Yes, you can see the Milky Way

Coming up in 2017 Celestial Events

From the Moon, Asteroids, and Planets to countless deep space objects, you can discover something new in the night sky just about every night of the year within the vast expansion of the Universe.
As the Earth makes its annual orbit around the Sun, we get the opportunity to view special celestial events like meteor showers, conjunctions, and eclipses. Some last just a few hours while others can last several days or weeks, but once they’re here, time is of the essence! So mark your calendar, grab your telescope, and take a look at some of 2017’s unforgettable events.

January 3, 4 – Quadrantids Meteor Shower

– The first major meteor shower of the year, the Quadrantids, will peak on the night of January 3 and early morning hours of January 4.

Jan 4 – Earth at Perihelion

– At 15:17 (3:17 pm) UTC on January 4, 2017, Earth will be at perihelion: the closest point to the Sun in its yearly orbit. The opposite happens in July when Earth is at aphelion.

Feb 10/11 – Penumbral Lunar Eclipse

– A penumbral lunar eclipse is hard to see with the naked eye and is often mistaken for an ordinary Full Moon. The eclipse will be visible from Europe, most of Asia, Africa, and most of North America.

Feb 26 – Annular Solar Eclipse

– The typical ring of fire of an annular solar eclipse will be visible in a narrow belt stretching from southern and western Africa, much of South America, the Pacific, the Atlantic, the Indian Ocean, and Antarctica. In surrounding areas, a partial solar eclipse will be visible.

March 20 – March Equinox

– The March equinox is the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and the start of fall in the Southern Hemisphere by astronomical season definitions.

April 22/23 – Lyrid Meteor Shower

– The Lyrid meteor shower is expected to peak between April 22 and 23, 2017. A Waning Crescent Moon will make it dark enough to see the shooting stars, as long as the weather is good.

May 5/6 – Eta Aquarid Meteors

– The best time to see shooting stars from the Eta Aquarid meteor shower is in the early morning, just before dawn, on May 5 and 6, 2017.

June 9 – Micromoon

– The Full Moon is at apogee, the farthest point from Earth, making June’s Strawberry Moon a Micromoon. This Full Moon looks around 12 to 14% smaller than its counterpart, the Supermoon.

June 21 – June Solstice

– This solstice is the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, where it is the longest day of the year. In the Southern Hemisphere, it’s the winter solstice and the shortest day of the year.

July 3 – Earth at Aphelion

– At 20:11 (8:11 pm) UTC on July 3, 2017, Earth will be at aphelion: the furthest point from the Sun in its yearly orbit. The opposite happens in January when Earth reaches perihelion.

Aug 7/8 – Partial Lunar Eclipse

– The partial lunar eclipse on August 7 to 8, 2017 will be visible from most parts of southern and eastern Asia, Europe, Africa, and Australia.

Aug 12/13 – Perseid Meteors

– The shooting stars of the Perseid meteor shower, are known as the most active and brightest meteor showers of the year.

Aug 21 – The Great American Eclipse

– The total solar eclipse on August 21, 2017, has been nicknamed the Great American Eclipse as it will be visible in a path spanning all across the United States from the East Coast to the West Coast.

Aug 21 – Black Moon

– The New Moon causing the Great American Eclipse is a Black Moon because it is the 3rd New Moon in a season with 4 New Moons. However, like a Blue Moon, there are several definitions.

September 22 – September Equinox

– The September equinox is the first day of fall in the Northern Hemisphere and the start of spring in the Southern Hemisphere by astronomical season definitions.

Oct 8 – Draconid Meteor Shower

– The best time to see the shooting stars of the peaking Draconids is just before nightfall on October 8, 2017.

Oct 20/21 – Orionid Meteors

– The Orionids are visible from October 2 to November 7, but the shower peaks the night between October 20 and 21, 2017.

Nov 17/18 – Leonid Meteor Shower

– The Leonids’ shooting stars will peak on the night of November 17 and early morning of November 18 in 2017.

Dec 3/4 – Supermoon

– The Full Moon on the night between December 3 and 4, 2017, coincides with the Moon’s closest approach to Earth; also called perigee. This makes December’s Cold Moon a Supermoon. A Supermoon looks around 12 to 14% larger than its counterpart, the Micromoon.

Dec 21 – December Solstice

– The December solstice is winter solstice and the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere, it is summer solstice and the longest day of the year.