Mother’s Day (USA)
Mother's Day in the United States is an annual holiday celebrated on the second Sunday in May. Mother's Day recognizes mothers, motherhood and maternal bonds in general, as well as the […]
Calendar
78 events found.
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.
World Metrology Day.
World Metrology Day is an annual celebration of the signature of the Metre Convention on 20 May 1875 by representatives of seventeen nations. The Convention set the framework for global […]
Last Quarter Moon
The Moon is at Last Quarter (or Third Quarter) – rising around midnight, and visible to the south after sunrise.
Last Quarter Moon 2025
The Moon is at Last Quarter (or Third Quarter) – rising around midnight, and visible to the south after sunrise.
Towel Day
Towel Day is an annual celebration on the 25th of May, as a tribute to the late author Douglas Adams (1952-2001). On that day, fans around the universe carry a towel […]
Memorial Day
Memorial Day is an American holiday, observed on the last Monday of May, honoring the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. Memorial Day 2021 will […]
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 […]
Ascension
The Ascension Day of Jesus Christ always falls on a Thursday - it is the day when Christians celebrate the ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven as recorded in the […]
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.
World Bicycle Day.
In April 2018, the United Nations General Assembly declared June 3 as International World Bicycle Day. The resolution for World Bicycle Day recognizes "the uniqueness, longevity and versatility of the bicycle, which has been in use for two […]
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.
Charles Babbage’s paper on the difference engine, 1822
Charles Babbage (1791-1871), computer pioneer, designed two classes of engine, Difference Engines, and Analytical Engines. Difference engines are so called because of the mathematical principle on which they are based, […]
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.
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, […]
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 […]
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.
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.
Thomas Kuhn born 1922
Thomas Samuel Kuhn (1922–1996) is one of the most influential philosophers of science of the twentieth century,
J. G. Mendel born 1822
Gregor Johann Mendel (1822– 1884) was a biologist, meteorologist, mathematician, Augustinian friar and abbot of St. Thomas' Abbey in Brünn (Brno), Margraviate of Moravia.
St. Ignatius Loyola, Founder of the Jesuits.
Ignatius of Loyola (Basque: Ignazio Loiolakoa; Spanish: Ignacio de Loyola; Latin: Ignatius de Loyola; c. 23 October 1491 – 31 July 1556) was a Spanish Basque Catholic priest and theologian, who co-founded the religious order called the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and became its first Superior General at […]
St Dominic, Patron of Astronomers, d. 1221
The liturgical celebration of St Dominic is on August 6 which is his deathday, in 1221 - his birthday is August 8.
Many sources state that St Dominic is the patron saint of astronomy and astronomers.
Perseids Meteor Shower
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.
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is, according to the beliefs of numerous Churches, the bodily taking up of Mary, the mother of Jesus, into Heaven at the end of her earthly life. The analogous feast […]
Labor Day (USA)
Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday in September in any given year (i.e. a single day from September 1 through September 7) to honor and recognize […]
Frank Drake died, 2022 (b. 1930)
Frank Donald Drake (May 28, 1930 – September 2, 2022) was an American astronomer and astrophysicist. He was involved in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, including the founding of SETI.
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.
Venus at Perihelion
The planet Venus is a Perihelion (its closest approach to the Sun) on this date.
Cassini probe launched, 1997
The Cassini mission to Saturn is one of the most ambitious efforts in planetary space exploration ever mounted. A joint endeavor of NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the […]
World Science Day for Peace and Development.
Celebrated every 10 November, World Science Day for Peace and Development highlights the significant role of science in society and the need to engage the wider public in debates on […]
Northern Taurids Meteor Shower
Active from October 13th to December 2nd, 2021, peaks Nov 11-12th
St. Albert the Great, Patron of Scientists.
Albertus Magnus , also known as Saint Albert the Great was born on this date in 1206
Uranus at Opposition
Uranus will be in opposition to the Sun on this date; this is when the Earth is positioned between the Sun and Uranus.
Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Our Lady of Guadalupe (Spanish: Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe), also known as the Virgin of Guadalupe (Spanish: Virgen de Guadalupe), is a Catholic title of the Blessed Virgin Mary associated with a series of five Marian apparitions in December […]
St. Lucia (Sweden), festival of light.
Saint Lucy's Day, also called Lucia Day or the feast of Saint Lucy, is a Christian feast day observed on 13 December. The observance commemorates Lucia of Syracuse, an early-4th-century virgin martyr under the Diocletianic Persecution, who according to legend brought […]
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.
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve is on December 24 and marks the culmination of the Advent period before Christmas that starts on the fourth Sunday before Christmas Eve. Many churches mark the end […]
Earth at Perihelion
Earth will be at the closest point in its orbit around the Sun on this date - 91,403,034 miles.
Feast of the Epiphany
Epiphany also known as Theophany in the east, is a Christian feast day that celebrates the revelation (theophany) of God incarnate as Jesus Christ. Articles about the Feast of the Epiphany on the VO Faith and Science […]
Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
"Martin Luther King Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist who became the most visible spokesperson and leader in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination […]
International Holocaust Remembrance Day
The United Nations General Assembly designated January 27—the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau—as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. On this annual day of commemoration, the UN urges every member state to honor […]
Bertrand Russell died, 1970 (b. 1872).
Bertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell, OM FRS (/ˈrʌsəl/; 18 May 1872 – 2 February 1970) was a British philosopher, logician, mathematician, historian, writer, essayist, social critic, political activist, and Nobel laureate. At various points in […]
St Valentine’s Day
Saint Valentine was a widely recognized 3rd-century Roman saint, commemorated in Christianity on February 14. From the High Middle Ages his Saints’ Day is associated with a tradition of courtly […]
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.
James Dewar, died 1923
Sir James Dewar FRS FRSE (20 September 1842 – 27 March 1923) was a British chemist and physicist. He is best known for his invention of the vacuum flask, which he used in conjunction with research into […]
Val Logsdon Fitch, born 1923
Val Logsdon Fitch (March 10, 1923 – February 5, 2015) was an American nuclear physicist who, with co-researcher James Cronin, was awarded the 1980 Nobel Prize in Physics for a 1964 experiment using the Alternating Gradient Synchrotron at Brookhaven […]
Fr. Eusebio Kino SJ, died 1711
Eusebio Francisco Kino, SJ (Italian: Eusebio Francesco Chini, Spanish: Eusebio Francisco Kino; 10 August 1645 – 15 March 1711), often referred to as Father Kino, was a Tyrolean Jesuit, missionary, geographer, explorer, cartographer and astronomer born in the Territory of the Bishopric of Trent, then part […]
St. Patrick’s Day (Ireland)
Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick (Irish: Lá Fhéile Pádraig, lit. 'the Day of the Festival of Patrick'), is a cultural and religious celebration held on 17 March, the traditional death date […]
St. Joseph
Saint Joseph's Day, also called the Feast of Saint Joseph or the Solemnity of Saint Joseph, is in Western Christianity the principal feast day of Saint Joseph, husband of the Virgin Mary and legal father of Jesus Christ, celebrated on 19 […]
World Meteorological Day
The World Meteorological Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations, based in Geneva. It "is dedicated to international cooperation and coordination on the state and behaviour of the […]
Christopher Clavius SJ, born 1538
Christopher Clavius, SJ (25 March 1538 – 6 February 1612) was a Jesuit German mathematician, head of mathematicians at the Collegio Romano, and astronomer who was a member of the Vatican commission that accepted the proposed […]
Tullio Levi-Civita, born 1873
Tullio Levi-Civita, ForMemRS (English: /ˈtʊlioʊ ˈlɛvi ˈtʃɪvɪtə/, Italian: ; 29 March 1873 – 29 December 1941) was an Italian mathematician, most famous for his work on absolute differential calculus (tensor calculus) and its applications to the theory of relativity, but who […]
Francesco Zantedeschi died 1873
Francesco Zantedeschi (August 20, 1797 – March 29, 1873) was an Italian Catholic priest and physicist. A native of Dolcè, near Verona, Zantedeschi was for some time professor of physics and philosophy in the Liceo of Venice. Later he accepted the […]
Cesar Chavez Day, born 1927, Yuma, AZ.
Cesar Chavez (born César Estrada Chávez, locally ; March 31, 1927 – April 23, 1993) was an American labor leader and Latino American civil rights activist. Along with Dolores Huerta, he […]
April Fools Day.
April Fools' Day or April Fool's Day (sometimes called All Fools' Day) is an annual celebration on April 1, commemorated by practical jokes and hoaxes. The player(s) of the joke(s) or hoax(es) often exposes their action by […]
International Day of Human Space Flight.
The General Assembly, in its resolution A/RES/65/271 of 7 April 2011, declared 12 April as the International Day of Human Space Flight “to celebrate each year at the international level the beginning […]
J. A. Fleming died, 1945 (b. 1849).
Illustration from the Bibliographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society, 1945. The Royal Society, London. Sir John Ambrose Fleming FRS died in 1945, aged 95 (born 29 November 1849). […]
International Earth Day
First held in 1970, Earth Day is held annually on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection.
International Girls in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Day
On Girls in ICT Day– marked annually on the fourth Thursday in April – the United Nations International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is highlighting the need to promote technology career opportunities for girls and […]
International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day
An explosion at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in 1986 spread a radioactive cloud over large parts of the Soviet Union; millions of people in the three countries were exposed to the radiation.
World Day for Safety and Health at Work
The World Day for Safety and Health at Work will focus on addressing the outbreak of infectious diseases at work, in particular, on the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cinco de Mayo
Mother's Day in the United States is an annual holiday celebrated on the second Sunday in May. Mother's Day recognizes mothers, motherhood and maternal bonds in general, as well as the […]