Meteor showers, eclipses, supermoons on tap for 2022

Eclipses, meteor showers, supermoons, oh my – skywatchers have a busy 2022 ahead.
Sure, 2021 had the Perseid meteor shower and the Strawberry supermoon, but they may pale in comparison to what is slated to shine in the new year’s skies.
Here are some of the astronomical events you won’t want to miss in 2022.
• Two eclipses we’ll see, two we won’t
There will be four eclipses this year, according to NASA – two of the moon and two of the sun.
A lunar eclipse is when the moon enters the Earth’s shadow, preventing parts or all of the sunlight to reflect off the moon.
Alternatively, a solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes in front of the sun, partially or entirely blocking its light from hitting the Earth.
Only the two total eclipses of the moon will be visible from the U.S. – one on May 15 and another on November 8.
The U.S. will be unable to see the two partial eclipses of the sun, which occur on April 30 and October 25.
• When 2020’s meteor showers will peak
There are 12 meteor showers, with dates that hardly change from year to year, according to the Farmer’s Almanac.
The peak of each shower can vary by a day or two, though.
Below are the showers and their expected peak days:
- Quadrantid: Jan. 3–4
- Lyrid: Apr. 21–22
- Eta Aquarid: May 4–5
- Delta Aquarid: July 28–29
- Perseid: Aug. 11–12
- Draconid: Oct. 8–10
- Orionid: Oct. 20–21
- Northern Taurid: Nov. 11–12
- Leonid: Nov. 16–17
- Andromedid: Nov. 25–27
- Germinid: Dec. 13–14
- Ursid: Dec. 21–22
• When the full moons and two supermoons will rise
Names used for full moons stem from Native American, Colonial American, or other traditional North American, or other traditional North American sources passed down to each generation, the Farmer’s Almanac explains.
Below are when each of the full moons will occur this year, courtesy of NASA, as well as their names.
- Jan. 17: Wolf Moon
- Feb. 16: Snow Moon
- March 18: Worm Moon
- April 16: Pink Moon
- May 15: Flower Moon
- June 14: Strawberry Moon
- July 13: Buck Moon
- Aug. 11: Sturgeon Moon
- Sept. 10: Corn Moon
- Oct. 9: Hunter Moon
- Nov. 8: Beaver Moon
- Dec. 7: Cold Moon
The full moons in June and July will also be supermoons, according to Space.com.
A supermoon occurs when the moon is within 90% of perigee, or at one of the closest points to Earth we see. This makes for the biggest, brightest full moons seen all year.