The skies are blazing with astronomical events and supermoons this year! We're in for a treat: the Lyrids Meteor Shower is happening from 22 - 23 April 2025! Here are the perfect viewing tips and more about upcoming astronomical events.
Who can resist the allure of a supermoon? The Moon, Earth’s best celestial bestie, sure knows how to steal the spotlight and leave us all starry-eyed. Our fascination with this luminous neighbour has been around for ages — its magic so enchanted ancient cultures that they wove it into their folklore. But it’s not just the moon wowing us lately. From meteors to comets and planets, the cosmos has been putting on a show, and we’re here for all the cosmic magic!
And guess what? You and the little ones are in for a cosmic treat in Singapore in 2025!
Upcoming space sighting on 22-23 April 2025: Lyrids Meteor Shower, visible from Singapore
The Lyrids Meteor Shower is one of the oldest known meteor showers (sightings date back to 687 BC in China!) and it’s set to occur once again. The Lyrids light up the night sky every year as Earth runs into the meteor debris trail on the third week of every April.
If the weather permits, stargazers can expect to see up to 20 meteors per hour streaking across the night sky when the meteor shower peaks between 22 to 23 April, exactly a year after its last occurence!
But first, what are meteor showers all about? A meteor shower is a celestial event in which many meteors are observed to radiate or originate from one point in the night sky. These meteors are caused by streams of cosmic debris called meteoroids entering Earth’s atmosphere at extremely high speeds on parallel trajectories, resulting in celestial displays streaking across the skies.
How to view the Lyrids Meteor Shower from Singapore
No fancy gadgets are needed — just step outside after 1am. Find a dark spot away from city lights, like parks, beaches, or reservoirs, for the best view. Clear skies are key, so check the weather before heading out!
Supermoons in Singapore 2025
What’s a supermoon?
What makes a moon super? No, it isn’t about sporting a cape and saving the planet! To understand supermoons, we’ve got to go back to the classroom and learn the following:
The moon orbits the Earth in an ellipse, an oval that brings it closer to and farther from Earth as it goes around. The farthest point is the apogee, about 405,500 kilometres from Earth on average. The closest point is called the perigee at about 363,300 kilometres from Earth. Are you still with us?
A supermoon occurs when the full moon appears at the perigee, where the moon is closest to Earth. Hence, we see a slightly larger and brighter full moon.
Look forward to these Supermoons in 2025:
7 October: Harvest Moon
5 November: Beaver Moon
4 December: Cold Moon
Past space sightings
14 March 2025: ‘Blood Moon’ total lunar eclipse
According to NASA, a lunar eclipse occurs when the Sun, Earth, and Moon align so that the Moon passes into Earth’s shadow. In a total lunar eclipse, the entire Moon falls within the darkest part of Earth’s shadow, called the umbra. When the Moon is within the umbra, it appears red-orange – hence the name Blood Moon!
How to view the Blood Moon Total Lunar Eclipse 2025 from Singapore
The Blood Moon total lunar eclipse will occur from 13 March 2025, 8:57pm PDT (14 March, 11:57am Singapore time) until 14 March 2025, 3am PDT (14 March, 6pm Singapore time), which unfortunately means it will not be visible from our side of the world.
We’re sad to miss the 2025 total lunar eclipse as it won’t be visible from Singapore, but you can read more about the phenomenon on NASA‘s website and keep your eyes peeled for a livestream from 13 March 2025!
January 2025: Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus to align in the Planet Parade (and visible from Singapore!)
A “planet parade” is not a scientific term, and is also often referred to as planet alignment. It refers to the phenomenon when four or five bright planets are visible along a line in the sky at the same time from Earth. From now until 20 February 2025, six planets will be visible in the night sky! The six planets are Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus. However, only four of these planets will be visible to the naked eye. Look up when there’s a clear night sky from now until 20 February and try to spot Saturn, Venus, Jupiter and Mars! You would require a telescope to view Neptune and Uranus clearly.
The next “planet parade” is set to occur in January 2036, when Saturn, Uranus, Jupiter, Mars, Neptune and Venus will be visible from East to West in the sky.
13 to 14 December 2024: The Geminid Meteor shower
The Geminid meteor shower, one of the year’s most dazzling celestial shows, peaked between 13 and 14 December 2024. The Geminids are known for their bright, speedy meteors. Unlike most showers, which come from comets, these “shooting stars” come from asteroid 3200 Phaethon. As Earth zips through the debris it left behind, tiny rocks slam into our atmosphere at high speed, creating fiery streaks of light.
Expect up to 120 meteors per hour streaking across Singapore’s night sky, leaving glowing trails behind them!
15 November 2024: Beaver Moon
Catch the moonrise (around 6.45pm) or and spot the Beaver Moon at an optimal viewing height after 7pm for the most dramatic views. When the moon is low on the horizon, it looks extra large and golden! You can spot the supermoon from anywhere in Singapore, but for the best experience, head to an open area with minimal light pollution.
Take a peaceful evening stroll along the East Coast Park beach and watch the moon reflect off the water. Head to the Marina Barrage. Pack a night picnic, bring along a kite, and enjoy a breathtaking moonrise with the iconic skyline as your backdrop. You can also head to Mount Faber and Bedok Reservoir for unobstructed views of the horizon, perfect for moon-gazing.
Clear skies are key, so check the forecast before heading out to ensure you get the best view of the moon.
14 – 20 October 2024: All about Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS)
Keep your eyes on the skies for the next few days because we’re in for a celestial delight! Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS) will traverse the skies from 14 to 20 October 2024. Plus, we’ve got the Hunter Supermoon happening right between that on 17 October.
First things first, what are comets?
Comets are icy space objects made of frozen gases, rocks, and dust from when the solar system was formed around 4.6 billion years ago. They orbit the Sun in long, oval-shaped paths that can take hundreds or thousands of years to complete. Comets look like fuzzy stars in the sky. As they get closer to the Sun, their ice turns into gas, giving them that blurry appearance. They also have two glowing tails — one made of gas and the other of dust — that trail behind as they move.
The Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS) was discovered in 2023 by China’s Tsuchinshan Observatory and the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS). ATLAS is a NASA-funded system that uses telescopes in Hawaii, Chile, and South Africa to scan the sky for asteroids and comets. The comet is getting closer to Earth and will be brightest this month.
It might be visible to the naked eye as it approaches Earth! If the weather is good, you can spot it around 5.30am in early October and after sunset from 14 to 20 October. It’ll be brightest on 14 October.
Activities to do with the kiddos on the night of an astronomical event!
Get your kids excited about the meteor showers and supermoons with some fun activities! It’s an opportunity for them to understand more about the Earth and sleep just a tad later. Here are some ideas to keep them entertained and informed:
1. Make a moon snack
Make moon gazing tasty with this yummy treat from Thingstoshareandremember! It’s simple, and kiddos can get in on the fun. This rice cake snack can be tweaked according to what you have on hand to mimic the moon’s craters and surface.
2. Create some moon craft
As you watch the moon rise in the sky (weather willing), get kiddos to create their very own foil art moon using the following instructions!
3. Read some moon-themed classics
These moon-themed classics are perfect for the occasion
4. Learn some facts about the moon
Teach the kiddos some cool facts about the moon. Check out this article from National Geographic.
Happy skywatching!
This article was originally written by Jay Panicker in 2023 and updated by Syazana Hishamuddin in 2025.
