Happy First Day of Summer! The Summer Solstice, a “Quarter Day” of the Earth’s revolution around the sun. Today, the Sun is at its maximum distance away from the Celestial Equator – making it appear at its highest position in the sky all year. Click here to Learn More!
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Moon Phases & Astronomy for June 2022
Happy June and the “unofficial” start of Summer! Memorial Day is winding down and we’re all looking forward to warmer weather this summer – Starting with the Summer Solstice on June 21st! Learn more about June 2022’s Meteor Showers and More!
May 2022 Moon Phases, Meteor Showers, Eclipses, and More!
Happy May Day 2022! May is an exciting month in the skies – and a great time to get outdoors in the warm weather! On May 16th a Total Lunar Eclipse will be visible in the Americas, Eastern Europe, and most of Africa. The η-Aquariid Meteor Shower peaks on May 6th, showcasing debris from Halley’s Comet. Mars and Jupiter are both in Geocentric Conjunction with the Moon on May 24th. Click here for a Lunar Eclipse timeline, map, and more!
April 2022 Moon Phases & More
April, the first full month of Spring 2022, is here – bringing with it green plants and crocus flowers up here in the northern US. We have five moon phases in April in the Eastern Time Zones – including two New Moons, or a Black Moon. Two meteor showers will be visible this month as well, the Lyrid and π-Puppid later this month. April culminates with a Partial Solar Eclipse, the Sun being occulted by the Black Moon. Click here to learn more!
Happy Spring 2022!
Happy First Day of Spring! or Vernal Equinox, a “Quarter Day” of the Earth’s revolution around the sun. The day and night cycle is close to equal – about 12 hours and 10 minutes of sunlight here in Western Pennsylvania today. Today is halfway between the [approximately] longest day of the year in June and the shortest day in December. Flora and fauna are waking from their winter dormancy.
March 2022 Moon Phases, Equinox, and More
Beware the Ides of March! March 2022 finally brings us to Spring here in the Northern Hemisphere. We have one meteor shower, but many conjunctions! March will be a great month for astrophotography. Keep reading to learn about March’s Moon Phases, Meteor Showers, a solar conjunction, five geocentric conjunctions, and four lunar conjunctions!
February 2022 Moon Phases & More
February 2022 is more quiet than other months, but there are a handful of very valuable astrophotography opportunities this month! The last week of February, as the moon wanes and gets closer to its new phase, four planets will be in conjunction, two on the 27th and two on the 28th.
January 2022 Moon Phases and Astronomy
Happy New Years and welcome to 2022! Days are beginning to get longer, and Moon’s cycle restarts almost in line with the new year. The Earth will be at its closest point to the Sun, despite how cold winter weather usually is. The Quandrantid Meteor Shower will give a spectacular show with over 120 meteors per hour. The upcoming cold nights makes January one of the best months for viewing constellations. Click here to learn about the Winter Triangle Asterism, the Quandrantid Meteor Shower, January 2022 Moon Phases, and more!
Happy Winter Solstice 2021!
t’s the first day of winter 2021 in the Northern Hemisphere! The full moon wanes as the Ursids meteor shower rises to its peak tomorrow. Tonight is the longest night of the year, lasting a total of 14 hours and 46 minutes of nighttime where I live in Western Pennsylvania. If you lived in the Arctic Circle, the Sun would never rise today! Sounds like a great night to relax with friends and watch some meteors.
December 2021 Moon Phases, Solar Eclipse, and More!
There is so much astronomy going on in December 2021 that I had to rearrange my graphics to fit everything! December 4th is a Total Solar Eclipse, followed by nine Meteor Showers! Then winter starts properly in the Northern Hemisphere on the Winter Solstice December 21st. Don’t forget to mark the Moon Phases in your calendar!