Jun
20
Sat
Summer Solstice
Jun 20 @ 11:47 pm – Jun 21 @ 12:47 am

In the northern hemisphere, the longest day of the year (near June 22) when the Sun is farthest north. In the southern hemisphere, winter and summer solstices are exchanged. The summer solstice marks the first day of the season of summer. The declination of the Sun on the (northern) summer solstice is known as the tropic of cancer (23° 27′).

http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/astronomy/SummerSolstice.html

Jun
22
Mon
âš« New Moon
Jun 22 @ 1:36 pm – 2:36 pm
Jul
7
Tue
⚪ Full Moon
Jul 7 @ 3:22 am – 4:22 am

July’s Full Moon is the “Hay Moon”, “Buck Moon”, “Thunder Moon”, “Mead Moon”, or “Guru Poornima”.

Jul
21
Tue
Total Solar Eclipse
Jul 21 @ 6:53 pm – 10:18 pm

“The path of the Moon’s umbral shadow extends across India, China, a handful of Japanese islands and the South Pacific Ocean (Espenak and Anderson, 2008). A partial eclipse is seen within the much broader path of the Moon’s penumbral shadow, which includes most of eastern Asia, Indonesia, and the Pacific Ocean.”

– NASA

See: http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEplot/SEplot2001/SE2009Jul22T.GIF

Shanghai (population 19 million) will experience 5 minutes of totality!

âš« New Moon
Jul 21 @ 8:35 pm – 9:35 pm
Aug
5
Wed
⚪ Full Moon
Aug 5 @ 6:56 pm – 7:56 pm

August’s Full Moon is the “Grain Moon”, “Sturgeon Moon”, “Red Moon”, “Green Corn Moon”, “Lightning Moon”, “Dog Moon”, or “Narali Poornima”.

Aug
12
Wed
Perseids Meteor Shower
Aug 12 – Aug 13 all-day

“The Perseids is one of the best meteor showers to observe, producing up to 60 meteors per hour at their peak. This year’s peak occurs on August 13 & 14, but you may be able to see some meteors any time from July 23 – August 22. The waxing gibbous moon will provide some interference in the evening, but after it sets, the morning hours should provide some spectacular viewing opportunities. The radiant point for this shower will be in the constellation Perseus. Look to the northeast after midnight”

– http://www.seasky.org/astronomy/astronomy_calendar_2009.html

Aug
20
Thu
âš« New Moon
Aug 20 @ 4:02 am – 5:02 am
Sep
4
Fri
⚪ Full Moon
Sep 4 @ 10:03 am – 11:03 am

September’s Full Moon is the “Fruit Moon” (English), “Harvest Moon” (Native American), “Corn Moon”, “Barley Moon”, or “Bhadrapad Poornima”.

Sep
6
Sun
Mercury Retrograde Begins (ends September 29)
Sep 6 all-day

see http://www.ontology.com/retrograde for details…