January
January 2nd and 3rd – The Quadrantids Meteor Shower peaks with an estimated maximum of 40 meteors per hour.
February
February 16th – Mercury is at Greatest Eastern Elongation which means it will be at its highest point in the western sky after sunset. This is the best time to try and view the elusive inner planet.
February 18th – Conjunction of the Moon and Jupiter. The Moon will be just under one degree from Jupiter in the evening sky and will look striking in the twilight sky as the Sun sets.
March
March 10th – Closest Approach to the Sun of Comet Pan-STARRS. The comet will be visible first in the morning sky for southern hemisphere observers in February but by March will become an evening object for northern hemisphere observer before fading from view in April.
March 17th – Conjunction of the Moon and Jupiter. The Moon and Jupiter pass close by each other again but this time about one and a half degrees separates them.
March 20th – March Equinox. The March equinox occurs at 11:02 UTC on 20th of the month. At this exact point in time, the Sun will appear overhead to anyone living on the equator so equal hours of day and night will be experienced around the World. This is known as the Spring Equinox for people in the Northern Hemisphere and the Autumn Equinox for those in the Southern Hemisphere.
April
April 21st, 22nd – The Lyrids Meteor Shower peaks in the early hours of 22nd although meteors from this shower can be seen between 16th and 25th of the month. A nearly full Moon reduces the number of meteors likely to be visible to between 10 and 20.
April 25th – A partial lunar eclipse takes place between 18:03 UT and 22:11 UT and will be visible from much of Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia.
April 28th – Saturn will be at opposition on 28th which means it will be opposite the Sun in the sky and will rise as the Sun sets. It will lie due south at local midnight and because it will be at its closest point to us, makes it a great time to observe the ringed planet. Magnifications of 20x or more are needed to see the rings.
May
May 4th, 5th – Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower peaks during early hours of 5th May this year and can produce up to 60 meteors per hour. This rate is often only enjoyed by southern hemisphere observers due to the location of the radiant but northern hemisphere observers can see around 30 meteors per hour.
May 10th – An annular solar eclipse takes place on 10th May where the Moon is slightly too far away to completely block the Sun from view. Instead, a ring or annulus of light is seen around the silhouetted Moon. The path of visibility of this annular eclipse tracks across the Pacific Ocean making it visible from Australia, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and the Gilbert Islands. The eclipse will be seen as partial from parts of Australia and Indonesia and most of the Pacific Ocean.
May 28th – Conjunction of Venus and Jupiter. The two brightest planets in the solar system Jupiter and Venus will pass within 1 degree of each other in the night sky providing a great photo opportunity in the twilight sky.
May 25th Penumbral Lunar Eclipses occur when the Moon skirts through the lighter portion of the Earth’s shadow and the Moon goes a little darker. This is in contrast to the deep red/brown of a total eclipse. During this eclipse the drop in brightness of the Moon will barely be noticeable.
June
June 12th – Mercury is at Greatest Eastern Elongation. This is a great time to try and catch the innermost planet from the Sun as it sets in the western sky after sunset. At greatest eastern elongation, Mercury will be at its greatest distance from the Sun in the sky.
June 21st – June Solstice. The June solstice is a precise point in time at 05:04 UTC and at this point the Sun will have reached its highest point in the sky when seen from the northern hemisphere or its lowest point in the sky from the southern hemisphere. At this point, the Sun will sit directly overhead the Tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere marking the first day of Summer for the northern hemisphere or the first day of winter for the southern hemisphere.
July
July 27th, 28th – The Delta Aquarids Meteor Shower peaks during the early hours of the 28th July with a maximum of around 20 meteors per hour. Unfortunately during the maximum of this shower the Moon will be at second quarter phase so only the brighter meteors will be visible.
August
August 11th, 12th – One of the best meteor showers peaks during the middle of August, the Perseids. At its peak, it can produce up to 60 meteors per hour and with the Moon setting around midnight on the 11th, the early hours of the 12th could provide a great conditions for an incredible show.
August 27th – Neptune is at Opposition. This means that Neptune will lie opposite to the Sun in the sky so it will rise at the time of sunset and be visible all night. A good pair of binoculars or small telescope will be needed to see this giant planet in the constellation of Aquarius.
September
September 8th – A beautiful conjunction takes place this month with the Moon and Venus appearing about half of a degree apart in the west. The Moon will be a thin crescent and with bright Venus shining close by will make a great photo opportunity.
September 22th – September Equinox. The September equinox is known as the autumnal equinox in the northern hemisphere and the spring or vernal equinox in the southern hemisphere. It occurs at precisely 20:44 UTC when the Sun will shine directly overhead at the equator and equal hours of day and night will be experienced throughout the world.
October
October 3rd– Uranus is at Opposition which means it will be visible all night, rising as the Sun sets and setting as the Sun rises.
October 9th – Mercury at Greatest Eastern Elongation. This is the best time to catch a glimpse of elusive Mercury low in the west straight after the Sun has set.
October 7th, 8th – The Draconids Meteor Shower peaks overnight on the 7th/8th but only about 10 meteors per hour at peak are expected.
October 18th– Penumbral Lunar Eclipse. This type of eclipse occurs when the Moon skips through the partial part of the Earth’s shadow and goes very slightly darker. This is in contrast to the deep browny/red often seen during total lunar eclipses. The eclipse will be the last lunar eclipse of the year, visible wherever the Moon can be seen starting at 21:50 UTC and finishing at 01:49 on the 19th. This eclipse will be not be seen from Australia or parts of eastern Siberia.
October 21st, 22nd– The Orionids Meteor Shower peaks in October with meteors from this shower visible from October 2nd until November 7th. The peak activity known as ‘maximum’ will be in the early hours of the 22nd where an expected rate of 20 meteors per hour will be seen. The meteors from this shower tend to be quite bright so even though the Moon will be present there could still be a great show.
November
November 3rd – A hybrid solar eclipse is a rare event where the distance of the Moon leads to the appearance of a total eclipse in some parts of the world and an annular one at other locations as the eclipse progresses.. Its path will take it from the Atlantic Ocean across central Africa.
November 4th, 5th– The Taurids Meteor Shower is minor compared to most others with no more than 10 per hour at peak. There is no Moon to spoil the view so it is worth getting up early on the 5th to try and catch a glimpse.
November 16th, 17th – The Leonids Meteor Shower can produce storm level activity every 33 years but this year a normal shower is expected with around 15 meteors per hour visible at peak however the light from a full Moon render all but the brightest invisible.
November 28th– on 28th of this month, Comet ISON will make its closest approach to the Sun (perihelion). Some forecasts are suggesting this could become a bright naked eye comet, even visible during daytime. This is all highly dependent on many factors, not least of which is surviving its close brush with the Sun. It is likely to start becoming visible from August with large telescopes and perhaps naked eye from end September, early October. Remember though, comets are unpredictable so it could be amazing or it could flop! Check back here for updates.
December
December 13th, 14th – The Geminids meteor shower peaks during the early hours of the 14th with the possibility of around 100 meteors per hour at maximum. Unfortunately the Moon will be present when the shower peaks so some of the fainter ones will be lost due to its glare but the shower is known for bright meteors so there should still be plenty to see.
December 21st – The Winter Solstice in the northern hemisphere or Summer Solstice in the southern hemisphere takes place on 21st December. The precise moment of the solstice is 17:11 UTC.
December 21st, 22nd – The final meteor shower of 2013 is the Ursids shower which peaks over 21st/22nd December. Only about 10 meteors are likely at peak so this is considered to be a minor shower but the addition of the second quarter Moon means all but the brightest will be out of view.