May 2017 brings us Eta Aquarids, an above average meteor shower capable of producing up to 60 meteors per hour at its peak, in the southern hemisphere. The waxing gibbous moon, however, will block out many of the fainter meteors this year. The Moon will be located…
A long-lasting fireball was seen over Florida around 03:52 UTC on April 26, 2017 (23:52 EDT on April 25). The event lasted up to 20 seconds. The American Meteor Society received 46 reports by 17:35 UTC. Five witnesses reported sound associated with the event while…
A new phenomenon seen as a giant purple streak of light in the night sky has been recently discovered and, for lack of a better word, named Steve. Steve was discovered thanks to scientists, citizen scientists, ground-based imagers and ESA's magnetic field Swarm…
Planet Jupiter is at opposition on April 7, 2017, meaning that the Sun, Earth and Jupiter will form a straight line. At around the same time that Jupiter passes opposition (21:28 UTC), it also makes its closest approach to the Earth in 2017. By midnight (local…
April brings us three meteor showers – Virginids on April 12th, Lyrids on the 22nd and 23rd and Alpha Schorpiids on the 28th. The Moon will present minimal interference for Lyrids and Alpha Scorpiids. On April 1, Comet 41P/Tuttle-Giacobini-Kresák is making…
The Sun will shine directly on the equator and there will be nearly equal amounts of day and night throughout the world – March equinox – on March 20. This is the first day of spring (vernal equinox) in the northern hemisphere and the first day of fall (autumnal…
An annular solar eclipse will take place on February 26, 2017, creating a ring of light around the darkened Moon as the Moon will be too far away from the Earth to completely cover the Sun. This is the first of two eclipses in 2017 and comes just 7 months before the…
A very deep penumbral lunar eclipse will take place on February 11, 2017, with the greatest eclipse at 00:45 UTC. It will be visible throughout most of eastern South America, eastern Canada, the Atlantic Ocean, Europe, Africa, and western Asia. Penumbral eclipses…
A penumbral lunar eclipse will take place at 00:45 UTC on February 11. Although the Moon's light dims considerably during a penumbral eclipse, this is only perceptible to those with very astute vision, or in carefully controlled photographs. The eclipse will be…
January 2017 hosts one of the most intense annual meteor showers – the Quadrantids, known for producing spectacular fireballs. The timing favors western parts of North America and islands across the Pacific. The peak of Quadrantids is brief, typically lasting no…
