Jupiter, moon, Pollux to align on October 13: How to watch
Heads up, skywatchers!
On the night of October 13, 2025, you can catch a striking sight as the moon, just past its last quarter phase, appears close to bright Jupiter in Gemini, near the star Pollux.
Even though they'll look side by side, the moon is about 378195km from Earth and Jupiter is a whopping 477 million miles away.
Where and how to watch
Look east-northeast just before midnight—Jupiter rises around 11:30pm and climbs higher by 2:30am for prime viewing.
No fancy gear needed; both will be easy to spot with your eyes or binoculars.
If you have a small telescope, you'll even see Jupiter's four biggest moons lined up next to it.
Mark your calendars for next year
If this gets you hooked, there's an even rarer treat coming up on October 6, 2026—a crescent moon will actually cover (or "occult") Jupiter for parts of North America.
That kind of cosmic hide-and-seek hasn't happened since 2004!