Congratulations to Fakhri Al-Alami for the stunning image of the night sky. Discover what to see in the night sky in October 2020 including a selection of planets, and two meteor showers. You may opt-out by. The Sky at Night. The night of December 14th is arguably one of the best nights of the year for stargazing and astronomy. It’s important to note that the Quadrantids, while an active shower, may see maximum activity for only a few hours on the peak night – so if you have clear skies, be sure to check if you can see any. 2020 is going to be a great year for astronomical events – and in this post, we’re rounding up 20 of the best events in the night sky in 2020. Debris from Halley’s comet is responsible for producing the Orionids meteor shower which has an estimated rate of up to 25 meteors per hour. If you’re out this night, look for up to 20 meteors per hour depending on your location. Don’t forget that the clocks go back an hour on 25th October, so we revert back to GMT and this marks the end of British Summer Time. Be sure to add #ObservatoryOnline, #Museumfromhome and #sciencefromhome to your tweet! Discover what to see in the night sky in October 2020 including a selection of planets, and two meteor showers. If you can spot the Big Dipper/Plough, you’re in the right part of the sky to spot some shooting stars. Even if you can’t see the comet, there will be plenty of stars to enjoy. However, on average once every 2.7 years, two full moons will occur in one calendar month. On April 2, 2020, asteroid Juno will be at opposition. That goes double given the end of daylight saving. As the end of the calendar year gets closer, there are more meteor showers to enjoy! Fill in our 'Ask the Astronomer' form with your student's questions and we will get back to you as soon as possible. Uranus is too far away and faint to be easily visible with the naked eye, but it’s possible. Look for Ceres in the constellation Aquarius – it should be far enough from the nine day-old moon to see with a telescope or binoculars. Close to midnight, stand facing east then draw a line left across the sky from Mars and a line down from the brightest star in Aries. The better night is September 11th, when Neptune will be at opposition. On this night, you can use the planet Mars to find NGC 6530; they’ll pass within 1° of each other in the early evening hours. January 4 – Peak of the Quadrantids Meteor Shower, February 18 – Close Approach of Mars to NGC 6530, March 18 – Close Approach of the Moon with Mars, Jupiter & Saturn, March 24 – Optimal Night for Messier Marathon, April 22 – Peak of the Lyrids Meteor Shower, May 4 – Comet C/2017 T2 (PANSTARRS) at its Brightest, July 26 – Mercury at its highest in the Morning, August 12 – Peak of the Perseids Meteor Shower, September 17 – Comet 88P/Howell at its Brightest, October 21 – Peak of the Orionids Meteor Shower, November 17 – Peak of the Leonids Meteor Shower, December 7 – Asteroid Psyche at Opposition, December 14 – Peak of the Geminids Meteor Shower, a guide to how to try and run the Messier Marathon in 2020, The Night Sky in 2020: When to Go Stargazing All Year Long. If you like what you read and want to learn even more about astronomical events in 2020, grab your own copy here for just $3.99. After trying to spot C/2017 T2 (PANSTARRS) on May 4th, the other comet you may be able to see in 2020 is 88P/Howell. He shared his image on our astrophotography Facebook page and we chose it for October's banner image. On this night, you can expect to see up to 80 meteors per hour! For more information, click here. At over 30 times further from the sun than Earth, Neptune is the final planet in the solar system, and a truly mind-boggling distance away. Instead, scan the whole northern half of the sky to try and see these somewhat faint meteors as they appear. Though it lights-up the skies in the early part of this week it’s now on the wane so will be rising later at night. On this night, you can expect to see up to 80 meteors per hour! The Perseids meteor shower peaks every year in mid-August; in 2020, this peak is expected to occur on the night of August 12th. Visitor notice: All of our sites have reopened and we can't wait to welcome you back. Since its discovery in 2017, this comet will be moving closer to the sun; on May 4th it will be only 1.6 AU from the sun, and may reach as bright as 7.0 magnitude. The greatest night sky event in October is undoubtedly the Orionids meteor shower, which is expected to peak on October 21st this year. If you have a telescope, do point it at the red planet – you might be able to see some surface features, including a polar ice cap. If you love the night sky, you already know what makes the night of August 12th so special – it’s the peak of the Perseids! In Night Sky Guide by Valerie StimacJanuary 3, 20203 Comments. Look just below the point where these two lines intersect on the sky and you’ll find Uranus. Look to the east a few hours after sunset and you’ll see an XXX% illuminated waxing gibbous Moon close to Aldebaran, the brightest star in the constellation of Taurus. Although the two biggest planets in the Solar System are now way past their best they’re both still shining relatively brightly in the southwestern sky after dark. By Patricia Skelton, Astronomy Education Officer, with contributions from Henri Hobbs-Bastin (work experience student summer 2020), (Details given are for London and may vary for other parts of the UK). Aldebaran is red supergiant star about 65 million light years distant. It’s also the only planet in the solar system which we can never spot with the unaided eye – so in order to see Neptune in 2020, you’ll need to have binoculars or a telescope. Allow 15 minutes for your eyes to become sensitive in the dark and remember not to look at your mobile phone or any other bright device when stargazing. What’s the Messier Marathon? Ready to learn about the best astronomical events in 2020? Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. It will be moving through the northern sky, near Polaris – the north star. Use the bright stars of Castor and Pollux to spot the constellation in the Northeastern sky (for most viewers). She decided to start the site after realizing how many friends and family had never seen the Milky Way, and that space tourism was going to unlock the next great travel destination: space! Juno was one of the first asteroids ever discovered, and is the 11th largest we’ve found. Uranus as captured by NASA's Voyager 2 on January 14, 1986. As well as taking you through what to see in the night sky each month, Royal Observatory Greenwich astronomers pick a topic to talk about. Read on for the top 20 night sky events happening all year long. At 13:46 Universal Time today our satellite reaches its Last Quarter phase. All Rights Reserved, This is a BETA experience. In addition to being the new moon, the Geminids meteor shower will peak with up to 120 meteors per hour – it’s a great show! By the way, every photo you’ve even seen of Uranus—including the one above—was taken from NASA’s Voyager 2 spacecraft during its brief 1986 fly-by. Last week the “ bulls-eye planet”—whose rings are vertical—was at opposition, which is when Earth is between the Sun and a planet. (The next transit won’t occur until 2032.). While the meteor shower occurs from October 16th to 30th, there may be up to 25 meteors per hour on the peak night. Look for meteors coming from the constellation of Gemini. In our new Observatory Online sessions, we will answer your questions about Astronomy. When the day is done, Mars is still looking great in the southeast after dark, so too Jupiter in the southwest, while later this week the darker skies will be perfect for having a go at spotting Uranus as well as a couple of beautiful star clusters.

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