Skywatchers have much to look forward to in 2025, with a series of meteor showers and planetary alignments promising to light up the night sky throughout the year.
The first celestial is the Quadrantid meteor shower, which peaks Friday after it began the day after Christmas last year.
“The Quadrantids have the potential to be the strongest shower of the year,” according to the American Meteor Society (AMS), with an expected rate of 25 meteors per hour under dark skies.
This meteor shower is expected to last until Jan. 16.
As spring approaches, the Lyrid meteor shower will grace the night sky from April 17 to 26. “These meteors also usually lack persistent trains but can produce fireballs,” the AMS said. “These meteors are best seen from the northern hemisphere where the radiant is high in the sky at dawn.”
The next period of activity is the eta Aquariid meteor shower, active from April 20 to May 21, which will be most visible to observers in the southern tropics. “From the equator northward, they usually only produce medium rates of 10 to 30 per hour just before dawn,” the AMS reports.
Summer skywatchers can look forward to the Southern delta Aquariids, active from July 18 to Aug. 12. This shower is also best viewed from the southern tropics, though northern hemisphere observers can still catch a glimpse. The AMS describes these as “usually faint meteors that lack both persistent trains and fireballs”.
One of the most active showers, the Perseid meteor shower will light up the night from July 17 to Aug. 23. Peaking on Aug. 12 or 13, the Perseids typically offer 50 to 75 meteors per hour when viewed from remote areas. However, the shower in 2025 is expected to occur during a waning gibbous moon, which could compromise the shower during its peak.
During autumn, the Orionid meteor shower will be active from Oct. 2 to Nov. 12. The AMS characterizes this as a “medium strength shower that sometimes reaches high strength activity,” with typical rates of 10 to 20 meteors per hour at its peak.
The year’s meteor showers end with the Geminid meteor shower, active from Dec. 1 to 21. Often considered the strongest meteor shower of the year, the Geminids are known for their bright, intensely colored meteors. The AMS predicts that in 2025, “the moon will have a waning crescent phase on December 13/14, which rises near 2am local standard time,” providing the best viewing conditions in the early evening.
Bright Planets
Beyond meteor showers, 2025 offers other celestial events. According to NASA, for the month of January, “each evening this month, enjoy a sweeping view of four bright planets at once.” Skywatchers can spot Venus and Saturn in the southwest, Jupiter high overhead, and Mars in the east during the first few hours after dark.
On Jan. 17 to 18, sky watchers should watch for when Venus and Saturn will come into conjunction. NASA reports that “over a couple of weeks, the two planets come within just a couple of finger widths’ distance apart in the sky (about 2 degrees)”.
Also in January, Mars will reach opposition, meaning that the Red Planet “is directly opposite the Sun from Earth and shines brightly all night.”
For the best chances to see such phenomena, the AMS advises that “all these showers are best seen after midnight” and emphasizes the impact of moonlight on visibility.