The new year is here, which means that the earth has just completed a full circle around the sun. With the New Year come new ways to gaze at the sky for beautiful cosmic sights worth breaking out of the telescope and camera.
Some are annual events to look forward to every year, while others are rarer, caused by the perfect astronomical alignment of planets and stars.
Whether you’re a fan of the science of physics and astronomy, or just love the gorgeous galactic views, here’s a calendar of some space highlights to look forward to in 2022.
Note: The dates and times in this calendar were taken from NASA’s Sky Events Calendar by Fred Espenek and Sumit Dutta, unless otherwise stated, and are based on the assumption that the viewer is in or near Southern California.
January
the Quadrantid meteor shower will peak overnight from the end of the Night from January 3rd to the early morning of January 4th. The shower is named after the constellation Bootes, originally known as Quadrans Muralis.
According to the Griffith Observatory, “The moon will be one day after the new moon and will not interfere with observations. The peak typically lasts only six hours and can produce 25 meteors an hour.”
And according to Heavens-Above, a space event tracking site and app, most meteors will be visible in the hour or two before sunrise, when the constellation that the shower appears near approaches its highest point in the sky. The new moon will also make the shower more visible.
The earth will be in theirs Perihelion, the period of time when it is closest to the Sun in its orbit, on the evening of January 3rd. The exact time varies depending on the source, but it should happen between 10:52 and 10:54 p.m.
on January 7th, that International space station is expected to pass overhead for about five minutes, around 5:50 a.m.
Jungfrau Railway is to launch several satellites just off the west coast with LauncherOne, a rocket carried under a 747. Starting January 3, it is set to 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time January 12th.
This month Full moon, among other things called “Wolf Moon”, is on January 17th.
February
February Full moon, called “Snow Moon”, “Storm Moon” or “Hunger Moon”, takes place just two days after Valentine’s Day, on February 16.
march
March Full moon, the “Worm Moon”, “Crow Moon” or “Sugar Moon” will appear on March 18.
The end of winter comes with the Spring equinox on March, 20thwhen the sun shines directly on the equator and lasts equally long day and night.
April
April Full moon, the “Pink Moon”, “Sprouting Grass Moon” or “Egg Moon” will arrive on April 16th.
the Lyrid meteor shower, named after the constellation Lyra, is at its peak Overnight between April 21st and April 22nd. Visibility can be poor in Los Angeles as the moon is quite bright that night.
The meteor shower will peak this month. Belen de Leon has details.
Can
the And Aquarius meteor shower, named after the constellation Aquarius, is at its peak Overnight between May 5th and May 6th. The meteor shower comes from the rubble of Halley’s Comet.
May Full moon, called “Flower Moon” or “Milky Moon”, comes on May 15. It will be a too total lunar eclipse visible that night, starting around 7:40 p.m., reaching the maximum solar eclipse point around 9:11 p.m. and ending shortly before midnight.
Lunar eclipses occur when the earth’s shadow is cast over the moon as the earth travels between the moon and the sun. If the moon is 100% covered by the shadow, it is a total lunar eclipse.
Here’s what you should know about observing the partial lunar eclipse on Thursday. Belen De Leon will report for Today in LA on Thursday, November 18, 2021.
June
June Full moon, called “Strawberry Moon”, “Mead Moon” or “Hoe Moon”, is expected to appear on 14th June.
Spring comes to an end when summer comes on Summer solstice, on June 21st.
On the first day of summer, the sun is directly over the Tropic of Cancer, an imaginary line around the earth. The position of the sun creates the longest day of the year with the most daylight for the northern hemisphere.
Here’s What You Should Know About Summer Solstice. Belen De Leon will be reporting on Today in LA on Friday, June 19, 2020.
July
The earth will be in theirs Aphelion, the period of time it is furthest from the Sun in its orbit 3rd of July, at 12:10 p.m.
July Full moon, called “Buck Moon”, “Hay Moon” or “Thunder Moon”, appears on July 13th.
August
August Full moon, the “Sturgeon Moon”, will appear in the sky of Los Angeles August 11th.
the Perseid meteor shower, named after the constellation Perseus, is at its peak Overnight between August 12th and August 13th.
The meteor shower is made from space debris from Comet Swift-Tuttle and is one of the brightest meteor showers every year. This year, however, according to Heavens-Above, visibility may be restricted as the shower comes so close after the full moon.
Anthony Yanez explains the Perseid meteor shower, from what it is until you can see it. As seen on NBC4 News on Tuesday, August 11, 2020.
September
September Full moon, the “Harvest Moon” or “Barley Moon” appears September 10.
The end of summer comes with the Autumn equinox on September 22when the sun shines directly on the equator and lasts equally long day and night.
The autumn is here. Belen De Leon takes a look at the changing seasons.
Sometime in late September or early October, NASA will DART spaceship – launched on November 23, 2021 – will finally reach and impact the Didymos asteroid system. The data collected from the impact will help NASA find ways to protect Earth from future asteroid threats.
October
October Full moon, the “Hunter’s Moon” or “Travel Moon” appears Oct 9.
the Orionid meteor shower, named after the constellation Orion, is at its peak Overnight between October 20 and October 21.. Like the Eta Aquarid meteor shower, the meteor shower comes from debris left by Halley’s Comet.
Look up at the sky this week to see the climax of the Orinids meteor shower. Belen De Leon will report for Today in LA on Tuesday, October 20, 2020.
November
November Full moon, called “Beaver Moon” or “Frost Moon”, appears November 8th. It will be a too total lunar eclipse Visible that night, starting around 00:01 a.m., reaching the maximum solar eclipse point around 2:59 a.m. and ending shortly before 6 a.m.
the Leonid meteor shower, named after the constellation Leo, is at its peak Overnight between November 17th and November 18th.
Don’t miss your chance to see the Leonid meteor shower this weekend.
December
December Full moon, called “Cold Moon” or “Oak Moon”, will be released over Los Angeles on December 7th.
the Geminid meteor shower, named after the constellation Gemini, is at its peak Overnight between December 13th and December 14th. Associated with debris from an asteroid, not a comet, this meteor shower is a breathtaking sight due to the number of meteors visible.
Winter comes on 21st December, with the Winter solstice.
On the first day of winter, the sun is directly above the Tropic of Capricorn, an imaginary line around the earth. The position of the sun creates the shortest day of the year with the least daylight for the northern hemisphere.
The second and final meteor shower to be visible in Los Angeles in 2022 is the Ursid meteor shower, named after the constellation Ursa Minor. It will peak overnight between December 22nd and 23rd.
Winter is officially here. Belen De Leon explains the winter solstice.
Other rocket launches
Rocket launches can change due to a number of factors including the weather. Often a specific day is selected for launch just before that day so that missile launch events are “planned” in relation to target months.
As of January 3, at least one Falcon 9 launch – SpaceX’s reusable 2-stage rocket – will be launched into space from Vandenberg Air Force Base in March 2022 at the earliest.
This launch will send the WorldView Legion 1 and Legion 2 satellites into orbit.
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