Friday May 16

5:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Bartow Friday Fest Public

Recurs monthly

This is for anyone who wants to go to a block party. It’s o bserving and Q&A only. Solar scopes are welcome before sunset. Set up at Main St. & S Wilson Ave.
If you want to take a look around, someone will watch your scope for you. There’s usually some good food close by and music down the street.
The view is somewhat limited and there’s lots of light, but those who stop by, have some good questions, so, be ready with some good answers.
This is another event that has brought us new members.

Friday June 20

5:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Bartow Friday Fest Public

Recurs monthly

This is for anyone who wants to go to a block party. It’s o bserving and Q&A only. Solar scopes are welcome before sunset. Set up at Main St. & S Wilson Ave.
If you want to take a look around, someone will watch your scope for you. There’s usually some good food close by and music down the street.
The view is somewhat limited and there’s lots of light, but those who stop by, have some good questions, so, be ready with some good answers.
This is another event that has brought us new members.

Friday July 18

5:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Bartow Friday Fest Public

Recurs monthly

This is for anyone who wants to go to a block party. It’s o bserving and Q&A only. Solar scopes are welcome before sunset. Set up at Main St. & S Wilson Ave.
If you want to take a look around, someone will watch your scope for you. There’s usually some good food close by and music down the street.
The view is somewhat limited and there’s lots of light, but those who stop by, have some good questions, so, be ready with some good answers.
This is another event that has brought us new members.

Friday August 15

5:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Bartow Friday Fest Public

Recurs monthly

This is for anyone who wants to go to a block party. It’s o bserving and Q&A only. Solar scopes are welcome before sunset. Set up at Main St. & S Wilson Ave.
If you want to take a look around, someone will watch your scope for you. There’s usually some good food close by and music down the street.
The view is somewhat limited and there’s lots of light, but those who stop by, have some good questions, so, be ready with some good answers.
This is another event that has brought us new members.

Friday September 19

5:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Bartow Friday Fest Public

Recurs monthly

This is for anyone who wants to go to a block party. It’s o bserving and Q&A only. Solar scopes are welcome before sunset. Set up at Main St. & S Wilson Ave.
If you want to take a look around, someone will watch your scope for you. There’s usually some good food close by and music down the street.
The view is somewhat limited and there’s lots of light, but those who stop by, have some good questions, so, be ready with some good answers.
This is another event that has brought us new members.

Friday October 17

5:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Bartow Friday Fest Public

Recurs monthly

This is for anyone who wants to go to a block party. It’s o bserving and Q&A only. Solar scopes are welcome before sunset. Set up at Main St. & S Wilson Ave.
If you want to take a look around, someone will watch your scope for you. There’s usually some good food close by and music down the street.
The view is somewhat limited and there’s lots of light, but those who stop by, have some good questions, so, be ready with some good answers.
This is another event that has brought us new members.

Friday November 21

5:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Bartow Friday Fest Public

Recurs monthly

This is for anyone who wants to go to a block party. It’s o bserving and Q&A only. Solar scopes are welcome before sunset. Set up at Main St. & S Wilson Ave.
If you want to take a look around, someone will watch your scope for you. There’s usually some good food close by and music down the street.
The view is somewhat limited and there’s lots of light, but those who stop by, have some good questions, so, be ready with some good answers.
This is another event that has brought us new members.

Friday December 19

5:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Bartow Friday Fest Public

Recurs monthly

This is for anyone who wants to go to a block party. It’s o bserving and Q&A only. Solar scopes are welcome before sunset. Set up at Main St. & S Wilson Ave.
If you want to take a look around, someone will watch your scope for you. There’s usually some good food close by and music down the street.
The view is somewhat limited and there’s lots of light, but those who stop by, have some good questions, so, be ready with some good answers.
This is another event that has brought us new members.

Friday January 16

5:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Bartow Friday Fest Public

Recurs monthly

This is for anyone who wants to go to a block party. It’s o bserving and Q&A only. Solar scopes are welcome before sunset. Set up at Main St. & S Wilson Ave.
If you want to take a look around, someone will watch your scope for you. There’s usually some good food close by and music down the street.
The view is somewhat limited and there’s lots of light, but those who stop by, have some good questions, so, be ready with some good answers.
This is another event that has brought us new members.

Friday February 20

5:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Bartow Friday Fest Public

Recurs monthly

This is for anyone who wants to go to a block party. It’s o bserving and Q&A only. Solar scopes are welcome before sunset. Set up at Main St. & S Wilson Ave.
If you want to take a look around, someone will watch your scope for you. There’s usually some good food close by and music down the street.
The view is somewhat limited and there’s lots of light, but those who stop by, have some good questions, so, be ready with some good answers.
This is another event that has brought us new members.

Friday March 20

5:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Bartow Friday Fest Public

Recurs monthly

This is for anyone who wants to go to a block party. It’s o bserving and Q&A only. Solar scopes are welcome before sunset. Set up at Main St. & S Wilson Ave.
If you want to take a look around, someone will watch your scope for you. There’s usually some good food close by and music down the street.
The view is somewhat limited and there’s lots of light, but those who stop by, have some good questions, so, be ready with some good answers.
This is another event that has brought us new members.

Friday April 17

5:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Bartow Friday Fest Public

Recurs monthly

This is for anyone who wants to go to a block party. It’s o bserving and Q&A only. Solar scopes are welcome before sunset. Set up at Main St. & S Wilson Ave.
If you want to take a look around, someone will watch your scope for you. There’s usually some good food close by and music down the street.
The view is somewhat limited and there’s lots of light, but those who stop by, have some good questions, so, be ready with some good answers.
This is another event that has brought us new members.

Sunday April 27

3:31 pm

🌑 New Moon

Thursday May 1

All Day

Beltane

Beltane, a celebration of fertility, anticipates the first signs of summer falling between the Spring Equinox and the Summer Solstice (in the Northern Hemisphere).

Sunday May 4

9:51 am

🌓 First Quarter Moon

Monday May 5

All Day

Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower

We’re in luck this year! The sky before dawn on these mornings will be dark and moonless in 2025. The best viewing time is in the hour or two before dawn across all global locations, as the radiant appears over the eastern horizon around 4 a.m. local time.

This shower peaks annually from April 19 to May 28, and is known for producing up to 60 meteors per hour in the Southern Hemisphere and about 30 per hour in the Northern Hemisphere. Originating from comet Halley, these meteors radiate from the constellation Aquarius but are visible across the sky.

https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/earthskys-meteor-shower-guide/

Monday May 12

12:55 pm

🌕 Full Moon (Vesak Day)

Vesak, also known as ‘Buddha Purnima’ or ‘Buddha Day,’ is celebrated on the day of the full moon in the month of Vesakha according to the Asian lunar calendars. This observance typically falls in April or May in the Gregorian calendar.

On Vesak Day, Buddhists around the world commemorate events of significance to Buddhists of all traditions: the birth, enlightenment, first sermon, and the passing away of Gautama Buddha. Each of these events is believed to have occurred on the full moon.

Tuesday May 20

7:58 am

🌗 Third Quarter Moon

Monday May 26

11:02 pm

🌑 New Moon

Sunday June 1

All Day

Venus, the Morning Star

Hello again! This is Venus at its brightest for early risers. Look east right before the Sun rises.

At its greatest western elongation today, Venus will be the last celestial light to be extinguished by the daylight. It’s a reminder that all day long, the stars and planets are still there when you look up — just not quite bright enough to poke through all that blue sky.

Monday June 2

11:40 pm

🌓 First Quarter Moon

Wednesday June 11

3:43 am

🌕 Full Moon (Mead Moon)

The full moon closest to the Summer Solstice (for those of you in the Northern Hemisphere) is known as the Mead Moon. In ancient traditions, drinking mead under the ‘Mead Moon’ would promote healing, fertility and prosperity throughout the year. So let’s crack open a bottle of honey wine!

Monday June 16

All Day

Mars and Regulus

About 90 minutes after sunset, look for red Mars shining next to the similarly bright Regulus, one of our brightest stars. Regulus, a member of the Leo constellation, is actually a quadruple star system composed of four stars organized into two pairs.

Regulus is also known as Qalb al-Asad, from the Arabic قلب الأسد, meaning ‘the heart of the lion’.

Wednesday June 18

3:19 pm

🌗 Third Quarter Moon

Friday June 20

10:42 pm

June solstice

In the northern hemisphere, this marks the first day of summer and is the day with most hours of light in the year — when the Sun is farthest north. In the southern hemisphere, this is your winter solstice, marking the shortest day of the year.

Wednesday June 25

6:31 am

🌑 New Moon

Wednesday July 2

3:30 pm

🌓 First Quarter Moon

Thursday July 3

All Day

Earth at Aphelion

Earth at Aphelion refers to the point in Earth’s orbit where it is farthest from the Sun, a phenomenon that occurs annually. This coincides very nearly with winter solstice in the Southern Hemisphere, leading to especially cold temperatures there due to the combined effect of Earth’s axial tilt away from the Sun and the increased orbital distance. Brr!

https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/perihelion-aphelion-solstice.html

Thursday July 10

4:36 pm

🌕 Full Moon (Buck)

In July, the Full Moon is the Buck Moon, named after the new antlers that emerge from a buck’s forehead around this time of the year. It is also called Thunder Moon, Hay Moon, and (from pagan/medieval times) the Wyrt Moon.

Thursday July 17

All Day

Mercury Retrograde Begins

Do: Reconnect with an old friend!
Don’t: Believe everything you think.

Mercury Retrograde is of particular interest to *astrologically* minded folks, and some people who have to deal with communications technology. See URL for more info…

https://cantonbecker.com/astronomy-calendar/mercury-retrograde

8:37 pm

🌗 Third Quarter Moon

Thursday July 24

3:11 pm

🌑 New Moon

Wednesday July 30

All Day

Delta Aquariid Meteor Shower

The Delta Aquariid shower burns from around July 18 to August 21. Shooting stars are rising in mid-evening, up high around 2 a.m. and low in the sky by dawn. Take advantage of the moon-free evenings (after midnight) in late July.

Favoring the Southern Hemisphere and tropical Northern Hemisphere regions like the southern U.S., this shower produces 15 to 20 meteors per hour. Originating from debris left by comets Marsden and Kracht, these meteors radiate near the star Skat in the Aquarius constellation. Unlike many showers, the Delta Aquarids don’t have a sharp peak, instead offering a steady display through late July and early August. During early August, they often coincide with the Perseids, providing an enhanced experience, particularly from southerly latitudes.

https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/everything-you-need-to-know-delta-aquarid-meteor-shower/

Friday August 1

All Day

Lughnasadh

Lughnasadh is celebrated near the midpoint of the Summer Solstice and the Autumn Equinox (Northern Hemisphere). It observes the traditional start of the harvest season.

8:41 am

🌓 First Quarter Moon

Saturday August 2

11:00 am – 12:00 pm

Reminder: August 2027 Solar Eclipse

Just as North America experienced twice-in-a-lifetime solar eclipses in 2017 and 2024, Europe and Africa will have their turn. The eclipse will start in Morocco, sweep across the Mediterranean Sea, and reach its peak totality in historic Luxor, Egypt.

Eclipsophile says, Cloud cover for this eclipse is among the lowest I’ve analyzed over the last 45 years… Just about anywhere will present a good to excellent opportunity to see this event and bathe in over six minutes of totality.
https://eclipsophile.com/tse2027/

If you live anywhere near the path of totality and have never seen a total eclipse of the sun, DO NOT MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY.

If you live far away, it’s not too early to make travel plans. Many hotels in the path of totality are already fully booked.

Saturday August 9

3:54 am

🌕 Full Moon (Sturgeon)

The term Sturgeon Moon refers to the full moon in August and originates from Native American tribes in North America. They named it after the sturgeon fish, which was abundant and most easily caught in the Great Lakes and other major bodies of water during this time of the year.

Ever seen a sturgeon? Living dinosaurs! This fish species dates back to the Late Cretaceous period, around 100 million years ago, making them one of the oldest surviving fish species. Google yourself some ‘great lakes sturgeon’ pictures. Weird looking, but allegedly one of the tastiest fish in the world.

Monday August 11 – Tuesday August 12

Perseids Meteor Shower

Double-feature! Wake up early for this shower, and to also see brilliant Venus drop toward bright Jupiter in the eastern morning sky. Venus will pass Jupiter, seemingly switching places with it, on August 11 and 12 this year.

This is one of the best showers of the year, producing up to 60 meteors per hour at its peak. This year, a fairly bright moon will block the fainter meteors. Wake up early and position yourself so a tree or building blocks the blinding moon. Although the predicted peak falls during the night of August 11-12, it has a long range: from July 14 to September 1. So, you can start watching for these meteors in the early August morning hours.

The Perseid meteor shower is perhaps the most beloved meteor shower of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. It’s a rich and steady shower. These fast and bright meteors radiate from a point in the constellation Perseus the Hero. As with all meteor shower radiant points, you don’t need to know Perseus to watch the shower. Instead, the meteors appear in all parts of the sky, frequently leaving persistent trails. Perseid meteors tend to strengthen in number from midnight to the wee hours before dawn.

These meteors are the result of our passing through the tail of Comet Swift-Tuttle. For a while, astronomers calculated that this comet would collide with the Earth during the Perseids in 2126. Such an impact would have spoiled any stargazing since the comet is the largest near-Earth object that periodically passes through our sky. If Swift-Tuttle ever does hit the Earth, its 60 km/s impact will be about 27 times more energetic than the asteroid strike that wiped out the dinosaurs.

https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/everything-you-need-to-know-perseid-meteor-shower/

Monday August 11

All Day

Mercury Retrograde Ends

This is primarily of interest to *astrologically* minded folks. See URL for more info…

https://cantonbecker.com/astronomy-calendar/mercury-retrograde

Saturday August 16

1:12 am

🌗 Third Quarter Moon

Saturday August 23

2:06 am

🌑 New Moon

Sunday August 31

2:25 am

🌓 First Quarter Moon

Sunday September 7

12:27 pm – 3:56 pm

Total Lunar Eclipse

A total eclipse visible in Russia, Asia, lots of Australia… Regions seeing at least some of the eclipse include Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, West in North America, East in South America, Pacific, Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Arctic, Antarctica.

https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/lunar/2025-september-7

2:08 pm

🌕 Full Moon (Harvest)

The Farmer’s Almanac described this as the Harvest Moon because it gave farmers several extra evenings of moonlight to allow them to finish their harvests before the frosts of fall arrived. Tender vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers, winter squash, and pumpkins must be picked before the first frost.

It is the Harvest Moon! On gilded vanes
And roofs of villages, on woodland crests
And their aerial neighborhoods of nests
Deserted, on the curtained window-panes
Of rooms where children sleep, on country lanes
And harvest-fields, its mystic splendor rests!
Gone are the birds that were our summer guests,
With the last sheaves return the laboring wains!
All things are symbols: the external shows
Of Nature have their image in the mind,
As flowers and fruits and falling of the leaves;
The song-birds leave us at the summer’s close,
Only the empty nests are left behind,
And pipings of the quail among the sheaves.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
1807 –1882

Sunday September 14