Jun
15
Thu
Saturn at Opposition
Jun 15 all-day

Saturn rules the summer sky, but on this night, the ringed planet truly takes center stage. When it reaches opposition, Saturn will be bright and fully illuminated by the Sun. You may even notice that its rings look brighter than usual thanks to a phenomenon known as the Seeliger Effect. Take it all in! Saturn’s rings will be visible in even small aperture telescopes.

A medium-sized or larger telescope will allow you to see Saturn’s rings and a few of its brightest moons.

Jun
17
Sat
☾ Last Quarter Moon
Jun 17 @ 5:33 am – 5:33 am
Jun
20
Tue
Summer Solstice
Jun 20 @ 10:24 pm – 11:24 pm

In the northern hemisphere, the longest day of the year when the Sun is farthest north. The summer solstice marks the first day of the season of summer. In the southern hemisphere, this is your winter solstice, marking the shortest day of the year. 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
23
Fri
âš« New Moon
Jun 23 @ 8:31 pm – 8:31 pm
Jun
30
Fri
☽ First Quarter Moon
Jun 30 @ 6:51 pm – 6:51 pm
Jul
8
Sat
⚪ Full Moon
Jul 8 @ 10:07 pm – 10:07 pm
Jul
16
Sun
☾ Last Quarter Moon
Jul 16 @ 1:26 pm – 1:26 pm
Jul
21
Fri
One month until USA Total Eclipse
Jul 21 @ 10:50 am – 2:02 pm

Don’t miss out on this, make some travel plans!

A total eclipse of the sun will runs smack through the middle of the USA on August 21, 2017. Plan a car trip, bus ride, or plane trip to the narrow strip of Earth stretching from Salem, OR through to Nashville, TN in which the sun will *completely disappear* for two minutes. (Not many large cities are in the path of the totality, so make your reservations early if you want to observe it from the comfort of civilization.)

If you’ve already got plans, the next total eclipse passing through the USA is on April 8, 2024…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_eclipse_of_August_21,_2017

Jul
23
Sun
âš« New Moon
Jul 23 @ 3:46 am – 3:46 am
Jul
28
Fri
Delta Aquarids Meteor Shower
Jul 28 all-day

The Delta Aquarids is an average shower that can produce up to 20 meteors per hour at its peak. It is produced by debris left behind by comets Marsden and Kracht. The Delta Aquarids is an average shower that can produce up to 20 meteors per hour at its peak. It is produced by debris left behind by comets Marsden and Kracht. The shower runs annually from July 12 to August 23. It peaks this year on the night of July 28 and morning of July 29. The crescent moon will set by midnight, leaving dark skies for what should be a good early morning show. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Aquarius, but can appear anywhere in the sky.