Upcoming Astronomical Highlights
From meteor showers, to eclipses and more, there are numerous astronomical events every year. At NoCoAstro, we try to schedule public events for the major going-ons in the sky, but sometime we are just not able to get to all of them. Still worth checking out, below are some amazing astronomical events visible from Northern Colorado that you should mark down on your calendar!
April 22nd, 2016
Lyrid Meteor Shower
The Lyrid meteor shower typically has an ZHR (Zenith Hourly Rate) of 18. That means during the peak of the shower, you should expect to see an average of 18 meteors an hour, based upon historical data.
May 5th, 2016
Eta Aquarid Meteor Shower
The Eta Aquarid Meteor Shower typically has a ZHR (Zenith Hourly Rate) of 55. That means during the peak of the shower, you should expect to see an average of 55 meteors an hour in dark moon-less skies, based upon historical data.
May 19th, 2015
Lunar Occultation of Aldebaran
Watch as the bright star Aldebaran passes behind the moon, only to reappear on the other side, many hours later.
June 1st, 2015
Brightest Viewing of the ISS
The International Space Station reaches full illumination as the June solstice nears, resulting in multiple nightly passes favoring northern hemisphere observers.
June 5th, 2015
Maximum Venus Elongation
The planet Venus reaches maximum elongation on June 5th. This means that the planet Venus will be the furthest away from the Sun as viewed from Earth. During this orbit, Venus will be 45 degrees away from the Sun. The best time to view this planet is right after sunset.
July 1st, 2015
Venus and Jupiter Conjunction
The planets Venus and Jupiter will appear less than 0.4 degrees from each other in the early night sky. Look for the pair just after sunset on the western horizon.
August 7th, 2015
Early Morning Conjunction
The planets Mercury and Jupiter are joined with the bright star Regulus in the pre-dawn sky. These three will be separated by less than a degree for the next few mornings.
August 13th, 2015
Perseid Meteor Shower
The Lyrid meteor shower typically has an ZHR (Zenith Hourly Rate) of 100. That means during the peak of the shower, you should expect to see an average of 100 meteors an hour, based upon historical data. This is usual one of the best meteor showers of the year to watch.
August 19th, 2015
Mars crosses the Beehive Cluster
The planet Mars crosses the center of Messier Object 44, The Beehive Cluster.
August 29th, 2015
The First Supermoon of 2015
2015 will host a total of 3 Supermoons. The time of this supermoon is 11:38MST, only 20 hours from Perigee. Check it out either before sunrise or after sunset.
September 4th, 2015
Lunar Occultation of Aldebaran
Watch as the bright star Aldebaran passes behind the moon, only to reappear on the other side, many hours later.
September 27th, 2015
Total Lunar Eclipse
When the moon rises at 6:44pm MST, it will be in the beginning stages of an eclipse and will be fully eclipsed from 8:11pm to 9:23pm MST.
September 4th, 2015
Lunar Occultation of Aldebaran
Watch as the bright star Aldebaran passes behind the moon, only to reappear on the other side, many hours later.
September 27th, 2015
Total Lunar Eclipse and The Second Supermoon
When the moon rises at 6:44pm MST, it will be in the beginning stages of an eclipse and will be fully eclipsed from 8:11pm to 9:23pm MST. This is also the best (biggest) Supermoon of the year.
October 17th, 2015
Mars and Jupiter Conjunction
The planets Mars and Jupiter appear less than 0.4 degrees from each other.
October 21st, 2015
Orionids Meteor Shower
This is a hit-or-miss shower. It has a variable peak time. Historically, this shower averages an ZHR of 15.
October 25th, 2015
Venus and Jupiter Conjunction
The planets Venus and Jupiter appear less than 1 degrees from each other.
October 27th, 2015
Third Supermoon of 2015
This is the third Supermoon of 2015. Appearing full at 5:06am only 23 hours from Perigee.
November 12th, 2015
Taurid Meteor Shower
This is typically a weak meteor shower, however, there is weak evidence that every 7 years this shower produces a number of bright fireballs. 2015 is thought to be one of these fireball years.
November 22nd, 2015
Alpha Monocerotids Meteor Shower
A rarely heard of meteor shower, this tends to peak once a decade. 2015 is projected to have a burst in the number of meteors with an upward maximum ZHR of 400+.
December 14th, 2015
Geminid Meteor Shower
This tends to be one of the better showers of the year. However, the peak this year will occur at 11am with a ZHR = 120. With the peak in the daytime, do not expect to see 120 meteors per hour later that night (or the night before).
