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Planets News 10 August 2025 - 2 October 2025

Spectacular October 2–3, 2025 Skywatch Alert: Meteor Showers, Planets & Aurora on the Horizon

Spectacular October 2–3, 2025 Skywatch Alert: Meteor Showers, Planets & Aurora on the Horizon

Meteor Showers: Draconids & Orionids Early October brings the Draconids and Orionids meteor showers. NASA’s skywatching notes explain that the Draconids (debris from comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner) will streak through the sky Oct. 6–10 nationalgeographic.com. In a perfect dark sky the Draconids can reach “up to 10 meteors per hour,” but this year a bright full Moon on Oct. 6–7 will drown out most fainter meteors science.nasa.gov. Observers should try to block the Moon (for example, by hiding it behind a tree or building) if possible. After the Draconids, the Orionid meteor shower ramps up. Space.com reports “the Orionid meteor shower has
2 October 2025
Saturn Dazzles, New Comet Rises, and Auroras Loom: Skywatch Alert for Sept 24–25, 2025

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
Don’t Miss 2025’s Rare Triple Conjunction: Moon, Venus & Regulus Light Up Dawn Sky

Don’t Miss 2025’s Rare Triple Conjunction: Moon, Venus & Regulus Light Up Dawn Sky

A Rare Celestial Trio in Context Triple Conjunction is the term for an apparent meeting of three celestial bodies in close proximity in the sky. In astronomy, a conjunction means two or more objects share a similar line-of-sight or celestial longitude, appearing near each other from Earth’s perspective science.nasa.gov livescience.com. When three objects rendezvous in this way, it becomes a triple conjunction. Such events are special because getting three bright objects all in the same tiny patch of sky is uncommon – their orbital paths (and the tilt of those paths) rarely line up so perfectly at the same time
18 September 2025
This Weekend’s Sky Spectacle: Rare Meteor Outburst, Auroras Dance & Planets Align (Sept 15–16, 2025)

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

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
Don’t Miss This Weekend’s Cosmic Spectacle: Meteor Showers, Planets & a ‘Blood Moon’ Eclipse (Sept 5–6, 2025)

Don’t Miss This Weekend’s Cosmic Spectacle: Meteor Showers, Planets & a ‘Blood Moon’ Eclipse (Sept 5–6, 2025)

The Full Corn Moon & Upcoming “Blood Moon” Eclipse This weekend’s moon will be a brilliant full Corn Moon, traditionally named for the harvest season starwalk.space. It rises just after sunset and floods the night with silver light – so bright it may outshine fainter stars and meteors. Notably, the Moon will appear near golden Saturn in the constellation Aquarius; in fact, Saturn’s steady, bright glow will hover close by the Moon on Saturday night starwalk.space. If you have a telescope, take a peek at Saturn – even a small scope can reveal its famous rings while it’s near peak
5 September 2025
Spectacular Late-August Sky Show: Dark Moon, Meteors, Planets & Satellite Trains on Aug 28–29, 2025

Spectacular Late-August Sky Show: Dark Moon, Meteors, Planets & Satellite Trains on Aug 28–29, 2025

Dark “Black Moon” Nights & Shooting Stars Late August 2025 brings unusually dark skies thanks to a rare Black Moon. The new Moon on Aug. 23 was the third new Moon in a season of four space.com – a configuration that leaves the next days moonless. By Aug 27–28 the slim crescent Moon is just a few days old and sets soon after dusk, so Moonlight won’t drown out fainter night-sky sights ts2.tech. With the Moon out of the way, observers have perfect conditions for meteors – if the meteors cooperate. The Perseid meteor shower (debris from Comet Swift–Tuttle) peaked on
28 August 2025
Black Moon Sparks Cosmic Show: Meteors, Planet Parade & Auroras on Aug 24–25, 2025

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
Breathtaking Skywatching Spectacles on Aug 18–19, 2025: Meteors, Planetary Trio, Auroras & More

Breathtaking Skywatching Spectacles on Aug 18–19, 2025: Meteors, Planetary Trio, Auroras & More

The Perseids meteor shower remains active Aug 18–23, 2025, with peak rates up to 50–100 meteors per hour under dark skies, but a bright Moon 84% full on Aug 12 reduced peak rates to about 10–20 per hour; by Aug 18–19 the Moon wanes to ~23% and ~15% illumination, improving viewing. Auroras could appear around Aug 19 due to the solar maximum and a potential minor G1 geomagnetic storm, offering modest displays at high latitudes if solar wind conditions are favorable. On Aug 19 (and Aug 20), a slim crescent Moon joins Venus and Jupiter in the predawn eastern sky,
18 August 2025
Don’t Miss These Sky Events on August 14–15, 2025: Shooting Stars, Planet Alignments, and More

Don’t Miss These Sky Events on August 14–15, 2025: Shooting Stars, Planet Alignments, and More

Perseid meteor shower remains active August 14–15, with Moonlight washing out fainter meteors and an expected rate around 10–20 per hour. Auroras could appear on August 14–15 due to solar activity, but forecasters expect only mild geomagnetic activity (Kp 5–6, G1–G2) and no major storm. Venus and Jupiter form a bright dawn pair around August 14–15, with Venus at magnitude -4 about 20–30° above the eastern horizon and Jupiter nearby. Saturn is near opposition later in August, at about magnitude +0.4, bright and high in the southern sky for late-night viewing. Mars remains visible in the western sky after sunset,
14 August 2025
August 2025 Night Sky Spectacles: Rare Black Moon, Nebula Treasure, Mars in Virgo & Saturn’s Shadow Show

August 2025 Night Sky Spectacles: Rare Black Moon, Nebula Treasure, Mars in Virgo & Saturn’s Shadow Show

On August 23, 2025, the Moon undergoes a seasonal Black Moon New Moon in Virgo at 06:06 UTC, the third New Moon in a season with four. The Dumbbell Nebula, M27, in Vulpecula is a bright planetary nebula visible throughout August 2025 and was first discovered by Charles Messier in 1764. Mars in August 2025 has a brightness of about magnitude 1.6 and a disk roughly 5 arcseconds across. Mars makes a close approach to Beta Virginis (Zavijava) on August 2, 2025, passing about 8 arcminutes to the southeast. By August 24, 2025, Mars will be about 2.7° south of
10 August 2025
Six Planets Will Align in the Sky This Month—Here’s When and How to Watch the Rare “Planet Parade”

Six Planets Will Align in the Sky This Month—Here’s When and How to Watch the Rare “Planet Parade”

On August 10, six planets—Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune—will line up in a broad arc in the pre-dawn sky. Four of these planets (Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn) are visible to the naked eye, while Uranus and Neptune require binoculars or a small telescope. NASA notes that planetary parades of this kind occur only every few years, and become rarer as more planets join the lineup. The best viewing period is in mid-to-late August, with the prime nights around August 23 when the Moon is near new and does not wash out the view. Venus and Jupiter come very
10 August 2025
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