Astronomy News 10 September 2025

Skyscraper-Size Asteroid Once Feared to Hit Earth Zooms Past This Week – How to Watch Live

An asteroid the size of a skyscraper, once briefly feared to pose an impact risk decades from now, is about to make a close (but safe) flyby of Earth on Thursday, September 18, 2025. This near-Earth asteroid, officially designated 2025 FA22, will whiz by at ~24,000 mph in the early hours of Thursday, coming within about 520,000 miles (835,000 km) of our planet – roughly 2.2 times the distance of the Moon livescience.com. Discovered only in March 2025, the giant space rock made headlines when initial calculations suggested a slim chance of an Earth impact in the year 2089, briefly

16 September 2025

The Universe Is Expanding Even Faster Than We Thought – New Study Sparks Cosmic ‘Crisis’

A Surprise in the Stars: New Study Measures Faster Expansion Recent observations have delivered a startling message: the universe appears to be expanding even faster than our standard cosmological model predicts phys.org. In a new high-precision study, a team led by Dan Scolnic of Duke University used the cosmic distance ladder method to measure how quickly space is stretching. They focused on the Coma Cluster of galaxies (one of the nearest big clusters) and analyzed 12 Type Ia supernovae within it—exploding stars that serve as reliable “standard candles” because their true brightness is known phys.org. By comparing their known luminosity to

16 September 2025

Astronomy · Cosmology · Science News · Space · Universe

Skywatch Alert: Rare Meteor Shower, Auroras, and Planetary Spectacles on Sept 16–17, 2025

Key Sky Events (Sept 16–17, 2025) – At a Glance 1. Rare Chi Cygnid Meteor Shower Peaks (Sept 14–16) One of the most intriguing sky events this week is the Chi Cygnid meteor shower, an unusual, recently discovered meteor display. First noticed in 2015 by NASA astronomer Peter Jenniskens and colleagues, the Chi Cygnids have shown a pattern of increased activity every 5 years (with upticks observed around 2010, 2015, 2020, and now 2025) earthsky.org earthsky.org. This year’s return was expected to climax around September 13–15, 2025 earthsky.org earthsky.org, and indeed low-light cameras detected a flurry of slow-moving meteors from

16 September 2025

Astronomy · Auroras · Meteor Showers · Night Sky Events · Stargazing

Space Race Showdown, Mars Surprises & a New ‘Mini-Moon’ – Global Space News (Sept 15–16, 2025)

Key Highlights Launches and Mission Updates China’s latest launch: On Sept. 16, China launched a test satellite for its planned satellite-internet network, using a Long March 2C rocket with a Yuanzheng-1S upper stage english.news.cn. Liftoff from Jiuquan at 9:06 a.m. Beijing time was successful, inserting the tech demo satellite into orbit to advance China’s broadband megaconstellation plans. This marked the 595th flight of China’s Long March rocket family english.news.cn, underscoring China’s rapid launch cadence. The mission highlights Beijing’s push into satellite internet – an area of growing strategic importance as China races to build its own Starlink-like network. SpaceX boosts ISS resupply: Over the weekend,

16 September 2025

Astronomy · Celestial Events · Mars · Space · Space Exploration · Space News

From Black Hole ‘Stars’ to Miracle Eye Drops: Top Science News (Sept 14–15, 2025)

Key Facts Health & Medicine Significant medical advances made headlines. An ophthalmology team in Buenos Aires introduced “special” eye drops that could make reading glasses obsolete for age-related farsightedness sciencedaily.com. In trials on 766 adults with presbyopia, drops combining pilocarpine and diclofenac quickly sharpened near vision (gaining around 3 lines on a reading chart) and maintained improvements for up to two years sciencedaily.com sciencedaily.com. “Nearly all patients experienced positive improvements in near visual acuity,” said Dr. Giovanna Benozzi, noting this non-surgical remedy could “significantly reduce dependence on reading glasses” for many sciencedaily.com. No serious side effects were observed, making the

15 September 2025

Astronomy · Black Holes · Health · Innovation · Science News

This Weekend’s Sky Spectacle: Rare Meteor Outburst, Auroras Dance & Planets Align (Sept 15–16, 2025)

Meteor Showers: Chi Cygnids Take Flight Skywatchers are buzzing about the Chi Cygnid meteor shower, a rare meteor display that appears to flare up about every five years. First noticed during a surprise outburst in 2015, the Chi Cygnids have shown heightened activity in 2010, 2015, 2020, and now 2025 earthsky.org. Astronomers report that this modest shower has been “showing increased activity this week” and could peak around the nights of September 13 to 15, 2025 earthsky.org. The most probable window for any burst of meteors is September 14–16 amsmeteors.org, so the evenings of the 15th and 16th are prime

15 September 2025

Astronomy · Auroras · Meteor Showers · Planets · Sky Events

Aurora Alert and Saturn Spectacle: Skywatch Highlights for Sept 14–15, 2025

Key Facts Saturn Shines at Its Brightest Saturn is the star of the show in mid-September’s night sky. The ringed planet is almost at opposition – the point on Sept 21 when Earth lies directly between Saturn and the Sun science.nasa.gov. In practical terms, this means Saturn is currently at its closest and brightest for 2025. It rises in the east around sunset and stays up all night long, outshining most stars around it. Look for a steady, yellowish point of light in the eastern evening sky (in the constellation Aquarius). Unlike twinkling stars, planets shine with a steady light.

14 September 2025

Astronomy · Aurora · Saturn · Sky Events · Stargazing

Skywatch Alert: Rare Meteors, Aurora Glow & Planetary Parade Light Up Sept 13–14, 2025

Meteor Watch: Chi Cygnids & September “Shooting Stars” If you’re scanning for meteors this weekend, temper your expectations – but a rare treat is on the menu. The Chi Cygnid meteor shower is peaking around the night of September 13–14. Unlike prolific showers (e.g. August’s Perseids), the Chi Cygnids are a mystery shower that flares up only every five years, and 2025 is one of those special years earthsky.org. Even at peak, they are subtle: perhaps ~1–2 meteors per hour at best under dark skies earthsky.org. What makes them noteworthy is their character – these meteors are unusually slow-moving, creeping

13 September 2025

Astronomy · Aurora · Meteor Showers · NYSE:NG · Planets · Skywatching

Martian Life Clues, Hawking Vindication, and More – Science News Roundup (Sept 11–12, 2025)

Key Facts Space & Astronomy Possible life on Mars – “potential biosignatures”: NASA’s Perseverance rover has uncovered one of the most tantalizing clues yet that Mars may have hosted ancient life. Scientists reported that a sample of fine-grained, iron-rich mudstone rock from Jezero Crater contains minerals (including vivianite and greigite) that on Earth often form due to microbial activity reuters.com. The rover team spent a year analyzing data from the rock, nicknamed “Sapphire Canyon,” before announcing what they call a “potential biosignature” – a chemical or textural signal that could have a biological origin reuters.com. The rock, which dates back

12 September 2025

Astronomy · Life in Space · Mars · NASDAQ:VRTX · Science News · Stephen Hawking

Cosmic Show This Weekend: Rare Meteors, Planet Parade & More (Sept 12–13, 2025)

A “Sweet Spot” for Stargazers in Mid-September “We’re in a stargazer’s sweet spot,” writes Mark Laurin, an astronomy guide known as “Astro Mark.” “The September sky is full of magic… the night air is still comfortable but with a mere hint of wispy chill” aspentimes.com. Indeed, the nights of September 12–13, 2025 promise a cornucopia of celestial sights. From rare meteors and bright planets to ghostly auroras and satellite flybys, there’s plenty to delight skywatchers worldwide during this period. The following is an up-to-date guide to all the notable sky events and phenomena you can observe on these dates, with

12 September 2025

Astronomy · Meteors · NASDAQ:IRDM · Planet Parade · Sky Watching · Weekend Events

Don’t Miss These Night Sky Spectacles on Sept 11–12, 2025: Meteor Shower, Auroras & Planet Parade

Meteor Shower: Scant Shooting Stars Under a Bright Moon If you’re hoping to wish upon a shooting star this week, temper your expectations – no major meteor showers peak on exactly Sept 11–12. The only ongoing shower is the September Epsilon Perseids, a minor display active from about Sept 5 to 21 space.com. This shower peaked around the morning of Sept 9 with at best ~5 meteors per hour under ideal dark skies space.com. In practice, the bright Moon has severely limited the count – observers likely saw only a few meteors each hour even at peak space.com. As we move past the

11 September 2025

Astronomy · Aurora · Meteor Showers · Night Sky · Planetary Events

Little-Known Meteor Shower to Light Up September Skies – Your Guide to the Epsilon Perseids 2025

Key Facts Peak Dates and Best Viewing Times Mark your calendars for the night of September 8–9, 2025. That is when the September Epsilon Perseids meteor shower reaches its peak activity. In 2025 the predicted peak occurs around 8 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time on Sept. 9 (which is 12:00 GMT) space.com. This timing means that for skywatchers in the Americas, the pre-dawn hours of Tuesday, Sept. 9 are prime viewing. Even though the exact peak is during daylight for Europe/Africa (and early evening in East Asia/Australia), anytime after nightfall on Sept. 8 into the early hours of Sept. 9 is

10 September 2025

Astronomy · Epsilon Perseids · Meteor Showers · Night Sky · Space Events

Astronomy News 10 September 2025 - 16 September 2025