Night Sky Highlights for July-September 2025
By Jim Mazur
Solar System
Delta Aquariid Meteor Shower
Peaking around July 30
This should be a favorable year for this relatively minor shower (maximum of about 20 meteors per hour) because the Moon will set near midnight around the peak nights. The best time to look is in the hours after midnight, when the radiant will be highest in the southern sky. You may catch a few early Perseids too.
Perseid Meteor Shower
Peaking on August 12
A nearly full Moon will interfere with the Perseids this year, but the brighter meteors will still be visible. Some Perseids can be seen for several days both before and after the peak night of August 12.
Mercury
This elusive planet will be visible in the west right after sunset for the first few days of July. Then it can be seen in the eastern sky before dawn for several days before and after August 19.
Venus
Venus will be visible in the east before dawn throughout the summer, moving closer to the Sun as the summer progresses. It will be passing by Jupiter in August, and the two bright planets will be less than a degree apart on August 12.
Mars
Mars is the only bright planet that will be easily visible in the evening this summer as it moves through From Leo into Virgo. By September it will be getting lower in the west and more difficult to see after sunset. It’s disk will only be about 4″ to 5″ in diameter, which is only slightly larger than the apparent size of Uranus.
Jupiter
This giant planet will be too close to the Sun to see in early July. Then it emerges from the morning twilight, and by August it will be near Venus in the east before sunrise.
Saturn
Saturn will rise around midnight in July, around 10 pm in August, and it reaches opposition (rising as the Sun sets) on September 21. Its rings will be tilted just 2 degrees from edge-on, but now they will very slowly start to open up as viewed from Earth.
Uranus
Uranus will be a few degrees south of Messier 45, the Pleiades, through the rest of 2025. It will be visible in the early morning hours in July, and by September it will be rising in the east around 10 pm.
Neptune
Throughout 2025, Neptune will close to Saturn, making it possible to locate this gas giant by using Saturn as a starting point. They will reach a conjunction on August 6, when Neptune will be about 1.1 degrees north of Saturn, rising in the east around 10 pm local time.
Deep Sky Objects
The summer evening sky has so many wonderful deep-sky objects that it is hard to know where to start. Here are a dozen from Messier’s catalog that can be observed with telescopes of all sizes.
Messier 8, Lagoon Nebula, Sagittarius
This bright diffuse nebula and star cluster can be spotted with the naked eye. Star-hop chart
Messier 10 and 12, Ophiuchus
Two nice globular clusters, both magnitude 6.6, about 3 degrees apart. Star-hop chart
Messier 11, Wild Duck Cluster, Scutum
A very rich open cluster with stars forming a rough wedge shape. Star-hop chart
Messier 13, Great Hercules Cluster
One of the most spectacular globular clusters in the sky. Star-hop chart
Messier 17, Swan Nebula, Sagittarius
Also known as the Omega Nebula or Checkmark Nebula, bright and easy to see. Star-hop chart
Messier 20, Trifid Nebula, Sagittarius
The brightest section has a three-lobed appearance. Star-hop chart
Messier 22, Sagittarius
One of the nearest and largest globular clusters, magnitude 5.1. Star-hop chart
Messier 23 and 25, Sagittarius
Two good open clusters for binoculars or small telescopes. Star-hop chart
Messier 57, Ring Nebula, Lyra
The famous planetary nebula, magnitude 8.8. Star-hop chart
Messier 97, Owl Nebula, Ursa Major
This large planetary can be challenging because of its low surface brightness, but it is worth searching for. Star-hop chart