Top Astronomy Events for 2025

Astronomy Highlights for 2024 and 2025

2024 in Review: The Great North American Eclipse on April 8, 2024, was a standout event, sparking the interest of many new skywatchers. However, 2025 will be an eclipse-free year, offering only partial solar eclipses. But the sky will still be filled with spectacular sights, including two total lunar eclipses, Mars in prime viewing position, and numerous lunar occultations. The Sun will continue to be active, and another bright comet might make an appearance.

Notable Events of 2024: The Sun delivered impressive solar storms, with auroras visible in unusual locations. Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS put on a show after surviving its perihelion. This happened amid a surge in rocket launches as companies like SpaceX filled the sky with satellites.

Key Skywatching Events of 2025:

Solar Cycle 25's Peak Continues - The Sun remains active, producing space weather and auroras.

Mars Opposition (January) - Mars will be at its brightest, though moving away from Earth.

Venus' Sky Dance - Venus will dominate the evening sky early in the year, then move to the dawn sky.

Major Lunar Standstill - The Moon will swing wide across the sky, an event that happens once every 18.6 years.

Saturn's Rings Edge-On - A rare view of Saturn's rings as seen from Earth.

Comet G3 ATLAS - Expected to brighten, possibly becoming visible to the naked eye.

Two Total Lunar Eclipses - One on March 13-14 and another on September 7-8.

Lunar Occultations - The Moon will occult stars like Spica, Regulus, and Antares multiple times.

Rare Triple Conjunction - A "smiley face" pattern will occur on September 19 with the Moon, Venus, and Regulus.

Pleiades Occultations - The Moon will pass in front of the Pleiades multiple times throughout the year.

The Sun in 2025: Solar activity remains high as we approach solar minimum in 2029-2030. Earth will reach perihelion (closest to the Sun) on January 4th and aphelion (farthest from the Sun) on July 3rd. Key seasonal dates are March 20th (spring equinox), June 20th (summer solstice), September 22nd (fall equinox), and December 21st (winter solstice).

The Moon in 2025: The Moon’s orbit will be “hilly” due to a Major Lunar Standstill, reaching its northernmost full Moon in December 2024 and its southernmost in June 2025. A Black Moon (the third New Moon in a season with four) will occur on August 23rd.

Eclipses in 2025: There will be two total lunar eclipses:

March 13-14 for the Americas

September 7-8 for Central Asia Additionally, there will be two partial solar eclipses:

March 29, visible from the North Atlantic

September 21, visible from New Zealand and the South Pacific

The Inner Planets: Mercury will reach greatest elongation six times in 2025. Venus will begin the year as an evening star, then move to the dawn sky by summer, with its best appearance on January 10th.

The Outer Planets: Mars reaches opposition on January 16th, offering a chance to see it at its best. Jupiter and Saturn will have minimal events in 2025, with Jupiter’s next opposition occurring in 2026. Saturn's rings will be edge-on in March.

Conjunctions and Groupings:

In March, all naked-eye planets will briefly be visible in the evening sky.

A notable pairing of Jupiter and Venus will occur on August 12th.

The Moon will occult several planets, including Saturn and Mars, and will have many occultations of bright stars like Spica, Regulus, and Antares.

Comets and Meteor Showers: The brightest comet of 2025 is expected to be Comet C/2024 G3 ATLAS, which could become visible to the naked eye in January. Meteor showers to watch for include the Quadrantids (January 4), Perseids (August 12), and Geminids (December 14).

Strange and New: As we approach the middle of the 21st century, astronomical charts will shift from 2000.0 to 2050.0 coordinates, marking a new era in sky mapping.