The first one will happen on April 30 and will be visible throughout southern South America and parts of Antarctica. The actual fourth cross-quarter day ranges from Nov. 5-8, yet for simplicity's sake Halloween has been fixed on our calendars as Oct. 31. Notice the Sun is headed towards the notch in the horizon. Now, imagine the Moon is a bow shooting an arrow toward the horizon. March brings Venus and Mars close together, with Saturn joining them in the second half of the month and the Moon visiting the trio on the 28th. The Moon itself is just over the border in Cancer, the Crab, but its light will drown out the faint stars of that constellation. The solar cross-quarter days occur midway between the equinoxes and solstices. What's in the Sky This Month? I agree with William . Following the path of the arrow, youll come to faint Mercury, hovering very low over the horizon. The planet is therefore visible throughout the entire night, and with the Earth and the planet at their closest, the planet is at its brightest in the sky and its largest through a telescope. Look carefully and about midway between the two, youll see a coppery star - Mars. Impact of Fewer Selling Days Compared to the Prior-Year Quarter Full-Year 2021 Reported Diluted EPS(2) of $3.85, Adjusted Diluted EPS(3) of $4.42; Fourth-Quarter 2021 Reported Diluted EPS(2) of $0.59, Adjusted Diluted EPS(3) of $1.08 Provides Full-Year 2022 Record-High Guidance(4) for Revenues of $98.0 to $102.0 Billion and Adjusted That means the quarter days of the River Houses year are 1 September, 1 December, 1 March, and 1 June, and the cross-quarter days are 16 October, 14 January (15 January in Leap Years), 15 April, and 16 July. This gives us an excellent opportunity to see four of the five naked-eye planets in the predawn sky, with all but Mercury being visible. Many people know Septembers full Moon as the Harvest Moon, but that name is actually applied to whichever full Moon occurs closest to the autumn equinox on September 22nd. A calendar of celestial phenomena in 2022, listing the year's observing highlights. We hope you found this history interesting! We currently have another opportunity to observe Mercury in the evening twilight, with the solar systems smallest planet at greatest elongation from the Sun today. The second total lunar eclipse of the year takes place in the early hours of the morning - but not everyone in North America will get to see it. Its moving through Capricornus in a vain attempt to catch up with Saturn, which appears to the upper left. Although it doesnt produce as many meteors as either the Perseids or the Geminids, the Orionids can still put on a decent show. Observers on the east coast can see the planet just under a degree to the upper right of the Moon at around 3 a.m., but dont wait too long as youll need dark skies to see the distant and faint planet. This app has a built-in astronomical calendar where you can set notifications for any of the events youre interested in. For Ancient Celts, Samhain was marked as being one of the most significant of all of the four quarterly fire festivals, as it took place during the midpoint between the winter solstice and the fall equinox. video about the most exciting sky events of 2022. Like the full Moon last month, Aprils full Moon occurs in Virgo, but whereas the Moon was on the western side of the constellation in March, its now on the eastern edge, close to the border with Libra. This started the custom of early autumnal elections, because it was a convenient time for people to gather. 2022 cross quarter days. In this article, well tell you about space-related events that you shouldnt miss in 2022. This month's Cross-Quarter Day is called Groundhog Day in the USA, and I'll bet that 99.9% of the population has no idea of its astronomical origins. NASAs mission Psyche was named after its object of study the large metallic asteroid 16 Psyche located in the main asteroid belt. "Around the time of the summer solstice, this day was the midpoint of the growing season, halfway between planting and harvest. The Druidic Cross to the left indicates the Quarter Days with the four arms of the Cross. Either way, youll need binoculars to detect Uranus, as it will be too faint to be seen with the naked eye. Jupiter is the third planet this year to reach opposition and is reasonably well placed among the faint stars of western Pisces. May Day was a time for the pairing of young couples, although not yet for their wedding, which would not come until the Quarter Day which was called Midsummer Day(June 24). 2022 is a great year to see the planets huddled close together - if you dont mind getting up early to see them! Until 1752 that American celebrated Halloween several days AFTER Samhain. Mars, however, will appear as a bright, coppery star towards the east. (Mercury and Venus dont reach opposition as they orbit closer to the Sun than the Earth.) Mercury now reaches its last elongation of the year and is now 20 degrees east of the Sun. The two-day-old Moon appears to the left of both worlds on the 24th and the pair will be at their closest on the 28th when just one and a half degrees will separate them. Check our planetary conjunctions list so as not to miss them! PT.) 71% of the 23.5 declination of the Summer Solstice Sun would put the Beltane (and Lughnasad) Sun at a declination of +16.6, and the Samhain and Imbolc Suns at a declination of -16.6. Learn why it bears such a weird name and when its best to observe. A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes into the central part of the Earths shadow called the umbra. 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. But the seasonal traditions of this holiday go back a long, long way. The Moon turns full among the faint stars of western Virgo at 3:19 a.m. The U.S. For example, what is now Groundhog Day (Candlemas) would be considered the start ofspring. If youve never seen Uranus before, this could be your chance, as the waxing crescent Moon acts as a convenient marker for the planet tonight. Why it May Have Been the Celts. This is the best time to observe a planet in the sky. Quarter days and cross-quarter days: Dividing the year into quarters is an ancient and natural practice: the annual movement of the sun across the sky automatically gives us two equinoxes, two solstices, and four seasons. Since Samhain was the death-night of the old year, it came to be associated with ghosts and graveyards. The Quadrantids is an above average shower, with up to 40 meteors per hour at its peak. At an altitude of about 16 degrees at that time, the planet will be reasonably high above the horizon, but there are no bright stars or planets nearby to help you find it. Therell be 3.9 degrees between them on the 16th and then the two will slowly move apart until a little more than four degrees separates them on the 20th. However, the old cross-quarter days kept their old dates, so Samhain, which was celebrated on the night of October 31, is still celebrated on . During the ExoMars 2022 mission, the Russian-built lander Kazachok will place ESAs Rosalind Franklin rover on the surface of Mars. This is a copy of a Druidic Cross that was given to me by the Welsh Druid Ray Kerley when I lived in Glastonbury, England in the mid-eighties. Under ideal conditions, you can expect to see about 25 shooting stars an hour. Although the Leonids have a reputation for producing some stunning displays, the reality is that most years its a fairly run-of-the-mill meteor shower. This month's Cross-Quarter Day is called Groundhog Day in the USA, and I'll bet that 99.9% of the population has + The Sabbats are divided into two groups. Around the time of the spring equinox, Lady Day became the traditional day for hiring farm laborers for the planting and harvesting seasons ahead. . Box 520 | Dublin, NH 03444. If youve got an unobstructed view of the horizon, look out for Venus to the lower right of Mercury. Draw lines B/L-I/s and I/s-B/L. That should give you plenty of time between sunset on the 21st and dawn on the 22nd to see some shooting stars! Around the time of the summer solstice, this day was the midpoint of the growing season, halfway between planting and harvest. Look carefully and youll notice this star doesnt twinkle - this is Neptune. We appreciate yourenthusiasm! Summer Solstice - around June 21st (at 12:00 o'clock), Autumn Equinox - around September 21st (at 3:00 o'clock). On that date, the day and night will be of equal length. Learn why we have elections in November, weddings in June, groundhog celebrations in Februaryand why we do what wedo! this year September has 5 weeks (two of which are incomplete (the first day in September fell on a Wednesday and the last Wednesday in September is the 29th (5 weeks la. The launch of Luna 25 is scheduled for July 2022. The Celtic Calendar was used by the Celts in the Republic of Ireland, which is not a British Isle. Traditionallyafestival associated with harvesting grain, it marked the beginning of the wheat harvest, and especially celebrated the first wheat or corn crop. However, this Decembers Moon is special as it also appears very close to the planet Mars tonight. The penumbral phase begins at 3:02 a.m. I think the article should have said that John the Baptist foretold the coming of a Savior, not the actual birth. FEBRUARY 2: Imbolc and Candlemas Imbolc is a Celtic word meaning lamb's milk, and this holiday was the beginning of the lambing season. Heres an early morning sight you wont want to miss - especially if youre an avid astrophotographer looking for the next stunning image. Log In. Look toward the southwest at around 20 minutes after sunset and youll see the crescent Moon to the left of Saturn, with Jupiter to the upper left of the pair. An occultation is what happens when one object (in this case, the Moon) passes in front of another. Look for the waning gibbous Moon to the east of Spica, the brightest star in Virgo, the Virgin, late in the evening of the 20th or in the hours before dawn the next day. The sky will need to be dark in order to easily see Uranus, even with binoculars, so youll need to be outside by around 3:30 a.m. before the sky starts to brighten. The two planets are now four and a quarter degrees apart and can be seen within the same 10x50 binoculars field of view. Tenant farmers would have presented the first crop harvest to theirlandlord. Celts called the day Samhain, or "summer's end." The day . 1121 Main Street | P.O. ET and is known as the Hunters Moon, as traditionally, this would be the time when people would hunt and stockpile food for the coming winter months. See below: St Brigid (1st February), Mayday (1st May), Lammas (1st August) and All Hallows (1st November) Winter equinox - 21st December Shortest daylight hours in the northern hemisphere. To its upper left is Mars, while Venus shines brilliantly toward the east. ArtesiaWells/GettyImages. Check an astronomical app, magazine, or another online resource for more specific information relating to your location. | How Is Easter's Date Determined? Most obvious is brilliant Venus, but just two degrees below that is distant Saturn. A planet is said to be at opposition when it is directly opposite the Sun in the sky. Look for it low over the southeastern horizon in the hour before sunrise. The four Quarter Days in southern England, Wales and Ireland are: Lady Day - March 25, Feast of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary, the traditional day for hiring farm workers for the coming year Midsummer - June 24, Feast of St John the Baptist, the midpoint of the growing season The Geminid meteors are very bright and have a wide variety of colors: white, yellow, red, blue, and green. Extend a line from I/s1 through I/s2 to the point where it breaks the level horizon N-C-S at I/s3. It can be found in Leo the Lion, with Regulus, that constellations brightest star, just a little to its west and within the same binocular field of view. The actual calendar date of Samhain/Halloween is November 11th. It was also called Brigantia for the Celtic female deity of light, calling attention to the Sunbeing halfway on its advance from the winter solstice to the springequinox. If you are unable to print the PDF from your browser, we suggest opening it in a PDF program. This was due to the reform of the Julian calendar under Pope Gregory in 1582 & ten days were annulled. This would make it seem that they are evenly spaced around the eight-point year. That being the case, unless youre up and outside at that time, your best opportunity to see the Moon at its fullest will be during the evening of the 17th, when the Moon will be roughly 99.8% illuminated. Without moving the arms of your compass, put the point on C', and make arcs that break the lower N-C'-S line at B/L' and at I/s'. By the evening of Monday, May 16, 2022 - the day of the full moon after next - as evening twilight ends at 8:47 p.m. EDT - the full moon will just be rising above the east-southeastern horizon, and the bright star Antares will rise to the lower right of the Moon about 10 minutes later. Christmas Day 2022: Why Is Christmas on December 25? The Quadrantids radiant is located in the constellation Bootes, but meteors can appear anywhere in the sky. ET (2:59 a.m. PT) will see the Moon very low in the west for those on the east coast and with probably less than an hour before sunrise. This meteor shower can produce up to 120 meteors per hour, but on average, its hourly rate equals about 25. ET (7:27 p.m. The 4 lesser Sabbats or quarter holidays are the two solstices and two equinoxes. Love reading all the articles in this publication. 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