Check my main feed<\/a> for more in-depth articles on stargazing, astronomy, eclipses and more.<\/p>\nSeptember ushers in a season of dramatic celestial events, from Saturn at opposition and some close planetaring pairings to a spectacular \u201cblood moon\u201d total lunar eclipse \u2014 though the latter is not visible in North America. As days shorten ahead of the autumnal equinox, stargazing becomes an evening activity, and a rewarding one as the constellations rise and fall with the changing of the season up above. Here\u2019s everything you need to know about stargazing in September 2025.<\/p>\n
Fomalhaut is part of the Piscis Austrinus constellation. <\/p>\n
getty<\/p>\n
1. The \u2018Autumn Star\u2019<\/p>\n
When: all month<\/p>\n
Where: southern night sky<\/p>\n
Fomalhaut, the \u201cAutumn Star,\u201d is the brightest star in Piscis Austrinus, and visible from mid-northern latitudes only in autumn. Fomalhaut sits low in the south, so spotting it requires a dark southern horizon.<\/p>\n
People gather to watch a “blood moon” eclipse in Melbourne on July 28, 2018. (Photo by WILLIAM WEST \/ AFP)<\/p>\n
AFP via Getty Images <\/p>\n
2. Full Corn Moon And Total Lunar Eclipse<\/p>\n
When: during dusk on Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025<\/p>\n
Where: eastern horizon<\/p>\n
The best time to watch September\u2019s full moon rise in North America will be at moonrise at dusk on Sunday, Sept. 7. This year it carries the Corn Moon name, not the common Harvest Moon name, because October’s full moon is closest to the equinox on Sept. 22. While Asia, Australia, and parts of the Pacific will see a total lunar eclipse, no part of the eclipse will be seen from North America.<\/p>\n
Pegasus constellation, including the “Great Square.” <\/p>\n
getty
\n3. \u2018Great Square\u2019 of Pegasus<\/p>\n
When: after dark all month<\/p>\n
Where: eastern horizon<\/p>\n
The Great Square is a classic sight in the fall night sky. Look above east after dark for four bright stars, which are easy to spot in urban skies thanks to their brightness and distinctive shape. They form the core of the constellation Pegasus. This asterism\u2019s arrival signals seasonal change and the approach of the September equinox.<\/p>\n
Saturn will appear next to the near-full mon on Sept. 8, 2025. <\/p>\n
getty
\n4. Moon And Saturn<\/p>\n
When: after dark on Monday, Sept. 8, 2025<\/p>\n
Where: eastern sky<\/p>\n
Tonight, a 97%-lit waning gibbous moon appears beside golden Saturn in Pisces. Saturn is near its brightest for the year ahead of its Sept. 20 opposition, but you’ll need a small telescope to glimpse its ring pattern.<\/p>\n
A “diamond” in the sky before sunrise on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025. <\/p>\n
Stellarium
\n5. A \u2018Diamond\u2019 In The Sky<\/p>\n
When: before sunrise on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025<\/p>\n
Where: eastern sky<\/p>\n
Before dawn, a slender 28%-lit waning crescent moon appears near Jupiter, with the bright stars Castor and Pollux of Gemini to its left. Together they form a neat diamond shape, each point about four degrees apart.<\/p>\n
Venus, Regulus and the moon before sunrise on Friday, Sept. 19, 2025. <\/p>\n
Stellarium
\n6. Moon, Venus And Regulus Align<\/p>\n
When: before sunrise on Friday, Sept. 19, 2025<\/p>\n
Where: eastern sky<\/p>\n
A mere 6%-lit crescent moon joins Venus and Regulus in a tight, half-degree grouping just above the east-northeast horizon about an hour before sunrise. This is one of the month\u2019s best naked-eye conjunctions.<\/p>\n
Saturn, the sixth planet from the Sun, is famous for its spectacular ring system, composed of ice, rock and dust. A gas giant like Jupiter, it is made mostly of hydrogen and helium, with winds and storms swirling across its pale yellow atmosphere. Its many moons \u2014 including Titan \u2014 and unique features make Saturn a cornerstone of planetary science and wonder.<\/p>\n
getty
\n7. Saturn At Opposition<\/p>\n
When: Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025<\/p>\n
Where: eastern sky<\/p>\n
Tonight is the best night of the year to view Saturn (though in practice, any time this month is good). At opposition, it rises at sunset, sets at sunrise, and shines at magnitude 0.6. Through a small telescope, Saturn\u2019s rings will be nearly edge-on but still visible.<\/p>\n
Labourers work at a construction site as the moon partially obscures the sun during a partial solar eclipse visible from Gurgaon on October 25, 2022. (Photo by Vinay GUPTA \/ AFP) (Photo by VINAY GUPTA\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
AFP via Getty Images
\n8. Partial Solar Eclipse<\/p>\n
When: Monday, Sept. 22, 2025<\/p>\n
Where: Southern Hemisphere<\/p>\n
The new moon at 2:54 p.m. EDT ensures the darkest skies of the month, and in some parts of the world also causes a partial solar eclipse. Observers in New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga, and Antarctica will see a partial solar eclipse at sunrise, with the moon covering up to 79% of the sun.<\/p>\n
Beautiful autumn leaves. Colourful foliage in the park.<\/p>\n
getty
\n9. Fall Equinox<\/p>\n
When: Monday, Sept. 22, 2025<\/p>\n
Where:<\/p>\n
At 2:20 p.m. EDT today, it\u2019s the fall\/autumnal equinox. It marks the point when the midday sun is directly above the equator, with everywhere on the planet getting (roughly) 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness. Today, the sun will rise due east and set due west. From this point on, nights will get longer.<\/p>\n
Aurora Borealis, also known as the Northern loights, putting a show on dancing over Loch Glascarnoch, by Garve, Highlands of Scotland, UK.<\/p>\n
getty
\n10. Northern Lights<\/p>\n
When: for two weeks after Monday, Sept. 22, 2025<\/p>\n
Where: northern sky<\/p>\n
Thanks to Earth’s axis being side-on to the solar wind, the Northern and Southern Lights are most intense around the equinoxes. However, there’s a slight lag factor, making the few weeks after Sept. 22 reliably the best time for aurora displays \u2014 though nothing is guaranteed.<\/p>\n
Andromeda Galaxy, M31, with the Lunt 80mm f\/7 doublet apo refractor for stack of 5 x 15 minute exposures at ISO 800 with Canon 5D MkII and Borg 0.85x flattener\/reducer. Companion galxies, M31 and M110 also shown. Taken from home. Field is roughly 4 x 2.5\u008d. (Photo by: Alan Dyer \/VW PICS\/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Universal Images Group via Getty Images
\n11. The Andromeda Galaxy<\/p>\n
When: after dark all month<\/p>\n
Where: eastern sky<\/p>\n
After dark, look to the northwest for the constellation Cassiopeia\u2019s \u201cW.\u201d From the rightmost \u201cV,\u201d trace a line down to the bright star Mirach in Andromeda. About two-thirds of the way from Mirach toward the horizon is the Andromeda Galaxy (M31), the farthest object visible to the naked eye at 2.5 million light-years away (though you’ll need a very dark sky far from lights). Even from a city, 10×50 binoculars will show it as a fuzzy patch.<\/p>\n
The times and dates given apply to mid-northern latitudes. For the most accurate location-specific information, consult online planetariums like Stellarium<\/a>.<\/p>\nWishing you clear skies and wide eyes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The aurora borealis, where the rays or rayed bands of the Northern Lights to converge to a point…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":34346,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[77],"tags":[18,26729,19,17,10626,26732,133,13187,4065,26730,26731,16120,26733,26734],"class_list":{"0":"post-34345","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-science","8":"tag-eire","9":"tag-full-moon-september-2025","10":"tag-ie","11":"tag-ireland","12":"tag-moon","13":"tag-night-sky-tonight","14":"tag-science","15":"tag-september-2025","16":"tag-shooting-stars","17":"tag-solar-eclipse","18":"tag-stargazing-september","19":"tag-total-lunar-eclipse","20":"tag-when-is-the-full-moon","21":"tag-when-is-the-new-moon"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34345","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34345"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34345\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34346"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34345"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34345"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34345"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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