The 'must see' celestial events in 2025

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Happy New Year everyone! Hopefully, you all have a lot to look forward to this year, but for space lovers and stargazers, here are the things you can’t miss on the 2025 celestial calendar. 

The last time we saw a lunar eclipse was back in November of 2022. Well, the March 14 lunar eclipse is going to be a far better show. The eclipse begins around midnight but the peak of totality (when the moon looks like this and is completely red) will last from 2:26 AM until 3:31 AM. That’s 65 minutes! 

This one is special because EVERYONE in the continental United States can see it. The next time that scenario happens isn’t until 2052. This event is the can’t miss event on the celestial calendar.

There are 12 main meteor showers that repeat every year. But the two best every year are the Perseids and the Geminids. 

The Perseids peak from Aug. 12-13 but this year, the moon will be 84% full for most of the night. Meaning this will be one of the weaker shows compared to previous years. 

The Geminids this year will be better than normal. And astronomers say this is the best show of the year! From Dec. 13-14, the meteor shower kicks into high gear after 8 p.m. The moon will be a Waning crescent. This is less than 30% illuminated allowing us to see up to 60 meteors per hour (if you are in a place away from light pollution). 

RELATED: Weather IQ: Where to look to see the Geminid meteor shower

There are three 2025 supermoons in October, November and December but the supermoon on Nov. 5 will be the biggest. A supermoon happens when the moon is closer to Earth. This moon will only be 221,818 miles away. That is the closest it’s been since 2019 thus the most super super moon in over five years!

• Jan. 13-14: The disappearing Mars – Mars will be the biggest and brightest it appears from Earth (known as being at opposition). The cool show here is that Mars will disappear behind the moon for around an hour and fifteen minutes (current estimation shows around 9:15 p.m. until 10:30 p.m. in Eastern Standard Time. 
• July 22: Venus, Jupiter and the Moon – Look east before sunrise and you will see Jupiter, the waning crescent moon and Venus and Jupiter in a noticeable trio together.
• Aug. 19-21: Venus, Jupiter and Mercury- A slim crescent moon passes by this trio of planets before sunrise on back to back to back mornings in August.

• Jan. 13: Wolf Moon – 5:26 p.m.
  
• Feb. 12: Snow Moon – 8:53 a.m.
  
• March 14: Worm Moon – 2:54 a.m.
  
• April 14: Pink Moon – 8:22 p.m.
  
• May 12: Flower Moon – 12:55 p.m.
  
• June 11: Strawberry Moon – 3:43 a.m.
  
• July 10: Buck Moon – 4:36 p.m.
  
• Aug. 9: Sturgeon Moon – 3:55 a.m.
  
• Sept. 7: Harvest Moon – 2:08 p.m.
  
• Oct. 6: Hunter’s Moon – 11:47 p.m.
  
• Nov. 5: Beaver Moon – 8:19 a.m.
  
• Dec. 4: Cold Moon – 6:14 p.m.