The Stars of Orion’s Belt (evening)
2025-02-17 19:00 - 22:00 (America/Toronto)
Orion’s three belt stars are bright enough to tolerate tonight’s moonlight. They may look similar, but they are quite different, under closer inspection. The left-most (easterly) of the three, magnitude 1.85 Alnitak (Zeta Orionis) is bluer. In a telescope, Alnitak (Arabic for “the Girdle”) is revealed to be a very tight magnitude 1.85 double star. At 1,976 light-years from our sun, the middle star, Alnilam (Epsilon Orionis) is more than twice as far away as the other two. At the right-hand (western) end of the row, magnitude 2.4 Mintaka (Delta Orionis) is a more widely spaced double star. Using binoculars (orange circle) look for a large, upright, S-shaped asterism of dim stars in the space between Alnilam and Mintaka. The medium-bright star sitting less than a finger’s width below (or 0.8 degrees southwest of) Alnitak is Sigma Orionis, a beautiful little grouping of ten or more stars.

The Spectacular Orion Nebula (overnight)
2025-02-18 20:00 - 2025-02-19 05:00
The bright stars of mighty Orion, the Hunter, shine in the southern sky on mid-February evenings. The sword of Orion, which covers an area of 1.5 by 1 degrees (about the end of your thumb held up at arm’s length), descends from Orion’s three-starred belt. The patch of light in the middle of the sword is the spectacular and bright nebula known as the Orion Nebula or Messier 42 and NGC 1976. While simple binoculars will reveal the fuzzy nature of this object, medium-to-large aperture telescopes (green circle) will show a complex pattern of veil-like gas and dark dust lanes and the Trapezium Cluster, a tight clump of young stars that formed inside the nebula. Adding an Oxygen-III or broadband nebula filter will reveal even more details. The nebula and the stars forming within it are approximately 1,350 light-years from the sun, in the Orion arm of our Milky Way galaxy.

Third Quarter Moon (at 17:32 GMT)
2025-02-20 19:00 - 22:00
The moon will complete three quarters of its orbit around Earth, measured from the previous new moon, on Thursday, February 20 at 12:32 p.m. EST or 9:32 a.m. PST, or 17:32 GMT. At the third (or last) quarter phase the moon appears half-illuminated, on its western, sunward side. It will rise around midnight local time, and then remain visible until it sets in the western daytime sky in early afternoon. Third quarter moons are positioned ahead of the Earth in our trip around the Sun. About 3½ hours later, Earth will occupy that same location in space. The week of dark, moonless evening skies that follow this phase are ideal for observing fainter deep sky targets.

Crescent Moon nears Antares (pre-dawn)
2025-02-21 00:00
Early risers on Friday morning, February 21 can look in the southeastern sky to see the pretty sight of the waning crescent moon shining close to Antares. The duo will be cozy enough to share the view in binoculars (orange circle). That luminous reddish star located 550 light-years from our sun marks the heart of Scorpius. Observers located on Easter Island and southern South America can watch the moon occult Antares with unaided eyes, binoculars, and telescopes. Use an app like Starry Night to look up the timings where you live.

Mars Reverses Course (all night)
2025-02-23 20:00 - 2025-02-24 05:00
On Sunday night, February 23, the bright reddish planet Mars will cease its westward motion through the stars of northern Gemini, ending a retrograde loop (red path with labeled dates:time) that began in early December. From this point on, Mars will ramp up its regular easterly prograde motion below the bright stars Castor and Pollux. The red planet will be shining brightly high in the southeastern sky each evening.

Mercury Climbs past Saturn (after sunset)
2025-02-24 17:30 - 19:30
On the evenings surrounding Monday, February 24, the swift orbital motion of the planet Mercury (dotted red path) will carry it upwards past Saturn, and close enough for the two planets to share the view in a low magnification telescope. After the sun has completely set from Sunday through Wednesday, use binoculars (orange circle) to look for the two planets shining just above the western horizon. Mercury, which will be about 8 times brighter than Saturn, will be closest to Saturn on Monday and Tuesday.

New Moon (at 7:45 PM EST)
2025-02-27 17:30 - 19:30
The moon will reach its new phase on Thursday, February 27 at 7:45 p.m. EST or 4:45 p.m. PST, which converts to 00:45 GMT on Friday. At that time our natural satellite will be located in Aquarius and only 1.9 degrees south of the sun. While new, the moon is travelling between Earth and the sun. Since sunlight can only reach the far side of the moon, and the moon is in the same region of the sky as the sun, the moon becomes unobservable from anywhere on Earth for about a day (except during a solar eclipse). On the evenings following the new moon phase, Earth’s planetary partner will return to shine in the western sky after sunset. This new moon will mark the lunar new year in China, who will celebrate the Year of the Snake.

Young Moon between Mercury and Saturn (after sunset)
2025-02-28 17:30 - 19:30
Mercury will continue to climb higher above Saturn in the western sky after sunset each evening (red dotted path). For observers in the Americas on Friday, February 28, the very young crescent moon will pose between the two planets. All three objects will fit within the field of view of certain models of binoculars (orange circle).

Earthshine Moon with Mercury and Venus
2025-03-01 18:00 - 23:00
The western sky after sunset on Saturday, March 1 will provide us with a spectacular sight and a lovely photo opportunity. The sliver of a crescent moon will shine below Venus and above Mercury. Venus and the moon will linger for about an hour longer after Mercury sinks below the rooftops around 6:30 p.m. local time. Keep an eye out for Earthshine on the moon. Sometimes called the Ashen Glow or the Old Moon in the New Moon’s Arms, the phenomenon is visible within a day or two of new moon, when sunlight reflected off Earth and back toward the moon slightly brightens the unlit portion of the moon’s Earth-facing hemisphere. A backyard telescope will reveal that Venus also has a crescent phase while Mercury will show a gibbous shape.

Crescent Moon Crosses the Pleiades (evening)
2025-04-01 19:00 - 22:00
Once the has sky darkened on Tuesday evening, April 1, look in the lower part of the western sky, where the bright little Pleiades Star Cluster (aka The Seven Sisters, Subaru, and Messier 45) will be close enough to the 17%-illuminated waxing crescent moon for them all to share the view in binoculars (orange circle). Skywatchers in Europe and Africa will see the moon below or passing through the cluster, while those in the Americas and the Pacific Ocean region will see the moon above its stars.

Pretty Moon Joins Jupiter (evening)
2025-04-02 19:00 - 22:00
Another 24 hours of eastward orbital motion will place the slightly fuller crescent moon less than a palm’s width to the upper right (or 5 degrees to the celestial north) of the brilliant planet Jupiter between the horns of Taurus, the Bull on Wednesday evening, April 2. The duo will share the view in binoculars (orange circle) and make a nice photo opportunity until they set in the west towards midnight local time.

Lunar Craters Theophilus, Cyrillus, and Catharina (evening)
2025-04-03 19:00 - 22:00
On Thursday evening, April 3, the terminator boundary that separtes the moon’s lit and dark hemispheres will fall just to the left of a trio of large craters named Theophilus, Cyrillus, and Catharina that curve along the western edge of gray Mare Nectaris. You can tell what order the craters were formed in by observing how sharp and fresh Theophilus’ rim appears, and by the way it has partially overprinted neighboring Cyrillus to its lower left (or lunar southwest). Under magnification, Theophilus’ terraced rim and craggy central mountain peak are evident. Cyrillus hosts a trio of degraded central peaks inside a hexagonal rim, while much older Catharina’s peak has been submerged, her edges blurred and her floor overprinted by smaller, more recent craters.

First Quarter Moon Approaches Mars (overnight)
2025-04-04 20:00 - 2025-04-05 05:00
On Friday night, April 4 in the western evening sky, the half-full moon will shine a fist’s diameter below (or 10 degrees to the celestial west of) the red planet Mars and Gemini’s two brightest stars, Pollux and Castor. Observers in more westerly time zones will see the moon closer to the line formed by the trio. The moon will officially complete the first quarter of its orbit around Earth at 10:15 p.m. EDT or 7:15 p.m. PDT, which converts to 02:15 GMT on Saturday, April 5. At first quarter, the relative positions of the Earth, sun, and moon cause us to see our natural satellite half-illuminated – on its eastern side. First quarter moons always rise around noon and set around midnight, allowing them to be seen in the afternoon daytime sky, too. The evenings surrounding first quarter are the best ones for viewing the lunar terrain when it is dramatically lit by low-angled sunlight.

The Winter Triangle (evening)
2025-04-06 19:00 - 22:00
The lower part of the southwestern sky on early April evenings is dominated by the three bright stars of the Winter Triangle. The prominent asterism, which is visible even while the bright, waxing gibbous moon is shining nearby this weekend, is anchored on the bottom by the magnitude -1.45 star Sirius or Alpha Canis Majoris, the brightest star in the entire night sky. Above Sirius (to the celestial NNE) shines the white, magnitude 0.34 star Procyon or Alpha Canis Minoris. The third, northwestern vertex is occupied by the reddish, magnitude 0.50 star Betelgeuse or Alpha Orionis. The Winter Triangle first appears in late evening during November. By the end of April it will be disappearing into the western post-sunset twilight. This spring, the even brighter planet Jupiter will gleam off to the triangle’s right side.

The Aristarchus Plateau (all night)
2025-04-09 20:00 - 2025-04-10 05:00
Three prominent craters break up the expanse of Oceanus Procellarum, the widespread dark region on the moon’s left-hand side. Large Copernicus is the easternmost of the craters. Its extensive, ragged ray system intermingles with that of the smaller crater Kepler to its southwest. The small, but very bright crater Aristarchus positioned northwest of them will fall just to the sunny side of the terminator on Wednesday, April 9. Aristarchus occupies the southeastern corner of a spectacular, diamond-shaped plateau. A backyard telescope under high magnification will show features like the large, sinuous rille named Vallis Schröteri. Its snake-like form begins between Aristarchus and the next-door crater Herodotus and meanders across the plateau. One of the most colorful regions on the moon, NASA orbiters have detected high levels of radioactive radon there.

Venus Gleams above Mercury and Saturn (before sunrise)
2025-04-11 00:00
During the early part of April, the planets Venus, Mercury, Neptune, and Saturn will all be gathered above the eastern horizon before sunrise. Neptune is far too faint to compete against the morning twilight, but the other three planets will be visible, especially from tropical latitudes where the ecliptic (green line) will be closer to vertical. On the mornings surrounding Friday, April 11, find brilliant Venus and then search a bit more than a binoculars’ field of view below it (orange circle) for the side-by-side pair of Mercury and Saturn. Mercury will be the slightly brighter planet to Saturn’s left. On the prior few days, Saturn will be lower than Mercury. Then it will climb while Mercury descends.

Mini Full Pink Paschal Moon Occults Spica (at 5:22 pm EDT)
2025-04-12 00:00
The moon will officially reach its full phase on Saturday, April 12 at 8:22 p.m. EDT or 5:22 p.m. PDT, which converts to 00:22 GMT on Sunday. Around that time, the full moon will also pass in front of the bright star Spica for observers within a zone from Panama southeast across northern South America, and ending near the southern tip of Africa. Surrounding regions will see Spica near the moon. April’s full moon, commonly called the Pink Moon, Sprouting Grass Moon, Egg Moon, or Fish Moon, always shines in or near the stars of Virgo or Libra. The moon won’t look pink, though – the name arises from the forest wildflowers blooming in April. The indigenous Ojibwe groups of the Great Lakes region call the April full moon Iskigamizige-giizis “the Maple Sap Boiling Moon” or Namebine-giizis, “the Sucker Moon”. For them it signifies a time to learn cleansing and healing ways. The Cree of North America call it Niskipisim, “the Goose Moon” – the time when the geese return with spring. For the Mi’kmaw people of Eastern Canada, this is Penatmuiku’s, “the Birds Laying Eggs Time Moon”. The Cherokee call it Kawonuhi, “the Flower Moon”, when the plants bloom. This full moon will occur less than 23 hours before its monthly perigee, making it the smallest full moon in 2025. It’s also the Paschal Moon that controls the timing of Easter and Passover.

Moon Moves Through the Scorpion’s Claws (overnight)
2025-04-15 20:00 - 2025-04-16 05:00
When the bright, waning gibbous moon clears the trees to the southeast in late evening on Tuesday, April 15, it will be shining close to the line of medium-bright stars that form the claws of Scorpius, the Scorpion. From upper left to lower right, their names are Graffias (or Beta Scorpii), Dschubba (or Delta Scorpii), Pi Scorpii, and Rho Scorpii. Skywatchers viewing later that night, or in more westerly time zones, can see the moon approach (green line) and then cross in front of Pi Scorpii around 5 a.m. EDT or 09:00 GMT. Lunar occultations are safe to watch with eyes, binoculars, and telescopes. Use an app like Starry Night or Sky Safari to look up the timings where you live.

Bright Moon Covers Antares (overnight)
2025-04-16 20:00 - 2025-04-17 05:00
On Wednesday evening, April 16, observers in a zone extending from the southern Atlantic Ocean, the southern part of Africa, the Kerguelen Islands, and eastern Antarctica can watch the motion (green line) of the bright, waning gibbous moon cross in front of (or occult) the very bright, reddish star Antares, which marks the heart of Scorpius. Lunar occultations are safe to watch with eyes, binoculars, and telescopes. Use an app like Starry Night or Sky Safari to look up the timings where you live.

The Whirlpool and Pinwheel Galaxies (all night)
2025-04-18 20:00 - 2025-04-19 05:00
On evenings during mid-April, the Big Dipper is positioned nearly overhead with its handle pointed down to the east. On this week’s moonless nights, two impressive galaxies can be seen in binoculars (orange circle) and backyard telescopes by using the bright star Alkaid at the tip of the dipper’s handle to find them. The Pinwheel Galaxy, or Messier 101, is a spectacular, large, face-on spiral galaxy positioned a slim palm’s width to the lower left (or 5.5 degrees north) of Alkaid, forming an equilateral triangle with Mizar, the double star at the bend of the dipper’s handle. This relatively close galaxy (21 million light-years away) is nearly as large as the full moon in the sky. Since the galaxy’s light is spread over such a large area, its overall brightness is lowered. Aim your binoculars several finger widths to the upper right (or 3.7 degrees to the southwest) of Alkaid to discover the iconic Whirlpool Galaxy, aka Messier 51. This spiral galaxy’s angular size is smaller, but it will look somewhat brighter in your binoculars and telescope. A secondary galaxy core designated NGC 5195 close beside M51 is linked by a bridge of material.

Ursa Major Galaxies (all night)
2025-04-19 20:00 - 2025-04-20 05:00
The Big Dipper asterism and its home constellation of Ursa Major are very high in the northern sky in late evening during mid-April – ideal for observing the spectacular galaxies they host in strong binoculars or backyard telescopes on the dark nights this weekend. Draw a line connecting the dipper stars Phecda to Dubhe, and extend it by an amount equal to their separation to arrive at the galaxy named Bode’s Nebula, otherwise known as Messier 81. It’s a magnitude 6.9 spiral galaxy oriented not quite face-on to Earth, making it appear relatively large and bright. A smaller, magnitude 8.4 galaxy named the Cigar or Messier 82 is located less than a finger’s width below (or half a degree to the celestial north of) it. That allows both galaxies to be viewed together in the eyepiece of a telescope at low magnification (inset). Several other fainter galaxies can be found within a few degrees of Bode’s Nebula.

Mercury at Greatest Western Elongation (before sunrise)
2025-04-21 00:00
On Monday, April 21, Mercury (orbit shown in red) will reach its greatest angle of 27.4 degrees from the morning sun and maximum visibility for its current morning apparition. With Mercury positioned low in the eastern sky and well below the tilted morning ecliptic (green line), this appearance of the innermost planet will be a poor one for Northern Hemisphere observers, but an excellent one for those viewing Mercury from the tropics and the Southern Hemisphere. The optimal viewing times at mid-northern latitudes will start around 5:45 a.m. local time. Viewed in a telescope (inset) the planet will exhibit a waxing, almost half-illuminated phase.

Third Quarter Moon (at 01:35 GMT)
2025-04-21 19:00 - 22:00
The moon will reach its third quarter phase on Monday, April 21 at 01:35 GMT, which converts to 9:35 p.m. EDT or 6:35 p.m. PDT on Sunday, April 20. Third quarter moons rise around midnight in your local time zone, and then linger in the southern sky after sunrise. At third, or last, quarter the moon is illuminated on its western side, towards the pre-dawn sun. The week of dark, moonless evening skies that follow this phase will be ideal for observing deep sky targets in binoculars and telescopes, especially spring galaxies.

Lyrids Meteor Shower Peak (overnight)
2025-04-22 20:00 - 2025-04-23 05:00
The annual Lyrids meteor shower, derived from particles dropped by comet C/1861 G1 (Thatcher), runs from April 16 to 29. It will peak in intensity at approximately 9 am EDT on Tuesday, April 22, but some meteors should be seen while the shower’s radiant point near the bright star Vega in Lyra climbs the eastern sky starting late on Monday night, April 21. The Lyrids can produce up to 15-20 meteors per hour at the peak, with occasional fireballs. The waning crescent moon rising in the wee hours shouldn’t hinder the shower this year. For best results, try to view the meteors from a safe location that has a wide open sky free of light pollution. Don’t focus your attention on the radiant because the meteors near it will be travelling towards you and have extremely short trails.

Old Moon Shines with Venus and Saturn (pre-dawn)
2025-04-24 00:00
On Thursday morning, April 24, early risers can look low in the eastern sky for the pretty sight of the waning crescent moon shining a fist’s diameter to the right (or 10 degrees to the celestial west) of brilliant Venus. Much fainter Saturn will also shine a few degrees below Venus. Just before sunrise, Mercury will appear just above the horizon to Venus’ lower left. The moon and Venus, which will clear the rooftops around 5:15 a.m. local time, will make a lovely photo opportunity. Faint Neptune will not be visible.

Crescent Moon Meets Planets (before sunrise)
2025-04-25 00:00
After 24 hours of additional eastward orbital motion, the very slim crescent of the old moon will shine within a triangle composed of three planets before sunrise on Friday morning, April 25. Locate brilliant Venus and then look for the moon about a binoculars’ field of view (orange circle) to its lower left. Less bright Saturn will appear below Venus and to the right of the moon, while Mercury will be positioned about a fist’s diameter to the lower left of the two planets. You’ll need an unobstructed, cloud-view view to the east to see them from moonrise around 4:40 a.m. local time until the sky brightens enough to hide all but Venus. Observers closer to tropical latitudes will see the grouping, which will be oriented up-down, more easily.

Venus at Greatest Illuminated Extent (pre-dawn)
2025-04-27 00:00
On Sunday, April 27, Venus will reach its greatest illuminated extent for the current morning apparition. In a telescope (inset), the planet will show a surprisingly slender, 26%-illuminated, waxing crescent phase on a large apparent disk size of 39 arc-seconds. Even with a less than fully-illuminated disk, Venus’ distance from Earth of only 0.432 Astronomical Units (40.12 million miles or 64.57 million km) will boost its brightness to a brilliant magnitude -4.75. After rising at about 4:20 a.m. local time, Venus will be visible in the eastern pre-dawn sky below the western fish in Pisces and a few finger widths to the upper left of Saturn. Venus will appear nearly as bright on the surrounding mornings.

New Moon (at 19:31 GMT)
2025-04-27 17:30 - 19:30
The moon will reach its new phase on Sunday, April 27 at 3:31 p.m. EDT or 12:31 p.m. PDT or 19:31 GMT. At that time our natural satellite will be located in Aries and 3.25 degrees north of the sun. While new, the moon is travelling between Earth and the sun. Since sunlight can only reach the far side of the moon, and the moon is in the same region of the sky as the sun, the moon becomes unobservable from anywhere on Earth for about a day (except during a solar eclipse). On the evenings following the new moon phase, Earth’s planetary partner will return to shine in the western sky after sunset.

Venus Shines above Saturn (pre-dawn)
2025-04-28 00:00
In the eastern sky before dawn in late April, the orbital motion of the brilliant planet Venus will be carrying it past 240 times fainter Saturn. On the mornings before Monday, April 28, Saturn will be positioned several finger widths below (or 3.6 degrees to the celestial south of) Venus, allowing the two planets to share the view in binoculars (orange circle). After Venus shines closest above Saturn on Monday, it will descend more to Saturn’s left and widen their separation. All told, you’ll be able to see the duo in binoculars from about April 16 to May 6.

Crescent Moon Jumps Jupiter (evening)
2025-04-29 19:00 - 22:00
In the western sky after dusk on Tuesday, April 29, the waxing crescent moon will shine prettily a fist’s diameter to the lower right (or 11 degrees to the celestial northwest) of Jupiter. On the following evening, April 30, the moon will climb to shine a palm’s width to Venus’ upper right. The moon’s nightly shift across the stars and planets has long shown us that the moon is orbiting around Earth. The moon and Jupiter will make a lovely photo opportunity when composed with some foreground scenery before they set in the west around 11 p.m. local time.
