| Image |
Date |
Event |
Description |
| January |
 | 01 | First Quarter | Moon Phase |
 | 03 | Meteor Shower | Quadrantids showers up to 40 meteors per hour at their peak. The near first quarter moon will set shortly after midnight, leaving dark skies for what should be a good show. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight. Look for meteors radiating from the constellation Bootes. |
| 04 | Meteor Shower | Quadrantids showers up to 40 meteors per hour at their peak. The near first quarter moon will set shortly after midnight, leaving dark skies for what should be a good show. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight. Look for meteors radiating from the constellation Bootes. |
 | 09 | Full Moon | Moon Phase |
 | 16 | Last Quarter | Moon Phase |
 | 23 | New Moon | Moon Phase |
| 31 | First Quarter | Moon Phase |
| February |
| 07 | Full Moon | Moon Phase |
| 14 | Last Quarter | Moon Phase |
| 21 | New Moon | Moon Phase |
| 29 | First Quarter | Moon Phase |
| March |
 | 03 | Mars at Opposition | The red planet will be at its closest approach to Earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun |
| 08 | Full Moon | Moon Phase |
| 14 | Last Quarter | Moon Phase |
 | 14 | Conjunction of Venus and Jupiter | The two bright planets will be within 3 degrees of each other in the evening sky. |
 | 20 | March Equinox | The March equinox occurs at 05:14 UTC. The Sun will shine directly on the equator and there will be nearly equal amounts of day and night throughout the world. This is also the first day of spring (vernal equinox) in the northern hemisphere and the first day of fall (autumnal equinox) in the southern hemisphere. |
| 22 | New Moon | Moon Phase |
| 30 | First Quarter | Moon Phase |
| April |
| 06 | Full Moon | Moon Phase |
| 13 | Last Quarter | Moon Phase |
| 15 | Saturn at Opposition | The ringed planet will be at its closest approach to Earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun. This is the best time to view and photograph Saturn and its moons. |
| 21 | New Moon | Moon Phase |
| 21 | Meteor Shower | The Lyrids are an average shower, usually producing about 20 meteors per hour at their peak. These meteors can produce bright dust trails that last for several seconds. With no moon to get in the way this year, this really should be a good show. Look for meteors radiating from the constellation of Lyra after midnight. |
| 22 | Meteor Shower | The Lyrids are an average shower, usually producing about 20 meteors per hour at their peak. These meteors can produce bright dust trails that last for several seconds. With no moon to get in the way this year, this really should be a good show. Look for meteors radiating from the constellation of Lyra after midnight. |
| 29 | First Quarter | Moon Phase |
| May |
| 05 | Full Moon | Moon Phase |
| 05 | Meteor Shower | The Eta Aquarids are a light shower, usually producing about 10 meteors per hour at their peak. The full moon will probably ruin the show this year, washing out all but the brightest meteors with its glare. The radiant point for this shower will be in the constellation Aquarius. Best viewing is usually to the east after midnight, far from city lights. |
| 06 | Meteor Shower | The Eta Aquarids are a light shower, usually producing about 10 meteors per hour at their peak. The full moon will probably ruin the show this year, washing out all but the brightest meteors with its glare. The radiant point for this shower will be in the constellation Aquarius. Best viewing is usually to the east after midnight, far from city lights. |
| 12 | Last Quarter | Moon Phase |
| 20 | New Moon | Moon Phase |
 | 20 | Annual Solar Eclipse | The path of annularity will begin in southern China and move east through Japan, the northern Pacific Ocean, and into the western United States. A partial eclipse will be visible throughout parts of eastern Asia and most of North America. |
| 28 | First Quarter | Moon Phase |
| June |
| 04 | Full Moon | Moon Phase |
 | 04 | Partial Lunar Eclipse | The eclipse will be visible throughout most of Asia, Australia, the Pacific Ocean, and the Americas. |
| 05 | Transit of Venus Across the Sun | This extremely rare event will be entirely visible throughout most of eastern Asia, eastern Australia, and Alaska. A partial transit can be seen in progress at sunrise throughout Europe, western Asia, and eastern Africa. A partial transit can be seen in progress at sunset throughout most of North America, Central America, and western South America. The next transit will not take place until the year 2117 |
| 11 | Last Quarter | Moon Phase |
| 19 | New Moon | Moon Phase |
| 20 | June Solstice | The June solstice occurs at 23:09 UTC. The North Pole of the earth will be tilted toward the Sun, which will have reached its northernmost position in the sky and will be directly over the Tropic of Cancer at 23.44 degrees north latitude. This is the first day of summer (summer solstice) in the northern hemisphere and the first day of winter (winter solstice) in the southern hemisphere. |
| 26 | First Quarter | Moon Phase |
| July |
| 03 | Full Moon | Moon Phase |
| 10 | Last Quarter | Moon Phase |
| 18 | New Moon | Moon Phase |
| 26 | First Quarter | Moon Phase |
| 28 | Meteor Shower | The Delta Aquarids can produce about 20 meteors per hour at their peak. The radiant point for this shower will be in the constellation Aquarius. The near first quarter moon will set shortly after midnight, leaving dark skies for what should be a good show. Best viewing is usually to the east after midnight. |
| 29 | Meteor Shower | The Delta Aquarids can produce about 20 meteors per hour at their peak. The radiant point for this shower will be in the constellation Aquarius. The near first quarter moon will set shortly after midnight, leaving dark skies for what should be a good show. Best viewing is usually to the east after midnight. |
| August |
| 01 | Full Moon | Moon Phase |
 | 06 | Curiosity Rover at Mars | NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) is scheduled to land on the red planet between August 6 and August 20, 2012. Officially named Curiosity, it is an autonomous rover similar to the Spirit and Opportunity rovers that previously visited Mars. This much larger rover will carry many more instruments and experiments than its previous cousins. Curiosity’s high definition color cameras will photograph the Martian surface while a host of instruments will sample the soil and air and search for organic compounds. |
| 09 | Last Quarter | Moon Phase |
| 12 | Meteor Shower | The Perseids is one of the best meteor showers to observe, producing up to 60 meteors per hour at their peak. The radiant point for this shower will be in the constellation Perseus. The near last quarter moon will be hanging around for the show, but shouldn’t bee too much of a problem for a shower with up to 60 meteors per hour. Find a location far from city lights and look to the northeast after midnight. |
| 13 | Meteor Shower | The Perseids is one of the best meteor showers to observe, producing up to 60 meteors per hour at their peak. The radiant point for this shower will be in the constellation Perseus. The near last quarter moon will be hanging around for the show, but shouldn’t bee too much of a problem for a shower with up to 60 meteors per hour. Find a location far from city lights and look to the northeast after midnight. |
| 17 | New Moon | Moon Phase |
| 24 | First Quarter | Moon Phase |
| 24 | Neptune at Opposition | The blue planet will be at its closest approach to Earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun. This is the best time to view Neptune. Due to its distance, it will only appear as a tiny blue dot in all but the most powerful telescopes. |
| 31 | Full Moon | Moon Phase |
| September |
| 08 | Last Quarter | Moon Phase |
| 15 | New Moon | Moon Phase |
| 22 | First Quarter | Moon Phase |
| 22 | September Equinox | The September equinox occurs at 14:49 UTC. The Sun will shine directly on the equator and there will be nearly equal amounts of day and night throughout the world. This is also the first day of fall (autumnal equinox) in the northern hemisphere and the first day of spring (vernal equinox) in the southern hemisphere. |
| 29 | Full Moon | Moon Phase |
| 29 | Uranus at Opposition | The blue-green planet will be at its closest approach to Earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun. This is the best time to view Uranus. Due to its distance, it will only appear as a tiny blue-green dot in all but the most powerful telescopes. |
| October |
| 08 | Last Quarter | Moon Phase |
| 15 | New Moon | Moon Phase |
| 21 | First Quarter | Moon Phase |
| 21 | Meteor Shower | The Orionids is an average shower producing about 20 meteors per hour at their peak. This shower usually peaks on the 21st, but it is highly irregular. |
| 22 | Meteor Shower | The Orionids is an average shower producing about 20 meteors per hour at their peak. This shower usually peaks on the 21st, but it is highly irregular. |
| 29 | Full Moon | Moon Phase |
| November |
| 06 | Last Quarter | Moon Phase |
| 13 | New Moon | Moon Phase |
| 13 | Total Solar Eclipse | The path of totality will only be visible in parts of extreme northern Australia and the southern Pacific Ocean. A partial eclipse will be visible in most parts of eastern Australia and New Zealand. |
| 17 | Meteor Shower | The Leonids is one of the better meteor showers to observe, producing an average of 40 meteors per hour at their peak. The shower itself has a cyclic peak year every 33 years where hundreds of meteors can be seen each hour. The last of these occurred in 2001. The crescent moon will set early in the evening leaving dark skies for what should be an excellent show. Look for the shower radiating from the constellation Leo after midnight, and be sure to find a dark location for viewing. |
| 18 | Meteor Shower | The Leonids is one of the better meteor showers to observe, producing an average of 40 meteors per hour at their peak. The shower itself has a cyclic peak year every 33 years where hundreds of meteors can be seen each hour. The last of these occurred in 2001. The crescent moon will set early in the evening leaving dark skies for what should be an excellent show. Look for the shower radiating from the constellation Leo after midnight, and be sure to find a dark location for viewing. |
| 20 | First Quarter | Moon Phase |
| 27 | Conjunction of Venus and Saturn | These two bright planets will be within 1 degree of each other in the morning sky. Look to the east around sunrise. |
| 28 | Full Moon | Moon Phase |
| 28 | Penumbral Lunar Eclipse | The eclipse will be visible throughout most of Europe, eastern Africa, Asia, Australia, the Pacific Ocean, and North America. |
| December |
| 03 | Jupiter at Opposition | The giant planet will be at its closest approach to Earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun. This is the best time to view and photograph Jupiter and its moons. |
| 06 | Last Quarter | Moon Phase |
| 13 | New Moon | Moon Phase |
| 13 | Meteor Shower | Considered by many to be the best meteor shower in the heavens, the Geminids are known for producing up to 60 multicolored meteors per hour at their peak. The radiant point for this shower will be in the constellation Gemini. This year the new moon will guarantee a dark sky for what should be an awesome show. Best viewing is usually to the east after midnight from a dark location. |
| 14 | Meteor Shower | Considered by many to be the best meteor shower in the heavens, the Geminids are known for producing up to 60 multicolored meteors per hour at their peak. The radiant point for this shower will be in the constellation Gemini. This year the new moon will guarantee a dark sky for what should be an awesome show. Best viewing is usually to the east after midnight from a dark location. |
| 19 | First Quarter | Moon Phase |
| 21 | December Solstice | The December solstice occurs at 11:12 UTC. The South Pole of the earth will be tilted toward the Sun, which will have reached its northernmost position in the sky and will be directly over the Tropic of Capricorn at 23.44 degrees south latitude. This is the first day of winter (winter solstice) in the northern hemisphere and the first day of summer (summer solstice) in the southern hemisphere. |
| 28 | Full Moon | Moon Phase |
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