Travel + Leisure: 2021 Astronomical Calendar

Above, the Great American Eclipse as viewed from Roberts, Idaho. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

One of the highlights of my retirement had been driving up to Roberts, Idaho in August 2017 to view the Great American Eclipse.

There, I joined other stargazers alongside an interstate to experience the solar eclipse in its totality as the path of the eclipse took it directly over Roberts. 

Above, The Beast at the eclipse viewing area before it started. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

This year will see another solar eclipse, but one has to venture down to Antarctica to view it. But there will be an annular solar eclipse on June 10 visible in North America, Europe and Asia.

What's an annular solar eclipse? From Wikipedia:

An annular eclipse occurs when the Sun and Moon are exactly in line with the Earth, but the apparent size of the Moon is smaller than that of the Sun. Hence the Sun appears as a very bright ring, or annulus, surrounding the dark disk of the Moon.

Above, eclipse viewers in Roberts, Idaho in August 2017. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Travel + Leisure has posted their 2021 Astronomical Calendar so people can plan their travels accordingly.

They begin it with:

Before planning your year of stargazing, there are a few basic things to know about each of these events. You’ve probably seen numerous full moons during your lifetime, but do you know what a supermoon is? Supermoons happen when the full moon occurs at perigee — the point at which the moon appears closest to the Earth in its orbit. Full moons and supermoons are easy to spot wherever you are, but you might want to head somewhere with less light pollution for the best chance of seeing shooting stars during a meteor shower.

Lunar eclipses and solar eclipses are only visible in certain parts of the world — and this year’s total solar eclipse can only be seen in Antarctica.

Want to take your stargazing to the next level? Invest in a telescope or good binoculars, so you can see even more in the night sky. 

Below, find the dates of every full moon (including two supermoons), two solar eclipses, two lunar eclipses, and five major meteor showers in 2021. (Note that the below dates are according to UT, and that we’ve listed the predicted maximum of the meteor showers. For some of these showers, you might be able to spot a few shooting stars before and after that date.)

To read more, go here.