Astronomy Calendar 2021: when you can see full moons, planets, eclipses and meteor showers

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In 2021 there will be full moons, meteor showers, eclipses and planets visible in the morning and night sky around the world.

The Quadrantid meteor shower on January 3 started the first of 12 meteor showers through 2021.

The biggest obstacle to being able to see meteor showers that are only visible from certain hemispheres, apart from your location, is the brightness of the moon. The fuller the moon, the harder it is to see meteors scratching across the sky.

There is some waiting until the next meteor shower, the popular Lyrids in April. The lilies will reach their maximum on April 22 and will look best in the northern hemisphere, but the moon will be 68% full, according to the American Meteorological Society.

Eta aquariids follow shortly after, reaching a maximum on May 5, when the moon is 38% full. This rain looks best in the southern tropics, but will still produce average rainfall for the northern equator.

The Milky Way is seen from Glacier Point Trailside in Yosemite National Park, California.

Delta aquariums are also best seen from the southern tropics and will peak between July 28 and 29 when the moon is 74% full.

Interestingly, another meteor shower arrives the same night: the Alpha Capricornids. Although this is a much weaker shower, it is known to produce some bright fireballs during the peak. And it will be visible to both sides of the equator.

The Perseid meteor shower, the most popular of the year, will peak between August 11 and 12 in the northern hemisphere when the moon is only 13% full.

Here’s the meteor shower schedule for the rest of the year, according to EarthSky’s meteor shower prospects.
  • October 8: Draconids
  • October 21: Orionids
  • From November 4 to 5: Southern Bullfighting
  • November 11 to 12: Northern Bullfighting
  • November 17: Leonides
  • From 13 to 14 December: Geminids
  • December 22: Ursids

Full moons

Typical of a normal year, 2021 will also have 12 full moons. (Last year it had 13 full moons, two of which in October).

Here are all the full moons of this year and their names, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac:
  • January 28 – Wolf Moon
  • February 27 – Snow Moon
  • March 28 – Worm Moon
  • April 26 – Pink Moon
  • May 26 – Moon flower
  • June 24 – Strawberry Moon
  • July 23 – Buck moon
  • August 22: sturgeon moon
  • September 20: Moon harvest
  • October 20 – Hunter’s Moon
  • November 19 – Beaver Moon
  • December 18 – Cold Moon

Solar and lunar eclipses

This year there will be two solar eclipses and two lunar eclipses, and three of these will be visible to some in North America, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac.

A total lunar eclipse will occur on May 26, best visible to those in western North America and Hawaii from 4:46 a.m. ET to 9:51 a.m. ET.

On June 10, an annular solar eclipse will occur, visible in northern and northeastern North America from 4:12 a.m. ET to 9:11 a.m. ET. The sun will not be completely blocked by the Moon, so be sure to wear eclipsed glasses to safely see this event.

A partial lunar eclipse will be seen on November 19 and sky observers in North America and Hawaii will see it between 1 a.m. and 7:06 a.m. (ET).

And the year ends with a total solar eclipse on December 4th. It will not be seen in North America, but those in the Falkland Islands, the southern tip of Africa, Antarctica, and southeastern Australia will be able to see it.

Visible planets

According to the planetary guide The Farmer’s Almanac, sky observers will have multiple opportunities to detect our planet’s planets during certain mornings and evenings throughout 2021.

It is possible to see most of these with the naked eye, with the exception of distant Neptune, but binoculars or a telescope will provide the best view.

Mercury will look like a bright star in the morning sky from February 28 to March 20, from June 27 to July 16, and from October 18 to November 1. It will shine in the night sky from January 15 to January 31, from May 3 to May 24. , From 31 August to 21 September and from 29 November to 31 December.

Venus, our closest neighbor to the solar system, will appear in the eastern sky in the mornings from January 1 to 23 and in the western sky in the evening from May 24 to December 31. It is the second brightest object in our sky after the moon.

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Mars makes its reddish appearance in the morning sky between November 24 and December 31 and will be visible in the night sky between January 1 and August 22.

Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, is the third brightest object in our sky. It will be shown in the morning sky between February 17 and August 19. Look for it on the nights of January 1-9 and August 20-December 31, but it will be brighter from August 8 to September 2.

Saturn’s rings are only visible through a telescope, but the planet itself can still be seen with the naked eye on the mornings of February 10 to August 1 and the afternoons of January 1 to 6. from August 2 to December 31. brightest from 1 to 4 August.

Binoculars or a telescope will help you detect the greenish glow of Uranus in the mornings of May 16 to November 3 and the nights of January 1 to April 12 and November 4 to December 31, but at the brightest time from August 28 to December 31.

And our farthest neighbor from the solar system, Neptune will be visible through a telescope in the mornings from March 27 to September 13 and the afternoons from January 1 to February 23 and from September 14 to December 31. December. It will be brightest between July 19 and November 8.

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