Sky Watching Event Guide 2015

 Here are some of the most noteworthy sky watching events coming up this year. Don't miss it!

All of events and dates used here were obtained from the U.S. Naval Observatory, the NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, and The Old Farmer's Almanac.

January 3, 4 - Quadrantids Meteor Shower. The Quadrantids is an above average shower, with up to 40 meteors per hour at its peak. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Bootes, but can appear anywhere in the sky.

February 22 - Conjunction of Venus and Mars. Conjunctions are rare events where two or more objects will appear extremely close together in the night sky. The two bright planets will be visible within only half a degree of each other in the evening sky. Look to the west just after sunset.

March 20 - Total Eclipse of the Sun. Dark shadow of the moon will trace a curved path primarily over the North Atlantic and Arctic oceans, beginning off the southern tip of Greenland and then winding its way counterclockwise to the northeast passing between Iceland and the United Kingdom.

April 4 - Total Eclipse of the Moon. This lunar eclipse is unusual because the entire disk of the moon will just barely squeeze inside the umbra (the dark shadow of the Earth) making for a mere 9 minutes of totality (the shortest duration since Oct. 13, 1856). To see this eclipse well you will need to be positioned in a city along the edge of the Pacific Ocean. Across much of the United States and Canada, this eclipse will coincide with moon set; the farther west you go the more of this eclipse you will see. In the Atlantic, perhaps the faint smudge of the penumbral shadow will be visible before moon set. In the Eastern time zone, the darker umbral shadow will create the appearance of a "bite" on the moon’s upper left edge.

May 5, 6 - Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower. The Eta Aquarids is an above average shower, capable of producing up to 60 meteors per hour at its peak. It is produced by dust particles left behind by comet Halley, which has known and observed since ancient times. The nearly full moon will be a big problem this year blocking out all but the brightest meteors. If you are patient, you should still be able to catch a few good ones. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Aquarius, but can appear anywhere in the sky.

June 30 - A Brilliant Double Planet. Shortly after sunset, in the west-southwest sky, two bright planets, Venus and Jupiter, will be strikingly close together. They will appear to be only about half the apparent width of the moon in Earth's sky, potentially making for a very eye-catching sight.

July 28, 29 - Delta Aquarids Meteor Shower. The Delta Aquarids is an average shower that can produce up to 20 meteors per hour at its peak. The nearly full moon will block out all but the brightest meteors this year. But if you are patient, you should still be able to catch a quite few good ones. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Aquarius, but can appear anywhere in the sky.

August 12 - Perseid Meteor Shower. The Perseid meteor shower is usually considered to be among the best of the annual meteor displays thanks to its high rates. Lucky observers can sometimes see up to 90 meteors an hour during the shower.

September 28 - Total Lunar Eclipse. A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes completely through the Earth's dark shadow, or umbra. During this type of eclipse, the Moon will gradually get darker and then take on a rusty or blood red color. The eclipse will be visible throughout most of North and South America, Europe, Africa, and western Asia.

October 28 - Conjunction of Venus, Mars, and Jupiter. Conjunctions are rare events where two or more objects will appear extremely close together in the night sky. The three planets will form a tight 1-degree triangle in the early morning sky. Look to the east just before sunrise.

November 5, 6 - Taurids Meteor Shower. The Taurids is a long-running minor meteor shower producing only about 5-10 meteors per hour. The second quarter moon will block out all but the brightest meteors this year. If you are patient, you may still be able to catch a few good ones. Best viewing will be just after midnight from a dark location far away from city lights. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Taurus, but can appear anywhere in the sky.

December 13,14 - Geminids Meteor Shower. If there is one meteor display guaranteed to put on a very entertaining show it is the Geminids. The moon will be a narrow crescent and will set early in the evening, leaving the sky dark all through the rest of the night – perfect conditions for watching shooting stars. This will be your chance to see an average of as many as two meteor sightings every minute, or 120 per hour!