When’s the next meteor shower? When’s the full moon? What’s up in the skies for 2010? Tidelog knows!

What are you grateful for this Thanksgiving season? I’m grateful that my 2010 Tidelog came in the mail today! Tidelog helps me know about everything from the low and high tides to solar and lunar eclipses, meteor showers, full and new moons, and all other interesting oddities in the sky! I received my first Tidelog back in 1993, and I’ve had one just about every year since. I find them an invaluable source to plan evening hikes and bike rides as well as camping trips.

So what’s up for the rest of the year according to my 2009 Tidelog? And what will be some of next year’s high points according to my 2010 Tidelog?

In case you forgot to consult your Tidelog, this past few weeks we’ve had some nice meteor showers and as the Taurid shower wanes, the Leonid is due on Monday with potentially strong showers of fast, bright meteors especially around 11pm PST as we roll through a denser filament of the comet Tempel-Tuttle. Mid-December brings us the Geminid showers and the year ends with a blue moon–that’s two full moons in the month of December with the second full moon on New Year’s eve.

Next year starts the Quadrantid meteor shower being drowned out by the light of the waning moon, but Jupiter is bright at sunset in January and at the end of the month Mars shows up.

The year’s first solar eclipse on Jan. 15 isn’t visible from the US but in Africa. Here on the west coast, on June 25 those of us up at 3:15am will see a partial eclipse of the moon. The solar eclipse two weeks later is visible to those in Chile and Argentina.

At sunset in late July, sharp eyes will spot four planets: bright Venus, dim Saturn, dimmer Mars, and Mercury way low on the horizon; those on the lookout will start to see the Perseid meteor shower with the best night for viewing on Thurs. August 12. There won’t be much of a moon at Burning Man this year; it’ll be waning and rising after midnight the whole week of the Festival.

December 2010 offers two good opportunities for night sky events on the west coast: we’re positioned well to watch the Geminids which peaks December 13 and a total lunar eclipse the following Monday. For those of us on Pacific time, the moon will redden as it enters the earth’s shadow about 930pm and a bite will appear about 1030pm.  The moon will be fully eclipsed about 1130pm. How cool is that??? I think that will have to be a hot tub and porto kind of night!