January 3, 4
Quadrantids Meteor Shower. The Quadrantids are an above average shower, with up to 40 meteors per hour at their peak. The shower usually peaks on January 3 & 4, but some meteors can be visible from January 1 – 5. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight. Look for meteors radiating from the constellation Bootes.

January 15
New Moon

January 15
Annular Solar Eclipse. The path of annularity will begin in central Africa and move east through the Indian Ocean, southern India, Sri Lanka, Malymar, and China. A partial eclipse will be visible throughout most eastern Africa and Asia. (NASA Map and Eclipse Information | NASA Eclipse Animation)

January 29
Mars at Opposition. The red planet will be at its closest approach to Earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun. This is the best time to view and photograph Mars.

January 30
Full Moon

February 14
New Moon

February 28
Full Moon

March 15
New Moon

March 20
The Vernal Equinox occurs in the northern hemisphere at 17:32 UT. There will be equal amounts of day and night. This is also the first day of spring.

March 22
Saturn at Opposition. The ringed planet will be at its closest approach to Earth. This is the best time to view and photograph Saturn and its moons. Saturn’s rings will be nearly edge-on this year and will be very difficult to see.

March 30
Full Moon

April 14
New Moon

April 21, 22
Lyrids Meteor Shower. The Lyrids are an average shower, usually producing about 20 meteors per hour at their peak. These meteors can produce bright dust trails that last for several seconds. The shower usually peaks on April 21 & 22, although some meteors can be visible from April 16 – 25. Look for meteors radiating from the constellation of Lyra after midnight.

April 28
Full Moon

May 5, 6
Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower. The Eta Aquarids are a light shower, usually producing about 10 meteors per hour at their peak. The shower’s peak usually occurs on May 5 & 6, however viewing should be good on any morning from May 4 – 7. The radiant point for this shower will be in the constellation Aquarius. Best viewing is usually to the east after midnight.

May 14
New Moon

May 27
Full Moon

June 12
New Moon

June 21
The Summer Solstice occurs in the northern hemisphere at 11:28 UT. The Sun is at its highest point in the sky and it will be the longest day of the year.
This is also the first day of summer.

June 26
Full Moon

June 26
Partial Lunar Eclipse. The eclipse will be visible throughout most of eastern Asia, Australia, the Pacific Ocean, and the western Americas. (NASA Eclipse Information)

July 11
New Moon

July 11
Total Solar Eclipse. The path of totality will only be visible in the southern Pacific Ocean, Easter Island, and parts of southern Chile and Argentina. A partial eclipse will be visible in many parts of southern South America. (NASA Map and Eclipse Information | NASA Eclipse Animation)

July 26
Full Moon

July 28, 29
Southern Delta Aquarids Meteor Shower. The Delta Aquarids can produce about 20 meteors per hour at their peak. The shower usually peaks on July 28 & 29, but some meteors can also be seen from July 18 – August 18. The radiant point for this shower will be in the constellation Aquarius. Best viewing is usually to the east after midnight.

August 10
New Moon

August 12, 13
Perseids Meteor Shower. The Perseids is one of the best meteor showers to observe, producing up to 60 meteors per hour at their peak. The shower’s peak usually occurs on August 13 & 14, but you may be able to see some meteors any time from July 23 – August 22. The radiant point for this shower will be in the constellation Perseus. Look to the northeast after midnight.

August 20
Neptune at Opposition. The blue planet will be at its closest approach to Earth. This is the best time to view Neptune, although it will only appear as a tiny blue dot in all but the most powerful telescopes.

August 24
Full Moon

September 8
New Moon

September 21
Jupiter at Opposition. The giant planet will be at its closest approach to Earth. This is the best time to view  and photograph Jupiter and its moons.

September 22
Uranus at Opposition. The blue-green planet will be at its closest approach to Earth. This is the best time to view Uranus, although it will only appear as a tiny blue-green dot in all but the most powerful telescopes.

September 23
The Autumnal Equinox occurs in the northern hemisphere at 03:09 UT. There will be equal amounts of day and night. This is also the first day of fall.

September 23
Full Moon

October 7
New Moon

October 21, 22

Orionids Meteor Shower. The Orionids is an average shower producing about 20 meteors per hour at their peak. This shower usually peaks on the 21st, but it is highly irregular. A good show could be experienced on any morning from October 20 – 24and some meteors may be seen any time from October 17 – 25. Best viewing will be to the east after midnight.

October 23
Full Moon

November 6
New Moon

November 17, 18
Leonids Meteor Shower. The Leonids is one of the better meteor showers to observe, producing an average of 40 meteors per hour at their peak. The shower itself has a cyclic peak year every 33 years where hundreds of meteors can be seen each hour. The last of these occurred in 2001. The shower usually peaks on November 17 & 18, but you may see some meteors from November 13 – 20. Look for the shower radiating from the constellation Leo after midnight.

November 21
Full Moon

December 5
New Moon

December 13, 14
Geminids Meteor Shower. Considered by many to be the best meteor shower in the heavens, the Geminids are known for producing up to 60 multicolored meteors per hour at their peak. The peak of the shower usually occurs around December 13 & 14, although some meteors should be visible from December 6 – 19. The radiant point for this shower will be in the constellation Gemini. Best viewing is usually to the east after midnight.

December 21
Full Moon

December 21
Total Lunar Eclipse. The eclipse will be visible throughout most of eastern Asia, Australia, the Pacific Ocean, the Americas, and Europe. (NASA Eclipse Information)

December 21
The Winter Solstice occurs in the northern hemisphere at 23:38 UT. The Sun is at its lowest point in the sky and it will be the shortest day of the year. This is also the first day of winter.

Sources: NASA, ESA, SEASKY