Celestial Events

Dates of key celestial events for the selected year are shown when you tap the date at the top of the Map tab.

The list is filtered to exclude any events earlier than eight days prior to the selected date. If you would like to see earlier events, simply change the selected date. If you would like to see events for a different calendar year, change the selected year. 

•  Full moon
•  New moon
•  Lunar Perigee
•  Equinox
•  Solstice
•  Lunar + Solar Eclipses
•  Major meteor showers
•  First quarter
•  Last quarter
•  Moon at apogee

Perigee is the moment at which the moon reaches its closest approach to earth during the monthly lunar cycle, appearing largest in the sky. When perigee coincides with a full moon, a perigee moon (also known as a ‘supermoon’) can be observed.

Apogee is the moment at which the moon reaches its greatest distance from earth during the monthly lunar cycle, appearing smallest in the sky.

Equinox occurs twice a year, during spring and autumn, when the sun lies directly over the equator. Sunrise and sunset occur more or less due east at these times.

Solstice also occurs twice a year, during mid-summer and mid-winter, when the sun rises or sets at its maximum and minimum azimuth.

Where a lunar event indicates x% larger, this represents the observed size of the moon's disc relative to its size when the moon is at extreme apogee (farthest from Earth).

Some events, including eclipses and meteor showers, have additional information available. Tap the event to view its details. Tap Select or the date row to set the app to the date of the event. For events that span a period of time, the 'peak' or 'maximum' date is set (for example, the time of greatest eclipse, or the night of peak activity for a meteor shower).