Joe Rao

The Ursid meteor shower of 2021 will peak overnight on Dec. 21 but don't expect a great meteor display.

There is one more meteor shower to consider before we close the book on 2020: the December Ursid meteor shower, which usually occurs during the overnight hours of Dec. 21-22.

The Geminid meteor shower, which will likely be the very best meteor display of the year, is just around the corner, predicted to peak late on Sunday night (Dec. 13).

The December Geminid meteor shower is usually considered the most satisfying of the annual meteor displays, but this year, the moon will put a damper on the spectacle.

The tau Herculids from comet 73P/Schwassman-Wachmann which began to fragment in 1995 may make an appearance on the night of May 30-31.

This week marks the peak of what is usually considered the most satisfying of all annual meteor displays: the Geminid meteor shower.

Of the ten biggest annual meteor showers, just two could produce over 100 per hour: the December Geminids and the January Quadrantids, due to peak this Monday (Jan. 3).

Look up in the night sky next week for a sight of some amazing meteors.

The 2020 Lyrid meteor shower this week coincides with the new moon, meaning that there will be absolutely no lunar interference with getting a good view of these celestial streakers.

Skywatchers will finally be able to enjoy the thrill of observing "shooting stars" again this week as the April Lyrids shower arrives after a three-month-long meteor drought.

About half of the contiguous 48 states will enjoy mainly clear skies, providing a perfect backdrop for viewing the total eclipse of the moon that will take place early on Election Day morning.

We've assembled a chronology of the different phases of the Blood Moon total lunar eclipse, including some of the things you might see during each phase.

See the sun rise while a total lunar eclipse sets on Tuesday (Nov. 8), in a phenomenon known as a 'selenelion'.

Early on Election Day morning, early risers will have an opportunity to observe the November Beaver Moon undergo a total eclipse.

You can get a very good idea about where the moon will be in the sky during the eclipse by looking for it on Tuesday morning, Oct. 11.

During a one-week time frame extending from Nov. 5th through Nov. 12, the Taurid meteor shower will be most active.

On Tuesday, Oct. 25, the new moon will orbit between the sun and the Earth, causing a partial eclipse of the sun to take place.

For a few days centered on Oct. 21st each year, the Earth sweeps through a swarm of meteoroids known as the Orionids; widely scattered debris shed by the most famous of all comets, Halley's Comet.

The two most conspicuous star patterns whirling in their nightly course in the northern skies are the Big Dipper and the "W" of Cassiopeia the Queen.

During the late evening hours of Friday (Oct. 14), Mars will rendezvous with the moon in the night sky.

On Saturday evening (Oct. 8), should local weather conditions permit, you'll be able to enjoy a view of a waxing gibbous moon hovering near to the "king of the planets," Jupiter.

During these next few mornings, we'll have a chance to see a few pieces of Halley's Comet zipping through our atmosphere in the form of meteors.

The 2018 Draconid meteor shower will peak overnight on Monday, Oct. 8, and early Tuesday, Oct. 9. Here's what to expect.

Stars differ in size, luminosity and distance from us. We discuss how astronomers measure these three values to understand the three-dimensional sky.