We have already missed a couple in January which is one of the best months to go stargazing…a lot of celestial sights to see! We missed the Quadrantid meteor shower on the third and fourth and Jupiter, Saturn and Mercury in conjunction on January 10th and a crescent Moon meeting Venus on the 11th but it’s okay. There’s lots more! You can see Mars after dark all month. Enjoy because it will rapidly dim. Mars in January will remain brighter than all the stars except Sirius—the brightest star in Earth’s night sky.

On Thursday, January 14th, you will see a crescent Moon meet three planets just above the western horizon! You may need binoculars — maybe a telescope — and you will need a low view to the southwest to see the 3.6%-lit crescent Moon and to its right Mercury, then Jupiter and hopefully Saturn.

Orion, the hunter is also in our January skies – high in the northern night sky. Orion is bright and at its best in January and its most recognizable sight – Orion’s Belt which isn’t really a constellation but an asterism, a simple shape among the stars. The actual constellation includes four corner stars framing the belt stars -- reddish Betelgeuse and blue Bellatrix above and Rigel and Saiph beneath.

Mercury, also known as the ‘Swift Planet,’ is at its dichotomy on January 25th when it will be 50% illuminated by the Sun. At its highest in the sky on the night of the 25th, nevertheless, you will need a view low in the southwestern horizon to see Mercury (which orbits the Sun in just 88 Earth-days).

Happy viewing with clear skies and wide eyes!

(The above information on January happenings in the skies is from Jamie Carter, Senior Contributor to “Science.’)

Leaving January and moving on to a few more events in 2021, we researched AccuWeather ‘s site for the following 10 

On March 5th, there will be a Jupiter-Mercury conjunction (an astronomical phenomenon). About 45 minutes before sunrise on the eastern horizon, Jupiter and Mercury will appear extremely close, Mercury, being small and near the Sun, is usually hard to see but having Jupiter so close -- to its left -- it will be easier to find.

After no meteor showers for about four months, there will great numbers of shooting stars on April 21st-22nd . The Lyrid shower peaks on the night of April 21st into early 22nd, featuring around 15-20 meteors per hour. If weather doesn’t allow you to see it, the eta Aquarids will light up the skies on the night of May 4th until the early morning of May 5th.  

Several times a year, the full Moon appears bigger and brighter than normal, nicknamed the “supermoons.’ Three ‘supermoons’ will be visible in 2021, the first on April 26th-27th. ‘Supermoons will also appear in May and June. April’s full Moon is also known as the ‘Pink Moon” for the ground phlox flowers that bloom then. It is also sometimes called the ‘Frog Moon” or the ‘Sugar Maker Moon.’  

Perhaps the most exciting astronomical event of 2021 happens on May 26th with the Total Lunar Eclipse. The Sun and the Moon align perfectly to create a total blanking of the Moon over most of the United States. Part will be visible for most of North America but the total eclipse will be mostly visible from the High Plains, the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Coast as well as parts of South America and Asia.

Just two weeks later, on June 10th, there will be a solar eclipse. YOU MUST WEAR PROPER EYE PROTECTION TO VIEW THIS. Just as the Sun breaks over the horizon, the eclipse will be visible from northeastern United States and eastern Canada.

Probably the most popular meteor shower of the year, the Perseid Meteor Shower, will occur on August 11th-12th with about 100 meteors an hour!!! The Moon should be below the horizon thus making the shower more visible. You may see some meteors just after nightfall but they will be more visible after midnight.

Still in August – the 22nd – you might want to learn to use a telescope (if you are not already adept at it) to view Saturn, Jupiter and a Full Blue Moon!! Both planets will reach “opposition” -- the time of year they are closest to the Earth -- on August 22nd and, on that date, a Blue Moon will shine in line with the two planets. (Blue Moons are commonly known as the second full Moon in a calendar month but typically, an astronomical season has three full Moons but every few years, four full Moons fall in one season. The third of the four is called a ‘Blue Moon.’

On November 19th, you won’t want to miss a partial lunar eclipse which will be visible over all of North America. For residents of the eastern half of Canada and the United States, this eclipse may be more impressive than the one unfolding in May. This event will be very close to a total lunar eclipse with just a sliver of the Moon missing Earth’s dark inner shadows which may make it possible for the Moon to briefly appear orange or red, as it would in a total eclipse.

A trio of planets will be visible to help you celebrate Thanksgiving in 2021! Venus, Saturn and Jupiter will be lined up in the southern sky just after sunset on November 25th with all three outshining every other star in that area of the sky. If you miss it, you will be able to enjoy these three planets into December.

And finally, on December 13th-14th, the list of top astronomy events of 2021 is capped off by one of the most reliable meteor showers –year in and year out – the Geminid meteor shower -- unless the weather messes it up. As many as 120 meteors an hour may be counted on the night of December 13th into the early morning of December 14th as the Geminids put on a dazzling display. In addition to being the most active meteor shower of the year, some of the shooting stars glow in vibrant colors!! The Geminids is one of the only major meteor showers that are active during the evening but the best time to view this year’s rendition will be during the second half of the night after the Moon has set.

So, enjoy sky watching and may your star rise beautifully all through 2021!!