Calendar

Cinco de Mayo

Mother's Day in the United States is an annual holiday celebrated on the second Sunday in May. Mother's Day recognizes mothers, motherhood and maternal bonds in general, as well as the […]

Mother’s Day (USA)

Mother's Day in the United States is an annual holiday celebrated on the second Sunday in May. Mother's Day recognizes mothers, motherhood and maternal bonds in general, as well as the […]

Full Moon

The Full Moon rises at sunset, and is visible all night. The Vatican Observatory's monthly Full Moon Meetup for Sacred Space Astronomy subscribers is held at 10:00 AM Tucson time.

World Metrology Day.

World Metrology Day is an annual celebration of the signature of the Metre Convention on 20 May 1875 by representatives of seventeen nations. The Convention set the framework for global […]

Towel Day

Towel Day is an annual celebration on the 25th of May, as a tribute to the late author Douglas Adams (1952-2001). On that day, fans around the universe carry a towel […]

Memorial Day

Memorial Day is an American holiday, observed on the last Monday of May, honoring the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. Memorial Day 2021 will […]

New Moon 2025

New Moon. By the modern definition, New Moon occurs when the Moon and Sun are at the same geocentric ecliptic longitude. The part of the Moon facing us is completely […]

Ascension

The Ascension Day of Jesus Christ always falls on a Thursday - it is the day when Christians celebrate the ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven as recorded in the […]

World Bicycle Day.

In April 2018, the United Nations General Assembly declared June 3 as International World Bicycle Day. The resolution for World Bicycle Day recognizes "the uniqueness, longevity and versatility of the bicycle, which has been in use for two […]

Venus at Aphelion.

Venus's 225-day orbit around the Sun will carry it to its furthest point to the Sun – its aphelion – at a distance of 0.73 AU.

Summer Solstice

The summer solstice is the day when the Sun appears to reach its highest point in the sky during the year - it marks the start of summer in the Northern Hemisphere.

International Asteroid Day

International Asteroid Day is a United Nations-recognized day observed each year on the anniversary of the Tunguska impact event of June 30, 1908.

Canada Day.

Canada Day (French: Fête du Canada) is the national day of Canada. A federal statutory holiday, it celebrates the anniversary of July 1, 1867, the effective date of the Constitution Act, 1867 (then called the British North America Act, […]

Earth at Aphelion

Earth will be at the farthest point in its orbit around the Sun on this date

Independence Day (USA)

Independence Day is a U.S. federal holiday commemorating the Declaration of Independence of the United States, on July 4, 1776.

Mercury at Aphelion

Mercury's 88-day orbit around the Sun will carry it to its furthest point to the Sun – its aphelion – at a distance of 0.47 AU.

St. Ignatius Loyola, Founder of the Jesuits.

Ignatius of Loyola (Basque: Ignazio Loiolakoa; Spanish: Ignacio de Loyola; Latin: Ignatius de Loyola; c.  23 October 1491 – 31 July 1556) was a Spanish Basque Catholic priest and theologian, who co-founded the religious order called the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and became its first Superior General at […]

St Dominic, Patron of Astronomers, d. 1221

The liturgical celebration of St Dominic is on August 6 which is his deathday, in 1221 - his birthday is August 8.

Many sources state that St Dominic is the patron saint of astronomy and astronomers.

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is, according to the beliefs of numerous Churches, the bodily taking up of Mary, the mother of Jesus, into Heaven at the end of her earthly life. The analogous feast […]

Labor Day (USA)

Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday in September in any given year (i.e. a single day from September 1 through September 7) to honor and recognize […]

World Science Day for Peace and Development.

Celebrated every 10 November, World Science Day for Peace and Development highlights the significant role of science in society and the need to engage the wider public in debates on […]

Uranus at Opposition

Uranus will be in opposition to the Sun on this date; this is when the Earth is positioned between the Sun and Uranus. 

Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Our Lady of Guadalupe (Spanish: Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe), also known as the Virgin of Guadalupe (Spanish: Virgen de Guadalupe), is a Catholic title of the Blessed Virgin Mary associated with a series of five Marian apparitions in December […]

St. Lucia (Sweden), festival of light.

Saint Lucy's Day, also called Lucia Day or the feast of Saint Lucy, is a Christian feast day observed on 13 December. The observance commemorates Lucia of Syracuse, an early-4th-century virgin martyr under the Diocletianic Persecution, who according to legend brought […]

Ursids Meteor Shower

The Ursids peak just before Christmas with rates of 5-10 meteors per hour during the late morning hours.

Earth at Perihelion

Earth will be at the closest point in its orbit around the Sun on this date - 91,403,034 miles.

Feast of the Epiphany

Epiphany also known as Theophany in the east, is a Christian feast day that celebrates the revelation (theophany) of God incarnate as Jesus Christ. Articles about the Feast of the Epiphany on the VO Faith and Science […]

Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

"Martin Luther King Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist who became the most visible spokesperson and leader in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination […]

International Holocaust Remembrance Day

The United Nations General Assembly designated January 27—the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau—as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. On this annual day of commemoration, the UN urges every member state to honor […]

Bertrand Russell died, 1970 (b. 1872).

Bertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell, OM FRS (/ˈrʌsəl/; 18 May 1872 – 2 February 1970) was a British philosopher, logician, mathematician, historian, writer, essayist, social critic, political activist, and Nobel laureate. At various points in […]