Experience June’s Spectacular Sky Show: Watch Mars, a Dazzling Star, and the Moon Unite!

This year has been quite a show for Mars! If you’ve been keeping an eye on the Red Planet in 2025, you’ve probably seen its brightness change and watched it interact with the Moon and bright stars.

Mars orbits around the Sun and gets really close to Earth every two years plus about 50 days. The last time it was at opposition was on December 8, 2022. It reached opposition again on January 16, 2025. Just a couple of nights before that, a nearly full Moon passed right in front of Mars, a great sight for many in North America.

Interestingly, Mars is the most Earth-like planet we’ve found so far. This January, Mars came closest to Earth, just 59.7 million miles away. It shone bright, reaching a magnitude of -1.3, which is almost as bright as Sirius, the brightest star in our sky.

However, this year’s visibility has not been the best. Mars has been moving away from Earth since January, gradually dimming. For a couple of months, you could still catch it shining near the stars Pollux and Castor in Gemini.

On May 4, Mars had a lovely close encounter with the Beehive Star Cluster, which looked stunning through binoculars or a telescope. If you’re into stargazing, don’t miss the pairings coming up in late June. Mars will dazzle next to other bright objects in the sky.

One exciting event is on June 17, when Mars will closely align with Regulus, a bright star in Leo. From mid to late June, observers will see them very close together, especially from northern latitudes. Both objects are not overly bright, but they’ll stand out next to each other, offering a beautiful sight against the evening sky.

On June 29, a crescent moon will glide right below Mars, creating another attractive view. While North America won’t see an occultation—where one celestial object passes directly in front of another—you’ll still find Mars close to the Moon, an impressive sight as dusk settles.

As Mars moves further away, it will continue to be visible but will dim. By early November, it will be too faint to catch in the evening twilight, finally disappearing from our view until it reappears later next year.

The 2025 Mars apparition shows how dynamic our night sky can be. It reminds us that while Mars may seem like just a dot most nights, it’s a planet with a rich tapestry of changes—just like all of us here on Earth. So grab your binoculars and enjoy these celestial moments!

For more insights on astronomy and upcoming events, check resources from the Hayden Planetarium.

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