Missed the supermoon? Here’s other sky-gazing events happening this year

FORT MYERS, Fla. / CNN — April showers bring May… supermoons? Not exactly, but the “flower” supermoon lit up the sky on Wednesday.

If you missed the supermoon memo, don’t fret! Plenty more sky-gazing events are happening this year.

FULL MOONS

Here are all of the full moons remaining this year and their names, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac:

• June 24 — Strawberry moon
• July 23 — Buck moon
• August 22 — Sturgeon moon
• September 20 — Harvest moon
• October 20 — Hunter’s moon
• November 19 — Beaver moon
• December 18 — Cold moon

Be sure to check for the other names of these moons as well, attributed to their respective Native American tribes.

METEOR SHOWERS

The Delta Aquariids meteor shower is best seen from the southern tropics and will peak between July 28 and 29 when the moon is 74% full.

Interestingly enough, another meteor shower — the Alpha Capricornids — peak that same night. Although this is a weaker shower, it has been known to produce some bright fireballs during its peak. It will be visible to everyone regardless of which side of the equator you are on.

The Perseid meteor shower, the most popular of the year, will peak between August 11 and 12 in the Northern Hemisphere, when the moon is only 13% full.

Here is the meteor shower schedule for the rest of the year, according to EarthSky’s meteor shower outlook.

• October 8: Draconids
• October 21: Orionids
• November 4 to 5: South Taurids
• November 11 to 12: North Taurids
• November 17: Leonids
• December 13 to 14: Geminids
• December 22: Ursids

SOLAR / LUNAR ECLIPSES

There will be two eclipses of the sun and two of the moon — three of which will be visible in some areas of North America, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac.

An annular eclipse of the sun will happen on June 10, visible in northern and northeastern North America from 4:12 a.m. ET to 9:11 a.m. ET. The sun won’t be fully blocked by the moon, so be sure to wear eclipse glasses to safely view this event.

November 19 will see a partial eclipse of the moon, and skywatchers in North America and Hawaii can view it between 1 a.m. ET and 7:06 a.m. ET.

VISIBLE PLANETS

Skywatchers will have multiple opportunities to spot the planets in our sky during certain mornings and evenings throughout 2021, according to the Farmer’s Almanac planetary guide.

Although it’s possible to see most of these with the naked eye, experts recommend using binoculars or a telescope for the best view.

Mercury will look like a bright star in the morning sky from June 27 to July 16 and October 18 to November 1. It will shine in the night sky from August 31 to September 21, and November 29 to December 31.

Venus, our closest neighbor in the solar system, will appear in the western sky at dusk in the evenings from May 24 to December 31. It’s the second-brightest object in our sky, after the moon.

Mars makes its reddish appearance in the morning sky between November 24 and December 31, and it will be visible in the evening sky through August 22.

Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, is the third brightest object in our sky. It will be on display in the morning sky through August 19. Look for it in the evenings August 20 to December 31 — but it will be at its brightest from August 8 to September 2.

Saturn’s rings are only visible through a telescope, but the planet itself can still be seen with the naked eye in the mornings through August 1 and in the evenings from August 2 to December 31. It will be at its brightest during the first four days of August.

And our most distant neighbor in the solar system, Neptune, will be visible through a telescope in the mornings through September 13 and during the evenings from September 14 to December 31. It will be at its brightest between July 19 and November 8.

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