Autumn Astro Calendar, Sept. - Nov. 2025
This Season’s Skygazing Top Picks
-
Sept. 17 - Jupiter, crescent moon, and Venus. Pre-dawn.Sept. 17 - Jupiter, crescent moon, and Venus. Pre-dawn.
-
Sept. 21 - Saturn at opposition.Sept. 21 - Saturn at opposition.
-
Sept. 22 - Neptune, night before opposition. Telescope viewing.Sept. 22 - Neptune, night before opposition. Telescope viewing.
-
Oct. 6 - Full Harvest Moon.Oct. 6 - Full Harvest Moon.
-
Oct. 21 - Orionid meteor shower.Oct. 21 - Orionid meteor shower.
-
Oct. 29 - Mercury at greatest separation from the Sun in Oct.–Nov. 2025Oct. 29 - Mercury at greatest separation from the Sun in Oct.–Nov. 2025
-
Nov. 1 - Venus low in east near Virgo's blue star Spica.Nov. 1 - Venus low in east near Virgo's blue star Spica.
-
Nov. 5 - Super Full Moon. Closest approach of 2025.Nov. 5 - Super Full Moon. Closest approach of 2025.
-
Nov. 17 Leonid meteor shower,Nov. 17 Leonid meteor shower,
-
Nov. 21 - Uranus at opposition near Pleiades star cluster.Nov. 21 - Uranus at opposition near Pleiades star cluster.
Autumn Planet Visibilities
Mercury: Evening – Best late October. Early evening.
Venus: Morning – September, October, partial November.
Mars: Evening – September, October. At dusk.
Jupiter: Evening – November. Morning – September, October.
Saturn: Evening – September, October, November.
Moon Phases Key
New Moon
First Quarter
Full Moon
Third Quarter
Moon Phases
September
7
14
21
29
October
6
13
21
29
November
5
12
20
28
What’s Up?
Bright planet alert!
September brings sights of planets, Saturn and Neptune, at opposition just days apart. They will appear at their brightest and very close to one another. Best viewed in a dark sky with a telescope or binoculars, this close pairing only takes place around once every 35 years.
Uranus will be at opposition in November with its brightest appearance since the 1990’s. In the darkest of skies, it’s faintly visible to the naked eye, but best observed with binoculars. A bonus is its viewing proximity to the sparkling Pleiades.
Image credit: JPL
Space News: NISAR
One of the best ways to track changes on Earth is from space. Over 8,000 satellites orbit our planet. While some get us from place to place with GPS, others like GOES (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites), Landsat, and Sentinel routinely monitor Earth’s weather patterns and environmental conditions. High resolution imaging can give advance warnings of severe storms. NISAR is the latest to be launched. With dual radar detection scanning Earth’s surface twice every twelve days, the joint mission of NASA and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), aims to predict natures hazards with precision technology.
Image credit: NASA, JPL
How do I use the star chart?
Hold it out in front of you with the direction you’re facing at the bottom of the chart. It works even better if you hold it above your head and look up at it.
Why are east and west switched?
They are only switched because you’re used to looking at maps of the ground. Hold it above your head, and you’ll see the directions line up just right.