To automatically sync the AAAP Calendar of Events to your personal calendar, please follow the instructions on our Calendar Download page. For lists of other events, check out the AAAP Star Party Schedule and the International Astronomy Events pages.
2019 General Meetings: Jan 11, Feb 8, Mar 8, Apr 12, May 10, Sep 13, Oct 11, Nov 8
2019 Mingo Star Parties: Apr 27; May 24 & 25; Jun 21 & 22; Jul 12 & 13; Aug 9 & 10; Sep 20 & 21; Oct 25 & 26; Nov 9
2019 Wagman Star Parties: Jan 20 (Total Lunar Eclipse); Apr 13 & 27; May 17 & 18; Jun 7 & 8; Jul 12, & 13; Aug 9 & 10; Sep 6, 7 & 21; Oct 5 & 19; Nov 2
2020 General Meetings: Jan 10, Feb 14, Mar 13, Apr 10, May 8, Sep 11, Oct 9, Nov 13
2020 Mingo Star Parties: Apr 24 & 25; May 15 & 16; Jun 19 & 20; Jul 17 & 18; Aug 7 & 8; Sep 11 & 12; Oct 23 & 24; Nov 14
2020 Wagman Star Parties: Apr 3 & 4; May 1, 2, 29 & 30; Jun 26 & 27; Jul 24 & 25; Aug 21 & 22; Sep 5 & 26; Oct 10 & 24; Nov 7
Please Note: Alternate views of events (such as calendar view) are available by clicking the drop-down next to the word ‘Agenda’.
December 21-22 – Ursids Meteor Shower. The Ursids is a minor meteor shower producing about 5-10 meteors per hour. It is produced by dust grains left behind by comet Tuttle which was first discovered in 1790. The shower runs annually from December 17 – 25. It peaks this year on the the night of the 21st and morning of the 22nd. The waning crescent moon should not interfere too much this year. Skies should still be dark enough for what could be a good show. Best viewing will be just after midnight from a dark location far away from city lights. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Ursa Minor but can appear anywhere in the sky.
December 22 – December Solstice. The December solstice occurs at 04:19 UTC. The South Pole of the earth will be tilted toward the Sun which will have reached its southernmost 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.
December 26 – Annular Solar Eclipse. An annular solar eclipse occurs when the Moon is too far away from the Earth to completely cover the Sun. This results in a ring of light around the darkened Moon. The Sun’s corona is not visible during an annular eclipse. The path of of the eclipse will begin in Saudi Arabia and move east through southern India; northern Sri Lanka; parts of the Indian Ocean; and Indonesia before ending in the Pacific Ocean. A partial eclipse will be visible throughout most of Asia and northern Australia.
Source: http://www.seasky.org/astronomy/astronomy-calendar-2019.html
December 26 – New Moon. The Moon will located on the same side of the Earth as the Sun and will not be visible in the night sky. This phase occurs at 05:15 UTC. This is the best time of the month to observe faint objects such as galaxies and star clusters because there is no moonlight to interfere.
Source: http://www.seasky.org/astronomy/astronomy-calendar-2019.html