Calendar
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.
Canada Day.
Canada Day (French: Fête du Canada) is the national day of Canada. A federal statutory holiday, it celebrates the anniversary of July 1, 1867, the effective date of the Constitution Act, 1867 (then called the British North America Act, 1867), which united the three separate colonies of the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick into a single Dominion within the British Empire […]
Thomas Harriot, mapped the Moon with a telescope 4 months before Galileo (d. 1621)
Thomas Harriot was an English astronomer, mathematician, ethnographer and translator who made advances within the scientific field. Thomas Harriot was recognized for his contributions in astronomy, mathematics, and navigational techniques. Harriot worked closely with John White to create advanced maps for navigation. While Harriot worked extensively on numerous papers on the subjects of astronomy, mathematics and navigation, the amount of work that he actually […]
First Quarter Moon 2025
The Moon is at First quarter on this date -it will be visible high in the southern sky in early evening.
Earth at Aphelion
Earth will be at the farthest point in its orbit around the Sun on this date
Independence Day (USA)
Independence Day is a U.S. federal holiday commemorating the Declaration of Independence of the United States, on July 4, 1776.
NASA’s Pathfinder lands on Mars, 1977
Mars Pathfinder was launched December 4, 1996 and landed on Mars' Ares Vallis on July 4, 1997.
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.
Full Moon Zoom with Sean van Staden, S.J.
Join us on July 10th for our next Full Moon-th On-line Meetup! Our guest will be Sean van Staden SJ., a Jesuit scholastic about to begin his Theology studies at Hekima College in Nairobi, Kenya. He was one of the participants of the 2025 Vatican Observatory Summer School in Castel Gandolfo. Click Here to read post with more […]
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.