ajamesmccarthy
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Celestial Events through the rest of 2021
🕑 Added 2021-11-05 00:40:21 +0000 UTCHowdy folks! Here's a rundown of what's happening in the sky the rest of the year, but first, a personal note.
This year has turned out to be a difficult one for me as far as producing images goes- between having equipment/weather/smoke issues the first half of the year, then moving states, then nonstop travel... I feel like I've spent the whole year doing everything but what I want to do- which is take pictures of the sky. Everything I've been doing though has been an investment in this passion, to work towards being able to do this every day. I'm getting to a better place, where I will feel comfortable doing this full time without distractions. I have a lot of goals for 2022, including going deeper into space, getting higher resolution images of both our solar system and our galaxy (and much beyond). I'm really thrilled for what the next few years holds for me, and there's no shortage of projects awaiting me.
I'm including two months worth of celestial events because I'll be out of town before the start of next month and don't want to forget! I also included a few in the beginning of 2022 because again I will be out of town over those days and may be late posting my January update.
New Moon- 11/4
Always the best night to stargaze, this new moon will be the last to view the core of the milky way as it sinks beyond the horizon for the season. If you get to dark skies, it's the best time to view the milky way and deep space objects. The Andromeda Galaxy is high in the sky this time of year for those of you in the northern hemisphere, so be on the lookout for it! This new moon also coincides with the peak of a meteor shower!
Taurids Meteor Shower Peak- 11/4-5
This is a relatively quiet meteor shower- only producing a meteor every 5-10 minutes. Best viewing will be after midnight, look for meteors radiating from the taurus constellation (but they will be all over the sky)
Uranus at Oppostion- November 5th
Cue the silly jokes, this is when Uranus is the largest and brightest. It will rise when the sun sets, and be in the sky all night long. Best viewing will be after midnight, as the higher it is in the sky the less atmosphere you have to look through to see the planet- which will look like a blueish-green dot in your telescope.
Leonids Meteor Shower- 11/17-18
Sadly this is right before the full moon, so you won't see much. You might be able to see some bollides, as those are generally bright enough to appear regardless of light pollution, but they are also quite rare.
Full Moon/Partial Lunar Eclipse- 11/19
This "Beaver" moon will be nearly perfectly in opposition this evening, resulting in Earth's shadow partially eclipsing our only natural satellite. From the Pacific time zone the eclipse happens just after midnight 11/19 (to be clear, this is the wee hourse of the morning following 11/18 PST, not after the evening of 11/19). It is visible for most countries near the pacific ocean, so sadly Europe, etc will not be able to see it. Look for an irregular "bite" taken out of the moon as Earth's large shadow occults it. You can see a subtle red tint within the shadow.
TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE/New Moon- 12/4
This rare spectacle will be only visible for a handful of people, as the vantage point for viewing will traverse portions of the southern Atlantic and Antarctica. South Africa will be able to see a partial eclipse.
Geminids Meteor Shower- 12/13-14
Once again, the lunar schedule makes for a terrible timing with this meteor shower. Thankfully, the geminids are notorously bright, so even with the waxing gibbous moon brightening the sky, you may see many meteors. Darker skies will be able to see more than within the city. Look to areas of the sky furthest from the moon, but it technically radiates from Gemini. This is one of the best showers, and can bring a couple meteors per minute.
Full Moon- 12/19
The full moon is always a gorgeous site. Make sure to try and watch the moon rise in the East at sunset, it will appear larger due to the proximity to the horizon (a fascinating optical illusion). When high in the sky it will be so bright it will cast shadows.
Ursids Meteor Shower- 12/21
Don't expect much from this one- the bright waxing gibbous moon will block all but the brightest meteors, which will be rare as this isn't a particularly active shower.
New Moon- January 2nd
Once again, the best time to view deep space. Orion will steal the show this month- look for the hunter along the equatorial plane, with the bright Orion Nebula tucked within his scabbard.
Quadrantids Meteor Shower- January 3/4th
Finally, a meteor shower without a bright moon in the sky! Head to dark skies for this one, and it won't dissapoint. This shower will give you a meteor every minute or two, radiating from the bootes constellation.
Merurcy at Greatest Elongation- January 7th
This is the best time to look for the first planet, as it is the furthest it will be from the sun (from our vantage) and highest in the sky at dusk. It will be low in the western sky right after sunset. It sets quickly, so if you want to find it better move fast! It will look like a small star near the western horizon.
That's all for now! As always, any questions, comments, or anything feel free to say hi!
My patreon messages are very difficult to follow up with as I don't get any notifications for them, the app is essentially broken, and I am rarely on a computer to check them. If I set up a discord, would you want to join? I want to be able to chat with you easily! In the meantime, feel free to email me at andrew@cosmicbackground.io
PS- I've posted this in the past but wanted to give a heads up to new patrons, you can get a discount off your first order through my store by entering "CosmicPatron" at checkout. Please don't share that, it's for patrons only!
Comments
Thanks for being so thorough. Very helpful!
