Want to get out and see the magic of the universe? These are the stargazing events to check out this year.
I could stare at the stars and the ocean for hours. When looking upon the expanse of the sky, it seems to go on forever and make me and my problems feel so small (in a good way).
A few years ago we started to get into astrophotography, but after moving to NYC, we’ve been shooting city lights over the night sky. While living in the city that never sleeps, we met some incredible astrophotographers who have inspired us to get back at it. We have a feeling our next city will have us spending more time outside.
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Last Updated: December 5, 2024
13 Stargazing Events You Won’t Want to Miss in 2025
We’ve done some night photography on a whim, but in hindsight realized it takes a some astronomy knowledge to capture great star photos. P.S. I also did some sports photography back in college, which was a disaster, because I didn’t understand the sport and could never follow the ball. I am hoping in the coming year with a better understanding of the stars, we can take some rad photos of them.
To helps us plan for the year, we’ve put together a calendar of stargazing events, new moons, full moons, and more. That way, we can plan each trip accordingly to get the best results. Here are the astronomy events that you should mark on your calendars!
Also, it helps to ask to go with some already knowledgeable folks or attend a star party.
1. Quadrantids Meteor Shower
January 3-4, 2025
This shower runs annually from January 1-5, but peaks on the night of the 3rd and morning of the 4th with up to 40 meteors per hour. The best viewing will be after midnight. The crescent moon will set early leaving dark skies for viewing. This shower is believed to be dust grains left by the extinct comet 2003 EH1. The nearly full moon will make it harder to catch this year.
2. Total Lunar Eclipse
March 14, 2025
A total lunar eclipse is when the moon passes completely through the Earth’s dark shadow. During this eclipse, the moon will get darker and look rusty or blood-red. It will be visible in North America, Mexico, Central America, and South America.
3. Partial Solar Eclipse
March 29, 2025
The moon covers part of the Sun making it look like a bite taken from a cookie. It will be visible in Greenland, most of northern Europe, and northern Russia. It will be best seen from Canada with 93% coverage.
The next total eclipse visible in the United States won’t be until 2045.
4. Lyrids Meteor Shower
April 22-23, 2025
The Lyrids are produced by dust particles left by comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher, and there are roughly 20 meteors per hour during its peak. It runs from April 16-25 with the peak on the night of the 22nd and the morning of the 23rd. The skies should stay dark with the thin crescent moon.
5. Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower
May 6-7, 2025
The most active portion of this shower will be seen in the Southern Hemisphere with up to 60 meteors per hour. In the Northern Hemisphere, there will be up to 30 meteors per hour. It runs annually from April 19 to May 28 but peaks the night of May 6. This shower is made of dust particles left by the Halley comet. The waxing gibbous moon will block the fainter meteors.
6. Delta Aquarids Meteor Shower
July 28-29, 2025
Debris from the Marsden and Kracht comets create this annual shower from July 12 to August 23. During its peak on the night of July 28th and the morning of the 29th, you can see up to 20 meteors per hour. The crescent moon will set early in the evening leaving dark skies for viewing.
7. Perseids Meteor Shower
August 12-13, 2025
This is one of the best meteor showers and stargazing events to check out this year. It produces up to 60 bright meteors per hour from the Swift-Tuttle comet. It runs from July 17 to August 24 with its peak on the night of August 12 and the morning of the 13th. The waning gibbous moon will block out most of the meteors but you can still catch the bright ones.
8. Total Lunar Eclipse
September 7, 2025
The moon passes completely through the Earth’s dark shadow making it a rusty or blood-red color. It will be visible through Asia and Australia, and central and eastern parts of Europe and Africa.
9. Draconids Meteor Shower
October 7, 2025
This is a smaller meteor shower but still has about 10 meteors per hour left by comet 21P Giacobini-Zinner. It’s best viewed in the early evening instead of the early morning and runs from Oct 6-10 with the peak on the night of the 7th. Unfortunately, the nearly full moon will make it hard to view this meteor shower this year.
10. Orionids Meteor Shower
October 21-22, 2025
Running from October 2 to November 7, the dust grains left by comet Halley can produce up to 20 meteors per hour at its peak on the night of October 21. The new moon will leave dark skies for a great viewing.
11. Taurids Meteor Shower
November 4-5, 2025
This is a smaller shower made up of dust grains left by Asteroid 2004 TG10 and Comet 2P Encke. It runs from September 7 to December 10 but the peak happens the night of November 4th. The full moon will make viewing hard this year.
12. Leonids Meteor Shower
November 17-18, 2025
This annual shower runs from November 6-30 with 15 meteors per hour at its peak. The Tempel-Tuttle comet dust grains peak the night of November 17th. The thin crescent moon will make it easy to watch this shower.
13. Geminids Meteor Shower
December 13-14, 2025
This is one of the best meteor showers with up to 120 multicolored meteors at its peak. The debris left from asteroid 3200 Phaethon runs from December 7-17 but peaks the night of December 13th. The second quarter moon will block fainter meteors but you can still see the bright ones.
BONUS: Ursid Meteor Shower
December 21-22, 2025
If you haven’t gotten enough meteor showers this year, catch the final shower the night of the 21st and the morning of the 22nd. The Ursids is a smaller shower producing about 5-10 meteors per hour left by the comet Tuttle. The thin crescent moon will set early giving you dark skies to see these showers.
2025 New Moon Dates
As a photographer, we’re always planning astrophotography around new moon because the sky is darkest and we can shoot photos of galaxies, star clusters, and the milky way. For that reason, it makes it great for stargazing too.
- January 19, 2025 12:37 UTC
- February 28, 2025 00:46 UTC
- March 29, 2025 11:00 UTC
- April 27, 2025 19:32 UTC
- May 27, 2025 03:04 UTC
- June 25, 2025 10:33 UTC
- July 24, 2025 19:13 UTC
- August 23, 2025 06:08 UTC
- September 21, 2025 19:55 UTC
- October 21, 2025 12:26 UTC
- November 20, 2025 06:49 UTC
- December 20, 2025 01:45 UTC
2025 Full Moon Dates
If you’re looking for bright nights or to shoot the moon, go out on full moon days. This year, there are three supermoons, which means the moon is closest to Earth can may look slightly larger and brighter.
- January 13, 2025 22:28 UTC – Wolf Moon
- February 12, 2025 13:55 UTC – Snow Moon
- March 14, 2025 06:56 UTC – Worm Moon
- April 13, 2025 00:24 UTC – Pink Moon
- May 12, 2025 16:57 UTC – Flower Moon
- June 11, 2025 07:45 UTC – Strawberry Moon
- July 10, 2025 20:38 UTC – Buck Moon
- August 9, 2025 07:56 UTC – Sturgeon Moon
- September 7, 2025 18:10 UTC – Corn Moon
- October 7, 2025 03:49 UTC – Supermoon / Hunters Moon
- November 5, 2025 13:21 UTC – Supermoon / Beaver Moon
- December 4, 2025 23:15 UTC – Supermoon / Cold Moon
2025 Eclipse Dates
- March 14, 2025 – Total Lunar Eclipse (Visible throughout North America, Mexico, Central America, & South America)
- March 29, 2025 – Partial Solar Eclipse (Visible in Greeland, most of northern Europe, and Northern Russia)
- September 7, 2025 – Total Lunar Eclipse (Visible in Asia, Australia, and the central and eastern parts of Europe and Africa)
- September 21, 2025 – Partial Solar Eclipse (Visible in New Zealand, Antarctica, and the southern Pacific Ocean)
Opposition Dates in 2025
Planets in opposition are the best time to see them because they are closest to Earth.
- January 16, 2025 – Mars
- September 21, 2025 – Saturn
- September 23, 2025 – Neptune
- November 21, 2025 – Uranus
2025 Equinox & Solstice Dates
- March 20, 2025 March Equinox (First Day of Spring)
- June 21, 2025 June Solstice (First Day of Summer)
- September 22, 2025 September Equinox (First Day of Fall)
- December 21, 2025 December Solstice (First Day of Winter)
Meteor Shower Dates in 2025
- January 3-4, 2025 – Quadrantids Meteor Shower
- April 22-23, 2025 – Lyrids Meteor Shower
- May 6-7, 2025 – Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower
- July 28-29, 2025 – Delta Aquarids Meteor Shower
- August 12-13, 2025 – Perseids Meteor Shower
- October 7, 2025 – Draconids Meteor Shower
- October 21-22, 2025 – Orionids Meteor Shower
- November 4-5, 2025 – Taurids Meteor Shower
- November 17-18, 2025 – Leonids Meteor Shower
- December 13-14, 2025 – Geminids Meteor Shower
- December 21-22, 2025 – Ursids Meteor Shower
Highlights of 2020
Two of the big highlights of 2020 was seeing the Neowise Comet and the Bethlehem Star. The Bethlehem star was honestly a bit of a letdown. There was so much hype around Jupiter and Saturn not coming together for 800 years, but turns out anyone with good eyesight could see two distinct planets and not one massive Christmas star. The comet, on the other hand, was really amazing to see with the naked eye and to photograph.
Both events will not happen again in our lifetime.
Planning Checklist
- Get comprehensive insurance for your trip.
- Download these helpful language apps.
- Arrange a rental car for your trip.
- Get airport lounge access.
- Buy a travel charger to keep your devices charged.
- Get a new backpack for your trip.
- Pack the appropriate shoes for your trip.
- Don’t forget your in-flight essentials.
What stargazing events have you seen? When is the last time you stargazed?
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“Discovery consists not of seeking new lands but in seeing with new eyes” – M. Proust
Esther + Jacob
Esther and Jacob are the founders of Local Adventurer, one of the top 5 travel blogs in the US. They believe that adventure can be found near and far and hope to inspire others to explore locally. They explore a new city in depth every year and currently base themselves in Las Vegas.
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Nice Post !
Thanks, Juana!