Planetary Events News 30 July 2025

Sky‑Spectacle Alert: Rare Northern Lights Could Paint U.S. Skies Tonight—Here’s the Science, the Map and the Expert Warnings You Need

Night Sky Tonight, November 12, 2025: Severe Auroras Possible, Taurid ‘Fireballs,’ and a Close Mercury–Mars Pairing

Updated: Wednesday, November 12, 2025 TL;DR (What to watch tonight) Breaking: Severe geomagnetic storm could supercharge tonight’s auroras The U.S. Space Weather Prediction Center reports G4 (Severe) geomagnetic storm levels were reached at 01:20 UTC on Nov. 12, with storming expected to continue into the night. In practical terms, that greatly boosts the odds of seeing the northern lights unusually far south (or the southern lights farther north in Australia/New Zealand) when local skies are dark and clear. Keep watch after dusk, around local midnight, and toward dawn; auroras can surge in waves. NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center NOAA also

12 November 2025

Incredible Skywatch Weekend: Northern Lights, Meteor Fireballs & Planetary Sights (Sept 27–28, 2025)

Key Facts Solar Storms and Aurora Outlook Space weather officials are on alert for auroras this weekend. A large coronal hole on the Sun has rotated into an Earth-facing position, sending a stream of fast solar wind toward Earth. According to NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center, this “weak enhancement in the solar wind” is forecast to arrive and push geomagnetic activity to unsettled or even active levels, with a chance of minor G1 storms space.com. In practical terms, that means the Northern Lights could strengthen on the nights of Sept. 27–28. If the disturbance reaches G1 (Kp 5) levels, auroras

27 September 2025

Astronomy · Meteor Showers · Northern Lights · Planetary Events · Stargazing

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

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

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

Skywatch Alert: 6-Planet Parade, Meteor Fireballs & Auroras Dazzle the Night (Aug 19–20, 2025)

From Aug 18 to 20, a rare six-planet lineup (Mercury through Neptune) may be visible above the horizon before sunrise, with Mercury mag 0, Venus mag −4, Jupiter mag −2, Saturn mag ~0.5, Uranus mag 5.7 and Neptune mag 7.8. On the mornings of Aug 19 and 20, Venus and Jupiter form a bright dawn triangle with a slender Moon, with the Moon about 7° above Jupiter on Aug 19 and a few degrees from Venus on Aug 20. Titan’s shadow will cross Saturn on Aug 19 around 1:26 a.m. EDT, lasting about 2.5–3 hours, observable with a telescope of

19 August 2025

Astronomy · Auroras · Meteor Showers · Planetary Events · Skywatching

Epic Skywatch Alert (Aug 10–11, 2025): Perseid Meteor Shower Peaks under Bright Moon – Plus Venus & Jupiter’s Dazzling Conjunction

The Perseid Meteor Shower peaks on the night of August 11–12, 2025, under a waning gibbous Moon about 84% illuminated, with expected meteor rates of 10–20 per hour in bright conditions despite the usual 50–100 per hour under dark skies. Venus–Jupiter conjunction occurs August 11–12, 2025, with the two planets separated by about 0.5°–1°, Venus at magnitude −4 and Jupiter at magnitude −2, rising in the eastern pre-dawn sky around 4:30–5:00 a.m. Saturn rises around 10:30 p.m. in early August and by mid-August is up by about 8:30 p.m., shining in Aquarius with its rings visible in a small telescope.

10 August 2025

Astronomy · Meteor Showers · Planetary Events · Skywatching · Space Highlights

Cosmic Triple-Feature: Meteor Shower, Double Planet Show & Aurora Hopes on Aug 6–7, 2025

The Perseid meteor shower ramps up on August 6–7, 2025, with about 10–20 meteors per hour after local midnight under dark skies despite a bright Moon at roughly 95–99% full. The August full Moon on August 9, 2025 is called the Sturgeon Moon, and its brightness washes out faint meteors during early Perseid activity. The Eta Eridanids are expected to peak on the night of August 7–8, 2025, adding about 3 meteors per hour at best. Venus and Jupiter dominate the dawn sky on August 6–7, 2025, with Venus at magnitude −4.0 and Jupiter at −1.9, about 6° apart. Around

6 August 2025

Astronomy · Aurora · Meteor Showers · Planetary Events · Stargazing

Skywatch Alert: Meteors, Auroras & a Planetary Spectacle on Aug 5–6, 2025

The Perseid meteor shower is already ramping up for Aug 5–6, 2025, with an expected 10–20 meteors per hour under dark skies after midnight. Perseids are famous for fireballs, producing bright meteors that can blaze through moonlight despite lunar glare. The full Sturgeon Moon occurs on Aug 9, and the peak nights Aug 11–13 will have 84–90% moonlight, washing out dimmer meteors. Venus and Jupiter form a dawn pair before sunrise on Aug 5–6, with Venus at magnitude -4.0 and Jupiter at about -1.9, about 7–8° apart. The Venus–Jupiter pair will reach its closest approach around Aug 11–12, when they’re

5 August 2025

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

December 2025 Skywatch Alerts: Geminids Meteor Storm, Rare Planetary Sights & Auroras Galore

The Geminid meteor shower peaks overnight on December 13–14, 2025, with as many as 100–150 meteors per hour under dark skies, originating from asteroid 3200 Phaethon. The Ursid meteor shower peaks around December 21–22, 2025, near 11:00 UTC, typically producing 5–10 meteors per hour under dark skies thanks to a new Moon on December 20. Mercury reaches its greatest western elongation on December 7, 2025, about 20° west of the Sun, with magnitude around −0.5 and visible low in the southeastern dawn sky about 30–45 minutes before sunrise. On December 7, 2025, a Moon–Jupiter conjunction occurs with a Moon about

30 July 2025

Astronomy · Auroras · Geminids · Meteor Showers · Planetary Events

Planetary Events News 30 July 2025 - 12 November 2025