September 21, 2020 - Spend a Night under the Stars
Spend a Night under the Stars On Saturday, thousands of stargazers will “bring astronomy to the people” during numerous semi-annual Astronomy Day events coordinated by the Astronomical League, an umbrella organization of over 240 U.S. amateur astronomy clubs. Science museums, astronomy clubs, planetaria, libraries, and nature centers will host special events worldwide—at decidedly non-astronomical sites like shopping malls, parks, and downtown centers—to acquaint people with local astronomical resources and facilities. This is a great chance to meet and learn from talented amateur astronomers, test the view through different telescopes, find out how to observe the Sun safely during the day, or attend your first star party at night. Visit the AstroLeague.org website to learn more.
Image credit: NPS/M.Quinn
Weekly Calendar
September 21 - 27, 2020
Holidays - Sky Events - Space History
Monday 21
1866: H. G. Wells born
1874: Gustav Holst born
1974: Mariner 10 flies by Mercury for second time
2003: Galileo mission ends
2018: HIBOU and OWL "hoppers" deployed to asteroid Ryugu
Tuesday 22
Mercury 0.3° north of Spica
Equinox 9:31 AM ET
1990: Pioneer 10 reaches 50 AU from Sun
2006: Hinode spacecraft launched
2014: MAVEN spacecraft enters orbit around Mars
Wednesday 23
First Qtr Moon 9:55 PM ET
1783: Caroline Herschel discovers NGC 253
1846: J. G. Galle discovers Neptune
1962: “The Jetsons” premieres
1977: Third glide test of space shuttle Enterprise
Thursday 24
1930: John Young born
1962: MOOSE astronaut rescue system proposed
1970: Luna 16 returns lunar soil samples
1999: IKONOS-1 launched
2014: Mars Orbiter Mission enters orbit around Mars
Friday 25
Jupiter 1.6° north of Moon
Saturn 2° north of Moon
1973: 59-day Skylab 3 mission ends
1992: Mars Observer launched
1997: STS-86 Atlantis launched
2008: Shenzhou 7 launched
2013: Soyuz TMA-10M launched carrying ISS Expedition 37/38 crew
2014: Soyuz TMA-14M launched carrying ISS Expedition 41/42 crew
Saturday 26
Sunday 27
Yom Kippur begins at sunset
1814: Daniel Kirkwood born
2007: Dawn spacecraft launched