First Quarter Moon
The Moon is at First quarter on this date -it will be visible high in the southern sky in early evening.
The Moon is at First quarter on this date -it will be visible high in the southern sky in early evening.
The Moon is at Last Quarter (or Third Quarter) – rising around midnight, and visible to the south after sunrise.
Active from October 13th to December 2nd, 2021, peaks Nov 11-12th
The winter solstice, also called the hibernal solstice, occurs when either of Earth's poles reaches its maximum tilt away from the Sun.
The Ursids peak just before Christmas with rates of 5-10 meteors per hour during the late morning hours.
Earth will be at the closest point in its orbit around the Sun on this date - 91,403,034 miles.
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.
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.
International Asteroid Day is a United Nations-recognized day observed each year on the anniversary of the Tunguska impact event of June 30, 1908.
The Perseids are the most popular meteor shower as they peak on warm August nights as seen from the northern hemisphere. The Perseids are active from July 17 to August 24, peaking on August 12 - 13.
Fall begins with the autumnal equinox - in the Northern Hemisphere, it's the September equinox; in the Southern Hemisphere, it is the equinox in March.
Vatican Observatory 2025 astrophoto calendars now available for purchase in our e-store!