The Perseid meteor shower, one of the brighter meteor showers of the year, occur every August, peaking around August 9-13. Consisting of tiny space debris from the comet Swift-Tuttle, the Perseids are named after the constellation, Perseus. This is because, their radiant or the direction of which the shower seems to come from lies in the same […]
An hour before sunrise, low in the east-northeast sky, the two brightest planets, Venus and Jupiter, will be strikingly close together. The two worlds will be separated by less than two-thirds of the apparent width of the moon in our sky, making for a very eye-catching sight.
All eyes will be on the Red Planet in October as Comet C/2013 A1(Siding Spring), discovered by Robert H. McNaught at Australia's Siding Spring Observatory, will pass extremely close to Mars. The comet will come so close, in fact, that its coma may envelop Mars, as well as create a stupendous shower of meteors as seen […]
The moon's penumbral shadow will fall over much of North America as well as extreme eastern Siberia, producing a partial solar eclipse. Greatest eclipse, with more than four-fifths of the sun's diameter covered by the moon, will occur in M'Clintock Channel, an arm of the Arctic Ocean which divides Victoria Island from Prince of Wales […]
The Geminids can be observed annually between December 4 and December 17, with its peak activity being around December 14. The shower owes its name to the constellation Gemini from where the meteors seem to emerge from in the sky. Unlike most other meteor showers, the Geminids are associated not with a comet but with […]
The Moon will be fully illuminated as seen from Earth.
Mercury will be at it's highest point in the sky as seen from Earth. This is one of the best times to observe the innermost planet.
A New Moon occurs when the Sun and Moon have the same ecliptical longitude. This is the first phase of the lunar cycle, meaning this celestial body will not be visible in the sky.
Saturn will be it's closest to Earth in it's orbit and the ringed planet will appear it's fullest and brightest.
The Moon will be fully illuminated as seen from Earth.
Venus will be at it’s highest point in the sky as seen from Earth. This is one of the best times to observe the Evening Star.
A New Moon occurs when the Sun and Moon have the same ecliptical longitude. This is the first phase of the lunar cycle, meaning this celestial body will not be visible in the sky.
Marks the first day of Summer!
Venus and Jupiter will appear within .3° of each other.
The Moon will be fully illuminated as seen from Earth.
After 9 years of travel, New Horizons, an unmanned space ship, will fly by Pluto and will continue moving deeper into the Solar System.
A New Moon occurs when the Sun and Moon have the same ecliptical longitude. This is the first phase of the lunar cycle, meaning this celestial body will not be visible in the sky.
The Delta Aquarids meteor shower will be peaking. The nearly full moon will make observing difficult.
The Moon will be fully illuminated as seen from Earth.
The Perseid meteor shower will be peaking. This is one of the best meteor showers to observe because it produces up to 60 meteors an hour.
A New Moon occurs when the Sun and Moon have the same ecliptical longitude. This is the first phase of the lunar cycle, meaning this celestial body will not be visible in the sky.
The Moon will be fully illuminated as seen from Earth.
The Emera Astronomy Center will be holding a free viewing of the Transit of Mercury on Monday, May 9th. The astronomy center staff will be setting up solar telescopes here onsite and will be aided by the Penobscot Valley Star Gazers club. Viewing will take place from 7:00 am to 2:45 pm directly behind the […]
In cooperation with the Hirundo Wildlife Refuge, we will be hosting a meteor viewing star party at the Maynard F. Jordan Observatory, located just behind the Emera Astronomy Center. The Perseid shower is an annual event where the Earth passes through the cloud of debris left behind by the comet Swift-Tuttle. The small pieces of […]
While here in Maine we will be unable to see a total solar eclipse, we will be able to see about 60% of the sun's disk covered by the moon. These events are very rare to see without travel, so make sure to mark it on your calendar. The eclipse begins at approximately 1:35 pm, and […]
