While one of the strongest meteor showers of the year is set to peak tonight, the waning gibbous moon is likely to make the meteors of the Quadrantid Meteor Shower less visible. Between 50 and 100 meteors per hour are typically visible during the Quadrantids……and they should be most visible by watching the northeastern sky (between the Big Dipper and Bootes) from this evening (Saturday 01-02-21) until dawn tomorrow. More information on this meteor showercan be found on-line at: TimeAndDate.com, under their Astronomical Events of 2021. The Quadrantids are expected to be the first of 12 meteor showers this year.
Eyes on the sky in 2021
The Quadrantids kick off the first of 12 meteor showers across 2021.
Typical of a normal year, 2021 will also have 12 full moons. (Last year had 13 full moons, two of which were in October).
Here are all of the full moons and their names occurring this year, according to the Farmer’s Almanac:
January 28 — Wolf moon
February 27 — Snow moon
March 28 — Worm moon
April 26 — Pink moon
May 26 — Flower moon
June 24 — Strawberry moon
July 23 — Buck moon
August 22 — Sturgeon moon
September 20 — Harvest moon
October 20 — Hunter’s moon
November 19 — Beaver moon
December 18 — Cold moon
This year, there will be two eclipses of the sun and two eclipses of the moon — and three of these will be visible for some in North America, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac.
A total eclipse of the moon will occur on May 26, best visible to those in western North America and Hawaii from 4:46 a.m. ET to 9:51 a.m. ET.
An annular eclipse of the sun will happen on June 10, visible in northern and northeastern North America from 4:12 a.m. to 9:11 a.m. ET. The sun won’t be fully blocked by the moon, so be sure to wear eclipse glasses to safely view this event.
November 19 will see a partial eclipse of the moon and skywatchers in North America and Hawaii will see it between 1 a.m. ET and 7:06 a.m. ET.
And the year ends with a total eclipse of the sun on December 4. It won’t be seen in North America, but those in the Falkland Islands, the southern tip of Africa, Antarctica and southeastern Australia will be able to spot it.
