Last year may be a tough act to follow in the wake of the total solar eclipse, but this year promises plenty of memories including a beautiful total lunar eclipse, the return of Mars, and the vanishing rings of Saturn. There will be at least one bright planet to observe on any given evening, and more often two or more. There will be many lunar and planetary conjunctions, satellites, the International Space Station, and meteor showers to keep busy. With the Sun more active there might be more chances to see an aurora dancing in the starry night and maybe observe another long-tailed comet!

There will be a total lunar eclipse on March 14 with totality beginning at 2:26 A.M. and ending at 3:32 A.M., lasting 66 minutes with the partial phase starting at 1:09 A.M. and ending at 4:48 A.M. The next total lunar eclipse will not be until June 25-26, 2029, so hope for a clear night! The next solar eclipse easily visible will be a partial occurring on August 12, 2026, during the early afternoon with the Sun 12% eclipsed, however there is a challenging one this year on March 29. The Sun will be 23% eclipsed at sunrise at 6:48 A.M. and quickly ends 21 minutes later, therefore requiring an unobstructed view of the eastern horizon along with clear skies.

The year starts off very busy with Venus dazzling in the west after sunset, and Saturn, Jupiter and Mars following it into the night well into winter. Saturn descends into the evening twilight by February followed by Venus in March and Jupiter in April. Mercury will briefly appear above the western horizon for about a month starting late February and descend with Venus by mid-March. Mars will be the lone planet of the evening after Jupiter departs as it fades throughout the summer and briefly competes with Mercury from late June until mid-July. Saturn will finally appear before midnight in the east in August followed by Jupiter in November. Uranus and Neptune will be worthy targets from late September into winter. Here is the breakdown for each planet in the evening sky during 2025:

Mercury: This elusive planet is always very low on the horizon immersed in bright twilight, but it is easiest to see in the evening from February 24 - March 15, being highest on March 8. There is a second chance to view Mercury in the evening, although lower than in March for a few weeks either side of its highest peak on June 26. Mercury will grow steadily through these periods from 6 to 10 arcseconds across as it approaches Earth, but its magnitude will dim from -1 to +2. It will go through phases like a tiny, coppery version of the waning Moon, from nearly full to a thin crescent.

Venus: This sparkling planet will dazzle the winter evenings early this year shining at its highest above the western horizon on January 30 and will be at its brightest possible at magnitude -4.9 on February 16 before plunging out of view during March as it passes through inferior conjunction, between the Earth and Sun, on March 22. It will grow from a plump half-moon phase around 22 arcseconds across at the start of the year and will swell into a huge, thin crescent nearly one arcminute across by mid-March. Venus’s light will glisten on the newly fallen snow on frigid winter evenings and may be capable of casting shadows on the snow. After conjunction, it will re-emerge into the morning sky for the rest of 2025.

Mars: This popular planet comes into opposition on January 15 when it reaches 14.6 arcseconds across in Gemini. It will shine at magnitude -1.4 and be 59.7 million miles away. It will be nowhere near as large as in the past several oppositions but will be high enough in the sky for steadier viewing. Patience and persistence will pay off with memorable views of subtle detail. Mars will remain in good view into early spring and very slowly shrink and fade into the evening twilight by the end of the year. Refer to the November 2024 issue of Telescopic Topics for a complete Mars observing guide.

Jupiter: This giant planet is always very large and rewarding with active cloud belts and spots and will be primarily a winter planet for viewing for a few more years. Jupiter begins the year well up in the south during the early evening offering the opportunity to follow it through one full rotation during the long winter nights since it rotates in just less than ten hours while night lasts up to 15 hours. It will eventually become lost in the evening twilight by May as it fades to magnitude -2.0 and shrinks to 33 arcseconds across. Jupiter rises before midnight by November and is at opposition on January 10, 2026, in Gemini, when it will be 45.6 arcseconds across and blaze at magnitude -2.7. The large size will allow for detailed viewing of the cloud belts, polar hoods, and Great Red Spot. It should be possible to see the tiny discs of the larger moons, Callisto and Ganymede, and to compare their size to smaller Europa and Io. It might even be possible to detect slight color differences among them.

Saturn: This ringed planet goes nearly ringless this year as the rings are nearly edge-on from November 17 - December 1. Saturn is at opposition on September 21 on the border between Pisces and Aquarius when it will be 19.4 arcseconds across and shine at magnitude +0.6. This will be the best year to observe and compare both polar hoods and any cloud belts and spots. The largest moon, Titan, is readily visible shining about 8th magnitude as it orbits around Saturn in 15.9 days, and it is a fun project to plot its changing position. It might be possible to resolve a disc and detect a peach hue in larger telescopes. It will be easier to find the smaller, dimmer moons such as Rhea, Dione, Tethys, and Enceladus with less glare from the razor thin rings. Saturn will slowly fade to magnitude +0.8 and shrink to around 15 arcseconds across by February 2026 when it becomes lost in the twilight glow.

Uranus: This mysterious planet will have a beautiful year below the Pleiades making it fun to locate and observe. It descends into the evening twilight by April but returns before midnight by September. It is at opposition on November 21 in Taurus when it will be 3.8 arcseconds across and shine at magnitude +5.6.

Neptune: This dynamic planet is a blue-gray tinted tiny disc which makes Neptune a curiosity and gives a feeling of remoteness. It fades into the evening western twilight by February but returns before midnight in the east by August. It is at opposition on September 23 in Pisces not far from Saturn when it will be 2.4 arcseconds across and shine at magnitude +7.8. A finder chart for Uranus and Neptune will appear in the September issue of Telescopic Topics.

Pluto: This favorite planet, dwarf or otherwise, is a tiny world, making the challenging search for Pluto worth taking for the rewarding satisfaction of finding and seeing it. Pluto is diving below the ecliptic plane in its huge orbit moving steadily away from Earth for the rest of the century fading below magnitude +15.0. Pluto is at opposition on July 25 in Capricornus east (left) of Sagittarius’ Teapot handle and the small asterism containing Omega Sagittarii known as Terebellum that resembles a fainter version of the Southern Cross. This year Pluto is a faint spark at magnitude +14.5 and only 0.1 arcseconds across.