January 27 - Saturn at Opposition. The ringed planet will be at its closest approach to Earth. This is the best time to view and photograph Saturn and its moons.

April 22 - Lyrids Meteor Shower. The Lyrids are an average shower, usually producing about 20 meteors per hour at their peak. The shower will peak this year on April 22, although some meteors will be visible from April 16 - 25. The near-quarter moon will hide many of the faint meteors this year. Look for meteors radiating from the constellation of Lyra after midnight.

May 5 - Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower. The Eta Aquarids are a light shower, usually producing about 10 meteors per hour at their peak. The shower will peak this year on May 5, however some meteors can be seen from April 21 - May 12. Viewing should be good this year with the first quarter moon setting shortly after midnight.The radiant point for this shower will be in the constellation of Aquarius. Best viewing is usually to the east after midnight.

July 28, 29 - Southern Delta Aquarids Meteor Shower. The Delta Aquarids usually produce about 20 meteors per hour at their peak. The shower will peak this year on July 28, but meteors can be visible from July 18 - August 18. The thin crescent moon will set early, leaving a dark sky for observing even the faintest meteors. The radiant point for this shower will be in the constellation of Aquarius. Best viewing is usually to the east after midnight.

August 10 - Neptune at Opposition. The blue planet will be at its closest approach to Earth. This is the best time to view Neptune, although it will only appear as a tiny blue dot in all but the most powerful telescopes.

August 12 - Perseids Meteor Shower. The Perseids is one of the best meteor showers to observe, producing up to 60 meteors per hour at their peak. The shower will peak this year on August 12, but you should be able to see some meteors from July 23 - August 22. The nearly-full moon will be a problem this year hiding all but the brightest meteors. The radiant point for this shower will be in the constellation of Perseus. Look to the northeast.

September 5 - Uranus at Opposition. The blue-green planet will be at its closest approach to Earth. This is the best time to view Uranus, although it will only appear as a tiny blue-green dot in all but the most powerful telescopes.

October 21, 22 - Orionids Meteor Shower. The Orionids is an average shower producing about 20 meteors per hour at their peak. The shower will peak on the 21st, but some meteors can be seen from October 15 - 29. This is a great year for the Orionids. The new moon means the darkest possible sky. Those in dark locations will be able to see even the faintest meteors. Best viewing will be to the east after midnight.

November 8 - Transit of Mercury Across the Sun. This rare event will be fully visible only in the Pacific Ocean regions, but observers in North & South America, Australia, and eastern Asia should be able to see at least a partial transit at sunrise or sunset. The planet will appear as a tiny black moving slowly across the disc of the Sun. The transit will take about 5 hours to complete and will require a telescope with a full-aperture solar filter for viewing. (HM Nautical Almanac Office Transit Map)

November 17 - Leonid Meteor Shower. The Leonids is one of the better meteor showers to observe, producing an average of 40 meteors per hour at their peak. The shower itself has a cyclic peak year every 33 years where hundreds of meteors can be seen each hour. The last of these showers occurred in 2001. The shower peaks this year on November 17, but you can see some meteors from November 13 - 20. The nearly-new moon should not be a problem this year for the Leonids. Even the faintest meteors should be visible this year. Look for the shower radiating from the constellation Leo after midnight.

December 14 - Geminids Meteor Shower. Considered by many to be the best meteor shower in the heavens, the Geminids are known for producing up to 60 multicolored meteors per hour at their peak. The peak night this year is December 14. Some meteors should be visible from December 6 - 19. The first quarter moon should set shortly after midnight, leaving a dark sky for observing even the faintest meteors. The radiant point for this shower will be in the constellation of Gemini. Best viewing is usually to the east after midnight.