Calendar

Mercury at Aphelion

Mercury's 88-day orbit around the Sun will carry it to its furthest point to the Sun – its aphelion – at a distance of 0.47 AU.

Anniversary of the 2013 Chelyabinsk Asteroid Impact Event

On February 15 2013 an asteroid exploded in the sky over the city of Chelyabinsk, in the the southern Ural region of Russia. The shock wave blew out windows all over the city, injuring over 1600 people, and damaged several buildings.

Total Lunar Eclipse

The Moon will pass into Earth’s shadow and appear to turn red on the night of March 13 or early in the morning on March 14.

Mars at Aphelion

Mars will be at the farthest point in its orbit around the Sun on this date - 154,425,919.9 miles.  

Lyrids Meteor Shower

Peak: ~Apr 21-22, 2020 The Lyrids are a medium strength shower that usually produces good rates for three nights centered on the maximum. These meteors also usually lack persistent trains but can produce fireballs. These meteors are best seen from the northern hemisphere where the radiant is high in the sky at dawn. Activity from […]

Full Moon

The Full Moon rises at sunset, and is visible all night. The Vatican Observatory's monthly Full Moon Meetup for Sacred Space Astronomy subscribers is held at 10:00 AM Tucson time.

Venus at Aphelion.

Venus's 225-day orbit around the Sun will carry it to its furthest point to the Sun – its aphelion – at a distance of 0.73 AU.

Summer Solstice

The summer solstice is the day when the Sun appears to reach its highest point in the sky during the year - it marks the start of summer in the Northern Hemisphere.

New Moon 2025

New Moon. By the modern definition, New Moon occurs when the Moon and Sun are at the same geocentric ecliptic longitude. The part of the Moon facing us is completely in shadow then. Pictured here is the traditional New Moon, the earliest visible waxing crescent, which signals the start of a new month in many […]

International Asteroid Day

International Asteroid Day is a United Nations-recognized day observed each year on the anniversary of the Tunguska impact event of June 30, 1908.