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2025 offers skywatchers dazzling celestial events, including rare eclipses, three supermoons, and a January planet parade. From the annular solar eclipse in the U.S. to global lunar phenomena, stargazers are in for a cosmic treat.
2025: Eclipses, supermoons, and planet parade dazzle stargazers worldwide
UPDATED: Jan 12, 2025 00:00 IST
Skywatchers in 2025 are in for a treat as they will have the privilege of witnessing a series of rare celestial events – from breathtaking meteor showers to the once-in-a-lifetime annular solar eclipse visible across some parts of the US.
Here's everything you need to know whether you're a seasoned stargazer or a casual observer of these cosmic wonders.
ECLIPSES
On March 14, the moon will vanish for more than an hour over North and South America. Two weeks later, a partial solar eclipse will be visible from Maine, eastern Canada, Greenland, Europe, Siberia, and northwestern Africa.
The cosmic double-header will repeat in September with an even longer total lunar eclipse over Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia and a partial solar eclipse two weeks later near the bottom of the world.
SUPERMOONS
Three supermoons are on tap this year in October, November and December.
The full moon will look huge and bright in those three months as it orbits closer to Earth than usual.
November’s supermoon will come closest, passing within 221,817 miles. Last year featured four supermoons, wrapping up in November.
PLANET PARADE
Six of our seven neighbouring planets will line up in the sky to form a long arc around mid-January. All but Neptune and Uranus should be visible with the naked eye just after sunset, weather permitting.
The parade will continue for weeks, with some planets occasionally snuggling up. Mercury will make a cameo appearance by the end of February. The planets will gradually exit, one by one, through spring.
NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN LIGHTS
The sun splashed big time last year, painting the sky with gorgeous auroras in unexpected places.
Space weather forecasters anticipate more geomagnetic storms that could yield even more northern and southern lights.
That’s because the sun has reached its solar maximum during its current 11-year cycle that could continue through this year. The Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Shawn Dahl urges everyone to stay on top of space weather news, so as not to miss any pop-up, razzle-dazzle from outer space.
METEOR SHOWERS
The Perseids and Geminids are perennial crowd-pleasers, peaking in August and December. But don’t count out the more minor, less dramatic meteor showers like the Lyrids in April, the Orionids in October and the Leonids in November.
The darker the locale and dimmer the moon, the better it will be for viewing.
Published By:
indiatodayglobal
Published On:
Jan 12, 2025
