Friday, January 10, 2025
Coming Events: A Year of Southern Astronomy for 2025
The table below shows significant astronomical events that can be seen with the unaided eye or minimal equipment in 2025 in Australia (and to some degree elsewhere in the Southern Hemisphere, ocultations and eclipses are very region specific).
This year we get a good Total Lunar eclipse visible Australia wide. We get multiple occultations of the bright star Antares. There are good oppositions of Mars and Saturn. Comet C/20024 G3 ATLAS may be visible low in the evening twilight at the end of January, if it survives its passage around the Sun.
As well we have some fantastic parings and lineups and good meteor showers (although the moon is a pest).
Close pairings of the Moon and bright planets are given special attention as not only is the Moon a ready guide to locating the planets if you are not familiar with them, these massings are rather beautiful.
Special events are bolded. T indicates a telescope only event. As well as apogee and perigee moons I have also included times when the Lunar X is visible at First Quarter.
| Date | Event |
| January | |
| 03 January 2025 | Crescent Moon near Venus in evening twilight. |
| 04 January 2025 | Earth at Perihelion, Crescent Moon close to Saturn in evening twilight. |
| 07 January 2025 | First Quarter perigee moon |
| 10 January 2025 | Moon near Jupiter in evening. |
| 14 January 2025 | Moon near Mars in evening. |
| 16 January 2025 | Mars at opposition, when it is biggest and brightest as seen from Earth |
| 18 January 2025 | Venus and Saturn at their closest (2° apart) |
| 16-25 January 2025 | Comet C/20024 G3 ATLAS may be visible low in the evening twilight. |
| February | |
| 01 February 2025 | Saturn near crescent Moon in evening (4° apart) |
| 02 February 2025 | Venus near crescent Moon in evening (~6° apart) |
| 05 February 2025 | "Lunar X" visible in telescopes at twilght (from 0813 UT on for ~ 4 hours) T |
| 07 February 2025 | waxing Moon near Jupiter in the evening (4° apart) |
| 09 February 2025 | waxing Moon near Mars in the evening (5° apart) |
| 15 February 2025 | Venus at maximum brilliance |
| March | |
| 1 March 2025 | Saturn and Mercury near to thin crescent Moon (2° apart for Mercury) very low in evening twilight, will require binoculars. |
| 2 March 2025 | Crescent Moon near Venus in evening twilight (5°) |
| 6 March 2025 | Waxing Moon near Jupiter in evening twilight (6°) |
| 09 March 2025 | Waxing Moon near Mars in evening sky (6°), Moon close to Pollux |
| 14 March 2025 | Occultation of bright star Beta Virginis around midnight |
| 20 March 2025 | Earth at Equinox |
| 21 March 2025 | Occultation of bright star Antares just after midnight |
| April | |
| 03 April 2025 | Crescent Moon near Jupiter in Evening twilight. |
| 05 April 2025 | "Lunar X" visible from 12:43 UT T |
| 05-06 April 2025 | Mars around 5° from waxing Moon |
| 13 April 2025 | Apogee Full Moon |
| 25 April 2025 | Saturn and Venus close in the morning twilight forming a triangle with the thin crescent Moon |
| 26 April 2025 | Crescent Moon close to Mercury in the morning twilight |
| May | |
| 01-10 May 2025 | Asteroid 4 Vesta at opposition in the evening, potentially visible to the unaided eye. |
| 01 May 2025 | Saturn and Venus close in the morning twilight (3°) |
| 01 May 2025 | Jupiter near the thin crescent moon in the evening twilight |
| 04 May 2025 | First Quarter Moon close to Mars (4° apart) in the evening. |
| 6-7 May 2025 | Eta Aquariid meteor shower |
| 23 May 2025 | Crescent Moon near Saturn in the morning twilight (4°) |
| 24 May 2025 | Crescent Moon near Saturn in the morning twilight (4°) |
| 28 May 2025 | Crescent Moon near Jupiter in the evening twilight (7°) will require binoculars |
| June | |
| 01 June 2025 | Mars near to thin crescent Moon (3° apart) in evening sky. |
| 03 June 2025 | |
| 10 June 2025 | Occultation of Antares in early evening sky |
| 19 June 2025 | Waning Moon close to Saturn in morning skies |
| 21 June 2025 | Earth at solstice |
| 22 June 2023 | Crescent Moon near Venus in morning skies |
| 27 June 2025 | Thin crescent Moon close to Mercury in evening twilight |
| 30 June 2025 | Mars close to crescent Moon in evening sky. |
| July | |
| 04 July 2025 | Earth at aphelion, Venus close to Uranus (2°) |
| 08 July 2025 | Occultation of Antares in late morning sky |
| 12-14 July | Venus close to Aldebaran, making a second "eye" for Taurus the Bull. |
| 8 July 2025 | Thin crescent moon near Mercury (6° apart) low in evening twilight |
| 16-17 July 2025 | Saturn near waning Moon (6° apart) in the evening sky |
| 22 July 2025 | Venus near the crescent Moon in morning sky |
| 23 July | Jupiter near the thin crescent Moon in morning sky |
| 29-30 July 2025 | Southern Delta Aquarids meteor shower in morning |
| 1-31 July 2025 | Saturn close to Neptune (2-1°) in morning sky |
| August | |
| 01-31 August 2025 | Saturn close to Neptune (1-2°) in morning sky |
| 01 August 2025 | Lunar X visible 10:47 UT T, apogee First Quarter Moon |
| 3-4 August 2025 | Venus close to star Propus (𝝶 Geminorum, 1°) |
| 12-13 August 2025 | Jupiter and Venus close (1°) the morning sky |
| 12 August 2025 | Saturn near the waning Moon (4° apart) in the evening sky |
| 20 August 2025 | Jupiter near crescent Moon (6° apart) in morning sky |
| 21 August 2025 | Venus near thin crescent Moon (7° apart) in morning sky |
| 26 August 2025 | Mars near to thin crescent Moon (4° apart) in evening sky. |
| September | |
| 4-10 September 2025 | Jupiter close (0.5° apart) to Wassat (Delta Geminorum) closest on 7th |
| 08 September 2025 | Total eclipse of the moon (around midnight, 7th in WA) |
| 08 September 2025 | Saturn close to the Full Moon (4° apart) in evening sky (alos close dring the Lunar eclipse in the early hours of the morning. |
| 17 September 2025 | Jupiter near crescent Moon (6° apart) in morning sky |
| 21 September 2025 | Saturn at Opposition |
| 22 September 2025 | Earth at Equinox |
| 20 September 2025 | Venus very close to Regulus in the morning twilight (0.5° apart) and close to the thin resent Moon (4° apart). Will need binoculars and a level horizon |
| 24 September 2025 | Thin crescent Moon near Mars (4° apart) in evening twilight |
| 29 September 2025 | Lunar X visible 08:46 UT T |
| October | |
| 03 October 2025 | Asteroid Ceres at opposition binocular visible |
| 06 October 2025 | Moon near Saturn (9° apart) in the evening sky |
| 07 October 2025 | Jupiter in the heart of NGC 2420 T |
| 14 October 2025 | Jupiter near Last Quarter Moon (6° apart) in morning sky |
| 19 October 2025 | Mercury near Mars (2° apart) in evening twilight |
| 21-22 October 2025 | Orionid meteor shower |
| 23 October 2025 | Thin crescent Moon near Mars (4° apart) in evening twilight, forming a triangle with Mercury |
| November | |
| 2 November 2025 | Moon |
| 5 November 2025 | Perigee Full Moon ("super" Moon) |
| 11 November 2025 | Jupiter near waning Moon (6° apart) in morning sky |
| 13 November 2025 | Mercury near Mars (2° apart) low in the evening twilight |
| 21 November 2025 | Thin crescent Moon, Antares and Mars form a triangle low in the evening twilight |
| 18/19 November 2025 | Leonid Meteor Shower |
| 21 November 2025 | Opposition of Uranus (not far from Pleiades, easy binocular target, possible unaided eye) |
| 27 November 2025 | Lunar X visible 10:47 UT T |
| 29 November 2025 | Waxing Moon near near Saturn (4° apart) in the evening sky |
| December | |
| 5 December 2025 | Perigee Full Moon ("super" Moon) |
| 7 December 2025 | Jupiter near waning Moon (4° apart) in morning sky, forming a line with the bright star Pollux. |
| 14/15 December 2025 | Geminid Meteor shower in the morning, some Moon interference |
| 19 December 2023 | Mercury, the thin Crescent Moon and the bright star Antares from a triangle low in the morning twilight, might need binoculars |
| 21 December 2025 | Earth is at Solstice |
| 27 December 2025 | Neraly First Quarter Moon near near Saturn (4° apart) in the early evening sky |
Labels: Asteroid, Conjunction, eclipse, Jupiter, Mars, Moon, Opposition, Saturn, unaided eye, Venus, Yearly Sky Events
# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 2:15 pm 
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