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The Maine Farmers' Almanac began publishing "Indian" names for full Moons in the 1930s and these names are now widely known and used. According to this almanac, as the full Moon in April is the Pink Moon, named after the herb moss pink (AKA creeping phlox, moss phlox, or mountain[...]

Who's Canton? He is the fellow who updates your astronomy calendar (full moons, equinoxes, meteor showers, etc.) from his laptop in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It's his birthday today! This astronomy calendar is an effort of love and no reciprocity is needed or expected. If you'd like to donate something[...]

This year, this shower is smack dab in the middle of the full moon, phooey. Very poor visibility but maybe you'll catch a few burners around midnight on the 22/23rd The Lyrid meteor shower – April’s shooting stars – lasts from about April 15 to 29. About 10 to 15[...]

In the northern hemisphere, this marks the first day of summer and is the day with most hours of light in the year -- when the Sun is farthest north. In the southern hemisphere, this is your winter solstice, marking the shortest day of the year.

It may seem obvious in retrospect... but have you noticed that the full moon rises exactly at sunset and sets exactly at sunrise? During a full moon, the moon is positioned directly opposite the sun relative to Earth. As a result, when the sun goes down on the western horizon,[...]

The Sun will beam down directly on the equator giving us just about equal amounts of day and night in most parts of the world. North of the equator, this is your Autumnal Equinox. If you live south of the equator, this is your Spring Equinox. Also, try balancing an[...]

The Taurid meteor shower, which includes both Southern and Northern Taurids, is known for its long duration, typically lasting from September 28 to December 2, but it generally offers only about five meteors per hour even at its peak. The Taurids are notable for a high percentage of fireballs, or[...]

This is the date when night and day are most nearly the same length. If you live in the northern hemisphere, happy first day of spring! In the southern hemisphere, the vernal equinox corresponds to the first day of fall.

This marks the beginning of winter (in the northern hemisphere) and the beginning of summer (in the southern hemisphere.) The winter solstice is the shortest day of the year, respectively, in the sense that the length of time elapsed between sunrise and sunset on this day is a minimum for[...]

Annular solar eclipses aren't so dramatic as total eclipses, but they're still worth pulling out your sun-filtering goggles so you can witness a ring of light around the darkened moon in midday. The Sun's corona will be fully hiden for those of you lurking in the Pacific Ocean off the[...]