Night Sky 5 December 2025 - 4 January 2026

NOAA and the U.K. Met Office forecast a minor geomagnetic storm Sunday, with auroras possible in northern Scotland and other high latitudes. The nearly full Wolf Moon is expected to obscure most of the Quadrantid meteor shower. Agencies warn moonlight will limit visibility for both meteors and auroras. Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology also expects elevated geomagnetic activity.

NOAA issued geomagnetic storm watches for January 1–3 after several solar eruptions, warning of possible G2-level storms late Friday into Saturday. Forecasters say aurora could be visible as far south as New York and Idaho. The full “Wolf Moon” supermoon and Quadrantid meteor shower will coincide, but moonlight will obscure many meteors. An M7.1 solar flare caused a moderate radio blackout on December 31.

The Moon passes close to Saturn in the southern evening sky tonight, visible to the naked eye after sunset. The pair appears in Pisces, drifting southwest by 7 p.m. local time. Saturn sits near the Moon, making it easy to spot without a telescope. Jupiter will become the brightest planet later tonight.

A waxing crescent Moon and Saturn appear low in the southwest after sunset on December 25, while Jupiter rises in the east and dominates the night sky. The Moon sets before midnight for most U.S. locations, leaving darker skies for late-night viewing and possible Ursid meteors. Aurora forecasts remain below storm levels despite recent solar wind activity.

A thin waning crescent Moon leaves skies dark tonight, with just 6% illumination and moonset early in the evening. Jupiter is prominent, Saturn remains visible after sunset, and the Geminid meteor shower fades as the Ursids begin to rise. The Moon reaches apogee at 6 UTC, its farthest point from Earth this month. New moon arrives late December 19 in U.S. time zones.

Comet 3I/ATLAS, the third confirmed interstellar object to enter the solar system, is passing by at a distance of 1.8 astronomical units from Earth. Observatories report its coma now glows faint green, likely from diatomic carbon, and X-ray data show unusual interactions with the solar wind. NASA says there is no threat to Earth. The comet will exit the solar system after this visit.