Did you see the full moon last week? The beautiful Full Beaver Moon shone bright in Asheville. 🌕
In case you missed it, we are here to give you the full rundown of all things astronomy to mark on your calendar this year, and what major things you won’t want to miss in 2020. 🔭
What to look out for in November 🔭
November might be the mark of Scorpio season, but astronomy and astrology are a little different – a.k.a, you won’t be able to see its correlating constellation Scorpius this month.
Here are the constellations that will be most visible in November ⭐:
○ Andromeda – Princess of Ethiopia
○ Cassiopeia – Queen of Ethiopia
○ Phoenix – The phoenix
○ Pisces – The fish
○ Sculptor – The sculptor’s workshop
○ Tucana – The toucan
November’s full moon has passed this month, but there’s a New moon 🌑 on Tuesday, Nov. 26.
What to look out for in December:
Here are the constellations that will be most visible in December ⭐:
○ Aries – The ram
○ Cetus – The sea monster
○ Eridanus – The river
○ Fornax – The laboratory furnace
○ Horologium – The pendulum clock
○ Hydrus – The southern water snake
○ Perseus – The hero
○ Triangulum – The triangle
Here are December’s moon phase dates:
○ First quarter 🌗 – Wednesday, Dec. 4
○ Full moon 🌕 – Thursday, Dec. 12
○ Last quarter 🌗 – Wednesday, Dec. 18
○ New moon 🌑 – Thursday, Dec. 26
There will be a few meteor showers this month, too. The Alpha Monocerotids meteor shower produced an outburst of meteors last night. The Geminid meteor shower will peak the night of Friday, Dec. 13 through the morning of the 14th. While a full moon will just be passing (which notably lights up the sky), a whopping 20-30 meteors may still be visible each hour. The Ursid meteor shower – producing around 5-10 visible meteors per hour – will take place Dec. 21-22.
Unfortunately, 2019’s only annual lunar eclipse on Dec. 26 will only be visible in the Eastern Hemisphere.
What to look out for in 2020 🔭
Meteor showers
○ Quadrantids – Jan., 3-4
○ Lyrids – April 22-23
○ Eta Aquarids – May 6-7
○ Delta Aquarids – July 28-29
○ Perseids – Aug. 12-13
○ Draconids – Oct. 7
○ Orionids – Oct. 21-22
○ Taurids – Nov. 4-5
○ Leonids – Nov. 17-18
○ Geminids – Dec. 13-14
○ Ursids – Dec. 21-22
Supermoons
○ Feb. 9
○ March 9
○ April 8
○ May 7
Blue moon
○ Oct. 31
Lunar eclipse
○ July 5
○ Nov. 30
Bonus – Here are some cool tools you can utilize for all of your astronomical + stargazing needs:
○ Real-time astronomical simulator
The Astronomy Club of Asheville
The Astronomy Club of Asheville hosts meetings on the first Thursday of the month (except for Jan. and July) and regular stargazes at UNC Asheville’s Lookout Observatory, Grassland Mountain Observatory in Madison County, and other spots (including Tanbark Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway). You’ll also find them downtown for events like the recent Transit of Mercury.
Want to join up? Individual dues are $25 and include invitations to club-only events, use of the club’s loaner telescope, discounts on astronomy publications + more.
You don’t have to be a member to attend the club’s meetings or public stargazes. The next free public stargaze is tonight at Lookout (register here) – and it’s the five-year anniversary of the observatory’s opening. Since it opened, there have been more than 10,000 visitors. Protip: Check the page throughout the day in case there’s a cancellation due to weather.
The next club meeting is on Dec. 5 at the Reuter Center at UNC Asheville. It’s a holiday potluck and auction benefiting the club.
