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

Total “Blood Moon” Eclipse Sunday Night: A long total lunar eclipse on Sept. 7–8 will turn the full Corn Moon a coppery red for 82 minutes – visible across Asia, Australia, Africa, and Europe ^[1] ^[2]. (North and South America miss this one.)
Aurora Alerts After Solar Storm: A “cannibal” solar eruption on Aug. 30 triggered a G2–G3 geomagnetic storm on Sept. 1–2, lighting up auroras far south into U.S. states like Oregon, Illinois, and New York ^[3]. The storm has subsided, but high-latitude skywatchers should remain alert for lingering Northern Lights as minor disturbances (G1) remain possible ^[4].
Minor Meteor Showers Under Bright Moon: Early September brings no major meteor showers, only minor ones (Aurigids, Epsilon Perseids) peaking around 5–10 meteors/hour ^[5] ^[6]. The nearly-full moon will wash out faint “shooting stars” this weekend ^[7], so expect just a few meteors in dark-sky hours before dawn.
Planetary Show: Saturn & Bright Morning Planets:Saturn shines at its brightest of the year this month, rising at dusk and visible all night as it nears opposition on Sept. 21 ^[8]. Meanwhile, dazzling Venus and brilliant Jupiter dominate the pre-dawn sky in the east ^[9]. All three planets can be spotted with the naked eye (with Saturn’s rings visible in small telescopes).
New Comet on the Rise:Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) is brightening quickly in the early-morning sky. It jumped from magnitude ~16 to 11 over the past month ^[10] and could potentially reach naked-eye brightness (~mag 5) by October if the trend holds ^[11]. For now it remains a binocular/telescope target in Gemini before dawn.
Equinox & More to Come: September 22 marks the Autumnal Equinox (start of fall in the Northern Hemisphere). Later this month, watch for a spectacular Moon-Venus-Regulus conjunction on Sept. 19 ^[12] and Saturn at official opposition on Sept. 21 ^[13].

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 ^[14]. 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 ^[15]. If you have a telescope, take a peek at Saturn – even a small scope can reveal its famous rings while it’s near peak brightness ^[16].

Just after this weekend, the full Moon is in for a dramatic transformation: on Sunday night (Sept. 7–8) it will pass through Earth’s shadow, resulting in a total lunar eclipse. For 82 minutes the Moon will turn coppery-red in a stunning “Blood Moon” display ^[17]. This long total eclipse is the second one of 2025 and is visible to billions across Asia, Australia, Africa, and much of Europe ^[18] ^[19]. (Europe will see the eclipse already underway at moonrise, making a dim red Moon low on the horizon ^[20].) Unfortunately, North and South America won’t see this eclipse at all ^[21] – but fear not, another blood moon is coming in March 2026 that will be visible from the Americas ^[22]. If you’re in the eclipse viewing zone, no special equipment is needed to watch a lunar eclipse (it’s perfectly eye-safe), though binoculars or a telescope will enhance the view of the Moon’s ruddy coloration. Mark your calendars and hope for clear skies!

Shooting Stars: Minor Meteor Showers Under a Moonlit Sky

Meteor enthusiasts are coming off the summer’s big displays (like August’s Perseids), but early September is a bit of a meteor lull. According to the International Meteor Organization, no major showers are active now – only a few minor ones that “rarely produce more than 5 meteors per hour” ^[23]. These include the Aurigids (peaked around Sept. 1) and the September Epsilon Perseids (peaking Sept. 9) – both part of the Perseus/Auriga meteor complex. Under ideal conditions you might catch only a handful of meteors from these showers throughout the night ^[24] ^[25].

Unfortunately, moonlight will interfere with meteor observing this weekend. The Moon is in a bright waning gibbous phase, rising in the evening and staying up most of the night. Its glare will wash out faint meteors, effectively reducing the visible rates ^[26]. You may still spot an occasional shooting star – especially the brighter fireballs that can streak overhead despite the lunar glow. The best chance is in the predawn hours after the Moon has sunk lower or set; shortly before dawn, observers at mid-northern latitudes might normally see ~12 meteors per hour including sporadics on a dark night ^[27], but expect fewer now due to the moonlight. If you’re out late Friday or Saturday night, face away from the Moon (to keep your eyes adapted to darkness) and be patient. Any meteor you do catch will feel like a little victory under these conditions! And if you miss the minor showers, don’t worry – autumn’s bigger meteor displays (like the Orionids in October) are not far off.

Planets on Parade: Saturn Steals the Show, Venus & Jupiter at Dawn

Planet-gazing is excellent this month, with multiple bright worlds gracing the sky at different times of night. Saturn is the headliner of September – currently shining brightly all night long in the constellation Pisces. NASA notes that Saturn is “putting on an out-of-this-world performance” as it approaches opposition on Sept. 21, when Earth will lie directly between Saturn and the Sun ^[28]. Around opposition, Saturn comes closest to Earth for the year and reaches its maximum brightness. Already this weekend you’ll see Saturn as a yellow-white “star” rising in the east at nightfall and climbing high by midnight. It’s easily visible to the naked eye (around magnitude +0.7), but grab a telescope if you can – even a small 4-6 inch scope will let you admire Saturn’s rings and maybe a few moons. According to NASA, “Saturn will be visible with just your eyes, but with a small telescope, you might be able to see its rings!” ^[29]. That’s a bucket-list sight for any skywatcher.

While Saturn rules the late evening sky, the early morning sky belongs to Venus and Jupiter. These two brilliant planets are currently shining in the east before sunrise – you can’t miss them if you’re up during the pre-dawn hours ^[30]. Venus has returned as the “Morning Star”, gleaming extremely bright (around –4 magnitude) low on the eastern horizon at dawn. Above Venus you’ll find Jupiter (magnitude –2), higher in the southeastern sky in the hours before sunrise. In fact, around 5–6 AM local time, skywatchers can see three planets at once: Venus low in the east, Jupiter higher up in the south or southeast, and Saturn still hanging on low in the west from the previous night ^[31]. (Earlier this month Mercury made it four, briefly peeking up near Venus around Sept. 1–2, but it has since slipped into the Sun’s glare.) The planetary lineup is constantly shifting, but it’s a treat to see multiple planets at a glance – all roughly along the same ecliptic path across the sky. If you have binoculars or a telescope, take a closer look: you might spot Jupiter’s cloud bands or its four big moons, and Venus will show a tiny dazzling crescent phase. Saturn, of course, reveals its rings in a scope, though it will be low in the west by dawn. Enjoy this planetary parade while it lasts – Venus and Jupiter will gradually drift further apart each morning ^[32], and Venus will climb higher as the month goes on.

(Tip: On Sept. 19 before dawn, the crescent Moon will form a gorgeous conjunction right next to Venus and the star Regulus in Leo ^[33]. If you’re an early riser, mark that date for a brilliant trio in the sky!)

Comet Lemmon Brightening in the Morning Sky

Comet lovers, rejoice – a new comet is gracing the skies and could become a naked-eye object in the coming weeks. Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon), discovered earlier this year, is currently in the pre-dawn sky in the constellation Gemini ^[34]. Right now Comet Lemmon is not yet visible without aid, but it has shown a remarkable surge in brightness recently. Observers report it jumped from a feeble magnitude ~16.5 to about magnitude 11 during late August ^[35] – a 100-fold increase in brightness. (For reference, magnitude 11 is still quite faint – you’d need a decent telescope to see a fuzzy patch of light.)

What’s exciting is that this comet may keep brightening. Experts like Seiichi Yoshida project that if the trend continues, Comet Lemmon could reach magnitude 5 or 4, which would put it at the threshold of naked-eye visibility under dark skies ^[36]. That would be extraordinary – a potentially visible comet for the first time in a while. However, comets are notoriously unpredictable; that recent outburst could fade, and some forecasts suggest it might only peak around mag 7–8 ^[37] (visible in binoculars or small telescopes, but not to unaided eyes). The only way to know is to keep watching in the coming weeks.

How to see it? If you’re an early riser with binoculars or a telescope, start looking about 1–2 hours before sunrise in the east. Comet Lemmon is currently floating not far from the twin stars Castor and Pollux in Gemini ^[38]. It will gradually shift position each day – finder charts (like those on EarthSky and Stellarium) show the comet’s path climbing higher and toward the northeast as it heads for its closest approach to Earth on October 21, 2025 ^[39]. By late September and October, as it hopefully brightens, the comet will transition to the evening sky after sunset ^[40]. This weekend, though, it remains a pre-dawn object. Check online resources for up-to-date star charts – and find a dark viewing site if possible, since light pollution will make catching this fuzzy visitor much harder. If Comet Lemmon continues to brighten, this could become one of the best comet sightings in years, so it’s worth keeping an eye on! For more details and charts, see NASA or astronomy websites following this comet’s development.

Aurora Outlook & Space Weather Watch

Skywatchers at high latitudes, you may have an extra reason to look up at night – the auroras have been active recently, thanks to an intense bout of space weather. Just a few days ago, around September 1–2, Earth was hit by a “cannibal” coronal mass ejection (CME) – essentially a mashup of solar eruptions that combined into one larger storm cloud. This CME was launched by a strong M2.7-class solar flare on Aug. 30 ^[41] and barreled into Earth’s magnetic field as forecast. NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center even issued a G3 (Strong) geomagnetic storm watch for Sept. 1–2, noting that G2–moderate storming was likely as the CME arrived, with G3 conditions possible as the main impact rolled through ^[42]. The forecasts were on point: the arrival of this solar storm sparked vibrant auroral displays not just in the usual high-latitude locales but much farther south than usual ^[43] ^[44]. Observers reported Northern Lights shimmering across parts of northern Europe and North America; in the U.S., auroras were sighted in states as far south as Illinois and New York in the early hours of Sept. 2 ^[45]. These auroras had an unusual purple hue in some places, a beautiful surprise that scientists are still pondering (nitrogen molecules in Earth’s atmosphere may have been unusually excited during this storm) ^[46] ^[47].

The good news is that this geomagnetic storm has subsided now with Earth exiting the CME’s wake ^[48]. Through mid-week, minor G1-level disturbances were still possible as the Earth’s magnetic field settled, but by the Sept 5–6 timeframe the effects should be waning. That said, if you live in Canada, Northern Europe, or high latitudes in general, it’s always worth staying alert for any aurora glows on the northern horizon the next few nights – sometimes auroral activity can continue at lower levels or a high-speed solar wind stream might keep things unsettled. Check NOAA’s Aurora Forecast tools (such as the SWPC aurora dashboard) for up-to-date predictions of where the Northern Lights might be visible each night. Even a minor geomagnetic uptick can produce auroras visible to the naked eye if you’re in a dark location under the auroral oval.

Looking ahead, the Sun itself remains quite active as we approach the peak of Solar Cycle 25 (expected in 2025). Forecasters note around a 50% chance of M-class solar flares each day in early September ^[49], and about a 10% chance of the biggest X-class flares. Any significant flares (especially Earth-directed ones with CMEs) could quickly change the aurora outlook by sending new geomagnetic storms our way. Additionally, large flares can cause brief radio blackouts or affect GPS signals on Earth’s sunlit side (something to keep in mind for radio operators). Space weather experts at NOAA and other agencies issue alerts and warnings when such events occur – you can follow NOAA’s SWPC or services like Spaceweather.com for alerts.

For now, enjoy the calm after the storm, but keep those aurora apps or alerts handy if you’re eager to catch the Northern Lights. The recent storm was a vivid reminder that we’re in an active solar season, so skywatching can turn electric with little warning. If you do spot auroras or anything unusual, be sure to share your observations or photos with the community – aurora sightings are one of those experiences best enjoyed together!

Final Tips for the Weekend Skywatcher

This September 5–6 weekend offers a bit of everything: a brilliant moonlit sky, bright planets, the promise of a coming eclipse, and even faint whispers of meteors and comets if you know where to look. To make the most of it:

Plan Around the Moon: The nearly full Moon will rise early in the evening. If you’re hunting meteors or faint objects, try observing before moonrise or after the Moon sets (which will be very late at night or near dawn) to get darker skies. Otherwise, embrace the lunar show – even binoculars will reveal the Moon’s craters and maria in gorgeous detail. And during the eclipse Sunday night, the Moon will be dim enough to see stars around it, a rare treat during a full moon.
Use Binoculars/Telescope for Bonus Sights: While plenty of phenomena are naked-eye, a simple pair of binoculars can greatly enhance things like the star clusters in the Milky Way (visible once the Moon is low), Jupiter’s moons (you can spot up to four tiny points near Jupiter), or the fuzzy head of Comet Lemmon (if you try before dawn). A small telescope unlocks even more – Saturn’s rings, craters on the Moon, and more. Just be sure never to point any optics at the Sun.
Check Weather and Timing: Clear, dark skies are key. If clouds threaten at night, see if a nearby area might be clearer. For the eclipse on Sept. 7–8, timing is everything – in Asia/Australia it occurs in the wee hours after midnight, whereas in Europe the eclipse will coincide with moonrise on the evening of the 7th ^[50]. Use a resource like Timeanddate or NASA’s eclipse page to get the exact timing for your location, so you don’t miss the brief totality window.
Stay Safe and Enjoy: If you head out to dark rural spots for stargazing, bring appropriate safety items (flashlights with red filters, warm clothing, etc.). And don’t forget to simply take in the beauty of the night sky. Whether it’s the glowing Moon next to Saturn, a sudden streak of a meteor, or the quiet twinkling of stars, there’s something magical overhead every night.

Keep looking up, and clear skies!

Sources & Further Reading:

NASA – “What’s Up: September 2025” Skywatching Highlights ^[51] ^[52]
Space.com – Daisy Dobrijevic, “Where to see the blood moon lunar eclipse Sept. 7–8, 2025” ^[53] ^[54]; Anthony Wood, “Mercury makes an elusive appearance with Regulus” ^[55]
Star Walk (Vito Tech) – “September Sky Events 2025” (Moon, planets, meteor info) ^[56] ^[57]
International Meteor Organization – Robert Lunsford, Meteor Activity Outlook (Aug 30–Sep 5, 2025) ^[58] ^[59]
EarthSky.org – Eddie Irizarry, “5 bright comets approaching Earth” (Comet Lemmon details) ^[60] ^[61]
NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center – Geomagnetic Storm Watch 01–02 Sep 2025 ^[62]; Space Weather Alerts Archive (via Spaceweather.com) ^[63] ^[64]
Space.com – Daisy Dobrijevic, “Auroras may be visible in 18 US states Sept. 1–2” (solar storm coverage) ^[65] ^[66]