All amazing events coming to a sky near you in astronomy 2020. Early on Saturday morning, the moon will occult Mars for observers in southern and southeastern South America, most of western Antarctica, the Ascension Islands, and southwestern Africa. In any calendar year there are a minimum of two solar and two lunar eclipses. « 2020 Astronomical Event Calendar. For about half an hour before dawn during moonless periods in September and October every year, the steep morning ecliptic favors the appearance of the zodiacal light in the eastern sky. Mar 20: Vernal equinox (03:50 UTC) Feb 20: Mercury at greatest Eastern elongation Ingress and egress vary based on your latitude, so start watching a few minutes before the times quoted above—or use Starry Night or another planetarium app to look up the exact times for your town. click here. This full moon, being the second one of the month, is also a blue moon. When the waning crescent moon rises at about 1 a.m. local time on Sunday, October 11, it will be positioned four finger widths above (or 4 degrees to the celestial west) of the large open star cluster known as the Beehive or Messier 44, in Cancer. The following table gives the date and time of the Moon's phases for the year. If an eclipse of the Sun or Moon takes place on a given date, it is noted by a character next to the date in the table above. Stationary: Object appears motionless in the sky due to the turning point between its direct and retrograde motion. Scottsdale (33.51°N; 111.90°W), October Camelopardalid meteor shower 2020, Dominic Apr 22-23: Lyrid meteors After Mars rises in the east on Monday evening, observers with backyard telescopes can expect to see the planet with more detail than it will exhibit for 15 years – especially after midnight, when the planet will climb highest in the sky. And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com. Moreover, throughout this guide you will find a section detailing the most important events for each month of the year, including the areas where they are visible. The moon and Mars will be close enough to one another to see them together in binoculars (red circle) all night long. Opposition: When a planet farther from the Sun than Earth appears opposite the Sun in the sky. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. At that time, Mars will be 38.57 million miles, 62.07 million km, 0.515 Astronomical Units, or 3.45 light-minutes distant from Earth. Location: 11. δ-Aurigid meteor shower. Astronomical Calendar 2020 - Astronomical events. Occultation: Passage of one object in front of a smaller one, thus obscuring all or part of the background object from view. Jul 23: Comet NEOWISE closest approach (naked-eye visible) One can see upto 40 meteors per hour during peak. Overnight on Friday, October 30, observers using binoculars and backyard telescopes (red circle) in most of North America can see the almost-full moon occult the medium-bright star designated Xi1 Ceti (or ξ1 Ceti). As the report stated "Sunday, December 1 all night – Find Vesta using Alpha and Lambda Ceti". If Daylight Saving Time is in effect, add one hour to the times listed. On the following morning, Venus' orbital motion eastward will lower it to a half finger's width below Regulus. Hard to believe, were already a fifth of the way into the 21st century. As the sky darkens, the diffuse shadow of Callisto, the crisp, round shadow of closer-in Io, and the great Red Spot will all be completing a group transit event that began at 5:25 p.m. EDT. On Saturday evening, October 24, the pole-to-pole terminator that divides the lit and dark hemispheres of the waxing gibbous moon, will fall just to the left (or lunar west) of Rupes Recta, also known as the Straight Wall, a feature that is very obvious in good binoculars and backyard telescopes. From time to time, the Great Red Spot (GRS) and the little round, black shadows cast by Jupiter's four Galilean moons are visible in backyard telescopes as they cross (or transit) the planet's disk. Our Book is out! crescent Moon to occult Mars for North America February and import it into your calendar. Simply configure the options below, and Several times a year, for a few hours near its first quarter phase, a feature on the moon called the Lunar X becomes visible in strong binoculars and backyard telescopes. NASA's OSIRIS-REx probe will snag a piece of an asteroid Tuesday! Your complete guide to amateur astronomy. 13. Receive mail from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors? The planet and star will appear together in the field of view of binoculars, or in a backyard telescope at high magnification (red circle). At approximately 10 p.m. EDT on Friday, October 23, the Lunar X is predicted to peak in intensity—but the phenomenon will be visible for approximately two hours on either side of that time.