This weekend there's plenty to see in the night sky, from the Sturgeon Moon rising to one of the best meteor showers of the year, and some of the brightest planets.
If you can manage it, that means you should be able to see a beautiful, bright full Moon, shooting stars and Solar System worlds, all within the space of 48 hours.
But in stargazing, things are not always that simple.
Let's take a look at the three big celestial highlights coming up this weekend, where and when you need to look, and just how visible they'll be.
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Sturgeon Moon
We'll start with the so-called Sturgeon Moon, as it's the biggest, brightest and easiest celestial event to see this weekend.
The Sturgeon Moon is the name given to the August full Moon, the 8th full Moon of the year.
Why is it called a Sturgeon Moon? It's simply because August is historically the time when sturgeon were plentiful in the Great Lakes of North America.
Each full Moon of the year has a nickname that marks changes and events in nature during the month in question.
That's why February's full Moon is called the Snow Moon (because it's cold), or June's full Moon is called the Strawberry Moon (because strawberries ripen in June).
The Sturgeon Moon will be visible at roughly the same time and same location on both Saturday and Sunday evening.
It will rise on 9 and 10 August in the southeast between 8pm and 9pm, depending on your location.
As it's the weekend, you may be able to sit up a bit later than usual and track it across the sky.
The Sturgeon Moon will be visible in the south around midnight, then will disappear below the southwest horizon just before dawn.
You'll need a clear southern horizon to see it rise and set. If you do, does the Moon look particularly huge when it's close to the horizon?
This is a well-known optical effect called the Moon illusion, and something to look out for when observing a full Moon.
For more info, read our guide on the best ways to enjoy the 2025 Sturgeon Moon.
Meteor showers
There are currently two meteor showers active that are – normally, at least – well worth any stargazer's attention.
They are the Southern Delta Aquariid meteor shower and the Perseid meteor shower.
You may have heard of the Perseids before, but not necessarily the Southern Delta Aquariids.
The Perseids are generally more active than the Southern Delta Aquariids, meaning you're more likely to see a Perseid.
What's more, the Perseid meteor shower is approaching peak activity on the night of 12 August, into the early hours of 13 August.
The Southern Delta Aquariid meteor shower reached its peak on 29/30 July, but is still active.
All of that should mean this weekend is the perfect time to see a shooting star. But this year there's a slight catch.
The visibility of meteor showers is largely dependent on the Moon, as a big, bright full Moon will reduce the amount of faint meteors that are visible in the sky.
Some years, the Moon is out of the way during the peak of the Perseids; some years it's big and bright during the peak.
In 2025, the latter is the case. That Sturgeon Moon will be rising just around sunset, climbing high in the sky and not setting until sunrise.
That will diminish the amount of meteors you can see this weekend, but it doesn't mean you won't see any.
If you want to catch a shooting star when the Moon is full and bright, try and position yourself so the Moon is hidden behind a tall building, for example, in order to reduce the effect of its brightness.
For more info, read our top tips for observing the Perseid meteor shower 2025.
And if you want to photograph it but are worried about that lunar glare spoiling your shots, read our guide to photographing the Perseid meteor shower 2025.
The planets
Remember at the start of 2025 when we had an amazing planet parade visible in the sky?
From mid-August onwards, the planets are back, with up to 6 Solar System worlds visible in the sky at the same time.
That's Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.
The Moon will join in, too, making for a 7-body parade visible around 18/19 August and onwards.
Again, there's something of a catch because, this time, the planet parade is visible in the early hours before sunrise, rather than just after sunset (as was the case in February).
For the August planet parade, that means getting to your observing location for around 3am, which admittedly doesn't sound like the most appealing prospect!
But what about this weekend? What planets are visible over the coming days?
Venus and Jupiter are the ones to really look out for. They're currently very close together in the morning sky.
This weekend, you can see them rise in the northeast from around 3am onwards, with exact timings varying depending on your location.
They'll climb higher in the sky before being swallowed by light from the rising Sun.
Care must be taken not to catch a glimpse of the rising Sun when you're observing Venus and Jupiter so close to sunrise.
Looking at the Sun without proper solar observing equipment could damage your eyesight, so be sure to stop looking once the Sun begins to rise above the horizon.
Next week, on 12 August, Venus and Jupiter will be so close together, they'll appear like a double star in the morning sky.
If you're able to rise early enough to see them, they should look spectacular.
Uranus is also visible in the sky, rising in the east just after midnight.
A good way of finding it is to first find the Pleiades star cluster, which is easily visible with the naked eye. You'll be able to see Uranus just below it.
For more info, read our guide to observing Uranus in August 2025.
And finally, Saturn and Neptune are also visible in the evening sky, rising in the east at the somewhat more respectable time of about 9.30pm.
They'll climb higher in the sky, reaching the southeast around midnight, then making their way over to the southwest, when they'll be swallowed by the onset of dawn.
Neptune is very close to and just above Saturn in the sky, so once you've located Saturn, get out your binoculars or a telescope and see if you can spot Neptune, the most distant planet in our Solar System.
Again, if you're observing just before sunrise, be sure not to accidentally catch a glimpse of the Sun.
It's shaping up to be an interesting weekend for stargazing indeed, with the big, bright, easy Sturgeon Moon making for a beautiful celestial spectacle.
There will also be those two meteor showers, the Perseids and the Southern Delta Aquariids, providing something of a fun challenge as they fight to be seen over the bright light from the full Moon.
And, if you can get up early enough – or stay up late enough – there are multiple planets visible in the sky too.
If you do head out stargazing this weekend, share your adventures and images with us by emailing contactus@skyatnightmagazine.com
