Auroras

Saturn Dazzles, New Comet Rises, and Auroras Loom: Skywatch Alert for Sept 24–25, 2025

Saturn Steals the Show If you step outside on these late-September nights, Saturn immediately grabs your attention. The ringed planet reached opposition (when Earth passed directly between Saturn and the Sun) on September 21, and it remains exceptionally bright and gorgeous in the sky planetary.org. At opposition Saturn is closest to Earth for the year, so it shines at maximum brilliance and is visible all night, rising around sunset and setting near dawn. “Saturn will be at its closest and brightest all year!” as NASA explains science.nasa.gov – truly the best time to enjoy this gas giant. Look for Saturn

24 September 2025

Skywatchers’ Delight: Solar Eclipse, Saturn’s Brightest Night & Equinox Auroras (Sept 21–22, 2025)

Key Facts: Partial Solar Eclipse at Dawn (Sept 21) An impressive partial solar eclipse will greet early-risers (and late-day viewers across the dateline) on Sunday, Sept 21, 2025. This eclipse is “deep” – at peak about 85% of the sun’s disk will be covered by the moon earthsky.org. The eclipse path spans the South Pacific, including much of New Zealand, a thin slice of eastern Australia’s coast, parts of Antarctica, and various Pacific islands space.com. In these regions the event happens around local sunrise on the 22nd (morning of Sept 22 in NZ/Aus, which corresponds to Sept 21 UTC) earthsky.org.

21 September 2025

Astronomy · Auroras · Saturn · Skywatching · Solar Eclipses

Rare Meteor Shower, Auroras & Planetary Spectacles: Skywatch Alert (Sept 17–18, 2025)

Key Facts 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

17 September 2025

Astronomy · Auroras · Meteor Showers · Skywatching · Space Events

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

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

Cosmic Spectacle Alert: Auroras, Meteor Shower & Planetary Parade Dazzle Sept. 10–11, 2025

Key Facts Auroras Dance at High Latitudes After an unexpected geomagnetic storm dazzled skywatchers in early September, the Northern Lights remain a top attraction for those in northern regions. Over Labor Day weekend (Sept. 1–2), a potent “cannibal” solar eruption hit Earth’s magnetic field, sparking auroras as far south as Illinois and Oregon in the U.S. space.com space.com. “Impact is expected by late September 1. G2+ conditions possible,” explained Dr. Tamitha Skov, a space weather physicist, as she noted that one fast coronal mass ejection (CME) overtook another to intensify the storm space.com. The result was a geomagnetic storm that briefly

10 September 2025

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

Skywatchers Rejoice: Blood Moon, Auroras & Rocket Launches Dazzle on Sept 8–9, 2025

Total Lunar Eclipse Paints the Moon Red (Sept 7–8) Skywatchers kicked off the week with a must-see celestial event: a total lunar eclipse on Sunday, Sept 7, 2025 (with effects lingering into the early hours of Sept 8 in some regions). For 83 minutes of totality, Earth’s shadow completely engulfed the full Moon, which took on an eerie reddish hue – hence the popular nickname “Blood Moon” ts2.tech. This was the longest total lunar eclipse since 2022, and its timing and wide visibility made it truly exceptional timeanddate.com. “For more than an hour on Sept. 7th, the full Moon will pass

8 September 2025

Astronomy · Auroras · Lunar Events · Skywatching · Space launches

Skywatch Alert: Auroras, Meteors & Planetary Parade Dazzle the Night Sky (Sept 2–3, 2025)

Key Facts Summary Full Report Skywatchers are in for a treat on the nights of September 2–3, 2025. From spectacular auroral displays dancing in the atmosphere to a parade of planets and even human-made satellites gliding overhead, nearly every corner of the sky has something exciting happening. Below we break down all the major sky phenomena to look for, with tips on when and where to see them. Whether you’re in the northern or southern hemisphere, get ready for an action-packed couple of nights of stargazing! Aurora Alert: Geomagnetic Storm Triggers Northern Lights Far South One of the biggest highlights

2 September 2025

Astronomy · Auroras · Events · Meteors · Night Sky

Rare Auroras, Shooting Stars and a Planet Parade: Sky Spectacle on Sept 1–2, 2025

Key Facts Auroras Incoming: Solar Storm Set to Dazzle Unusual Latitudes Skywatch alert: A geomagnetic storm watch is in effect for September 1–2, 2025, as an Earth-directed coronal mass ejection (CME) arrives. This solar eruption – launched by a long-lasting M2.7-class flare on Aug 30 – is expected to buffet Earth’s magnetic field starting late on Sept 1 (UTC), with disturbances continuing into Sept 2 swpc.noaa.gov. Initially, NOAA’s models predict G2 (Moderate) geomagnetic storm conditions when the CME hits, ramping up to G3 (Strong) as the main bulk of the plasma cloud sweeps past on Sept 2 space.com. In practical

1 September 2025

Astronomy · Auroras · Meteor Showers · Planetary Alignment · Sky Events

Black Moon Sparks Cosmic Show: Meteors, Planet Parade & Auroras on Aug 24–25, 2025

The New Moon on Aug 23, 2025 at 06:06 UTC creates a rare Black Moon, and Summer 2025 features four new moons (Jun 25, Jul 23, Aug 23, Sep 21), making Aug 24–25 moonless. Perseids are active until about Aug 24 and peaked on Aug 12–13, and with the Moon gone, observers could see roughly 5 meteors per hour late at night to dawn, while peak rates with Moon interference could reach around 15 per hour. Kappa Cygnids (Aug 3–28, peak Aug 16–18) may deliver slow, bright fireballs, typically at about 3 meteors per hour at best. Northern Hemisphere observers

24 August 2025

Astronomy · Auroras · Meteor Showers · Planets · Space Events

Black Moon, Meteors & Auroras: Skywatch Alert for Aug 23–24, 2025

The Black Moon occurs when the new moon reaches Aug 23 at 06:06 UTC, making it the third of four summer 2025 new moons (June 25, July 23, Aug 23, Sept 21) and rendering a moonless sky. The Perseid meteor shower, which peaked in mid-August with up to about 100 meteors per hour under ideal conditions, is winding down by Aug 23, but a Moonless sky this weekend could yield roughly 5 meteors per hour with occasional bright fireballs. The minor Kappa Cygnids (Aug 3–28, peaking around Aug 16) remain active with at most about 3 meteors per hour at

23 August 2025

Astronomy · Auroras · Meteors · Skywatching · Space Events

Cosmic Show on Aug 22–23, 2025: Meteors, Planet Parade, Auroras & More

Perseid meteors continue through August 23, 2025, with the peak on Aug 12–13 under a Moon about 84% full, and by Aug 23 the Moon is new, giving dark skies for meteor watching; the meteors originate from Comet Swift–Tuttle. The minor Kappa Cygnids shower peaks around Aug 16–18, producing about 3 meteors per hour and occasionally slow, dramatic fireballs. Venus and Jupiter form a bright dawn pair in the east around Aug 22, separated by only a few degrees, with Venus at magnitude about −4 and Jupiter around −2. Mercury reached greatest western elongation on Aug 19, 2025, shining near

22 August 2025

Astronomy · Auroras · Meteors · Planetary Events · Skywatching

Auroras News 22 August 2025 - 24 September 2025