Planets

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

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

Equinox Auroras, Mystery Fireballs & Planetary Spectacles (Sept 23–24, 2025 Skywatch Alert)

Summary Night Sky Highlights (Sept 23–24, 2025) Auroras Dance (But Fading) The autumnal equinox on Sept 22 didn’t just mark the start of fall – it also enhanced Earth’s aurora activity. Around the equinox, Earth’s tilted magnetic field lets more solar particles in, an effect scientists call the “equinox effect” people.com. This year lived up to that reputation: NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center had forecast minor geomagnetic storms (G1) from Sept 21 through 23, meaning the northern lights could be seen much farther south than usual during that period people.com. Indeed, auroras “crashed the equinox party” this week, delighting skywatchers

23 September 2025

Astronomy · Aurora · Meteor Showers · Skywatching · Space Events

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

Astronomy · Auroras · Meteor Showers · Planets · Sky Events

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

Astronomy · Aurora · Meteor Showers · NYSE:NG · Planets · Skywatching

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

Astronomy · Lunar Eclipse · Meteor Showers · Night Sky · Planets

Aurora Glow Fades, Planets Dazzle and ‘Corn Moon’ Rises: Skywatch Alert for Sept 4–5, 2025

Aurora Afterglow: Northern Lights Recede to Poles One of this week’s big celestial events was an unexpected aurora display that ventured far beyond the polar regions. A long-lasting solar flare on Aug 30 unleashed a coronal mass ejection (CME) toward Earth, sparking a geomagnetic storm (Kp 7–8) that hit on Sept 1–2 ts2.tech ts2.tech. The result: vibrant Northern Lights (and Southern Lights in the Southern Hemisphere) danced in the sky on those nights, delighting skywatchers much farther south than usual. Observers reported auroral glows in at least 18 U.S. states – sightings came from states like Oregon, Illinois, and New

4 September 2025

Astronomy · Celestial Events · Night Sky · Planetary Science · Skywatch

Glowing Planets, Seaweed Invasions & “Sleeper” Cancer Cures: Top Science Breakthroughs (Sept 2–3, 2025)

Space & Astronomy Baby Planet Caught in the Act: A landmark discovery in astronomy came from an international team that directly imaged a newborn exoplanet still in the process of formation. The planet, dubbed WISPIT 2b, is a gas giant roughly 5 million years old located around a young Sun-like star scitechdaily.com. Observations with ESO’s Very Large Telescope in Chile revealed WISPIT 2b as a faint dot within a multi-ringed protoplanetary disk of dust and gas ts2.tech scitechdaily.com. This makes WISPIT 2b the first unambiguous photo of a planet forming inside a ringed disk – essentially a baby planet still glowing from its

3 September 2025

Astronomy · Environment · Innovation · Medical Breakthroughs · Science News

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

Astronomy · Events · Meteors · Planets · Skywatching

Don’t Miss Tonight’s Cosmic Spectacle: Meteors, Planet Parade & Aurora Alerts (Aug 26–27, 2025)

The Perseid meteor shower ran July 17–August 23, 2025, but its peak was washed out by the nearly full Sturgeon Moon, which NASA estimated reduced meteors by about 75%. Under dark skies, the Perseids would normally yield 40–50 meteors per hour, but this year observers faced about 10–20 per hour or fewer due to moonlight. The Aurigids begin August 28 and peak September 1, 2025, with a maximum of roughly 10 meteors per hour at the peak. On August 27, the Moon will occult Spica (Alpha Virginis) around 15:00 UTC for observers in parts of South America and Antarctica. Saturn

26 August 2025

Astronomy · Aurora · Meteor Showers · Night Sky Events · Planet Parade

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

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

Astronomy · Aurora · Meteors · Planets · Skywatching