7 IMPORANT COSMIC EVENTS IN 2016 YOU WON’T WANT TO MISS

I’m not alone in loving to watch the stars. Even as science progress and we can explain more of these whimsical celestial events, the information does nothing to detract from the beauty and awe. If anything I think it adds a new level of connection to the universe I live in.

Here are some of the 2016 highlights for the stars. Stay tuned to Spirit Science as we approach these dates for what to expect and what it all means. I like to know about celestial movements as early as possible so I can organize an adventure with my friends. These are amazing events alone but why not share them with your friends!

Mars Shines Like None Other In Late Spring

We can see the fiery light of Mars through out most the year, though for a only a short window does it shine well enough to fuss over. From around May 18th to June 3rd of this year, Mars will arrive at opposition to the Sun.

This means it will be aligned with the Sun in a manner to reflect the most amount of life.

During this time the planet will be one of the top three brightest celestial bodies next to the Sun and Moon. There will be nights where Mars is actually brighter than the Moon!

An Occultation Of Aldebaran July 29th

Aldebaran is a large orange star 65 light years and is seen as part of the constellation Taurus. You will be able to see Moon occulte Aldebaran that evening. This means that the Moon will fully block out the star and its light for a few moments. This event can be viewed over Western Canada and the US,an hour before the sunrise. Observers will want to track the occultation in the Northeast to Eastern skies.

The Perseid Meteor Shower August 11th to the 15th

Perseid meteor shower is one of the highest ranked annually occurring meteor showers. It has a consistent and easily tracked window for observation and boasts an awesome 90 shooting stars per hour. It can be seen anywhere in the world a little after midnight. I saw last years and it was amazing. The hardest part was keeping my gaze soft enough to peripherally see as many as I could at one time. A meteoroid would flash incredibly bright and my eye would zoom in on the one, making it hard to see the others!

Visible Doubles Light Up August 28th

A couple of hours after sunset on the 28th you can gaze up to see the two brightest planets, Venus and Jupiter, within 10-15 degrees of each other. If you hold up your arm to the sky and make a fist, that is about 10 degrees on average.

Alebaran Occulted Again On October 19th

This occultation will have a waning moon blocking Aldebaran. This event can be seen over Eastern Canada and most of the US, except parts of the Midwest.

The ‘Super Moon’ Debuts Again On November 14th

This particular ‘Supermoon’ won’t be an optical illusion.

The moon will turn full around 9 am EST and 2.4 hours later it will come within 221,541 miles (356,536 km) of Earth.

The last time the moon was this close was in 1948.

The Moon’s average traveling distance around Earth is 238,900 miles (384,400 km).

The Geminid Meteor Shower And The Last Occultation Of Aldebaran on December 13th-14th

Normally the Geminid showers are the most beautiful and luminescent of all the showers. This year the Moon will be full and blocking Aldebaran for North American viewers. Only the brightest meteors will be visible that night. On the plus side I’ve never seen first hand a shower with a full moon as the background! Should be beautiful and I’m looking forward to hunting a more secluded star watching spot. I want to be able to see as much as I can.

Source:thespiritscience.net