets shine with a steady light). Compare its color and steadiness to nearby stars. It’s also fun to note where Saturn is: currently it’s sitting among the faint stars of Pisces. About 5° to Saturn’s west is the Great Square of Pegasus asterism, making Saturn easy to locate if you know Pegasus.

Jupiter Rising: Not to be overlooked, Jupiter is also on the way to opposition (in January 2026) and is currently rising in the late evening (~11pm by mid-September). By midnight or the wee hours of Sept 17–18, Jupiter will be up in the east, blazing at magnitude –2.6 in Aries. If you stay out late stargazing, you’ll see Jupiter as an unmistakable beacon, second only to Venus in brightness. Through a telescope, Jupiter’s cloud bands and Galilean moons are always rewarding. Jupiter will reach a special alignment (conjunction with the Moon) next week and is a highlight of the coming months’ sky, but for now we note its presence as the brilliant “morning star” alongside Venus science.nasa.gov (though Venus is much lower and closer to dawn). Interestingly, around 5–6am, you can catch Venus (low east), Jupiter (higher southeast), and Saturn (west) all at once across the sky – a true planet parade spanning the heavens.

Mercury and Mars: Mercury is not easily visible during Sept 17–18 – it’s just coming off inferior conjunction (it passed between Earth and Sun on Sept 6) and will re-emerge in the morning sky later in the month. If you have an exceptionally clear and flat horizon, you might attempt to spot Mercury very low in the east just before sunrise in the last days of September. Mars, meanwhile, is lost in the Sun’s glare (it’s on the far side of the Sun from us) and won’t be visible again until late 2025 – so no Mars in our current night sky.

In summary, for these nights: Saturn is king of the evening, Jupiter rules the late night, and Venus dazzles at dawn – and the Moon will dance with Venus to put on a lovely pre-sunrise spectacle. It’s a great time to indulge in some planet-gazing!

Lunar & Solar Eclipses: Recent and Upcoming

No eclipse is happening during the nights of Sept 17–18, but we’re bookended by two notable eclipses this month:

Sept 7–8, 2025 – Total Lunar Eclipse: Earlier this month, the full Harvest Moon passed through Earth’s shadow, resulting in a long total lunar eclipse. It was the second total lunar eclipse of 2025 and the longest one since 2022 phillyburbs.com. During totality, the Moon turned a deep reddish hue (a classic “Blood Moon”). Unfortunately for Western Hemisphere observers, this eclipse was mostly a spectacle for the Eastern Hemisphere: totality was visible from Australia, Asia, Africa, and Europe, reaching maximum around 12:47 UTC on Sept 8 timeanddate.com. North America missed out (it occurred during our daytime). If you saw media images of a spooky red Moon earlier this month – that’s why! Astronauts aboard the ISS even captured stunning views of this lunar eclipse from orbit foxweather.com.
Sept 21–22, 2025 – Partial Solar Eclipse: Coming up just days after our skywatch period, on Sunday, Sept 21 (or Sept 22, depending on time zone), the Moon will partially eclipse the Sun space.com. This is the last solar eclipse of 2025. It’s a deep partial eclipse – at maximum about 85% of the Sun’s disk will be covered by the Moon timeanddate.com. However, it is only visible from certain areas: primarily the Southern Hemisphere. The path of the Moon’s penumbra (partial shadow) sweeps across parts of the South Pacific. Key viewing regions include New Zealand (which will see a substantial partial eclipse near sunset on the 22nd local date), a thin slice of southeast Australia (eastern New South Wales including Sydney, and southern Queensland get a partial eclipse near sunset on the 21st local date), and parts of Antarctica and the ocean south of Africa timeanddate.com. For example, Auckland, NZ, will see ~70% of the Sun covered at 5:07pm on Sept 22 (just before sunset), while Sydney, Australia gets about 50% coverage at sunset on Sept 21 timeanddate.com. Observers in South America, Europe, Africa, or North America will not see this eclipse – it’s too far south.

If you are in the eclipse zone (especially New Zealand/Australia), be sure to never look at the Sun without proper solar filters. Use eclipse glasses or indirect viewing methods to safely observe the partial eclipse phases. Even at 85% coverage, the remaining Sun is blindingly bright and dangerous to eyes or cameras without protection. Timeanddate.com and NASA have details on local circumstances timeanddate.com. Partial eclipses might not have the jaw-dropping drama of a total solar eclipse, but seeing the “bite” taken out of the Sun is still an awe-inspiring reminder of the clockwork movements of our solar system. Plus, unusual crescent-shaped shadows and cooling temperatures can be noticed during deep partials.

Looking ahead: This partial eclipse sets the stage for 2026, which will start with a bang – an annular (“ring of fire”) solar eclipse in February 2026 visible from the U.S., and a total solar eclipse in August 2026 for Iceland and Spain science.nasa.gov. So eclipse fans, stay tuned – bigger events are on the horizon!

Comets and Asteroid Encounters

Comet C/2025 R2 (SWAN) – A New Binocular Comet

Out of nowhere, a new comet has graced our skies. On September 12, astronomers operating the SOHO spacecraft’s SWAN instrument (which scans for hydrogen gas from comets) discovered a bright comet near the Sun earthsky.org. Initially dubbed “SWAN25B,” it has now received the official designation C/2025 R2 (SWAN) earthsky.org. Comet SWAN has been creating buzz because it quickly brightened to around magnitude 6 by mid-September earthsky.org – that’s near the threshold of naked-eye visibility, though don’t expect to see it without optical aid since comet brightness is spread out over a fuzzy coma and tail earthsky.org.

Current location: As of Sept 17–18, Comet SWAN is lurking low in the west-southwest after sunset, in the constellation Virgo not far from where the Sun set earthsky.org. It was near the bright star Spica a few days ago earthsky.org. Observers in the Southern Hemisphere have had better luck spotting it (from Australia, South Africa, South America, etc.) because it’s slightly higher in their evening sky. For Northern Hemisphere observers, the comet is very low after sunset – practically in the glow of twilight. However, each day it’s moving a bit further from the Sun in the sky, climbing higher at dusk earthsky.org earthsky.org. By late September or early October, viewers in mid-northern latitudes might finally catch it in a darker sky if it remains bright.

Appearance: Photographs show Comet SWAN has a long ion tail. Australian comet expert Michael Mattiazzo imaged a tail over 2.5° long on Sept 14 earthsky.org earthsky.org – that’s five Moon-widths! Visually, through binoculars or a telescope, one might see a diffuse round glow (the coma) and perhaps a hint of a tail if the sky is dark enough. Remember that the human eye can’t accumulate light like a camera – so the impressive tail in photos will be much fainter to eyeballs. Still, reports indicate the comet is “fairly bright” for a new discovery – around mag 6–7 – and detectable in binoculars now earthsky.org earthsky.org, especially from southern locations.

One observer in Mexico even photographed it from the Northern Hemisphere, which is a promising sign that it might soon be accessible to many of us earthsky.org. If you want to try locating it: shortly after sunset, scan the horizon just south of due west. Currently it’s in western Virgo, heading towards Libra. Some star charts for Comet SWAN have been published online (see resources like theskylive or aerith.net). But you’ll likely need optical aid and experience to pick it out of the twilight right now.

What’s next for Comet SWAN? The comet’s orbit suggests an extremely long period (~22,500 years!) earthsky.org – effectively a one-time visitor. It will reach perihelion (closest to Sun) around early October. The International Astronomical Union projects the comet’s closest approach to Earth will be in mid-October (Oct 12–19) at about 0.25 AU (37 million km) spaceweather.com earthsky.org. Importantly, that’s after it leaves the Sun’s vicinity, so we’ll be seeing it in a darker sky then. It could potentially brighten a bit more, maybe to mag 5–5.5 by early October earthsky.org – making it a possible naked-eye object if all goes perfectly. However, comets notoriously defy predictions. It could just as easily fizzle or even break apart. As EarthSky notes, “only time will tell, considering that comets are so erratic and unpredictable.” earthsky.org We’ll have to watch and hope.

Interestingly, there’s a possibility of a meteor connection: as mentioned, Earth might intersect Comet SWAN’s debris trail around October 4–6 spaceweather.com. If that material is dense, we could get a brief new meteor shower then (perhaps radiating from southern Aquarius or Capricornus, where the comet’s path intersects Earth’s orbit). Meteor experts are intrigued, but nothing is certain – it would be a bonus surprise.

For now, if you’re an avid comet chaser in the Southern Hemisphere, try to spot Comet SWAN soon in the post-sunset sky. In binoculars, look for a faint fuzzy star. In long-exposure photos, you might capture its tail. In the Northern Hemisphere, within a week or two it should become accessible at dusk – by then we’ll know if it’s brightening or fading. Fingers crossed for a nice October comet!

Third Interstellar Visitor – Comet 3I/ATLAS

In other comet news, astronomers recently confirmed that an object discovered in early September is actually an interstellar comet – only the third ever detected (after ‘Oumuamua in 2017 and Comet Borisov in 2019). It’s named 3I/ATLAS, having originally been spotted by the ATLAS survey in Hawaii. During the September 7 lunar eclipse, comet ATLAS passed relatively near Earth (inside of 0.3 AU) and astrophotographers managed to capture it glowing green against the red eclipsed Moon space.com – a remarkable cosmic coincidence.

However, 3I/ATLAS is extremely faint (roughly 18th–19th magnitude currently) and not something casual observers can see. Large observatory telescopes and networks like the Virtual Telescope Project have been tracking it and even live-streamed it for the public livescience.com. It’s exciting scientifically – an interstellar time capsule from another star – but don’t expect to spot this one yourself unless you have serious equipment. Still, it’s pretty amazing to know that right now, as we gaze at familiar stars and planets, a ghostly green comet from another solar system is quietly passing through our cosmic neighborhood.

Asteroid 2025 FA22 – Close (but Safe) Flyby

As mentioned in the Key Facts, Sept 18 brings a noteworthy near-Earth asteroid flyby. Asteroid 2025 FA22 will zip past at about 0.00563 AU (that’s ~2.2 lunar distances, or ~835,000 km) early on Thursday livescience.com. With an estimated diameter of 130–290 meters, it’s big enough that if it ever hit Earth it could cause major regional devastation (hence it’s classified as a “potentially hazardous asteroid”). Back in March 2025, when it was discovered by Pan-STARRS2 in Hawaii, preliminary orbits even gave it a tiny impact probability for the year 2089, putting it atop ESA’s risk list briefly livescience.com livescience.com. Thankfully, additional observations eliminated that threat livescience.com. Now it’s known that 2025 FA22 will not hit Earth in the foreseeable future. In fact, this week’s encounter is the closest it will come for a long, long time.

How to see it: At magnitude ~14 around flyby time, 2025 FA22 is a bit too faint for small telescopes. Skilled amateur astronomers with an 8-inch or larger telescope and CCD might capture its motion as a slow streak among the stars (it’ll be moving ~20″ per minute at closest). It traverses the constellation Cetus during the approach. If you’re not equipped for that, the next best thing is to tune into a webcast: e.g., the Virtual Telescope Project is hosting a live feed of the asteroid’s flyby (they often do for such events). It’s scheduled for the early hours of Sept 18 UTC, so late night of the 17th in the Americas.

Why it matters: Even though this rock is missing us by a comfortable margin, it’s a prime opportunity for planetary defense teams to practice tracking and characterizing a near-Earth object. Radar observations may be attempted as it zips by, which can reveal its shape and rotation. Every close approach by a sizable asteroid reminds us of the importance of asteroid surveys. As Live Science reported, “The space rock was previously predicted to have a slim chance of impacting our planet in 2089… But [it] is no longer considered an imminent threat.” livescience.com. ESA removed it from the risk list back in May livescience.com.

Instead of fear, astronomers greet this flyby with excitement: “While 2025 FA22 poses no danger, practicing our ability to measure these properties is important,” ESA officials wrote, referring to things like an asteroid’s trajectory, size, spin, and composition livescience.com. All those factors would determine how we might deflect a threatening asteroid in the future. In short, we’re treating this like a drill – a chance to refine our cosmic guardian skills.

This asteroid is also notable for the public because it’s one of the larger ones to come this close in recent times (about two football fields in size, as media described forbes.com). Such close encounters with big asteroids happen only roughly once a decade iflscience.com. So 2025 FA22 is a star (or rock) of the week in astronomy news. Don’t worry, it will not hit us – just skim by at 24,000 mph livescience.com, giving Earth a friendly wave.

Besides FA22, there have been a few other small asteroid buzz-by’s this week: e.g., on Sept 16, a little ~25 m asteroid 2025 RZ2 actually passed just 0.5 lunar distances away (about 126,000 miles) newsweek.com newsweek.com. It was only discovered days before. And on Sept 19, a ~22 m asteroid 2025 RL2 will pass ~0.6 LD (143,000 miles) from Earth spaceweather.com. These tiny ones aren’t bright enough to see, but they underscore that Earth is in a cosmic shooting gallery – there are lots of objects whizzing past all the time. The good news is our surveys are improving at spotting them.

For now, rest assured none of these pose a threat. If anything, they pose an opportunity for education and awe – it’s pretty awe-inspiring to realize these chunks of ancient space rock are flying by Earth within the distance of our Moon. If you have a big scope or access to one online, try spotting asteroid 2025 FA22. If not, simply enjoy the peace of knowing our planet is safe this time, and appreciate the work of astronomers who keep watch on our behalf.

ISS and Satellite Sights

The International Space Station is the third-brightest object in the sky (after the Sun and Moon), and it regularly makes visible passes over our towns. On Sept 17–18, the ISS is on an evening pass cycle for mid-northern latitudes, meaning it can be seen shortly after sunset, gliding across the twilight. For example, over New York City, the ISS will be visible on Sept 17 starting at 7:20 pm EDT in the west-northwest, moving across the sky for about 5 minutes, and reaching a peak brightness of magnitude –1.3 (when it’s about 30° above the horizon) astroviewer.net. On Sept 18, NYC gets another pass around 8:08 pm (a shorter, lower one). Other locales will have their own timings – typically these come in clusters, so if you miss one day, the next day’s pass is often a minute or so earlier or later.

How to spot the ISS: It looks like a very bright, steady star moving steadily across the sky – do not mistake it for a plane; the ISS does not have blinking lights and it moves faster than typical aircraft (crossing the sky in ~5 minutes). It will usually appear in the west or southwest and disappear in the east or northeast (or vice versa, depending on orbit path). The best passes go nearly overhead and can reach magnitudes of –3 to –4, rivaling Venus in brilliance. During those, the ISS is often reported by surprised observers who didn’t know to expect it – it’s that bright!

To find out when it passes over your area, you can use NASA’s Spot The Station service nasa.gov or websites like Heavens-Above. They will give you precise times, directions, and elevations. Generally, passes occur within a couple hours after sunset or before sunrise, when the ISS is still catching sunlight against a dark sky.

Watching the ISS is great family fun – knowing that there are currently astronauts onboard that fast-moving “star” adds to the excitement. On Sept 17, in fact, a Cygnus cargo ship (NG-23) is scheduled to berth with the ISS spacepolicyonline.com, so the crew might be busy unpacking fresh supplies while you watch their orbiting home fly by.

Besides the ISS, there are other human-made satellites to watch for:

Tiangong (China’s Space Station): China’s station is smaller and dimmer than ISS (around mag 0 at best), but can still be seen as a moving point of light. It has different orbit times, sometimes visible where ISS isn’t. If you’re keen, you can find predictions for Tiangong passes too astroviewer.net.
Starlink “Trains”: When SpaceX launches a new batch of Starlink satellites, they appear as a line of 20–60 lights moving in formation. These can cause UFO reports due to their unusual appearance. There’s no major launch right on Sept 17–18 (to produce a visible train immediately), but one launched on Sept 15 might still be somewhat clustered. Generally, within 1–3 days after a launch, the Starlink satellites are very noticeable in the evening sky shortly after launch time. After a week or so, they disperse. Keep this phenomenon in mind; if you ever see a string of lights marching across the stars, you’re likely witnessing Elon Musk’s satellites.
Satellite Flares: Classic Iridium flares (where old Iridium communication satellites would reflect a bright glint of sunlight for a few seconds) are now rare – most of those satellites have been deorbited or replaced with non-flaring ones. However, other satellites occasionally flare too (for instance, some NOAA satellites, or even the ISS’s solar panels can glint). These flares can briefly rival Venus in brightness, then vanish. They are highly localized and last only moments. They’re a “right place at the right time” kind of bonus if you see one.
Space Junk Reentries: There’s always a chance of catching a spectacular fireball that is actually a decaying satellite or rocket stage re-entering. Nothing known is slated for reentry on 17–18 with wide visibility, but this is another unpredictable event that sometimes graces the sky.

For an organized satellite viewing, the ISS is your best bet. If you’ve never seen it, do make an effort – it’s quite inspiring to see with your own eyes the moving light that is a house for humans in space. And maybe wave hello; you never know, the astronauts might be looking down at your region at that very moment.

In conclusion, the nights of September 17–18, 2025, offer a little something for everyone: a chance (however slim) to nab a rare meteor, the possibility of auroral glows if you’re far north, brilliant planets and a lovely Moon-Venus encounter, a historically close asteroid flyby (tracked by pros), and the ongoing show of a new comet in our skies. It’s a reminder that the night sky is dynamic – there’s always something happening up there. So gather a blanket or lawn chair, invite some friends or family, and look up! Whether you catch a meteor streaking from Cygnus, or simply enjoy the serene sight of Saturn and Jupiter among the stars, you’ll be participating in a timeless human experience of skywatching. Clear skies and happy observing!

Sources:

American Meteor Society – Meteor Activity Outlook for Sept 13–19, 2025 (R. Lunsford) imo.net imo.net
EarthSky.org – on the Chi Cygnids’ 5-year cycle and slow meteors earthsky.org earthsky.org; Saturn’s opposition details earthsky.org earthsky.org; Comet SWAN discovery and brightness updates earthsky.org earthsky.org
Spaceweather.com – reports on the Sept 14–15 G3 aurora storm (auroras to Colorado) spaceweather.com, eyewitness quotes spaceweather.com, and equinox aurora science spaceweather.com; note on possible meteor shower from Comet SWAN in October spaceweather.com
NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center – 3-day geomagnetic forecast (Kp 5 expected Sept 16–18) swpc.noaa.gov; G3 storm alert (Sep 15) spaceweather.gov
NASA “What’s Up” September 2025 – planetary highlights (Saturn, Venus/Jupiter in morning) science.nasa.gov science.nasa.gov
Live Science – Skyscraper-size asteroid will zoom past Earth Sept 18 (H. Baker) livescience.com livescience.com
Fox Weather – Chi Cygnid meteor shower to pop off this weekend foxweather.com foxweather.com
Space.com / Timeanddate – partial solar eclipse of Sept 21, 2025 (visibility in NZ/Aus) space.com timeanddate.com
Virtual Telescope / various – details on asteroid 2025 FA22 close approach and viewing livescience.com iflscience.com.