Quite the exciting month for planets…if you like getting up early. 4 of the 5 visible planets are hanging out together in the mornings, with Mercury having its best apparition for the year in the evenings, along with two conjunctions of morning planets and some possible meteors.
Enjoy the increasing daylight and temperature as we witness a planetary dance in the mornings, while preparing for a fantastic close encounter between three planets and the Moon in the last week.
It’s not often we get a month with almost no events, other than your normal moon phases, however, we do end February with a wonderful close encounter between the Moon, Mars, and Venus, and preview some future morning planets.
Why get out there in the cold of January? It’s a time of transitions and wonder. We’ve got a meteor showers, plenty of lunar encounters, planets changing, and very long nights.
Why get out there in the cold of December? It’s a time of transitions and wonder. We’ve got a meteor shower, plenty of lunar encounters, potentially a comet, planets visible but changing, and very long nights.
Why get out there at night in November? It’s Lunar Eclipse Month! Well, partially… Venus, Saturn, and Jupiter are rocking the sunsets, we technically have a meteor shower, turkey day night will be awesome, and, most importantly, we can witness an almost total lunar eclipse.
An annual meteor shower, three great planets all visible right after sunset, with visits from the Moon, a space launch, and a night where many people are out make October of 2021 a wonderful month for getting out with or without your telescope.
Three great planets all visible right after sunset, with visits from the Moon, make September of 2021 a calm, but convenient month for breaking out that telescope.
August is good for two things in the sky: bright planets and bright meteors. Venus, Saturn, and Jupiter reign supreme this month, with the annual Perseid Meteor Shower heating things up with spectacular observing conditions for mid-month.
Like fireworks, July is mostly quiet and dull, but the noisy and bright events really make it worthwhile. We have two pairs of planets, visible during opposite times in opposite places, and surreptitious visits from the Moon.