See a dawn solar eclipse and two meteor showers in the sky this Spring
From a partial solar eclipse, to bright planets, and the end of the meteor shower 'drought', there is plenty to see in the sky this spring.
Despite the nights getting shorter again, the warmer weather and the return of meteor showers to our skies makes Spring an excellent time of year to observe the night sky.
Here's our complete guide to the astronomical events of Spring 2025.
March 20 — Vernal Equinox
March 21-22 — Last Quarter Moon
March 29 — New Moon, Partial Solar Eclipse
April 2-3 — Jupiter near the Waxing Crescent Moon
April 4-5 — First Quarter Moon
April 5-6 — Mars near the Waxing Gibbous Moon
April 12-13 — Full Pink Moon (Apogee Moon, smallest of the year)
April 14 — Lyrid meteor shower begins
April 19 — eta Aquariid meteor shower begins
April 20-21 — Last Quarter Moon
April 21 — Mercury highest above eastern horizon before dawn
April 21-22 — Lyrid meteor shower peaks (morning of the 22nd)
April 24,25 — Mercury, Venus, and Saturn near Waning Crescent Moon
April 27 — New Moon, Venus at its brightest
April 30 — Lyrid meteor shower ends
May 2-3 — First Quarter Moon
May 3-4 — Mars near the Waxing Gibbous Moon
May 5-6 — eta Aquariid meteor shower peaks
May 12-13 — Full Flower Moon
May 22,23,24 — Crescent Moon near Saturn and Venus
May 28 — eta Aquariid meteor shower ends
May 31 — Venus highest above eastern horizon before dawn
May 31, June 1 — Mars near the Waxing Crescent Moon
June 2-3 — First Quarter Moon
June 7 — Mercury and Jupiter close together just after sunset
June 10-11 — Full Strawberry Moon
June 18 — Last Quarter Moon
June 18,19,20 — Saturn and Venus near Waning Crescent Moon
June 20 — Summer Solstice
Visit our Complete Guide to Spring 2025 for an in-depth look at the Spring Forecast, tips for planning for it and much more!
Vernal Equinox
On Thursday, March 20, the Sun will cross over the Celestial Equator at 5:01 a.m. EDT (6:31 a.m. NDT, 6:01 a.m. ADT, 4:01 a.m. CDT, 3:01 a.m. MDT/CST, and 2:01 a.m. PDT).
As the Sun's focus shifts from the southern hemisphere to the northern hemisphere, due to the tilt of Earth's axis, this signals the end of winter and the beginning of spring for 2025.
While this isn't the earliest vernal equinox in over 100 years, like we had in 2024, it is the earlist start to spring for a non-leap-year since 1992. Also, it's setting up an exceptionally early equinox for 2028, when it'll occur at 10:17 p.m. EDT on March 19, which will be the earliest spring equinox in 232 years!
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The Planets
The "planet parade" that spanned the evening sky is officially over as of the start of spring. The westernmost members of the lineup — Saturn, Venus, and Mercury — have either slipped beyond the western horizon by sunset, or are so close to setting that they are lost in the evening twilight. However, we can still see some of the brightest planets throughout the spring season.
The easiest to spot, right off the start of the season, are Mars and Jupiter.
This simulation of the March 20 night sky shows the positions of the planets and constellations just after local sunset. (Stellarium)
Look up straight up just after sunset, and look for the brightest 'star' that is not twinkling. That will be Jupiter. Then, scan towards the eastern sky a short ways, and you'll spy a red dot. That will be Mars. If you happen to have a telescope, you can also find the planet Uranus to the west of Jupiter, between the constellations Taurus and Ares.
These three planets will migrate towards the west each night throughout the season. Watch for the Moon to team up with Jupiter and Mars in early April, then again from April 30 through May 5, and from May 27 to 31.
Just after sunset, find the Waxing Crescent Moon near Jupiter on April 2, and the First Quarter Moon close to Mars on April 5, 2025. (Stellarium/Scott Sutherland)
Turn to the eastern sky just before sunrise starting in April to see the 'lost' members of the planet parade emerging from the other side of the Sun. Venus leads the way, with Mercury and Saturn rising early enough by the second week of the month to pick out from morning twilight.
Wait until the latter half of April, though, for all three planets to be much easier to spot in the predawn sky, with the Moon swinging through their midst on the 24th and 25th.
The morning predawn sky is shown here, on April 21, 24 and 25, revealing the location of three planets and the Moon for early risers. (Stellarium/Scott Sutherland)
Also, be sure to check out Venus on the morning of April 27, to see the planet at its brightest.
Mercury swings back out of view towards the end of April, leaving Venus and Saturn to dominate the eastern horizon for May. See the Moon swing by the pair from May 22 to 24.
The sky before morning twilight is simulated in these three views, on May 22, 23 and 24, showing the Moon swinging past Saturn and then Venus. (Stellarium/Scott Sutherland)
In the first week of June, look closely at the western horizon just after sunset. Two bright points in the evening twilight will be Mercury, having emerged from around the Sun again, and Jupiter. The pair will be very close together on the evenings of June 7 and June 8.
The evening sky just after the Sun sets, on the night of June 7, 2025, will find the planets Jupiter and Mercury close together along the western horizon. (Stellarium)
Back to the eastern horizon, Saturn and Venus draw farther away from each other, morning by morning, for the rest of the season. Look for the Moon to pass by in the final days of Spring.
Four slices of the early morning sky show the alignment of the Moon, Saturn, and Venus, from June 17 through 20, 2025. (Stellarium/Scott Sutherland)
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The Moon
There are three Full Moons during spring of 2025.
The Full Pink Moon occurs on the night of April 12-13, the Full Flower Moon on May 12-13, and the Full Strawberry Moon on June 10-11.
The Full Moons of Spring 2025, including their dates, popular names, and whether they are a micromoon. Credit: Scott Sutherland/NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio/Fred Espenak
Additionally, the Moon will team up with Earth and the Sun to produce an eclipse this spring.
March 29 Partial Solar Eclipse
On the morning of March 29, the New Moon will pass across part of the Sun, producing a Partial Solar Eclipse that will be visible from the eastern half of Canada.
A similar region of Canada was able to view a Total Solar Eclipse on April 8 in 2024, when the Moon completely covered the Sun for a short period of time. During this March 29, 2025 event, though, the Sun and Moon aren't in such perfect alignment.
As a result, observers along the east coast, Labrador, and Baffin Island can see the Sun reduced down to a thin crescent in the morning sky. Meanwhile, for those viewing from farther west, the eclipse will begin before sunrise, and less and less of the Sun will be covered by the Moon at the eclipse maximum.
The farthest west the eclipse will be visible is along a line that extends from St. Catharines, through the eastern half of Toronto, along the eastern coast of Georgian Bay, up through Sudbury and Moosenee, and along the east coasts of James Bay and Hudson Bay.
Important safety note: You will want to find the solar eclipse glasses you used on April 8 2024 for this event. At no time during this partial solar eclipse will it be safe to view the Sun without proper eye protection.
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Meteor showers
A meteor shower occurs when Earth crosses the orbit of one of about a dozen different comets and asteroids that periodically pass through the inner solar system. These objects leave behind trails of rock, dust, and ice — collectively known as 'meteoroids' — as they travel through space.
As Earth passes through one of those trails, meteoroids from the stream are swept up by the planet's atmosphere, where they streak across the night sky as 'meteors'.
Since each comet or asteroid follows its own distinct orbital path around the Sun, we cross each of their meteoroid trails at different times of the year. The resulting meteor showers also show up at different points in our sky, known as the 'radiant', with each shower named for the constellation its radiant is closest to.
Every spring, after a three and a half month long 'meteor shower drought', we get two different sets of meteors lighting up the sky — the first in late April, and the second in early May.
Lyrid meteor shower
The Lyrid meteor shower is active throughout the second half of April. Starting on the 14th, Earth begins its trek across the stream of debris left behind by long period comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher.
As we reach the most concentrated part of the stream, this causes the meteor shower to reach its peak around April 21-22, when it produces the greatest number of meteors. We then exit the stream, ending the Lyrids, by April 30.
The radiant of the Lyrid meteor shower in the eastern sky on the night of April 21-22. Credit: Stellarium/Scott Sutherland
The timing of the Lyrids peak, with respect to the phases of the Moon, is fairly good this year. On the night of the peak, the meteor shower radiant rises at around 9:30 p.m., and a Waning Crescent Moon will appear above the horizon around 4 in the morning. That leaves most of the night with a dark, moonless sky, and even the light of the Crescent Moon shouldn't spoil the show.
This is good news, because the Lyrids typically produce about 20 meteors per hour during their peak, so we can use all the help we can get to spot as many of them as possible.
One exceptional thing about this meteor shower is that the meteoroid debris from Comet Thatcher hits the top of Earth's atmosphere at exceptionally fast speeds, around 100,000 km/h. Thus, anything larger than a grain of dust in the stream tends to produce a bright fireball that can easily be spotted, even during a Full Moon!
eta Aquariid meteor shower
Every year, from around April 19 through May 28, Earth makes the first of two passes through the stream of ice and dust left behind by Halley's Comet. The comet swings through the inner solar system once every 76 years or so, and isn't due to return to our skies until 2061. However, every year we get the eta Aquariids in spring, and the Orionids in fall, to remind us that the comet is out there.
Meteors from the eta Aquariids appear to originate from the constellation Aquarius, and since Earth is passing through the 'outbound' part of Halley's orbit at this time, we only see these meteors show up for a few hours just before dawn.
The radiant of the eta Aquariid meteor shower in the predawn hours of May 6, 2025. Credit: Stellarium/Scott Sutherland
The best time to see the eta Aquariids is during the peak, on the night of May 5-6. The meteor shower's radiant will rise just above the eastern horizon a little after 3 a.m. local time. At that time, the Moon — one night past its First Quarter phase — will be setting along the western horizon. That will leave the rest of the night dark for meteor viewing.
The eta Aquariids typically produce around 50 meteors per hour, with the average observer spotting about half that number.
While this meteor shower isn't known for its fireballs, they do produce a different, fascinating phenomenon.
As Comet Halley meteoroids streak through the air at 240,000 km/h, we see the typical meteor flashes. However, after some meteors wink out, a glowing trail can be left behind in their wake, for minutes or even hours. These are known as persistent trains.
Four frames taken from a persistent train video, shot on October 21, 2022, show the initial Orionid meteor flash, and three views of the persistent train that developed in its wake. Credit: Brenda Tate/Tim Doucette/UGC
READ MORE: How to get the most out of meteor showers and other night sky events
Solstice
On June 20, the Sun will reach its highest point in our sky for the year, marking the exact moment of the summer solstice, and ushering in astronomical summer for Canada and the rest of the northern hemisphere.
The exact timing of the summer solstice is:
12:12 a.m. (June 21) NDT,
11:42 p.m. ADT,
10:42 p.m. EDT,
9:42 p.m. CDT,
8:42 p.m. MDT/CST, and
7:42 p.m. PDT.
June 20 is also the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere for 2025.
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(Thumbnail image combines a picture of the June 10, 2021 solar eclipse, taken from Burlington, ON, by Dave Rocco, and a Perseid meteor captured on August 14, 2023, by Nelson Liu from Ottawa, ON. Both images were uploaded to The Weather Network's User-Generated Content (UGC) gallery.)