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January 4 - Quadrantids Meteor Shower. The Quadrantids are an above average shower, with up to 40 meteors per hour at their peak. The shower will peak this year on the morning of January 4, but some meteors can be visible from January 1 - 5. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight on the morning of the 4th. Look for meteors radiating from the constellation Bootes. The waning crescent moon this year means the shy will be dark enough to see even the faintest meteors.
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January 8 -New Moon
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January 22 - Full Moon
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February 1 - Conjunction of Venus and Jupiter. The planets Venus and Jupiter will appear only 0.6 degrees apart in the early morning sky.
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February 7 - New Moon
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February 7 - Annular Solar Eclipse. The path of annularity will only be visible over some parts of Antarctica. A partial eclipse will be visible throughout New Zealand and some parts of eastern Australia. (NASA Map and Eclipse Information | NASA Eclipse Animation)
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February 21 - Full Moon
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February 24 - 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.
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February 21 - Total Lunar Eclipse. The eclipse will be visible throughout most of the Americas, Africa, and Europe. (NASA Eclipse Information)
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March 7 - New Moon
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March 20 - The Vernal Equinox occurs in the northern hemisphere at 05:48 UT. There will be equal amounts of day and night. This is also the first day of spring.
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March 21 - Full Moon
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April 6 - New Moon
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April 20 - Full Moon
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April 21, 22 - Lyrids Meteor Shower. The Lyrids are an average shower, usually producing about 20 meteors per hour at their peak. These meteors can produce bright dust trails that last for several seconds. The shower will peak this year on the night of April 21 & 22, although some meteors are usually visible from April 16 - 25. This year, a nearly full moon means that only the brightest meteors will be visible even at dark locations. If you do decide to give it a try, look for meteors radiating from the constellation of Lyra after midnight.
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May 5 - New Moon
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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's peak will occur on May 5, however viewing should be good on any morning from May 4 - 7. This year, a new moon means ideal viewing conditions. The dark skies will reveal even the faintest meteors. The radiant point for this shower will be in the constellation Aquarius. Best viewing is usually to the east after midnight.
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May 20 - Full Moon
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June 3 - New Moon
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June 18 - Full Moon
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June 20 - The Summer Solstice occurs in the northern hemisphere at 23:59 UT. The Sun is at its highest point in the sky and it will be the longest day of the year. This is also the first day of summer.
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July 3 - New Moon
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July 9 - Jupiter at Opposition. The giant planet will be at its closest approach to Earth. This is the best time to view and photograph Jupiter and its moons.
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July 18 - Full Moon
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July 28 - 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 the night of July 28, but meteors can be visible from July 18 - August 18. The waning crescent moon should provide relatively dark skies and good viewing conditions. The radiant point for this shower will be in the constellation Aquarius. Best viewing is usually to the east after midnight.
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August 1 - New Moon
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August 1 - Total Solar Eclipse. The path of totality will begin in northern Canada and move east and south through northern Greenland, Siberia, Mongolia, and central China. A partial eclipse will be visible throughout most of Greenland, Europe, And Asia. (NASA Map and Eclipse Information | NASA Eclipse Animation)
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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. This year's peak occurs on the morning of August 12, but you may be able to see some meteors any time from July 23 - August 22. The waxing gibbous moon will provide some interference in the evening, but after it sets, the morning hours should provide some spectacular viewing opportunities. The radiant point for this shower will be in the constellation Perseus. Look to the northeast after midnight.
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August 15 - 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.
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August 16 - Full Moon
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August 16 - Partial Lunar Eclipse. The eclipse will be visible throughout most of South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. (NASA Eclipse Information)
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August 30 - New Moon
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September 13 - 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.
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September 15 - Full Moon
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September 22 - The Autumnal Equinox occurs in the northern hemisphere at 15:44 UT. There will be equal amounts of day and night. This is also the first day of fall.
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September 29 - New Moon
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October 14 - Full Moon
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October 21 - Orionids Meteor Shower. The Orionids is an average shower producing about 20 meteors per hour at their peak. This shower usually peaks on the 21st, but it is highly irregular. A good show could be experienced on any morning from October 20 – 24, and some meteors may be seen any time from October 17 - 25. This year, the last quarter moon be a problem for faint meteors, but the brightest ones should still be visible from a dark location. Best viewing will be to the east after midnight.
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October 28 - New Moon
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November 13 - Full Moon
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November 17, 18 - Leonids 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 occurred in 2001. The shower peaks this year on the morning of November 17, but you can usually see some meteors from November 13 - 20. A waxing gibbous moon will be a problem, so only the brighter meteors will be visible. Look for the shower radiating from the constellation Leo after midnight.
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November 27 - New Moon
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December 1 - Conjunction of Moon, Venus, and Jupiter. The crescent moon, Venus, and Jupiter will form a 3-degree triangle in the evening sky.
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December 12 - Full Moon
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December 13, 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 of the shower is on the morning of December 13, although some meteors should be visible from December 6 - 19. Unfortunately, the full moon will block out all but the brightest meteors this year, even in dark locations. The radiant point for this shower will be in the constellation Gemini. Best viewing is usually to the east after midnight.
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December 21 - The Winter Solstice occurs in the northern hemisphere at 12:04 UT. The Sun is at its lowest point in the sky and it will be the shortest day of the year. This is also the first day of winter.
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December 27 - New Moon
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