You don’t have to take a rocket to get a thrill from what’s happening up in the sky—meteor showers, eclipses, and even just your monthly full moon will definitely be worth checking out.
Here’s when you can see some exciting astronomical happenings in the sky in 2022 (including a few extraordinary stargazing events worth booking a trip to enjoy).
January
January 2-3: Quadrantids Meteor Shower Viewable best in the Northern Hemisphere, these meteors are bright fireballs with minimal trains. The shower lasts from December 26, 2021 to January 16, 2022, but will be most active on these two days.
January 7: Best View of Mercury at Night Mercury will be at its highest point above the horizon in the evening—making it the best time to see it. Look low in the western sky right after the sun sets.
January 17: Full Wolf Moon The first full moon of the year is called the full wolf moon. Indigenous people called it that, because that’s when the wolves were most hungry.
February
February 16: Full Snow Moon The February full moon is called the “snow moon” (even if you live somewhere where the weather’s warmer!).
March
March 18: Full Worm Moon This full moon is called the worm moon because that’s when worms usually first reappeared from the earth.
March 20: Spring Equinox This is the day when night and day are nearly equal on most parts of the planet.
April
April 16: Full Pink Moon Unfortunately, the moon’s not necessarily pink on this day. It’s called this because of the pink spring flowers that appeared at that time of year.
April 21-22: Lyrids Meteor Shower Best viewed in the Northern Hemisphere, this will produce fireballs.
April 30: Partial Solar Eclipse You’ll only get a good view of this eclipse, though, if you’re in the Antarctic, or the southern tip of South America.
May
May 6-7: The Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower While it’ll be more visible in the Southern Hemisphere, you might still see the meteors (which come from Halley’s Comet) here, especially after midnight.
May 15: Lunar Eclipse You’ll be able to see this one in most of the U.S., with the exception of the northwest, starting at 9:31 p.m. ET.
May 16: Full Flower Moon April showers bring May flowers—and the May flower moon.
June
June 14: Full Strawberry Moon This will be a super moon, with the moon so close to the Earth that it’ll look larger and brighter than usual.
June 21: Summer Solstice The longest day of the year here in the Northern Hemisphere—and the shortest in the Southern Hemisphere.
June 27: Bootid Meteor Shower This meteor shower will start early in the evening in the Northern Hemisphere, producing long-ranging meteors that may shoot across the wide sky.
July
July 4: Farthest Point from the Sun This is the day that we’re farthest from the sun all year—and the sun will appear slightly smaller. (Though you probably won’t be able to notice that yourself!)
July 13: Full Buck Moon This will be another super moon, appearing brighter and larger in the skies.
July 28-29: Delta Aquarids Meteor Shower These are the best two nights of this meteor shower, where the best viewing will be after midnight.
August
August 11: Full Sturgeon Moon Fun astronomical fact: in Saxon England, it was called the Weed Moon instead.
August 13: Perseid Meteor Shower This meteor shower will be active from mid-July until the end of August, but this will be the peak day for viewing the meteors. Look to the skies shortly before dawn to get the best show.
September
September 1: Aurigid Meteor Shower September 1 is the peak of this week-long meteor shower, which will be best viewed shortly before dawn.
September 10: Full Harvest Moon In Charlemagne’s time, this was called the Wood Moon.
October
October 9: Full Hunter’s Moon and Draconid Meteor Shower The full moon tonight may drown out the meteor showers, making it harder to see the meteors as they streak across the sky.
October 21: Orionid Meteor Shower This month-long meteor shower peaks on October 21, with the best viewing at around 5 a.m.
October 25: Partial Solar Eclipse You’ll need to get to Europe, Iceland, or parts of northeastern Africa and western Asia to see it.
November
November 8: Full Beaver Moon and Lunar Eclipse The eclipse on the full moon will be easy to view in North America, starting at 3:01 a.m. ET.
November 12: Northern Taurid Meteor Shower You’ll have your best displays around midnight from this six-week-long meteor shower.
November 28: Orionid Meteor Shower You’ll get your best view of the show at around 2 a.m. ET on this day.
December
December 7: Full Cold Moon The name for this full moon is likely pretty self-explanatory!
December 9: Moncerotid Meteor Shower This two-week shower is best viewed on the 9th, with the best display at 1 a.m. ET.
December 14: Geminid Meteor Shower These showers will peak around 2 a.m. ET, with short-trail meteors burning across the sky.
December 22: Ursid Meteor Shower December has a bunch of meteor showers lighting up the sky. This one will produce its best show right before dawn.
