• Autumnal Equinox

    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.

  • Winter Solstice

    The winter solstice, also called the hibernal solstice, occurs when either of Earth's poles reaches its maximum tilt away from the Sun.

  • Ursids Meteor Shower

    The Ursids peak just before Christmas with rates of 5-10 meteors per hour during the late morning hours.

  • Quadrantids Meteor Shower

    The Quadrantids have the potential to be the strongest shower of the year but usually fall short due to the short length of maximum activity (6 hours) and the poor weather experienced during early January. The average hourly rate is 25 meteors per hour.

  • Earth at Perihelion

    Earth will be at the closest point in its orbit around the Sun on this date - 91,403,034 miles.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Venus at Perihelion

    The planet Venus is a Perihelion (its closest approach to the Sun) on this date.