5 Sky Events in 2020

 
13. Dec – 14. Dec. 2020: A "gem" of a meteor shower 

Those who constantly scan the sky for meteors now feel that the Geminids in December are the best of the annual showers, surpassing even the August Perseids. The Geminids are scheduled to reach their maximum late on the night of Dec. 14 into the morning hours of Dec. 15, when 60 to 120 slow, graceful meteors per hour may be seen under ideal dark-sky conditions.

 

 

14. Dec. 2020: Total eclipse of the sun

The final eclipse of 2020 will be visible only from the lower two-thirds of South America and a narrow slice of southwestern Africa. North America will not see any part of it. 

21.Dec. 2020: Jupiter and Saturn's "great conjunction"

Jupiter and Saturn are in conjunction with each other on an average of once about every 20 years. When they come closest to each other they are usually separated by about a degree or two. But on Dec. 21, Jupiter and Saturn will provide a rare opportunity to both in the same view of a high-powered telescope! In fact, this will be the "tightest" conjunction of these two worlds since 1623; they will be separated by just one-fifth of the apparent diameter of the full moon!

 

The Perseids are the "Old Faithful" of meteor showers. That's worth remembering, even if a last-quarter moon will interfere somewhat with this beloved meteor display at peak activity, which is expected on the morning of Aug. 12. Otherwise, an observer might witness more than a meteor a minute in a clear, dark sky.  Most of these "shooting stars" would be identifiable as Perseids because their paths, extended backward along the line of flight, would intersect near a point in northern Perseus. Better viewing conditions will come a few mornings after the 12th, when predawn skies are darker, but the shower will be much diminished by then.