Planet Parade

Equinox Sky Alert: Northern Lights, Planet Parade & More Dazzle Sept 22–23, 2025

Equinox Brings Autumn – And an Aurora Opportunity Monday, September 22 marks the autumnal equinox, the moment the Sun crosses Earth’s equator. Day and night are nearly equal in length across the globe during an equinox earthsky.org. In 2025 this happens at 18:19 UTC on Sept 22 (which is 8:19 p.m. in Warsaw, or 2:19 p.m. EDT) earthsky.org earthsky.org. For the Northern Hemisphere, it’s the first day of autumn; for the Southern Hemisphere, spring begins earthsky.org. Equinoxes are more than just a date on the calendar – they also have an interesting side effect for skywatchers: an “equinox effect” that

22 September 2025

Cosmic Show This Weekend: Rare Meteors, Planet Parade & More (Sept 12–13, 2025)

A “Sweet Spot” for Stargazers in Mid-September “We’re in a stargazer’s sweet spot,” writes Mark Laurin, an astronomy guide known as “Astro Mark.” “The September sky is full of magic… the night air is still comfortable but with a mere hint of wispy chill” aspentimes.com. Indeed, the nights of September 12–13, 2025 promise a cornucopia of celestial sights. From rare meteors and bright planets to ghostly auroras and satellite flybys, there’s plenty to delight skywatchers worldwide during this period. The following is an up-to-date guide to all the notable sky events and phenomena you can observe on these dates, with

12 September 2025

Astronomy · Meteors · NASDAQ:IRDM · Planet Parade · Sky Watching · Weekend Events

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

Skywatch Alert: Meteors, Auroras & Planet Parade on Sept. 9–10, 2025

Meteor Shower: September Epsilon Perseids An annual meteor shower is gracing the early-September skies – albeit a minor one. The September Epsilon Perseids are active from about Sept. 5 to 21 in-the-sky.org as Earth drifts through debris left by an unidentified comet. This shower is not to be confused with August’s famous Perseids; the September Epsilon Perseids are much fainter and produce far fewer meteors space.com space.com. In 2025, peak activity is expected around 8 a.m. EDT (12:00 GMT) on Sept. 9 space.com in-the-sky.org. That timing means the best chances to see meteors come in the predawn hours of Sept.

9 September 2025

Astronomy · Meteor Showers · Night Sky · Space Events · Stargazing

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

Skywatch Alert: Meteor Shower, Planet Parade & Auroras Dazzle This Weekend (Aug 30–31, 2025)

Dark Skies and Meteor Showers: Perseids Fade, Aurigids Arrive Late August 2025 brings wonderfully dark night skies thanks to the Moon’s phase. August 23 was a rare “Black Moon” (a third new moon in a season), so evenings around Aug 27–30 have had little moonlight ts2.tech. By this weekend the Moon is only about 7–8 days old (first quarter phase), setting around midnight and leaving most of the night moonless ts2.tech. These dark conditions are ideal for spotting faint meteors, the Milky Way, and other dim celestial sights without glare ts2.tech. Meteor activity this weekend comes from two sources: the tail

30 August 2025

Astronomy · Meteor Showers · Sky Events · Space · Stargazing

Don’t Miss This Weekend’s Cosmic Light Show: Meteors, Auroras & 5-Planet Parade on Aug 29–30, 2025

Dark Skies & Meteor Showers: Perseid Fade, Aurigid Fireballs? Late August 2025 offers wonderfully dark skies thanks to the timing of the Moon. August 23 marked a rare third new moon in a season (sometimes called a “Black Moon”), leaving nights around Aug 27–30 exceptionally dark ts2.tech. By Aug 29–30 the Moon is only 6–7 days old – a slim waxing crescent that sets relatively early in the evening. In fact, on Aug 29 the Moon will be roughly first-quarter phase and set around local midnight (give or take), meaning minimal moonlight interference for most of the night. This creates

29 August 2025

Astronomy · Science News · Space Events · Stargazing · Weekend Activities

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

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

Aug 20–21 Cosmic Extravaganza: Meteor Showers, Planet Parade & Northern Lights Dazzle the Night Sky

The Perseids peak on Aug 12–13 and officially continue through Aug 23, so on Aug 20–21 you may still catch a few meteors, with rates around 10–20 per hour under darker skies when the Moon is about 8% illuminated on Aug 20 and 3% on Aug 21. The Kappa Cygnid shower peaks around Aug 18 with roughly 3 meteors per hour, and it’s known for occasional bright fireballs that can stand out against Perseid activity. For these nights, late‑night to pre‑dawn hours are best for meteor watching, with Perseids radiating from the northeast in Perseus and Kappa Cygnids radiating from

20 August 2025

Astronomy · Meteor Showers · Night Sky Events · Space · Stargazing

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

Sky Spectacle Alert: Rare Planet Parade Converges with a Black Moon – Here’s What to Know

In late August 2025, a six-planet parade—Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune—will be visible in the pre-dawn sky along with a rare Black Moon. The Black Moon moment occurs around 2:06 a.m. EDT on Saturday, August 23, 2025 (6:06 UTC), placing the new moon between Earth and Sun. The Black Moon itself is invisible, but its timing yields moonless, darker skies that reveal fainter stars and the Milky Way. The six-planet parade runs roughly August 17–20, 2025, peaks around August 18–19, and Mercury begins to drop from view by August 21. <li Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn will be

19 August 2025

Astronomy · Moon Phases · Planetary Alignment · Rare Events · Skywatching

Don’t Miss This Weekend’s Cosmic Show: Perseid Meteors, Planet Parade & Aurora Hints (Aug 17–18, 2025)

The Perseid meteor shower peaked on August 12-13, 2025, and NASA’s Bill Cooke says under moonlit skies observers may see about 10-20 meteors per hour (versus 40-50 per hour under dark skies). By August 17-18, the Moon is a waning crescent, allowing ideal conditions to yield roughly 15-20 Perseids per hour before dawn. The minor kappa Cygnids are active around August 14 at about 1 meteor per hour. Venus and Jupiter form a bright dawn pair in the eastern sky on August 17-18, after having been only about 1° apart in a close conjunction on August 11-12. On August 19-20,

17 August 2025

Astronomy Events · Aurora Borealis · Meteor Showers · Planetary Science · Stargazing