Did you see the Full Beaver Moon shining bright over Charleston on Tuesday night? 🌕
In case you missed it, we are here to give you the full rundown of all things astronomy to mark on your calendar this year, and what major things you won’t want to miss in 2020. 🔭 (Pro-tip: check out this Reddit thread to see some of Charlestonians’ favorite places to catch a glimpse of the night sky.)
What to look out for in November
November might be the mark of Scorpio season, but astronomy and astrology are slightly different – a.k.a, you won’t be able to see its correlating constellation Scorpius this month.
Here are the constellations that will be most visible in November ⭐:
○ Andromeda – Princess of Ethiopia
○ Cassiopeia – Queen of Ethiopia
○ Phoenix – The phoenix
○ Pisces – The fish
○ Sculptor – The sculptor’s workshop
○ Tucana – The toucan
November’s full moon has passed this month, but here are the phases to look out for in the next few weeks:
○ Last quarter 🌗 – Tuesday, Nov. 19
○ New moon 🌑 – Tuesday, Nov. 26
Want something more exciting than your everyday moon + stars? The Leonid meteor shower will take place the night of Sunday, Nov. 17, and peak during the early hours on Monday. On average, nearly 10-15 meteors can be seen per hour on a clear night – so bundle up, find an area with minimal artificial light + watch the magic happen. 💫
What to look out for in December
Here are the constellations that will be most visible in December ⭐:
○ Aries – The ram
○ Cetus – The sea monster
○ Eridanus – The river
○ Fornax – The laboratory furnace
○ Horologium – The pendulum clock
○ Hydrus – The southern water snake
○ Perseus – The hero
○ Triangulum – The triangle
Here are December’s moon phase dates:
○ First quarter 🌓 – Wednesday, Dec. 4
○ Full moon 🌕 – Thursday, Dec. 12
○ Last quarter 🌗 – Wednesday, Dec. 18
○ New moon 🌑 – Thursday, Dec. 26
There will be a few meteor showers this month, too. The Geminid meteor shower will peak the night of Friday, Dec. 13 through the morning of the 14th. While a full moon will just be passing (which notably lights up the sky), a whopping 20-30 meteors may still be visible each hour. The Ursid meteor shower – producing around 5-10 visible meteors per hour – will take place Dec. 21-22.
Unfortunately, 2019’s only annual lunar eclipse on Dec. 26 will only be visible in the Eastern Hemisphere.
What to look out for in 2020 🔭
Meteor showers
○ Quadrantids – Jan., 3-4
○ Lyrids – April 22-23
○ Eta Aquarids – May 6-7
○ Delta Aquarids – July 28-29
○ Perseids – Aug. 12-13
○ Draconids – Oct. 7
○ Orionids – Oct. 21-22
○ Taurids – Nov. 4-5
○ Leonids – Nov. 17-18
○ Geminids – Dec. 13-14
○ Ursids – Dec. 21-22
Supermoons
○ Feb. 9
○ March 9
○ April 8
○ May 7
Blue moon
○ Oct. 31
Lunar eclipse (visible in North America)
○ July 5
○ Nov. 30
Bonus – Here are some cool tools you can utilize for all of your astronomical + stargazing needs:
○ Moon phase calendar
○ Real-time astronomical simulator
○ Constellation guide
Quiz
