Do events in the sky portend that something momentous is about to happen on Earth? Of course not. How would that even work? We know that for much of human history, the appearance of a comet or a sudden total solar eclipse was sometimes interpreted as “bad omens” or a sign of bad luck. How about an incoming asteroid or a rare “planet parade” that simultaneously sees all seven planets in the night sky? For those two events to occur — or, at least, come to our attention — so close to each other may, to the superstitious, seem unlikely and unfortunate. They are, of course, harmless, but they are but two of several sky events in 2025 that could be considered by our ancestors as bad omens.
‘Fire In The Sky’ Auroras
With the sun at solar maximum this year, expect more displays of the northern lights at more southerly latitudes, which is normal. While green aurora typically hang out around the Arctic and Antarctic circles, big magnetic storms can push it further south. However, when aurora are seen in the south, they typically appear red. That’s because red aurora appears at high altitudes, which are more easily seen from the south. There was a reported aurora sighting in Italy over a year before Julius Caesar's assassination in 44 BCE, which was retrospectively interpreted as an omen foretelling the leader’s death.
The totally eclipsed noon of November 8, 2022. (Photo by: Alan Dyer/VW Pics/Universal Images Group ... [+] via Getty Images)VW Pics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Two ‘Blood Moon’ Eclipses
On March 13/14 and again on Sept. 7/8, 2025, a total lunar eclipse will be seen, first from the Americas, then from Asia. The lunar surface will turn a spooky reddish color during the event for 65 minutes. It’s natural, predictable, and occurs frequently, but they’re associated with chaos, disruption and change. For example, the death of kings in Mesopotamia was often foretold by an eclipse, with research revealing that 4,000-year-old tablets contain predictions of eclipses interpreted as signals of the end of dynasties.
We now know that ‘blood moons’ are not particularly important, astronomically speaking, but they remain striking events.
Corona Borealis, including the location of T CrB. (Photo by: Alan Dyer/VWPics/Universal Images Group ... [+] via Getty Images)VWPics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
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A Sudden ‘Guest Star’
Sometime this year — nobody knows when — a star will appear from nowhere. A dim star in the small constellation Corona Borealis, T CrB, will “go nova” and partially explode, becoming visible in the night sky for about two weeks before dimming again. Astronomers predicted it would brighten between April and September 2024, but it’s until 2026 before astronomers begin to worry. It happens roughly every 80 years, with observations of it happening in 1946 and 1866. Also called the “Blaze Star,” it’s 3,000 light-years distant, so it exploded 3,000 years ago — we’re just waiting to see its light.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.