Aurora Glow Fades, Planets Dazzle and ‘Corn Moon’ Rises: Skywatch Alert for Sept 4

Aurora afterglow: A strong solar storm on Sept 1–2 brought rare Northern Lights sightings as far south as Oregon, Illinois, and even central England ts2.tech. Now the geomagnetic storm has subsided, so auroras will likely retreat to high latitudes. Skywatchers in Canada, Alaska, Northern Europe, Tasmania, and New Zealand should still watch the horizon on Sept 4–5 for any faint green glows if minor geomagnetic activity persists ts2.tech.
Meteor shower in moonlight: Early September has no major meteor showers active ts2.tech, just a weak Aurigid shower that peaked around Sept 1 with at most ~5–10 meteors per hour (and perhaps only ~1 visible per hour) ^[1]. The Aurigids continue through Sept 5, but the bright Moon (~95% full) will wash out all but the very brightest “shooting stars” ts2.tech. Only a handful of meteors might be seen after midnight these nights – try blocking the Moon with a building or tree to improve your odds ts2.tech.
Brilliant Moon & eclipse coming: The Moon is waxing toward full, dominating the night sky. This final summer full Moon – traditionally called the “Corn Moon” – will be 100% full on Sunday, Sept 7 ts2.tech. That same night the Moon will turn into a coppery “Blood Moon” during a total lunar eclipse lasting 82 minutes, the longest totality since 2022 ts2.tech. The eclipse is visible across Asia, Australia, Africa, and much of Europe (after sunset on Sept 7) ts2.tech. North and South America won’t see the eclipse (it occurs before moonrise there) ts2.tech, but folks in the Americas will still enjoy a brilliant full Corn Moon rising on Sept 7. (Heads up: This eclipse kicks off the fall “eclipse season” – a partial solar eclipse will follow on Sept 21, visible in parts of the Southern Hemisphere ^[2].)
Planetary parade: A gorgeous lineup of planets is gracing the skies. In the pre-dawn east, dazzling Venus (the “Morning Star”) hovers low on the horizon, with bright Jupiter about 20° above it along the ecliptic ts2.tech. (Elusive Mercury had been joining them last month, but by early September it has vanished into the Sun’s glare ts2.tech.) Over in the evening, golden Saturn rises at dusk and stays visible all night among the stars of Aquarius ts2.tech. Saturn is nearing its Sept 21 opposition, so it’s currently about as close and bright as it gets this year ts2.tech – an ideal time to view it. Even a small telescope can reveal Saturn’s rings. (Meanwhile, faint Uranus and Neptune are also up late at night; Neptune reaches its own opposition on Sept 23 near Saturn, but you’ll need a telescope or binoculars to spot these outer planets ^[3].)
ISS flyovers & satellites: The International Space Station is making timely flyovers this week. In early September, skywatchers in Europe can catch the ISS cruising overhead in the evening, while those in North America get pre-dawn passes ts2.tech. The ISS looks like a very bright, steady moving star gliding across the sky for a few minutes – no telescope needed, just check NASA’s “Spot the Station” for exact times in your area ts2.tech. Also keep an eye out for human-made objects: SpaceX just launched two rockets on Sept 2 and 3, adding dozens of new Starlink satellites ts2.tech. Shortly after launch, these satellites travel in noticeable “train” formations – basically a line of lights moving across the sky after dusk or before dawn ts2.tech. If a rocket launch occurred near your region at twilight, you might even see a ghostly glowing jellyfish-like cloud from the sunlit exhaust plume ts2.tech. Additionally, space junk reentries can create spectacular fireballs: an old Russian rocket booster was predicted to reenter around this timeframe, potentially producing a slow-moving bright streak if it burned up at night ts2.tech. (In January, a retired Starlink satellite did exactly that, producing a brilliant, fragmenting fireball over the U.S. Midwest ts2.tech. If you ever see an especially slow, breakup-prone “meteor,” it might be a piece of reentering spacecraft rather than a natural rock!)
Comets & cosmic visitors: No bright comets are currently visible to the naked eye, but astronomers are buzzing about a rare visitor from beyond our solar system. Comet 3I/ATLAS – only the third interstellar object ever detected – is passing through our cosmic neighborhood ts2.tech. As of early September it lies about 4.5 AU from the Sun (over 400 million miles away) ts2.tech, so it’s far too dim to see without large telescopes. Experts say 3I/ATLAS should remain observable with big telescopes through September before disappearing behind the Sun (it may reemerge in the morning sky by December) ts2.tech. Meanwhile, a new periodic comet designated C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) is slowly brightening in the dawn sky in Gemini. It’s still very faint (only observable with telescopes), but by late October 2025 Comet Lemmon may reach around magnitude 8, and could potentially brighten to ~mag 3–5 by its November 8 perihelion ts2.tech – which means it might just become visible to the naked eye under dark skies at that time. We’ll have to wait and see!

Aurora Afterglow: Northern Lights Recede to Poles

One of this week’s big celestial events was an unexpected aurora display that ventured far beyond the polar regions. A long-lasting solar flare on Aug 30 unleashed a coronal mass ejection (CME) toward Earth, sparking a geomagnetic storm (Kp 7–8) that hit on Sept 1–2 ts2.tech ts2.tech. The result: vibrant Northern Lights (and Southern Lights in the Southern Hemisphere) danced in the sky on those nights, delighting skywatchers much farther south than usual. Observers reported auroral glows in at least 18 U.S. states – sightings came from states like Oregon, Illinois, and New York – and even across the Atlantic in the U.K. Midlands (around latitude 52°N) ts2.tech. This was due to the storm reaching G2–G3 strength (moderate to strong) as the CME buffeted Earth’s magnetic field ts2.tech ts2.tech.

Now by September 4–5, the wave of solar particles has passed and Earth’s magnetic field is calming down. With the storm “over the hump,” auroras are expected to retreat to their usual high-latitude areas ts2.tech. In practical terms, that means the Northern Lights will mostly be visible only across far-northern skies (and far-southern for the Southern Lights). If you live in Alaska, Canada, Scandinavia or Scotland, or the far south of New Zealand or Tasmania, you’re back to being in the prime zone for aurora spotting. The NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center indicates geomagnetic conditions should be quiet to unsettled on Sept 4, after a final burst of minor G1–G2 activity faded on Sept 3 ^[4] ^[5].

That said, the aurora forecast isn’t completely blank – minor geomagnetic fluctuations can still spark auroras at high latitudes even on “quiet” days. So northern skywatchers should remain alert for any faint auroral glow on the horizon over the next couple nights ts2.tech. If you’re in a suitable location, start checking the northern horizon after local midnight (earlier if you’re farther north). The aurora might just appear as a diffuse greenish or reddish glow low in the sky; a long-exposure photo can help confirm if that dim haze is aurora or just light pollution.

Bottom line: The early-week solar storm gave mid-latitudes a rare aurora treat ts2.tech. By Sept 4–5, we’re back to more typical conditions – which means great aurora viewing in polar regions, but probably no significant displays in temperate latitudes (unless the Sun throws us another surprise CME). Space weather scientists note that the Sun is near its 11-year activity peak now (Solar Cycle 25 maximum), so more solar flares and aurora-worthy eruptions are possible in the coming weeks ts2.tech. Even if this particular light show has faded, it’s a reminder to keep an eye on space weather alerts. The auroras can always make a comeback with little warning!

Meteor Shimmer: Aurigids & Sporadic Fireballs

If you’re hunting for “shooting stars” on September 4–5, temper your expectations – this is a relatively slow time for meteor showers. According to the American Meteor Society, no major annual meteor showers are active in early September ts2.tech. We’re between the big summer Perseids (which peaked in mid-August) and the fall Orionids (coming in October).

The only meteor shower of note this week is the Alpha Aurigids, a minor shower that runs roughly from Aug 28 to Sept 5 each year ts2.tech. The Aurigids already peaked around August 31–Sept 1, and as expected it was a sparse showing. Under ideal dark skies, the peak might have delivered around 5–10 meteors per hour ts2.tech, but in reality many observers only saw a handful. In fact, forecasts based on one source suggested up to ~6 meteors/hour at peak, yet an AMS expert cautioned the shower could produce as few as ~1 meteor per hour on average ^[6]. In short, this shower is very weak – on a normal year it’s hard to distinguish Aurigids from the random background meteors.

Aurigids are so faint because their source – a comet named Kiess that visits the inner solar system only once every ~2 millennia – has left behind only a thin, patchy trail of debris ts2.tech ts2.tech. Earth just grazes that trail each year, picking up a very small handful of dust grains (each grain creating a meteor as it burns up). The Aurigids have occasionally surprised observers with rare outbursts (e.g. a burst of 30–50 meteors/hour in 1986, and an exceptional 100+ per hour in 2007) ts2.tech, but astronomers don’t expect anything like that this year ts2.tech. 2025’s Aurigid activity appears to be routine and low.

Still, the Aurigid radiant (the part of the sky meteors appear to originate from, in the constellation Auriga) will be above the horizon after about 11 p.m. local time and highest before dawn ts2.tech. If you want to try your luck, you may catch a few late-night meteors on Sept 4 or 5 – especially in the hours after midnight, when Earth is turning into the meteor stream. Any Aurigids you do see tend to be swift (hitting the atmosphere at ~66 km/s) and sometimes leave lingering trains of ionized gas ts2.tech, which can be eye-catching.

Unfortunately, one big factor will seriously hamper meteor watching now: the Moon. On Sept 4–5 the Moon is a waxing gibbous ~95% full, meaning its bright light floods the sky most of the night ts2.tech. Under such glare, only the brightest meteors will be visible – the Moon acts like a natural light pollution source, washing out faint shooting stars ts2.tech. Even the Aurigids, which are already few in number, will have to compete with moonlight. The American Meteor Society notes evening meteor rates in early September 2025 are reduced due to moonlight, with perhaps only 3 meteors/hour visible in the evening from mid-northern latitudes (including all sporadics) ^[7] ^[8].

Pro tip: If you’re meteor hunting, try to position yourself so that the Moon is behind you or blocked by an obstacle (like a building or hill). This will help preserve your night vision a bit ts2.tech. Give your eyes ~20 minutes to adjust to darkness. Lie back in a comfy chair or blanket and scan the sky – you don’t need to stare at Auriga exactly (meteors can streak anywhere). Even if meteor counts are low, you might get lucky with a random bright fireball blazing across the sky. Remember, on any given night the majority of meteors are sporadics – that is, not part of a known shower at all ^[9]. Sporadics deliver roughly a dozen meteors per hour before dawn from mid-northern latitudes ^[10], though again the Moon will hide many of the faint ones.

Speaking of fireballs, note that any meteor bright enough to rival Venus or the Moon is considered a fireball, and these can happen at any time. Just a few weeks ago on July 31, for instance, a brilliant meteor streaked over Texas that was so bright it was detected by a weather satellite’s lightning mapper ^[11]! Fireballs are unpredictable but not uncommon – the Perseid shower in August usually produces some, and even minor showers like the Taurids (due in a couple months) are known for occasional bright bolides. So while we don’t expect a flurry of meteors on Sept 4–5, always be alert; that one spectacular, long-lasting meteor could blaze out when you least expect it, Moon or no Moon.

Moon Update: Nearly Full “Corn Moon” & Impending Eclipse

Moon-watchers, rejoice – our lone natural satellite is front and center right now. On the nights of Sept 4–5, you’ll see a bright waxing gibbous Moon soaring through the sky. It’s heading towards full phase on September 7. This will be the last full moon of the summer season in the Northern Hemisphere (and last winter full moon in the Southern Hemisphere). Traditionally, some North American farming cultures called the September full moon the “Corn Moon,” since it coincided with the time of corn harvest ts2.tech. (The more famous “Harvest Moon” is actually the full moon nearest the autumn equinox – and in 2025 the equinox is later in September, so October’s full moon will take on the “Harvest” title ^[12]. Thus, September’s is the Corn Moon this year.)

The Corn Moon 2025 comes with an extra treat: a total lunar eclipse! On the night of Sept 7–8 (just a couple days after our Sept 4–5 window), the Moon will pass through Earth’s shadow, turning into an eerie reddish “Blood Moon.” This total lunar eclipse is notable for its long duration – totality (the fully-eclipsed stage) lasts about 82 minutes ts2.tech, making it the longest total lunar eclipse since 2022. During totality, the Moon often glows a dim copper or red color, as the only light reaching it has been filtered through Earth’s atmosphere (essentially projecting all the world’s sunrises and sunsets onto the lunar surface!).

Who gets to see it? The eclipse occurs centered around 18:00–19:30 UTC on Sept 7. That timing favors the Eastern Hemisphere. Asia, Australia, Africa, and much of Europe will be able to witness the eclipse on their night of Sept 7–8 ts2.tech. For example, in India and Central Asia the eclipse happens around midnight local time, in East Asia it’s toward early morning of Sept 8, and in parts of Africa and Europe it occurs during the pre-dawn hours of Sept 8. Unfortunately, North and South America will miss out on this eclipse, because it happens before the Moon has risen in those regions ts2.tech. By the time the Moon rises on Sept 7 in the Americas, the eclipse will be over – the Moon will already be back to full brightness. (As a consolation, American skywatchers still get a beautiful full Moon rise that evening, just not a red one.)

If you are in the eclipse-visible zone, mark your calendar for Sept 7 and prepare for a potentially spectacular sight. The Moon will enter Earth’s umbra (deep shadow) around the start of totality – watch as a dark bite seems to be taken out of the Moon and then it fully dims into a rusty color. At mid-eclipse the Moon might turn dark brown or red-black if atmospheric conditions are clean, or a brighter orange if there are lots of aerosols/dust in Earth’s atmosphere (which can make eclipses more vivid). Lunar eclipses are completely safe to view with the naked eye – no special filters needed, unlike solar eclipses. So enjoy it if you’re on that side of the world!

For those of us not in range of this eclipse, don’t worry: there are more to come. In fact, this event kicks off the second eclipse season of 2025 ^[13]. Just two weeks later, when the Moon reaches its new phase, a partial solar eclipse will occur on September 21, 2025. That one will be visible from parts of the Southern Hemisphere (including portions of Antarctica, the Indian Ocean, and maybe a slice of southern Africa) ^[14]. It won’t affect the Sept 4–5 sky, of course, but it’s good to know what’s on the horizon. As for the Moon on Sept 4–5: enjoy its bright presence! You can even do a bit of fun observing – try spotting the dark maria (lunar “seas”) or identifying some craters with binoculars. Just be aware that the Moon’s brilliance will outshine most other night-sky objects until it finally turns full and rises later in the evenings next week.

Planets on Parade: Venus, Jupiter, Saturn (and more)

If the Moon is stealing the nighttime spotlight, the planets are putting on their own show – particularly in the hours around dawn. Early risers on Sept 4–5 are treated to a planetary parade in the eastern sky before sunrise. The two brightest planets in our sky, Venus and Jupiter, are performing a dazzling duet that’s hard to miss ts2.tech.

Venus is the brilliant “morning star” shining low in the east during the pre-dawn darkness. It’s at magnitude –4.5 or so – extremely bright, with a silvery-white glow. Around 5:00–5:30 a.m. local time, look toward the east (where the Sun will rise later) and you’ll see Venus beaming just above the horizon.
Jupiter is higher up, roughly 20° above Venus along the ecliptic line (the path of the planets) ts2.tech. Jupiter is also very bright (around magnitude –2.6), outshone only by Venus and the Moon. To the eye it looks like a steady creamy-white star. On Sept 4–5, Jupiter sits in the constellation Aries, and it’s rising by ~2:30 a.m. local time in early September ^[15]. By dawn it’s well up in the east-southeast sky. If you have binoculars or a small telescope, take a peek – you might glimpse up to four of Jupiter’s largest moons lined up beside the planet like tiny dots ts2.tech.
Mercury, unfortunately, has bowed out of the morning show. Mercury had a brief early-morning apparition in late August, appearing near the star Regulus low on the horizon ts2.tech. But by the first week of September, Mercury has dropped back toward the Sun and is now lost in the sunrise glare ts2.tech. It reaches inferior conjunction (between Earth and Sun) in mid-September, so we won’t see Mercury again until it pops up in the evening sky in October.

Over on the opposite side of the sky, Saturn holds court during the evening and all through the night. The ringed planet rises at dusk in the east and is visible all night long, setting in the west around sunrise ts2.tech. Saturn is currently positioned in the constellation Aquarius (near the Aquarius-Pisces border) and has a distinctly yellowish hue. It’s not as bright as Jupiter or Venus, but at magnitude ~0.4 it’s as bright as a prominent star and easy to spot with the naked eye. Importantly, Saturn is approaching its opposition on Sept 21 – the point when Earth lies directly between Saturn and the Sun, putting Saturn opposite the Sun in our sky ^[16] ^[17]. Around opposition, Saturn is at its closest and brightest of the year ^[18], and indeed NASA notes Saturn will be “at its closest and brightest all year” in late September ts2.tech. So throughout early September, Saturn’s visibility is excellent: it shines from dusk till dawn, and even casual stargazers will notice that “extra star” in the eastern sky after dark. If you have access to a telescope, now is the time to use it on Saturn – you’ll be rewarded with a view of its iconic rings (which are currently tilted at a shallow angle) and perhaps a few moons like Titan ts2.tech.

What about the other planets? Here’s a quick rundown:

Mars – The Red Planet is essentially out of view right now. Mars is near conjunction with the Sun (on the far side of the Sun from Earth) and is lost in the Sun’s glare. It won’t be easily visible again until late 2025 when it emerges in the dawn sky.
Uranus – The third-largest planet is currently an overnight object, rising in the east well after dark ^[19]. In early September 2025, Uranus is in Aries, trailing behind Jupiter. It’s dim (magnitude +5.7) – technically just barely visible to the naked eye under perfect dark skies, but realistically you’ll need binoculars or a telescope to find it. Uranus will reach opposition in November, so it’s gradually becoming more accessible later at night as the weeks go on.
Neptune – The farthest planet is actually nearing opposition on Sept 23, 2025 ^[20]. Neptune currently rises in the east around nightfall (near Saturn in the sky, though much, much fainter). It sits in Aquarius, not far from Saturn’s position. However, at magnitude +7.8 Neptune is way too faint to see with the naked eye – a telescope is required ^[21]. If you do track it down (using a star chart or app), it will appear as a tiny bluish “star.” Neptune’s opposition means it’s at its brightest and closest for the year, but “bright” is relative for Neptune – it remains a challenging object except for dedicated observers.
Bonus – Regulus and the Moon: Although Mercury is gone, mark your calendar for September 19. Just beyond our current timeframe, there will be a lovely dawn conjunction where the waning crescent Moon, Venus, and the bright star Regulus in Leo all bunch together in the eastern sky ^[22] ^[23]. It will make for a beautiful sight before sunrise on 9/19 (Moon+Venus+Regulus forming a tight triangle). While this is two weeks after Sept 4–5, it’s worth mentioning for avid skywatchers planning ahead.

In summary, Sept 4–5 offers four of the five naked-eye planets: Venus and Jupiter at dawn, Saturn all night, and (for those with a crystal-clear horizon at dawn) maybe a fleeting glimpse of Mercury extremely low at daybreak on the 4th (but likely not). All these alignments make for a delightful time to identify planets. If you’re out around 5–6 a.m., challenge yourself to spot Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, and the Moon all at once – they span from the eastern horizon (Venus) to high southwest (Saturn) to west (Moon setting) in the pre-dawn hours. It’s a true testament to the dynamic clockwork of the solar system playing out in our sky ts2.tech ts2.tech.

Manmade Marvels: ISS Flyovers and Satellite Surprises

Not everything shining up above is a natural celestial body – human technology contributes a few skywatching highlights of its own on these dates. Chief among them: the International Space Station. The ISS is the largest artificial satellite of Earth, and it’s often visible as a bright, fast-moving star sliding across the sky. It orbits Earth about every 90 minutes, and depending on timing, it can be seen from various locations just after sunset or before sunrise (when the station is still lit by the Sun against a dark sky).

In early September 2025, the viewing geometry is favorable for many locations. For example, skywatchers across Europe are getting evening ISS passes (the station appearing in the west shortly after sunset, arcing overhead, and disappearing in the east) ts2.tech. Meanwhile, much of North America is seeing the ISS in the pre-dawn hours before sunrise ts2.tech. (This pattern happens because of how the ISS orbit and Earth’s position line up over the course of the season.) To know when exactly it will pass over your area, you can use NASA’s “Spot the Station” online tool or any number of smartphone apps – they’ll give you precise times and what direction to look. During a good pass, the ISS is very bright (rivaling Jupiter or Venus). It doesn’t blink or have colored lights (like airplanes do); it shines with steady white light as it reflects sunlight. Typically it’s visible for about 2 to 5 minutes as it traverses the sky ts2.tech.

Aside from the ISS, there’s a proliferation of satellites up there – and some of them create unusual sky sights. In the past week, SpaceX launched two Falcon 9 rockets (one from California on Sept 2 and one from Florida on Sept 3) deploying fresh batches of Starlink satellites ts2.tech. Each launch released ~20–30 satellites into orbit (28 were deployed on Aug 31 alone) ts2.tech. Right after deployment, these flat-panel satellites stick relatively close together, forming what’s popularly known as a “Starlink train.” If you’re in the right place at the right time (usually an hour or two after sunset, a few days after launch), you might witness a line of eerie moving lights following one another across the sky ts2.tech. They kind of resemble a string of pearls. Don’t be alarmed – these are not alien spacecraft, but the early stages of SpaceX’s satellites adjusting their orbits. Over days and weeks, the “train” disperses as each satellite moves to its operational altitude. But it’s quite a spectacle if you catch one of these deployments. People worldwide have been surprised by Starlink trains appearing overhead, sometimes prompting UFO reports!

In addition to satellites, rocket launches themselves can produce a brief sky show. The Falcon 9 launch from California’s Vandenberg on Sept 2 happened around sunset local time ts2.tech. Folks across parts of the U.S. West Coast reported seeing a glowing cloud or streak in the twilight sky – often described as a “jellyfish” shape ts2.tech. This occurs when a rocket’s exhaust plume is high enough to catch sunlight after the local sunset, creating a illuminated trail. Similar sights were noted in Florida for the Aug 31 predawn launch ts2.tech. If any rocket launches coincide with dawn or dusk in your region, keep an eye out for these transient but beautiful artificial clouds.

Lastly, let’s talk about falling satellites – space junk. Earth is surrounded by thousands of defunct satellites and spent rocket stages, and eventually many of them reenter the atmosphere. Typically these events aren’t noticed – the debris usually burns up over the ocean or uninhabited areas, or at random times when no one’s looking. But occasionally, a reentry can produce a dramatic fireball that is witnessed. In early September 2025, an old Russian rocket booster was predicted to reenter Earth’s atmosphere ts2.tech. The exact timing and path were uncertain (reentry predictions have some wiggle room), but there was a chance it could create a slow-moving meteor-like streak if it came down during local nighttime.

Indeed, we have precedents: earlier this year, a retired Starlink satellite reentered over the Midwest US and produced a spectacular, slow fireball that broke into pieces as it flared across the sky ts2.tech. Unlike natural meteors (which zip in at tens of kilometers per second), man-made objects reenter at around 8 km/s and often move noticeably slower across the sky ts2.tech. They also tend to fragment into multiple pieces, each leaving a sparkly trail. So if you ever see a meteor that seems unusually slow, possibly with bits coming off, you might be witnessing a piece of space debris burning up. It’s a rare sight, but early September (with increased solar activity heating the upper atmosphere and causing orbits to decay) has seen a lot of old satellites come down. Dozens of satellites reenter each month on average ts2.tech – most unseen, but any given one could put on a brief show for lucky observers in its path.

The main takeaway: keep looking up, because the sky is not just the realm of nature’s wonders but also humanity’s. From the ISS silently passing by ts2.tech to surprise satellite flares or reentry fireballs, you never know what you might catch a glimpse of on a clear night (or morning).

Comets and Other Cosmic Wonders

Comet aficionados might be a bit disappointed this week, as no bright comet is lighting up our skies at the moment. But that doesn’t mean nothing is happening on the comet front – in fact, something very exciting is out there, just beyond our casual view.

Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS (also known as C/2025 N1) is currently passing through our solar system. This is only the third known interstellar object (after ‘Oumuamua in 2017 and Comet 2I/Borisov in 2019) to be observed visiting from another star system. Comet 3I/ATLAS was discovered in 2025, and its trajectory clearly indicates it’s not bound to the Sun – it’s just a visitor passing through ^[24] ts2.tech. As of early September, 3I/ATLAS is out near the orbit of Jupiter, roughly 4.5 AU from the Sun (that’s about 416 million miles away) ts2.tech. At that distance, the comet is extremely faint – around magnitude 18–19 – way beyond naked-eye or even typical backyard telescope visibility. Only professional observatories and larger amateur scopes can observe it.

The comet is expected to reach perihelion (closest point to the Sun) around late October 2025, at about 1.4 AU from the Sun ts2.tech (still outside Earth’s orbit). Even then, it’s not forecast to become bright enough for casual observers; initial reports suggest it will not be visible to the eye in October ts2.tech. It might brighten a bit as it nears the Sun, but likely remains a telescopic object. After perihelion, Comet 3I/ATLAS will swing back out and is predicted to reappear in the morning sky by early December 2025 for telescopes, before heading back to interstellar space ts2.tech ts2.tech. While we can’t see this interstellar comet directly without advanced equipment, it’s big news in the astronomy community – scientists are studying it to learn about its composition and origin, effectively getting a sample of another star’s planetary material ts2.tech.

Closer to home, we do have a home-grown comet on the way: Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon). This comet was discovered in early 2025 and is a long-period comet that will reach its closest point to Earth in late October. Right now (early September), Comet Lemmon is lurking in the pre-dawn sky in the constellation Gemini ^[25]. It rises in the wee hours (around 2–3 a.m. local time for mid-northern latitudes) and climbs to perhaps 30° altitude by dawn ^[26]. However, its current brightness is only around magnitude ~10–11 – far too dim to see without a decent telescope. The good news is Comet Lemmon is expected to brighten significantly over the next two months. By October 21, 2025, when it passes about 0.6 AU from Earth, it may be about magnitude 8 ts2.tech. And around its perihelion on November 8, 2025, some projections say it could peak around magnitude 3–5 ts2.tech. If it reaches the brighter end of that range (mag 3–4), it would be faintly visible to the naked eye under dark skies, or certainly an easy binocular target. It will be visible from the Northern Hemisphere after sunset in late October and November ts2.tech. Keep in mind, comet brightness predictions are notoriously tricky – many comets underperform, some exceed expectations. So we’ll have to wait and see how Comet Lemmon behaves. But it’s definitely something to look forward to later in 2025.

Aside from comets, another category of cosmic visitor is asteroids. We occasionally get small asteroids passing near Earth, and one such flyby happened on September 3, 2025: a little asteroid designated 2025 QD₈ (roughly 20–40 meters wide) safely passed about 0.57 times the Earth–Moon distance ts2.tech. That’s about 220,000 km away – a close shave in cosmic terms, but absolutely no threat. It was too dim to see without large telescopes, but astronomers caught it on camera during a live webcast ts2.tech. These kinds of near-Earth asteroid flybys happen fairly frequently; they’re interesting for scientists using radar or telescopes to study the space rocks. For the public, they typically go unnoticed unless an observatory shares images. The key point is NASA and other agencies continually monitor for such objects, and this one (like most) posed zero danger – it’s just a neat reminder that space is filled with small neighbors whizzing past.

Other Sky Highlights: Noctilucent Clouds & Milky Way Views

While we’ve covered the major celestial and atmospheric phenomena, a couple more “sky sights” deserve mention:

Noctilucent Clouds (NLCs): These mysterious, electric-blue clouds that sometimes shimmer at high altitudes during summer have likely vanished for the season in the Northern Hemisphere. NLCs are usually seen on summer nights at high latitudes (50°–70° N/S) when the upper atmosphere conditions are just right. The best time of year to spot noctilucent clouds in the north is late May through July, tapering off by mid-August ^[27]. By early September, the mesosphere (where NLCs form ~80 km up) has warmed and the moisture has decreased, so NLC displays essentially cease. Indeed, skywatching groups note that NLC season in the Northern Hemisphere typically ends by the last days of August ^[28]. So, you shouldn’t expect any glowing blue-white wispy clouds after sunset now. In the Southern Hemisphere, their NLC season will come in December–January. For now, bid farewell to noctilucent clouds until next summer.
The Milky Way Galaxy: With the Moon so bright on Sept 4–5, this isn’t the ideal moment for Milky Way viewing – but on moonless nights this month, the Milky Way is a stunning sight. September evenings are when the Milky Way’s bright center (in Sagittarius) starts to slide toward the southwest, but it’s still prominently visible after dark, arching across the sky. As September begins, the Milky Way is “absolutely resplendent” on clear moonless nights, flowing from the south-southwest to the northeast across the sky ^[29]. The famous Summer Triangle (the stars Vega, Deneb, Altair) is nearly overhead, embedded in the Milky Way’s starry band ^[30]. By midnight and into the pre-dawn, we start to see the “winter” portion of the Milky Way rising in the east, with constellations like Orion and Taurus (though the brightest winter Milky Way segments are fainter than the summer core). To appreciate the Milky Way, you need to get away from city lights to a dark-sky location. If you do that on a night without a bright Moon, you’ll see that ghostly band of light – which is the collective glow of billions of distant stars in our galaxy’s disk. Unfortunately, on Sept 4–5 the near-full Moon will flood the sky with light, making the Milky Way very difficult to discern. But take note of the two-week period after the Sept 21 new moon: from late September into early October, evening skies will be moonless and perfect for Milky Way hunting ^[31]. Also, around that time (late September), observers in mid-northern latitudes can look for the zodiacal light in the east before dawn – a pyramid of faint light along the ecliptic, caused by sunlight reflecting off interplanetary dust. The zodiacal light becomes visible starting around Sept 19 for the Northern Hemisphere’s pre-dawn sky (and conversely, in the post-sunset western sky for the Southern Hemisphere) ^[32]. So, while the Moon is currently in the way, plan for some quality dark-sky time later in the month to soak in the Milky Way and possibly the zodiacal glow.

In conclusion, the nights of September 4–5, 2025 offer a little bit of everything: fading auroral auroras mainly for the high latitudes, a quiet meteor scene with just the occasional stray shooting star, a brilliant nearly-full Moon dominating the sky (and hinting at an upcoming eclipse), a parade of planets from evening until dawn (Saturn, Jupiter, Venus – with Mercury and Mars taking a hiatus), plus the ever-present possibility of spotting the ISS or a satellite overhead. While not every phenomenon is at its peak this week, the combination of events makes it an exciting time to be looking up. As the saying goes, “the sky is always open” – and on any given night there’s always something to marvel at, whether it’s a distant world shining or a transient streak of light across the heavens. So grab a jacket, step outside on Sept 4 or 5, and enjoy the cosmic show unfolding above you!

Sources: NASA, NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center, American Meteor Society, EarthSky, Space.com, TS2 Space news ts2.tech ts2.tech ts2.tech ts2.tech ts2.tech ts2.tech ts2.tech ts2.tech ^[33] ^[34]. (Expert references provide factual details on aurora forecasts, meteor activity, planetary positions, and upcoming eclipses.)