EARTH is in for yet another spectacular year for breathtaking cosmic displays – from Saturn’s rings disappearing to a 10-year peak in Northern Lights displays.
Here are five spectacles you should keep your eyes to the skies for this year.
Coming up soon is the Quadrantid meteor shower, which can cast up to 120 shooting stars per hour into the sky during its peak[/caption]
On 28 February, all seven of the solar system’s other planets will align in Earth’s skies[/caption]
Quadrantid meteor shower
Coming up soon is the Quadrantid meteor shower, which can cast up to 120 shooting stars per hour into the sky during its peak.
The Quadrantids is more prolific than most meteor showers.
It will peak on 3 January, and produce a few super bright “fireballs”.
The Moon will be below the horizon this year, so expect particularly favourable viewing conditions if the sky is clear.
The Quadrantids are the first meteor shower of 2025, prior to the Lyrid, Perseid, Draconid, Orionid, and Geminid meteor showers we will see later in the year.
‘Planetary parade’
On 28 February, all seven of the solar system’s other planets will align in Earth’s skies.
This rare event is what’s known as a “planetary parade” – when all Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are strung across the horizon.
They won’t actually be lined up, but they will look that way from Earth.
Saturn’s disappearing rings
By March 2025, Saturn’s rings are expected to have vanished entirely from view.
They will soon reappear after March, according to astronomy site Earth Sky, before disappearing again in November.
The event occurs every 13 to 16 years.
The last time Saturn’s rings disappeared from view was in 2009.
This is because Earth’s view of Saturn and its ring changes with time as the planet spins on its axis.
A once-in-a-decade peak in Northern Lights is expected in July 2025[/caption]
Intense Northern Lights
This year saw Northern Lights reaching into southern parts of the UK like Cornwall, which don’t typically see such displays.
And there’s every indication that this will continue into 2025.
It’s due to the solar maximum, which is a peak that comes around every 11 years or so.
This is when solar activity grows more intense.
A once-in-a-decade peak is expected in July 2025.
November’s moon, known as the Beaver or Frost Moon, will be the closest to Earth at 221,965 miles away[/caption]
Trio of supermoons
2025 is set to bring three supermoons, which are full moons that look especially large.
They occur because the moon’s orbit is elliptical, so some full moons are closer to Earth than others, making them appear bigger and brighter.
The supermoons will appear in the sky on 7 October, 5 November and 4 December — with November’s being the biggest and brightest since 2019.
November’s moon, known as the Beaver or Frost Moon, will be the closest to Earth at 221,965 miles away.
All you need to know about planets in our solar system
Our solar system is made up of nine planets with Earth the third closest to the Sun. But each planet has its own quirks, so find out more about them all…
- How old is Earth? Plus other facts on our planet
- How many moons does Mercury have?
- What colour is Venus?
- How far away is Mars to Earth? And other facts on the red planet
- How big is Jupiter?
- How many moons does Saturn have?
- Does Uranus have rings?
- How many moons does Neptune have?
- How big is Pluto?
- How hot is the Sun?
