Upcoming Events, SAAA Activities and Points of Interest
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2026
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June 23 — National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Moon Orbit
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) Reaches 17 Years in Moon Orbit
NASA spacecraft reaches 17 full years in Moon orbit today; launched Jun 18, 2009, arrived at Moon 5 days later.
June 29 — Full Moon, Strawberry Moon
23:57 UTC (13:57 HST).
June 30 -- Asteroid Day
UN-Sanctioned annual, global asteroid awareness program supporting thousands of independently organized events, providing educational resources; held on June 30, the anniversary of the Tunguska event in 1908 when a meteor air burst levelled about 2,150 km² of forest in Siberia, Russia.
Jul 6 -- Earth at Aphelion, 1.0167 AU from the Sun
Occurs 07:30 HST / 17:30 UTC; Earth aphelion is the point in its elliptical orbit where it is farthest from the Sun, occurring annually in early July; at aphelion , Earth is about 94.5 million miles from the Sun, or roughly 3% farther than its closest point, perihelion, in January.
Jul 14 -- New Moon
July 20 -- International Moon Day
International Moon Day is a celebration of humanity’s enduring fascination with the Moon—our closest celestial neighbor and a symbol of discovery. From ancient myths to the Apollo landings and future lunar missions, the Moon has always inspired curiosity and ambition. This day honors past achievements in space exploration while igniting new dreams for the future. As we step forward into the next era of lunar exploration, we remember that every great journey begins with a single step—just like the one taken on the Moon in 1969.
https://internationalmoonday.org/
Jul 21 - Jul 23 --- The 2026 Humans to the Moon & Mars Summit
US$161 – US$583
Gathering top experts in Moon and Mars architectures, systems, science, human health, innovation, policy. July 21: Workshops and Tours. July 22-23: Plenary Sessions. At Rice University. https://exploremars.org/summit/
Jul 29 — Full Moon, Buck / Thunder Moon
14:37 UTC / 04:37 HST.
July 31 -- The Southern Delta Aquariid meteor shower peaks.
The brightness of an almost-full Moon will severely limit the number of meteors visible.
Aug 3 -- Angelo Astronomy Quarterly Meeting
A chance to meet and greet members and friends in an informal setting, not out in the dark where no one can see. We meet at 7pm at the ASU Planetarium to discuss business and usually watch a show.
Aug 12 -- New Moon
Aug 12 -- Total solar eclipse.
The solar eclipse will be best viewed around Iceland, Greenland, and Spain, but will also be visible to a lesser extent from parts of Europe, northern Asia and Africa, and North America. Totality will last a maximum of 2 minutes and 18 seconds.
Aug 13 -- The Perseid meteor shower peaks.
This shower will peak during a new Moon, making for excellent viewing. It is more visible to viewers in the Northern Hemisphere than in the Southern Hemisphere, but the shower can also be spotted from parts of the Southern Hemisphere.
Aug 27 — Full Moon, Full Sturgeon Moon, Partial Eclipse of Moon
With 93% of the Moon falling into Earth's umbral shadow, maximum eclipse 18:19 HST // 04:12 UTC on August 28, visible from the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia
Aug 28 -- Partial lunar eclipse.
The lunar eclipse will be visible from parts of Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, and South America.
Sep 10 -- New Moon
Sept 22 -- September equinox.
Sep 26 -- Full Moon
Oct 4-10 --- World Space Week.
The world’s largest annual space event, World Space Week is the United Nations’ official celebration of space and the use of technology to help humanity. This year’s theme is “Rocket Revolution.”
Oct 10 -- New Moon
Oct 21-- The Orionid meteor shower peaks.
The Moon will look mostly lit up and will brighten the night sky, which may make it harder to spot this shower. It will be visible to viewers in both the Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere.
Oct 25 -- Full Moon
Nov 2 -- Angelo Astronomy Quarterly Meeting
A chance to meet and greet members and friends in an informal setting, not out in the dark where no one can see. We meet at 7pm at the ASU Planetarium to discuss business and usually watch a show.
Sometime in November -- Voyager 1 reaches one light-day from Earth.
NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft, still active almost 50 years since its launch in 1977, will reach 25.9 billion kilometers (16.1 billion miles) away from Earth. At this distance, light will take a full day to travel between our planet and Voyager 1.
Nov 9 -- New Moon
Nov 17-- The Leonid meteor shower peaks.
The Moon will look partially lit up and will brighten the night sky, but will set before the shower’s peak visibility later in the night. The shower will be visible to viewers in both the Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere.
Nov 24 -- Full Moon
Dec 8 -- New Moon
Dec 14 -- The Geminid meteor shower peaks.
The Moon will appear to be only slightly lit and will set before the shower’s peak visibility, so it should not interfere much with the display. It is more visible to viewers in the Northern Hemisphere than in the Southern Hemisphere, but the shower can also be spotted from much of the Southern Hemisphere.
Dec 21-- December solstice
Dec 22-- The Ursid meteor shower peaks.
The brightness of an almost-full Moon will severely limit the number of meteors visible. This shower’s visibility is mostly limited to viewers in the Northern Hemisphere.
Dec 23 -- Full Moon
Dec 25 Christmas Day
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2027
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Jan 7 -- New Moon
Jan 22 -- Full Moon
Feb 1 -- Angelo Astronomy Quarterly Meeting
A chance to meet and greet members and friends in an informal setting, not out in the dark where no one can see. We meet at 7pm at the ASU Planetarium to discuss business and usually watch a show.
Feb 2 --Conjunction of the Moon and Venus
The Moon and Venus will share the same right ascension, with the Moon passing 6°33' to the south of Venus. The Moon will be 26 days old.
At around the same time, the two objects will also make a close approach, technically called an appulse.
Feb 6 -- New Moon
Feb 20 -- Full Moon
Mar 6 -- Conjunction of the Moon and Mercury
The Moon and Mercury will share the same right ascension, with the Moon passing 1°13' to the south of Mercury. The Moon will be 28 days old.
At around the same time, the two objects will also make a close approach, technically called an appulse.
Mar 8 -- New Moon
Mar 20 -- March Equinox at 3:24 PM CDT
The March equinox marks the first day of spring for anybody living in the northern hemisphere, and the first day of autumn for anybody living in the southern hemisphere. On the day of the equinox, everywhere on Earth has almost exactly 12 hours of day and night, as the Sun's annual journey through the constellations of the zodiac carries it across the celestial equator. The word equinox is derived from the Latin words aequus (equal) and nox (night)
Mar 22 -- Full Moon
Apr 2 -- The Sombrero Galaxy is well placed
The Sombrero Galaxy M104 (NGC 4594; mag 8.6) in Virgo will be well placed in the evening sky in coming weeks. On 2 April it will reach its highest point in the sky at around midnight local time, and on subsequent evenings it will culminate four minutes earlier each day.
Apr 6 -- New Moon
Apr 20 -- Full Moon
May 3 -- Angelo Astronomy Quarterly Meeting
A chance to meet and greet members and friends in an informal setting, not out in the dark where no one can see. We meet at 7pm at the ASU Planetarium to discuss business and usually watch a show.
May 6 -- New Moon
May 7 -- Close approach of Venus and Saturn
The planets Venus and Saturn will make a close approach, passing within a mere 36.3 arcminutes of each other. And there will be a conjunction tomorrow.
May 20 -- Full Moon
Jun 4 -- New Moon
Jun 18 -- Full Moon
June 21 -- June Solstice at 9:10 AM CDT
21 June will be the longest day of 2027 in the northern hemisphere, midsummer day.
This is the day when the Sun's annual journey through the constellations of the zodiac carries it to its most northerly point in the sky, in the constellation of Cancer at a declination of 23.5°N. This day is counted by astronomers to be the first day of summer in the northern hemisphere.
In the southern hemisphere, the Sun is above the horizon for less time than on any other day of the year, and astronomers define this to be the first day of winter.
Aug 2 -- Angelo Astronomy Quarterly Meeting
A chance to meet and greet members and friends in an informal setting, not out in the dark where no one can see. We meet at 7pm at the ASU Planetarium to discuss business and usually watch a show.
Sep 23 -- September Equinox at 1:01 AM CDT
Nov 1 -- Angelo Astronomy Quarterly Meeting
A chance to meet and greet members and friends in an informal setting, not out in the dark where no one can see. We meet at 7pm at the ASU Planetarium to discuss business and usually watch a show.
Dec 21 -- December Solstice at 8:42 PM CST