If you’d like to wish on a star to have more adventures in 2020, but find yourself trapped underneath star-less skies, we have the perfect solution in mind. Round up your travel posse, get a Cruise America RV rental and embark on an astronomy adventure.
Before You Head Out
To get the most out of your star-tastic experience, we recommend first doing the following:
● Rent an RV in advance – meteor showers and eclipses are popular times for RV rentals
● Download a free stargazing app on your phone
● Plan on heading to a national park or Dark Sky location for the best views
● Scope out this list of the best places to camp under the stars
● Check out our guide to 2020 astronomy events below to pick the best time of year to venture out
A Few Words to Know
Before taking a gander at our calendar, here are a few terms that will come in handy:
● Meteor Shower: A celestial event in which several meteors are observed to radiate from one point in the night sky. The full calendar below has some epic meteor shower events to look forward to!
● Full Moon: Not ideal for stargazing since the sky doesn’t get that dark. But it’s perfect for creating special memories such as first camping trips or watching the moon rise.
● Supermoon: Occurs when a full moon is at its closest distance to the Earth, making it look brighter and larger than usual.
● New Moon: Occurs when the Sun and Moon are aligned, making the moon invisible from Earth and creating a ‘moonless night’—perfect for stargazing!
● Planet Sighting: These events allow you to see other planets. How cool is that!
● Total Solar Eclipse: Occurs when the New Moon comes between the sun and earth and casts the darkest part of its shadow, the umbra, on Earth.
● Summer Solstice: Occurs when the sun reaches its highest position in the sky, creating the longest period of daylight.
● Winter Solstice: Occurs when one of the Earth’s poles has its maximum tilt away from the sun, creating the shortest day of daylight in the Northern hemisphere.
2020 ASTRONOMY CALENDAR
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Photo Credit: Joshua Earle on Unsplash
JANUARY
3-4 Quadrantids Meteor Show
10 Full Moon
24 New Moon
FEBRUARY
9 Full Moon
18 Mars Planet Sighting
20 Mercury Planet Sighting
23 New Moon
MARCH
9 Full Moon, Supermoon:
24 New Moon
24 Mercury Planet Sighting
24 Venus Planet Sighting
APRIL (International Astronomy Month!)
8 Full Moon, Supermoon
22-23 Lyrids Meteor Shower
23 New Moon
MAY
6-7 Eta Aquarids
7 Full Moon, Supermoon
22 New Moon
JUNE
4 Mercury Planet Sighting
5 Full Moon
5 Jupiter Planet Sighting
21 New Moon
20 June Solstice
JULY
5 Full Moon
14 Jupiter Planet Sighting
20 New Moon
20 Saturn Planet Sighting
22 Mercury Planet Sighting
28-29 Delta Aquarids Meteor Shower
AUGUST
3 Full Moon
12-13 Perseid Meteor Shower
13 Venus Planet Sighting
19 New Moon
SEPTEMBER
2 Full Moon
11 Neptune Planet Sighting
17 New Moon
OCTOBER
1 Full Moon
1 Mercury Planet Sighting
7 Draconids Meteor Shower
13 Mars Planet Sighting
16 New Moon
21-22 Orionids Meteor Shower
31 Full Moon
31 Uranus Planet Sighting
NOVEMBER
4-5 Taurids Meteor Shower
10 Mercury Planet Sighting
15 New Moon
30 Full Moon
DECEMBER
13-14 Geminids Meteor Shower
14 New Moon
14 Total Solar Eclipse
21 December Solstice
21 Jupiter and Saturn Planet Sighting
21-22 Ursids Meteor Shower
To the Stars We Go
Ready for your astronomy road trip? Get your Cruise America RV reserved and ready to go today.