the-cool-space-nerd

[the-cool-space-nerd]

1/1/2024

Hey guys! I know it’s been a while, life has just been kind of crazy recently. Below, I have put together a list of all the astronomical events to look forward to this year. Enjoy!

January 3: Earth at perihelion

January 3-4: Quadrantids Meteor Shower Peak

January 11: New Moon

January 12: Mercury at greatest western elongation

January 25: Full Moon

February 9: New Moon

February 24: Full Moon

March 10: New Moon

March 20: March Equinox

March 22: Possible viewing of Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks

March 24: Mercury at greatest eastern elongation

March 25: Full Moon, Penumbral Lunar Eclipse

April 8: New Moon, Total Solar Eclipse

April 21-23: Lyrids Meteor Shower Peak

April 23: Full Moon

May 4-5: Moon Earthshine Mornings

May 6-7: Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower Peak

May 8: New Moon

May 9: Mercury at greatest western elongation

May 11-12: Moon Earthshine Nights

May 23: Full Moon

June 6: New Moon

June 20: June Solstice

June 22: Full Moon

July 5: New Moon, Earth at aphelion

July 21: Full Moon

July 22: Mercury at greatest eastern elongation

July 28-29: Delta Aquarids Meteor Shower Peak

August 4: New Moon

August 12-13: Perseids Meteor Shower Peak

August 14: Conjuction of Mars and Jupiter

August 19: Full Moon

August 21: Lunar Occulation of Saturn

August 28: Possible views of Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS

September 3: New Moon

September 5: Mercury at greatest western elongation

September 8: Saturn at opposition

September 18: Full Moon, Supermoon, Partial Lunar Eclipse

September 20: Neptune at opposition

September 22: September Equinox

October 2: New Moon, Annular Solar Eclipse, Micromoon

October 7-9: Draconids Meteor Shower Peak

October 17: Full Moon, Supermoon

October 20-22: Orionids Meteor Shower Peak

November 1: New Moon

November 4-5: Taurids Meteor Shower Peak

November 15: Full Moon

November 16: Mercury at greatest eastern elongation

November 17-18: Leonid Meteor Shower Peak

December 1: New Moon

December 7: Jupiter at opposition

December 14-15: Geminid Meteor Shower Peak

December 15: Full Moon

December 21: December Solstice

December 22-23: Ursid Meteor Shower Peak

December 25: Mercury at greatest western elongation

December 30: New Moon

***Please let me know if there are any mistakes I need to correct. This list was compiled using multiple websites, so some dates may be a day or two off. I also tried to keep this list inclusive to both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres***

Image credit: @cora.a.harris on Instagram

[the-cool-space-nerd]

8/1/2023

Tonight, the Moon once again enters its full moon phase!

Tonight’s Full Moon is known as the Sturgeon Moon. Now, why is it called the Sturgeon Moon? According to the Farmer’s Almanac, the giant sturgeon fish of the Great Lakes were most readily caught during this part of the summer, giving the early August phase its name.

This Moon phase has many other names as well, such as the Flying Up Moon (Cree), Corn Moon (Algonquin), Harvest Moon (Dakota), Ricing Moon (Anishinaabe), Black Cherries Moon (Assiniboine), and the Mountain Shadows Moon (Tlingit). Most of these names refer to the harvest times of a certain crop, or to local natural events that occurred during early August.

Specific Meanings:

Flying Up Moon - Birds were learning to fly

Mountain Shadows Moon - Time for wet season in the Pacific Northwest

Corn Moon - Time to gather corn crops

Harvest Moon - Time to harvest crops

Black Cherries Moon - Time to pick chokecherries

Ricing Moon - Time to harvest crops

That’s all for today! Keep an eye out for this month’s next Full Moon phase on August 30th.

[the-cool-space-nerd]

7/3/2023

Today the Moon entered its Full Moon phase! According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, today’s Full Moon is referred to as the Buck Moon. Why? Because the antlers of male deer (bucks) are going through their growing period during July!

There are several indigenous names for the July Full Moon phase as well, including the Feather Molting Moon (Cree), the Salmon Moon (Tlingit), the Berry Moon (Anishinaabe), Raspberry Moon (Algonquin, Ojibwe), and the Thunder Moon (Western Abenaki). These names refer to natural events that take place during the month of July, such as stormy weather, berry growing seasons, and fish migration patterns.

Today’s Full Moon also happens to be a Supermoon, meaning that the Moon appears to be larger and brighter in the night sky than normal. This phenomenon is due to the Moon’s elliptical orbit around Earth; When there is a Supermoon, the Moon is at its closest point to Earth in its orbit.

Happy stargazing y’all, and keep an eye out on July 9th for when the Moon enters its Last Quarter phase!

Image credit link: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wkyt.com/2023/06/30/first-supermoon-year-hits-skies-next-week/%3foutputType=amp