This Months Sky

This Months Sky

The times stated should always be in ‘Universal Time’ (UT) which basically ignores the British Summer Time rule. and should therefore be one hour behind BST.
Sources: Unless specified otherwise the following detail is taken from either the BBC Sky At Night magazine for that month or from the BAA (British Astronomy Association) Observing Calendar, the exact timings may have been left out to encourage members to seek out the data for themselves. Author: Brian Shepherd

October 2025

2nd The planet Venus will be at perihelion (closest point to the Sun). The Dwarf planet Ceres, mag. +7.6, will be at opposition in the constellation of Cetus and the Andromeda Galaxy M31, mag. +3.4, will be well placed to see high in the sky around midnight.
3rd The ‘Sculptor Galaxy’ NGC 253, mag.+7.1, will be at its highest point around midnight. For those on Moon watch, look out for the crater ‘Prinz’.
5th The October Camelopardalid meteor shower will be active and at its peak tonight. NGC 300 will be well placed to see this evening.
6th The moon Titan will transit across Saturns disc after midnight. Saturns rings are edge on to us right now.
7th The Moon is full tonight and at its closest to the autumn equinox it will be named as a ‘Harvest Moon’. It is also a ‘perigee’ full moon meaning it is at its closest point to Earth. NGC 362 is well placed for viewing where it appears in the constellation of Tucana.
8th The Moon is at perigee. At its peak this evening will be the Draconid meteor shower.
9th As soon as the sky darkens this evening try to catch a glimpse of Comet ‘C/2024 E1 Wierzchos’ mag. +12.0 as it passes by Herculis, you will need to be quick as the Moon will be rising.
10th The Moon occults part of the Pleiades open cluster tonight but the early morning twilight will shorten this view. The Moon will also be in a ‘close approach’ with Messier object M45, 54.7 arcminutes apart. The planet Mercury will be at aphelion this morning.
11th The δ-Aurigid meteor will be at its peak today.
13th The Moon is at its last Quarter and Jupiter will appear close to it in the sky, effectively a conjunction. The moon Titan will be occulted by Saturn in the late evening.
14th The Moon & Jupiter will appear at 4˚10′ from each other as the Moon rises around midnight.
15th The Triangulum Galaxy, M33, is well placed for viewing this evening reaching its highest point in the sky on the 15th.
16th With the Moon out of the way this evening now would be a good time to look out for the brightest part of the Milky Way.
18th Eris (minor-planet designation: 136199) is the most massive and second-largest known dwarf planet in the Solar System and a trans-Neptunian object, and will be at opposition this evening lying in the constellation of Cetus. The ε-Geminid meteor shower will be active from the 14th to the 27th of October, producing its peak rate of meteors around 18 October. Over this period, there will be a chance of seeing ε-Geminid meteors whenever the shower’s radiant point – in the constellation Gemini – is above the horizon, with the number of visible meteors increasing the higher the radiant point is in the sky
19th There will be a conjunction this evening between Mars mag.+1.5 and Mercury mag.-0.1 when the two planets will be seen to be 2˚ apart. The Moon and Venus will be at conjunction in the early dawn that being 3˚41′ apart. Make sure that the Sun has gone below the horizon before viewing.
21st With it being a new Moon this evening it will improve the chances of seeing the peak of the Orionid meteor shower, ZHR is around 15. The moon Titan will be transiting Saturn from late evening time. There will also be a conjunction of Mercury and Mars.
22nd For comet watchers this evening, Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) should be easy to spot at 1.3˚ from the double star Izar which is in the constellation of Boötes.
23rd There will be two conjunctions this evening, the first between the Moon and Mercury and the second between the Moon and Mars.
24th The Moon will be at both at ‘apogee’ and ‘perhelion’ this evening. There will also be a good chance of seeing the Leonis Minorid meteor shower whenever the radiant point, in the constellation of Leo Minor, is above the horizon.
26th Daylight Saving finishes today as we resort back to UT time. The Perseus Double Cluster (NGC 869 and NGC 884 with a combined mag 4.3˚) will be well placed in the evening sky and in coming weeks reaching its highest point this evening around midnight.
29th The Comet 3I/ATLAS passes perihelion but not viewable as it sits just 12˚ from the Sun. The Moon is at first quarter and Mercury is at its greatest elongation eastwards shining at mag.-0.2.
30th A 62%-lit waxing gibbous Moon will occult a mag.+3.7 star Nashira that lies in the constellation of Capricornus. It is a hypergiant star and the fourth largest in the constellation.

September 2025

2nd The Moon will be showing two lunar clair-obscur effects late on this evening, these will be ‘Lunar X’ and ‘Lunar V’.
4th In the morning twilight, the moon Titan will carry out a shadow transit of Saturns surface.
5th The Moon is now at Aphelion, that is the Moon’s monthly orbit around the Earth will carry it to its furthest point from the Sun – its aphelion. This happens at around the time when the Moon’s orbit carries it around the far side of the Earth as seen from the Sun, at around the same time that it passes full moon.
6th The planet Uranus goes into its retrograde motion.
7th The evening sunset will see a total lunar eclipse of our rising Moon.
8th A conjunction of Saturn appears this evening 3.3˚south of the 98%-lit waning gibbous Moon.
10th Our Moon will be at perigee this evening.
12th Saturn’s moon Titan is eclipsed by the planets’s shadow around 03:10 UT whilst the evening sees an occultation of the Pleiades by our Moon around 20:00 UT. There will also be a close approach of our Moon and the Messier object M45, also known as the Pleiades or Seven Sisters.
13th Mercury will be at its superior solar conjunction.
14th Our Moon will be in its last quarter tonight.
15th All four of Jupiters Galilean moons should be visible and Callisto will also display its shadow on the planet’s surface between 01:30 and 04:13 UT.
16th The daytime Moon will be a 28%-lit one at 55˚ above the southwest horizon around 10:00 UT. Try and see if you can spot Jupiter at mag.-1.9 sitting at 4.3˚ south of of the Moon.
17th For the deep sky observers, the Moon should be out of the way for observing.
19th Early morning observers should be able to catch Venus mag.-3.8 just 0.8˚ from the star Regulus at mag.+1.0; the Moon will also be in its crescent state at 6%-lit. By 11:50 to 13:07 UT, the Moon should have occulted Venus.
20th Between 04:13 and 06:00 UT, the moon Titan and its shadow will be in sync as it transits Saturns surface.
21st Saturn will reach opposition today and should be naked eye visible from dusk to dawn.
22nd Today is the Northern Hemispheres autumn equinox.
23rd The planet Neptune reaches opposition today lying close in the sky to a fainter Saturn.
24th Whilst our Moon is at perihelion it is also in conjunction with the planet Mars. NGC is well placed to view this evening.
25th The largest Galilean moon Ganymede will be eclipsed by the shadow of Jupiter at 04:08 UT.
26th Our Moon is at Apogee this evening.
27th Jupiter is seen to have a double transit of shadows by the moons Io and Europa around 04:45 to 05:41 UT. There is a lunar occultation of of Antares this evening and ’47 Tuc’ is well placed for viewing.
28th The moon Titan is occulted by Saturns disc at around 01:30 UT.
28th-29th At 23:26, the shadow of Io and the moon Ganymede cross Jupiters disc with the actual moon Io appearing at 00:38 UT.
30th Our Moon is at first quarter this evening.

August 2025

1st View the waning Moon tonight and see if you can spot the walled plain called Flammarion which is located in the centre of the Moons image.
2nd Observing the Moon again, look out for the Plato crater where a clair-obscure effect should be visible round its rim with the name of ‘Plato’s Hook’.
3rd In the early morning, it should be possible to spot mag. -3.9 Venus if you look to the east-northeast which will also be 10 west of Jupiter shining at mag. -1.8.
4th Saturn at mag.+0.5 and mag+7.8 Neptune are close together in the morning sky at 1.1˚ apart where Neptune is seen north of Saturn.
5th Time for another of the Moons clair-obscure effects this evening on the ‘Mons Herodotus’, this one goes by the name of ‘Start-Tip Mountain’. Mons Herodotus is a small mountain lying north of the crater Herodotus which in itself is next to the crater Aristarchus.
8th The Full Moon can be seen rising from early evening where it looks bigger than normal but this is just an illusion as of course it always stays the same size.
10th Tricky one to spot this but if you observe the constellation Delphinus you may be able to make out the minor planet ‘2 Pallas’ shining at +9.4.
11th This mornings sky should reveal the planets Venus and Jupiter at 1.4˚ apart.
12th Tonight the Perseid meteor shower is at its peak where the ZHR can get as high as 150 per hour. There is one drawback in that the Moon will be in a 70%-lit waning gibbous state and it will be near the showers radiant point. One solution would be to try and observe before the Moon comes over the horizon.
16th A daytime observation of the Moon around mid-morning should reveal a brightened ‘Straight Wall’ known as the ‘Rupes Recta’ and effect also named as The Cutlass. This is a linear fault and lies in the southeastern part of the Mare Nubium.
19th Mercury reaches its greatest western elongation this morning from about an hour before sunset shining at mag. +0.1.
20th The mornings 10%-lit waning crescent Moon will lie just north of the line between Venus mag.-3.9 and Jupiter mag.-1.9 from around 03:00 UT.
21st A line of planets in the early hours of this morning that include Jupiter mag.-1.8, Venus mag.-3.9 and Mercury mag.-0.2 where a 4%-lit crescent Moon will also appear between Venus and Mercury.
26th Trickier to spot is the conjunction between the Moon, 12%-lit waxing crescent, and Mars mag.+1.6. The Moon will be very low above the west-southwest horizon.
27th In the early morning, Titan mag.+8.4 will enter Saturn’s shadow, ie go round the back of the planet (for those with the right equipment a good photo opportunity).

July 2025

ALL MONTH: As previously mentioned, we are now in the best months of the noctilucent cloud season (May to July) so keep an eye out after sunset to see if you can spot them.
3rd Earth is at ‘aphelion’ at 19:54 UT, this means that it is at its furthest point from the Sun which will be a distance of approx 152.087.738km or 94502939 miles.
4th This morning, Venus mag.-4.0 and Uranus mag.+5.8 will be seen to be separated by 2.4°. Venus will be low above the north-east horizon around 02:30 UT but Uranus will be trickier to see in the dawn twilight.
7th Antares, the red supergiant star, will be 2.3° north-west of the waxing gibbous Moon 2 hours before midnight UT which is low above the southern horizon.
10th Todays Full Moon remains very low in the sky as we have just passed a ‘major lunar stand still’ which has the effect of making it look much bigger than it really is.
13th Looking above the east-northeast horizon around 02:30 UT, observers can see Venus sitting at 3.2° north of the star Aldebaran.
16th This morning, Saturn and Neptune are 59.7 arcminutes apart. The waning gibbous Moon is at 71% lit.
17th The Summer Triangle asterism consisting the three stars of Deneb, Vega and Altair may be seen high in the sky after midnight. The light from Altair takes 16 light years (ly) to reach us, so what were you doing 16 years ago? Same for Vega at 25ly but I don’t expect many will remember anything from Deneb at 2616ly !
20th This evening there is a 27%-lit waning crescent Moon which will be positioned just west of the Pleiades open cluster, both sitting low above the east-northeast horizon after midnight.
23rd Up early this morning to catch Jupiter mag.-1.8 4.2°, south of a 3%-lit waning crescent Moon, both low above the northeast horizon around 03:00 UT.
25th With the new Moon of yesterday providing a darker sky, it should be a good time to do some deep sky object spotting such as M8 the Lagoon Nebula or M20 the Triffid Nebula, both will be north of the Teapot asterism. A couple for our astrophotographers.
26th Watch Venus rising this morning at mag.-3.9 as it sits 0.6° south of the Crab Nebula M1, owing to the twilight and low altitude it won’t be easy.
28th Low above the wester horizon at around 21:00 UT you should be able to spot Mars and a waxing crescent Moon.
29th to 30th As we end July we should look out for the peak of Southern Delta Aquariid meteor shower; it has a ZHR (Zenithal Hourly Rate) of about 25.
31st The planet Saturn just rises above the south-southwest horizon from around 22:00 UT.

June 2025

ALL MONTH: As mentioned in May, we are now in the best months of the noctilucent cloud season (May to July) so keep an eye out after sunset to see if you can spot them.
1st Venus is a morning planet and reaches its point of greatest western elongation, it will appear separated from the Sun by 45.9°. The planet itself should be at 50% illumination but it may be a few days late of this.
2nd The red supergiant Antares should be highly visible due south just after midnight.
3rd Poniatowski’s Bull is a lesser known asterism (a V shape) that can be found off the north eastern shoulder of the constellation Ophiuchus (Serpent Bearer). The pattern is just east of south by about 40° up and to be seen just after midnight UT.
4th The Moon is displaying one of its many effects this evening this one being ‘Plato’s Hook’. It is a rim peak shadow (curved) inside the Plato crater.
5th Minor planet ‘5 Astraea’ reaches opposition when it can be seen mimicking a +10.6 star among the Ophiuchus constellation.
10th Over tonight and into tomorrow the Moon is at its lowest position on the southern horizon. Also known as a ‘major lunar standstill’ this event happens every 18.6 years of the lunar cycle. The effect to the observer is that the Moon looks much bigger than normal but of course it is just an illusion.
15th Owing to the effect of the lunar libration, the sea ‘Mare Orientale’ will be more visible tonight.
16th Approaching midnight, Mars at mag. +1.4 will sit 0.8° north of the bright star Regulus (mag. +1.3).
19th The planet Saturn will sit 2.0° south of the last quarter Moon with Neptune placed between them at 1.3° south-west of the Moons centre.
21st Today, in the northern hemisphere, is the Summer Solstice when the Sun reaches its most northerly point in the sky, in the southern hemisphere this is known as the Winter Solstice.
22nd At around 2am (UT) in the morning there will be a conjunction between the Moon (15% lit waxing crescent) and the planet Venus mag. -4.1 which will be low on the east-northeastern horizon.
23rd A tricky observation in the early morning but the Moon at a waning lit of 7% will just touch the southern most stars of the Pleiades open cluster, ‘tricky’ as the event is subject to the bright twilight.
27th At around 6am UT, Mercury can be seen 2.0° south of a 4& lit waxing crescent Moon. In the evening the the separation is 7.3° with the Moon lit at 7%, they will be low on the west=northwest horizon.
29th Just after sunset in the western sky, look out for Mars mag. +1.5, 2° east of the Moon. The star Regulas, mag +1.3, will be 5.1° west-northwest of the Moon at this time.
30th Another tricky observation at around 01:00am UT will be Saturn mag +0.7 and Neptune mag. +7.9 as they will be less than a degree apart and about 10° above the east-southeastern horizon.

May 2025

1st With the coming of summer, this month will be the last to be able to get dark skies until Autumn time. Look out for globular clusters such as M13 in Hercules.
2nd Minor planet 4 Vesta reaches opposition at mag. +5.7 and is to be seen among the northern stars of the constellation Libra.
4th Mars appears at 1.1 degree south of the 44% waxing crescent Moon in the early hours whilst also sitting at 0.8 degrees north-west of the centre of the Beehive cluster, M44.
5th The clair-obscur effects on the Moons surface may be seen after midnight, namely the Luna X and V objects. At around 18:00 hours UT, the star Regulus is shining at mag +1.3 south of the 62% lit Moon, might be possible to see it in the end of day light.
6th The annual Eta Aquariid meteor shower peaks this evening with a max ZHR (Zenithal Hourly Rate) of 40 but the radiant of the shower is low on our horizon at dawn and so harder to spot.
7th Another clair-obscur effect may just be viewable on a 79% lit Moon on the Eastern Horizon in daylight conditions, it is the Jewelled Handle.
10th The morning Venus shows its glorious crescent phase at 35% lit and 31 arcseconds across; by the end of the month it will be 49% lit and a diameter of 24 arcseconds
12th A full Moon tonight just before 17:00 (UT) and as it has just passed its apogee (furthest point from earth) it is known as a micro-Moon ie it is slightly smaller and fainter than normal.
14th In the early morning the Moon will be a 98% lit waning gibbous lying 0.9° south-southwest of the globular cluster M4 and 1.9° southwest of Antares at mag. +1.0.
15th Although very difficult to see there will be a shadow transit of Saturn by the Titan moon between early morning and around 14:30 (UT). The shadow should appear skirting the northern edge of the planets rings.
17th The globular cluster M5 in the constellation of Serpens Caput will be in a good viewing position above the southern horizon after midnight.
18th For the next 6 early mornings the Moons lunar libration allows favourable viewing of the ‘Mare Orientale’.
20th With the summer solstice just a month away, those of us with access to solar scopes (DAS has this) can observe the peak of the 11 year solar cycle. !! AS ALWAYS, DO NOT LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN WITHOUT THE CORRECT PROTECTION !!
23rd We are now into the noctilucent cloud season for the northern hemisphere. This does not require any equipment other than your own eyes and if you can, a camera to capture it (your welcome to send photographs in to DAS)
24th Venus appears brightly this morning, 4.8° southwest of the 12% lit waning crescent Moon; they should both rise together around 03:00 (UT).
30th The lunar libration assists with the seeing of features in the eastern region of the Moon such as Mare Marginis and Mare Smythii.
31st Once again there is a hard to see Titan shadow transit, across Saturn, during the daylight hours and again it is skirting the northern edge of the planets rings.

April 2025

This link navigates the user to a third party web site for which we have been given authority to view by “Dave Eagle”. The user will need to use the calendar seen to locate the month of interest for its timeline.
Sky Diary 

17th The Moon rises below Antares, close to Tau Scorpii (occultation from Shetland early morning)
21st Mercury is at greatest elongation in the morning twilight.
22nd Lyrid meteor shower peak, favourable in the early morning
25th Crescent Moon close to Saturn with Venus above in the bright morning twilight.
28th Slim crescent Moon to the right of Uranus with the Pleiades above (bright evening twilight.
29th Venus is north of Saturn in the bright morning twilight. The crescent Moon forms triangle with the Pleiades and Aldebaran (evening twilight).
30th The crescent Moon lies close to Beta Tauri with Jupiter above right (evening).

March 2025

1st This and tomorrow evening, the waxing crescent Moon and Venus are close together and provide a brilliant sight in clear skies after sunset.
4th The Galilean moons of Jupiter, Ganymede and Europa, will cast a double shadow on the planets surface in the early hours of the 5th
5th Jupiter’s moon Callisto will sit at 1 arcsecond north of Jupiter’s northern limb in the early evening whilst Venus is at a 10% phase and appears as 52 arcseconds across.
6th In the early morning, the 42% lit waxing Crescent Moon and Jupiter are approaching on the north west horizon. Later in the day, after sunset the first quarter Moon can be seen close to Jupiter
8th Mercury reaches its greatest eastern elongation at 18.2 degrees from the Sun in the evening sky. The Moon will at a 70% lit waxing gibbous phase by 14:00 UT. The clair-obscur effect ‘The Jewelled Handle’ should also be visible.
9th In the early hours of the morning, Mars will appear very close to a 74% lit waxing gibbous Moon. At 01:48 UT, Mars will be lit at a magnitude of -0.1 and placed at 55 arcseconds south of the Moons centre.
11th The inferior planet Venus now has a phase of 5% with its stunning crescent appearing at 56 arcseconds across. The Galilean moon Ganymede will transit across Jupiter before midnight.
12th For those of us interested in minor planets, ‘8 Flora’ reaches opposition today.
13th Magnitude -4.2 Venus and +1.0 Mercury appear to be separated by 5.6 degrees as seen low on the western horizon after sunset.
14th A total lunar eclipse is to be seen around 03:57 UT and ending after the Moon sets. Totality occurs just before moonset.
18th One of the Moons many valleys, Vallis Capella, should be worth a good look over the next few days.
20th With the Sun crossing the earth’s celestial equator at 09:01 UT today, this marks the northern hemispheres Sprint Equinox whilst in the southern hemisphere this is the Autumn Equinox.
23rd Venus reaches inferior conjunction today with a pass of 8.4 degrees from the centre of the Sun’s disc. TAKE PRECAUTIONS WHEN LOOKING AT THE SUN!
24th The Moons librations favours features as seen on the south west side, an area known for the Mare Orientale aka ‘The Eastern Sea’.
25th There is no Moon this evening to wash light across the sky, a good time for deep sky observations.
29th A partial eclipse of the Sun is visible from around 10:00 UT, TAKE PRECAUTIONS WHEN LOOKING AT THE SUN!
30th Today marks the Daylight Saving change from 01:00 UT, clocks should be advanced one hour to become 02:00 UT

February 2025

1st Venus and Saturn are naked eye visible in the evening twilight whilst Neptune needs at least binoculars to spot it. The Moon is a 12% lit waxing crescent.
4th Ganymede can be seen transiting Jupiter after midnight.
5th The Moon is a 55% lit waxing gibbous and will sit 4.1 degree north of the planet Uranus seen at mag. +5.7.  A clair-obscur effect ‘Stars of Aristillus’ (in the crater called Aristillus) can also be seen on the lunar surface in the late evening.
6th The Moons libration effect will allow better visibility of a cluster of dark lava filled craters in the south east region for example the craters Lyot, Oken and Jeans.
7th After midnight the 69% lit waxing Moon will sit 4.8 degree north of the planet Jupiter which is at mag. -2.3.
8th Jupiters moon Callisto will sit 3 arcseconds south of the southern pole in early evening. For those keen daylight observers you might be able to catch the moon Titan transiting Saturn in the afternoon and its shadow from midday to evening time.
9th Magnitude -0.8 Mars will lie approx. 4.8 arcminutes south of the Moons southern edge in the early evening.
10th The planet Venus will appear 30% illuminated when viewed through the eyepiece with its apparent diameter at 36 arcseconds.
12th The minor planet 29 Amphitrite reaches opposition today.
13th After midnight, mag. +1.3 Regulus (Alpha Leonis) sits 1.2 degree south of the Moons southern edge.
14th Another clair-obscur effect on the Moon in the early hours of the morning that resembles a set of steps and known as the ‘Zeno Steps’, as it appears in the 65km crater called Zeno.
17th A 25% illuminated Venus is to be seen this evening through the eyepiece with an apparent diameter of 40 arcseconds.
20th With the hope of a clear evening, the Beehive Cluster (M44) should be visible as the Moon will not be seen this evening. Binoculars as a minimum will be required.
22nd The planet Venus will appear at 20% illumination as a stunning crescent with an apparent diameter of 44 arcseconds.
24th There is another Titan shadow crossing over the Saturn surface that starts just after midday and the shadow can be seen into mid evening.
25th The moon Ganymede transits Jupiter during the evening with the moon Europa keeping up with it and then its shadow is seen later whilst another moon, Io, undergoes an occultation.
27th Venus this evening is seen as 15% illuminated with an apparent diameter of 47 arcseconds.
28th Spotting a thin Moon, at less than 1% lit waving crescent, may be possible 50 minutes after the Sun has set.

January 2025

2nd The moon Ganymede is occulted by Jupiter after which Io transits the planet after which Ganymede’s shadow  appears a couple of hours later, then followed by an eclipse by Jupiter on Ganymede.
3rd As the evening twilight fades away, mag. -4.3 Venus can be seen at just under 2 degrees north-north west of a waxing crescent Moon. The Quadrantid meteor shower peaks tonight.
4th  The Earth is at perihelion today (when it is closest to the Sun) and Saturn is occulted by a waxing crescent Moon.
6th  Two clair-obscure effects to be seen on the Moons surface, these are the Lunar X and V.
7th Titan’s shadow transits Saturn just after sunset and another clair-obscure effect is seen, the Eyes of Clavius at around midnight.
9th The Moon approaches the Pleiades open cluster and will pass over some of the brighter stars early on the 10th
10th Venus reaches its greatest eastern elongation, 47.2 degree separation from the Sun
12th  Venus appears as 50% (Dichotomy) after which it will be seen as a crescent
13th Once again Ganymede will shadow transit Jupiter, to be seen 15:00
14th Mars at mag. -1.4 can be seen 10 arcminutes north of the Moons northern limb
16th Mars stil at mag. -1.4 will be at opposition
18th Venus will be shining bright at 2.2 degrees north of the dimmer Saturn
20th Ganymede is first seen transiting Jupiter in the early evening with a shadow transit over midnight
23rd  The Galilean moon Callisto is to be seen at 3 arcseconds below Jupiters southern pole in the morning
25th Owing to lunar libration the large lunar sea ‘Mare Orientale’ can be seen in better detail on the Moons surface
27th Ganymede and it shadow make 2 separate transits of Jupiter
28th As the Moon is not ‘out’ this evening and if the sky is clear, it is a good opportunity to view the Sword of Orion and the  ‘Orion Nebula’ (M42) as it sits high in the sky
31st Around midday with the right viewing conditions it may be possible to see the occultation of the moon Titan on Saturn’s northern limb. Titan will disappear behind Saturn and later reappear