Travel Sustainably: Leave Mother Earth, Explore the Skies
One of the best news that we have woken to in 2021 is that of COVID-19 vaccines rolling out. In such a positive scenario travelers will surely be tempted to explore the world again. A mass tourism is in the offing, one can well imagine the impact of it. The little respite that nature had got with the pause in travels will all be lost. The need of the hour is travel more sustainably. Make journeys that will support conservation. One way to travel sustainably is to explore the skies!
Travel Sustainably: Explore the Skies
Fortunately one needn’t go far, shift your focus a bit from Mother Earth. There is a lot to discover in the perfect dome of big blue-black sky above us that is equally amazing if not more. With celestial bodies involved in a drama of their own there are quite a few exciting astronomical events lined up for us in the year 2021.
Major Astronomical Events of 2021
Here are some astronomical events for 2021
Year 2021 has 4 eclipses, 2 solar eclipses and 2 lunar eclipses, 2 meteor showers, 1 Blue moon, 1 Wolf Moon and 3 Supermoon (1 of them a pink moon) and some planetary alignments and combinations. Plan a trip to your nearby parks and sanctuaries, may be your roof top too to see the sky lit with stars and the drama unfolding. Since the dates are known you can plan your trip ahead.
Eclipses in 2021
Partial lunar eclipse will be visible on May 26th 2021 from 14:18 to 19:20 in some parts of India. The eclipse will go through the phases of penumbral eclipse, partial eclipse, umbral eclipse to max eclipse at 16:49 after which it will slowly end. The earth will cover the moon by 101.6 per cent during this astronomical event.
There will be a solar eclipse on 10th June 2021 but will not be visible in India. However if you are countries like Canada, Greenland and parts of Russia you can see the annular eclipse. Partial solar eclipse can be seen in cities like New York, Rekjavik, London and more.
Partial lunar eclipse can be seen from north-eastern states and some parts of northern belt of India for a very short period on November 19th. 97.9% of the moon will be seen covered by the earth’s shadow. Penumbral eclipse will begin at 11:32, peak at 14:33 and end at 17:34. It will be a complete lunar eclipse in Africa.
The last one of 2021, a total solar eclipse will happen on December 4th; however it will not be visible from India. The complete eclipse will be visible from Antartica.
Meteor Shower
For a good view of these showers find a location which has a clear view of the entire night sky free of pollution, preferably in the outskirts of congested cities, smaller towns and near forest areas. Too much light can spoil the show.
Perseid Meteor Shower August 12th
This meteor shower will peak on the early hours of August 11 and will be visible throughout the day and the next day, that is 12th August. The visibility of Perseids will max out in the night from 2 am to pre-dawn hours of August 11th. You are likely to see these meteorite showers well because monsoons would have receded by then and you can get the skies to be clearer, but may not be visible in some parts of India due to monsoon clouds. Also moon will only be 13 percent full and will set just as the meteors start to appear.
It can get quite exciting as you can expect to see around 50 to 75 meteors per hour on the peak night. Perseid meteor shower is caused by cosmic debris left behind the Comet Swift-Tuttle. No need any equipment, they can be easily seen through the naked eye and it will be visible all over the sky at night.
Geminid Meteor Shower: Dec. 13-14
The Geminid meteor shower can be viewed from every part of India. Hopefully during the winters the skies will be clear and offer unobstructed views of the spectacular cosmic showers of ice and dust. This is a repetitive phenomenon and occurs every year in the second week of December.
Different from other meteors they originate from asteroid-like space rocks and not from comets as is usually the case. The Geminids are thought to have been produced by an object called 3200 Phaethon. There are good chances of sighting them as this meteor shower can brighten the night sky with between 120 and 160 meteors per hour.
Different Full Moons in 2021
Did you know there are a few different types of unusual full moon types? A full moon occurs when the side of the Moon facing Earth is fully lit up by the Sun. They have strange names: blood moons, supermoons, blue moons, and more. As moon revolves around the earth and also spins on its own axis there are different phases of moon.
The year 2021 has 1 Blue moon, 1 Wolf Moon and 3 Supermoon (1 of them a pink moon). Supermoon occurs when the Moon is full and particularly close to Earth in its elliptical orbit, and there will be 2 of them in 2021. Here are the dates of all the full moons, you can plan ahead to observe and photograph them.
Wolf Moon – January 28 2021Other names: Ice Moon, and the Moon after Yule. In India it is called the Paush Purnima and is an auspicious day for the Hindus.
Travel Sustainably: Leave Mother Earth, Explore the Skies Picture by Deepak Amembal
Snow Moon – February 27th. Also called as Storm Moon and the Hunger Moon.
Worm Moon – March 28th Other interesting names are: Crow Moon, Crust Moon, Sap Moon, Sugar Moon, and the Lenten Moon.
Pic from Telegraph
Pink Moon – April 26th This is also a Supermoon and will be visible over the course of April 26 and April 27. Other names are Sprouting Grass Moon, Egg Moon, and the Fish Moon.
Flower Moon – May 26th There will be lunar eclipse and will be visible from East Asia, Australia, the Pacific, and the Americas. The fully eclipsed portion should be visible (or invisible, to be precise) for 15 minutes. The Flower Moon is also called Corn Planting Moon and the Milk Moon.
Strawberry Moon – June 24 This will be a Supermoon of 2021.
Buck Moon – July 23. Other interesting names are: Thunder Moon, Hay Moon, Mead Moon, and the Rose Moon.
Sturgeon Moon, this year’s Blue Moon – August 22, 2021 The other name for this moon is Green Corn Moon. Blue moon here refers to the emergence of four, instead of three Full Moons in a “season,” defined as the period between a Solstice and an Equinox. The third of the four Moons is then considered the Blue Moon. And in 2021, that is the Sturgeon Moon.
Harvest Moon – September 22, the other names are Corn Moon, Fruit Moon, Barley Moon, and Hungry Ghost Moon. Interesting thing to note here is ‘The Harvest Moon’ name given to the Full Moon in either September or October, depending on the timing of the Fall Equinox. Whichever month’s Full Moon is closest to the Equinox wins the title. In 2021, it’s September.
Blood Moon – October 22 also known by names Travel Moon, Dying Grass Moon, Hunter’s Moon, Harvest Moon, and the Sanguine Moon.
Frost Moon – November 19 This year, there will be a partial Lunar Eclipse peaking at 4:04 a.m. Eastern. The entire eclipse event will last for 3 hours and 28 minutes. However it will not be visible from India, but people in Americas, northern Europe, East Asia, Australia, and the Pacific can sight this phenomenon. Other names are Beaver Moon and Snow Moon.
Cold Moon – December 18 (also has the name: Oak Moon, Moon before Yule, and Long Night Moon.)
2 Planetary Alignments and Combinations
Moon passes in front of Mars
The Moon will pass in front of Mars, creating a lunar occultation visible from parts of Asia. Lunar occultations are only ever visible from a small fraction of the Earth’s surface. It will be visible from Vijayawada on 17th April 2021.
Quadruple conjunction: March 9 and 10
The sky-watchers will get the opportunity to observe a cosmic huddle of Moon, Mercury, Jupiter, and Saturn around the globe. The three planets will appear to be form an alignment; the nearby crescent moon will frame the trio of planets. Those who can use binoculars will be able to spot Jupiter’s four largest moons are likely to be visible with binoculars. A small telescope can reveal rings of Saturn.
Read more: Sunrise in Concrete Jungle of Bangalore
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Really Nice Article.
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Save Environment.
This is such a good idea to get into astronomy as an eco-friendly way to be awestruck as we (hopefully!) come to the end of this pandemic. We had a total solar eclipse for parts of the US in 2017 I believe and it was an absolutely unforgettable experience. I would love to travel someday soon to see another one.
I always wanted to see meteor showers but why did they happen around 2 am? That’s why watching moon is better for me. You can watch it before you go to bed.
I did not know there were so many celestial events happening in 2021. This may certainly cause me to look for out of the way places to visit where city light pollution won’t ruin the view. A good Covid strategy too! We have been lucky to catch amazing views of the Harvest and Blood moons on previous travels. Good to know the schedule for travel planning.
This is very interesting! We love watching the moon – either full or not – on a clear night’s sky, especially when traveling to coastal towns. The only time we consciously look at the moon when at home is during the Chinese Full Moon ceremony, which is actually the Fall Equinox, so yeah… sometime in August or September. In 2021, it’s going to be on September 21st. That should be what you call Harvest Moon.
This a definitely something that I hope people take from 2020. Even if we can’t travel around there is so much the world gives us to explore even right near home. We were able to enjoy the “Christmas Star” as a family and I learned the identities of all the birds in my yard.