September is an excellent month for astrophotographers in the Northern Hemisphere. As well as offering warm nights, the hours of darkness even out during the month with the onset of the equinox. That has ramifications for sightings of aurora, which tend to spike late in September and early in October. Add a final chance of the year to image the Milky Way’s core from a dark sky destination, a couple of eclipses and Saturn looking at its best in 2025, and it’s a month full of astro-opportunity.
Whether you’re a deep-sky imager or an astro-landscape photographer, here’s everything you need to know about astrophotography in September 2025.
Sunday, September 7 and Monday, September 8: Total lunar eclipse ‘blood moon’/Full ‘Harvest Moon’
Six months on from a total lunar eclipse seen in North and South America, here’s another, but this time it’s only visible from parts of Europe, Africa and Asia. It’s going to be a major celestial event, with totality lasting a leisurely 82 minutes. During that time, the entire lunar surface will be a glorious reddish color. Sadly for Europeans, the moon will already be in totality as it rises in the east on 7 September, but for the six billion people who can see it in its entirety in a dark (and clear) sky, it should be a lovely sight.
The best places to see it — when the “blood moon” will be highest in the sky — include the Middle East, India, Central Asia, China, Southeast Asia and Australia (where it will be seen in the early hours of 8 September). For those in North America and Europe, look east at moonrise where you are on 7 September for a shot of a non-eclipsed full “Harvest Moon.”
Read: How to photograph a ‘blood moon’ total lunar eclipse
Sunday, September 14 - Wednesday, September 24: Dark sky window
For those in mid-latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, September is when the hours of darkness finally catch up with daylight, meaning astrophotography sessions can begin much earlier in the evening. You’ll also need clear skies, of course, but at least the nights will be moonlight-free for around 10 nights from 14 September’s 50%-illuminated last quarter moon phase through to the crescent moon on 24 September. It’s the perfect period to go aurora-hunting.
Read: The best lenses for astrophotography
Friday, September 19: A crescent moon and zodiacal light
If you’re outside a couple of hours before dawn at this time of year — which you may be on 19 September to capture a super-slim 7% crescent moon close to Venus — look out for a triangular glow of light in the east. This “false dawn,” technically called zodiacal light, is reflected sunlight from interplanetary dust orbiting the sun along the same plane as the planets.
Sunday, September 21: Saturn at opposition
On one date each year, the Earth is between the sun and Saturn, meaning the ringed planet is at its biggest, brightest and best for the entire year. That moment, called opposition, arrives today, with the disk of Saturn 100% visible. Opposition also means Saturn will rise in the east around sunset and set in the west around sunrise. This year, Saturn is in the constellation Pisces.
Read: The best CCD cameras for astrophotography
Sunday, September 21: A sunrise solar eclipse
The final eclipse of the year sees up to 79% of the sun blocked by the moon just a day before the equinox, but few will see it. Visible only from the Southern Hemisphere, die-hard eclipse chasers after an adventure will try for a shot of an eclipsed sunrise from New Zealand, Australia’s Norfolk Island, Fiji and Tonga.
Read: How to photograph a partial solar eclipse
Monday, September 22: Southward equinox and aurora intensifies
It’s not something you can photograph per se, but 22 September’s equinox (at 18:19 UTC/2:19 p.m. EDT) — which sees the sun retreat from the Northern Hemisphere, triggering the new season of autumn — is something every astrophotographer should know about. Not least because it’s in the two weeks following the equinox that displays of aurora tend to intensify. The product of Earth’s axis being side-on to the sun, allowing the solar wind to interact more easily with Earth’s magnetic field, the period is this year complicated by the fact that the moon is getting brighter just as the aurora hopefully will, too. However, if you’re planning to head up to the Arctic Circle, don’t let the moon put you off — its brightness does affect visibility, but only for faint aurora. Besides, moonlight lights up landscapes, arguably making aurora photography a lot more interesting.
Shot of the month: Saturn’s rings opening up
Although Saturn’s opposition occurs on September 21, practically speaking, it lasts all month, with any attempt to image it this month guaranteed to herald the best results of the year. This year, there’s an opportunity to begin a long-term project documenting its fabulous rings. Back in March 2025, Saturn’s rings disappeared from view, as seen from Earth, as a consequence of the planet’s 26.7-degree tilt with respect to its orbit around the sun. Saturn has seasons, and as seen from Earth, its tilt means its rings appear to open and close over about seven years.
After years of closing, 2025 sees them finally begin to open up. It’s not going to be a particularly interesting view this year because the rings are still pretty much side-on, but if you image Saturn this year and during its opposition every year through 2032, you’ll have a unique mosaic.
You’ll need to act quickly, however, because NASA says Saturn’s rings will be gone within 100 million years.
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