Eclipses, meteor showers, rocket launches: A 2025 guide for skywatchers

This year’s space events include rocket launches, eclipses, meteor showers, supermoons, and much more.

We looked at other events for which you might get ready, such as enduring the cold to see a shooting star or watching a rocket launch toward the moon via livestream.

Exploring the moon

NASA’s Firefly lander is part of an ongoing effort to explore more of the moon than ever before. The lunar service, a mission that will investigate the moon’s environment before returning humans to the surface, will get six experiments from Firefly.

Launched no sooner than mid-January this year, Firefly’s maiden lunar delivery is expected to land close to Mons Latreille, a volcanic structure in Mare Crisium, on the northeast quadrant of the moon’s near side.

Alongside the JAXA Resilience (Hakuto M2) mission, it will take off from Kennedy Space Center on a Falcon 9 rocket.

SpaceX

Elon Musk, the entrepreneur who founded SpaceX and serves as its CEO, is pushing the business to increase the number of Starship test launches this year.

The idea would greatly expand the number of SpaceX rocket flight tests from five in 2024 to twenty-five this year.

Supermoons

This year, there will be three supermoons, all of which will occur in the second half of the year.

The moon circles Earth in an elliptical orbit, or extended circle, with our planet nearer one side of the ellipse, according to NASA. The moon travels through the apogee, which is the point furthest from Earth, and the perigee, which is the point closest to Earth, once per month.

A supermoon occurs when the moon is full and at or close to its closest point to Earth simultaneously. The moon seems exceptionally enormous and dazzling in the sky during this event because it is closer to Earth than normal.

The moon may appear up to 14% larger when it is closest to Earth than when it is farthest away. The moon will appear brighter than normal because of its proximity.

Make sure to observe three different supermoons in consecutive months on October 6, November 5, and December 4.

Eclipses

In 2025, a partial lunar and solar eclipse will be seen from North America.

When the moon totally obscures the sun’s face as it moves between the sun and Earth, it is known as a total solar eclipse. The sky will get darker at this time, giving the impression that it is either dawn or dusk.

On March 29, there will be a partial solar eclipse in the early morning. According to timeanddate.com, the northern New England states—Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Massachusetts—should offer the greatest views. In the United States, it will be visible between 6:13 and 7:17 a.m. Eastern time.

During the eclipse, over 22% of the sun will be obscured in New York State, with the maximum coverage occurring at 6:46 a.m.

A lunar eclipse happens when the sun, Earth, and moon line up such that the moon moves into Earth’s shadow, according to NASA. During a total lunar eclipse, the umbra—the darkest area of Earth’s shadow—encloses the entire moon. The moon will become reddish while it is in the umbra.

From 11:57 p.m. on March 13 to 6 a.m. on the following day, it will be visible in New York state during the March 13–14 period.

Lunar eclipse

On March 14, early in the morning, a total lunar eclipse will take place as the moon approaches full. As the moon passes over the Earth’s shadow, it will turn reddish-orange, giving the appearance of a blood moon for a little over an hour.

The moon seems to shine that rusty color due to light bouncing from the sun.

In case you were wondering, viewing a lunar eclipse does not require the use of any special safety eyewear.

Meteor showers

The Quadrantids peaked on January 2 and continued into January 3, bringing 20 to 30 meteors per hour under clear, dark skies as the year began.

And since the moon isn’t shining, you should be able to witness meteors streaking across the night sky.

Throughout 2025, there will be many more meteor showers, including the thrilling Perseids in August.

The American Meteor Society’s list of meteor showers and their peak dates is provided here.

Lyrids: 21–22 April

Aquariids Eta: May 3–4.

Aquariids of the Southern Delta: July 29–30

Alpha Capricorns: 29–30 July

Perseids: 12–13 August

Draconids: 8–9 October

Orionids: 22–23 October

Taurids from the South: November 3-4

November 8–9 for Northern Taurids

Leonids: 16–17 November

Geminids: 12–13 December

Ursids: 21–22 December

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