Finding astronomical events (when something like a solar eclipse, full moon or planetary alignment happens) is an important part of astronomy. I know I am always wanting to see something out of the ordinary, and these types of astronomical events charts help me with that.
One particular set of astronomical events that are always on my list are meteor showers. These are the best astronomical events there are for doing outreach as you can have a large group outside having fun watching for them. It is also one of the few astronomical events where you can make it into a party that lasts for hours. Get out the drinks, fire up the grill, make a contest out of who sees the most. Fun!
These are upcoming astronomical events that I think are more important to the observer and astrophotographer primarily in North America and include all of the rare (and many not-so-rare) astronomical events I know of. I have left out much of the things I think are fluff such as when planets are closest and furthest away as that is really only important to people who want to image particular planets. If you know of an important astronomical event that I have missed, please use the contact form to let me know.
List of past Astronomical Events 2017
01/03/2017
Quadrantids Meteor Shower
02/11/2017
Penumbral Lunar Eclipse
04/22/2017
Lyrids Meteor Shower
07/28/2017
Delta Aquarids Meteor Shower
08/12/2017
Perseids Meteor Shower
08/21/2017
Total solar eclipse Central United States
10/05/2017
Conjunction of Venus and Mars .2° apart in the east around dawn
10/07/2017
Draconids Meteor Shower
10/17/2017
Conjunction of Venus, Mars and Moon very close in the east around dawn
10/21/2017
Orionids Meteor Shower
11/04/2017
Taurids Meteor Shower
11/13/2017
Conjunction of Venus and Jupiter
11/17/2017
Leonids Meteor Shower
12/03/2017
Full Moon, Supermoon
12/13/2017
Geminids Meteor Shower
12/21/2017
Ursids Meteor Shower
Astronomical Events 2018
01/02/2018
Full Moon, Supermoon
01/03/2018
Quadrantids Meteor Shower
01/06/2018
Conjunction of Mars and Jupiter .3° apart in the east around dawn
01/31/2018
Full Moon, Supermoon, Blue Moon
01/31/2018
Lunar eclipse in Western United States, Canada, Australia, Asia
03/31/2018
Full Moon, Blue Moon
04/22/2018
Lyrids Meteor Shower
05/06/2018
Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower
07/15/2018
Conjunction of Moon and Venus 1° apart early evening for western North America
07/27/2018
Lunar eclipse in Africa and Asia
07/28/2018
Delta Aquarids Meteor Shower
08/11/2018
Partial Solar Eclipse northeast Canada, Greenland, extreme northern Europe, and northern and eastern Asia
08/12/2018
Perseids Meteor Shower
10/08/2018
Draconids Meteor Shower
10/21/2018
Orionids Meteor Shower
11/05/2018
Taurids Meteor Shower
11/17/2018
Leonids Meteor Shower
12/13/2018
Geminids Meteor Shower
12/21/2018
Ursids Meteor Shower
Astronomical Events 2019
01/03/2019
Quadrantids Meteor Shower
01/20/2019
Lunar eclipse in North America
01/21/2019
Full Moon, Supermoon
01/22/2019
Conjunction of Venus and Jupiter in the east pre-dawn
02/19/2019
Full Moon, Supermoon
03/21/2019
Full Moon, Supermoon
04/22/2019
Lyrids Meteor Shower
05/06/2019
Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower
05/18/2019
Full Moon, Blue Moon
07/02/2019
Total solar eclipse Chile, Argentina, southern Pacific
07/28/2019
Delta Aquarids Meteor Shower
08/12/2019
Perseids Meteor Shower
10/08/2019
Draconids Meteor Shower
10/21/2019
Orionids Meteor Shower
11/05/2019
Taurids Meteor Shower
11/11/2019
Transit of Mercury
11/17/2019
Leonids Meteor Shower
11/24/2019
Conjunction of Venus and Jupiter 1.5° apart early evening
12/13/2019
Geminids Meteor Shower
12/21/2019
Ursids Meteor Shower
Astronomical Events 2020
01/03/2020
Quadrantids Meteor Shower
02/09/2020
Full Moon, Supermoon
03/09/2020
Full Moon, Supermoon
03/18/2020
Conjunction of Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and moon 8° apart
03/20/2020
Conjunction of Mars and Jupiter .7° apart in the east pre-dawn
03/26/2020
Conjunction of Mars, Jupiter and Saturn in the east pre-dawn
04/08/2020
Full Moon, Supermoon
04/22/2020
Lyrids Meteor Shower
05/06/2020
Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower
05/07/2020
Full Moon, Supermoon
05/21/2020
Conjunction of Venus and Mercury 1° apart in the west before sunset
07/28/2020
Delta Aquarids Meteor Shower
08/12/2020
Perseids Meteor Shower
10/08/2020
Draconids Meteor Shower
10/21/2020
Orionids Meteor Shower
10/31/2020
Full Moon, Blue Moon
11/05/2020
Taurids Meteor Shower
11/17/2020
Leonids Meteor Shower
12/13/2020
Geminids Meteor Shower
12/14/2020
Total solar eclipse Chile, Argentina, southern Pacific, southern Atlantic
12/16/2020
Conjunction of Crescent Moon, Jupiter and Saturn in the west before sunset
12/21/2020
Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn .1° apart evening
12/21/2020
Ursids Meteor Shower
Astronomical Events 2021
01/03/2021
Quadrantids Meteor Shower
04/22/2021
Lyrids Meteor Shower
04/27/2021
Full Moon, Supermoon
05/06/2021
Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower
05/26/2021
Lunar eclipse in Western North America
05/26/2021
Full Moon, Supermoon
06/10/2021
Partial solar eclipse extreme north-east United States, eastern Canada
06/24/2021
Full Moon, Supermoon
07/12/2021
Conjunction of Venus and Mars in the west around sunset
07/28/2021
Delta Aquarids Meteor Shower
08/12/2021
Perseids Meteor Shower
08/22/2021
Full Moon, Blue Moon
10/08/2021
Draconids Meteor Shower
10/21/2021
Orionids Meteor Shower
11/05/2021
Taurids Meteor Shower
11/17/2021
Leonids Meteor Shower
11/19/2021
Lunar eclipse in North America
12/04/2021
Total solar eclipse Antarctica, southern Atlantic
12/13/2021
Geminids Meteor Shower
12/21/2021
Ursids Meteor Shower
Astronomical Events 2022
01/03/2022
Quadrantids Meteor Shower
04/22/2022
Lyrids Meteor Shower
05/06/2022
Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower
05/16/2022
Lunar eclipse in North America
05/29/2022
Conjunction of Mars and Jupiter .5° apart pre-dawn
06/14/2022
Full Moon, Supermoon
07/13/2022
Full Moon, Supermoon
07/28/2022
Delta Aquarids Meteor Shower
08/12/2022
Perseids Meteor Shower
08/12/2022
Full Moon, Supermoon
10/08/2022
Draconids Meteor Shower
10/21/2022
Orionids Meteor Shower
11/05/2022
Taurids Meteor Shower
11/08/2022
Lunar eclipse in Western North America
11/17/2022
Leonids Meteor Shower
12/13/2022
Geminids Meteor Shower
12/21/2022
Ursids Meteor Shower
12/29/2022
Conjunction of Venus and Mercury in the west around sunset
Astronomical Events 2023
01/03/2023
Quadrantids Meteor Shower
01/21/2023
Conjunction of Venus and Saturn in the west around sunset
03/01/2023
Conjunction of Venus and Jupiter .5° apart in the west around sunset
04/20/2023
Total solar eclipse Indonesia, Australia
04/22/2023
Lyrids Meteor Shower
05/06/2023
Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower
07/03/2023
Full Moon, Supermoon
07/28/2023
Delta Aquarids Meteor Shower
08/01/2023
Full Moon, Supermoon
08/12/2023
Perseids Meteor Shower
08/31/2023
Full Moon, Supermoon, Blue Moon
09/29/2023
Full Moon, Supermoon
10/08/2023
Draconids Meteor Shower
10/14/2023
Partial solar eclipse North America, predominately southwest United States
10/21/2023
Orionids Meteor Shower
11/05/2023
Taurids Meteor Shower
11/17/2023
Leonids Meteor Shower
12/13/2023
Geminids Meteor Shower
12/21/2023
Ursids Meteor Shower
Astronomical Events 2024
01/03/2024
Quadrantids Meteor Shower
04/08/2024
Total solar eclipse large portions of the United States and Canada
04/22/2024
Lyrids Meteor Shower
05/06/2024
Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower
07/28/2024
Delta Aquarids Meteor Shower
08/12/2024
Perseids Meteor Shower
08/19/2024
Full Moon, Blue Moon
09/17/2024
Lunar eclipse in Eastern North America
09/18/2024
Full Moon, Supermoon
10/08/2024
Draconids Meteor Shower
10/17/2024
Full Moon, Supermoon
10/21/2024
Orionids Meteor Shower
11/05/2024
Taurids Meteor Shower
11/15/2024
Full Moon, Supermoon
11/17/2024
Leonids Meteor Shower
12/13/2024
Geminids Meteor Shower
12/21/2024
Ursids Meteor Shower
Astronomical Events 2025
01/03/2025
Quadrantids Meteor Shower
01/18/2025
Conjunction of Venus and Saturn in the west around sunset
03/13/2025
Lunar eclipse in North America
03/29/2025
Partial solar eclipse far eastern Canada
04/22/2025
Lyrids Meteor Shower
05/06/2025
Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower
07/28/2025
Delta Aquarids Meteor Shower
08/12/2025
Conjunction of Venus and Jupiter in the east pre-dawn
08/12/2025
Perseids Meteor Shower
09/19/2025
Conjunction of Moon, Venus and Regulus pre-dawn
10/07/2025
Full Moon, Supermoon
10/08/2025
Draconids Meteor Shower
10/21/2025
Orionids Meteor Shower
11/05/2025
Taurids Meteor Shower
11/05/2025
Full Moon, Supermoon
11/17/2025
Leonids Meteor Shower
12/04/2025
Full Moon, Supermoon
12/13/2025
Geminids Meteor Shower
12/21/2025
Ursids Meteor Shower
Astronomical Events beyond
11/13/2032
Transit of Mercury
12/11/2117
Transit of Venus
For more detailed listings, see the NASA Astronomical Events page called SkyCal.
If you know of any astronomical events that are not on this astronomical events page, please use the contact form to let me know so I can add it. I will try to keep past astronomical events for reference.
