As 2021 comes to a close, stargazers will be looking forward to a new year of wonders in the night sky.

Whether you're a whizz with a telescope or you're passionate about Astrology, we've got you covered.

We have put together a guide to all the celestial events heading our way in 2022. 

From New Moons and meteor showers to planet placements and eclipses, be prepared with this 2022 Astronomy calendar.

Salisbury Journal: A fisherman watches a meteor during the Draconid meteor shower over Howick rocks in Northumberland. Picture date: Sunday October 10, 2021. Credit: PAA fisherman watches a meteor during the Draconid meteor shower over Howick rocks in Northumberland. Picture date: Sunday October 10, 2021. Credit: PA

2022 Astronomy Calendar of Celestial Events 

January

2 - New Moon

A new moon means the moon will be on the same side as the Earth as the sun which means you won't be able to see it.

This makes it the best time of the month to see galaxies and star clusters since the moonlight won't interfere.

3 - 4 - Quadrantids Meteor Shower

The Quadrantids shower runs annually between January 1 and 5 and will peak on January 3 and 4 in 2022. 

7 - Mercury at Greatest Eastern Elongation

This is the best time to see Mercury since it is at its highest point on the horizon in the evening sky at 19.2 degrees from the Sun.

Your best chance of seeing is by looking west just after sunset.

February

1 - New Moon

16 - Mercury at Greatest Western Elongation

This is the best time to see Mercury in the morning since it will be at 26.3 degrees at its great point of western elongation. 

Your best chance of seeing it is by looking east just before sunrise.

March 

2 - New Moon

20 - Spring Equinox 

This is known as the first day of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere or the first day of Autumn if you live in the Southern Hemisphere.

The Spring Equinox is where the Sun directly hits the equator and there are equal hours of day and night in the day.

April 

1 - New Moon

22 - 23 - Lyrids Meteor shower

The Lyrids is an annual meteor shower that occurs between April 16 and 23. 

It will peak on the night of the 22 and the morning of the 23 in 2022. 

29 - Mercury at Greatest Eastern Elongation

Your best chance of seeing is by looking west just after sunset.

30 - Partial Solar Eclipse and New Moon

A partial solar eclipse is where the moon covers a part of the sun. 

It will not be particularly visible in the UK and will be best observed in the Southeast Pacific ocean and South America.

May 

6 - Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower

The  Eta Aquarids shower occurs every year between April 19 to May 28. 

It will peak in 2022 on the night of May 6 and the morning of May 7.

The meteors will pass the constellation Aquarius but should be visible elsewhere in the sky too.

16 - Total Lunar Eclipse

A total lunar eclipse is when the moon passes directly in the Earth's umbra of shadow. 

The moon will start to get darker and will even look a blood-red colour.

30 - New Moon

June 

14 - Supermoon

A Supermoon is when the moon is full and in its closest orbit to the Earth.

This makes it slightly brighter and larger than a regular full moon.

When it is at its closest point (the perigee), it is an average distance of about 226,000 miles (363,300 kilometres) from Earth.

16 - Mercury at Greatest Western Elongation

Your best chance of seeing it is by looking east just before sunrise.

21 - Summer solstice

This is the first day of Summer in the Northern Hemisphere and means the North Pole is tilted towards the Sun. 

It is the day with the longest period of sunlight.

29 - New Moon

July 

13 - Supermoon 

28 - New Moon

28 - 29 - Delta Aquarids Meteor Shower

The Delta Aquarids is a meteor shower produced from debris from the Marsden and Kracht comets.

It is an annual shower that runs from July 12 to August 23. 

It will peak on the night of July 28 and the morning of July 29.

August 

12 - Supermoon

12 - 13 -  Perseids Meteor Shower

The Peresids produce up to 60 meteor showers at their peak and is an annual highlight for stargazers. 

It will peak on August 12 and 13 in 2022 but only the brightest meteors will be visible due to the Supermoon. 

You should be able to see it from the constellation Perseus but the shower can also appear from anywhere in the sky.

14 - Saturn at Opposition

Saturn will be at its closest point to Earth and be lit up by the Sun. 

This makes it the best time to see it all year and will be visible throughout the night.

27 - New Moon

September 

16 - Neptune at Opposition

This is the best time to spot and photograph Neptune in 2022. 

It will be at its closest point to the Earth and will be illuminated by the Sun. 

23 - Autumn Equinox

This is the first day of Autumn in the North Hemisphere. 

It is also where the Sun will shine directly on the equator meaning there will be equal daylight and night hours in the day.

25 - New Moon

26 - Jupiter at Opposition

This is the best night to see and photograph Jupiter in 2022.

It will be on its closest approach to Earth and will be lit up by the Sun.

October 

8 - Draconids Meteor Shower 

The Draconids run annually from October 8 to October 10. 

It will peak on the night of October 7 and 8 in 2022. 

It is best spotted in the early evening, unlike other meteor showers which are best observed around midnight typically.

21 - 22 - Orionids Meteor Shower

The Orionids occur annually between October 2 to November, peaking in the evening of October 21 and the morning of October 22 in 2022. 

The meteors will radiate from the constellation Orion but can be seen from elsewhere in the sky too.

25 - Partial Solar Eclipse

This partial solar eclipse will be best seen in Russia and Kazakhstan.

25 - New Moon

November 

4 - 5 - Taurids Meteor Shower

The Taurids run annually from September 7 to December 10. 

It will peak on the night of November 4 in 2022.

8 - Total Lunar Eclipse

Sadly, this total lunar eclipse won't be visible in the UK.

It will be mostly observed in eastern Russia, Japan, Australia, the Pacific Ocean, and parts of western and central North America.

9 - Uranus at Opposition

This is the best time of the year to spot Uranus. 

It will be at its closest point to the Earth and will be lit up by the Sun.

17 - 18 - Leonids Meteor Shower

The Leonids are a unique meteor shower since they have what they call a cyclonic peak every 33 years where you can see hundreds of meteors per hour. 

It will be a little while until we see another cyclonic peak - 2034 to be exact - but the shower does occur every year.

It will peak on the night of November 17 into the morning of November 18 in 2022.

23 - New Moon

December 

8 - Mars at Opposition

This is the best time of year to spot and photograph Mars since it will be at its closest point to Earth.

It will also be brighter than at any other time of the year and will be visible all year long.

13 - 14 - Geminids Meteor Shower.

The Geminids are another highlight for stargazers and promise an impressive display.

The shower is created from debris from the asteroid known as 3200 Phaethon.

It runs annually from December 7 to 17 and will peak on the evening of December 13 into the morning of December 14 in 2022.

21 - Winter solstice 

This is the first day of Winter in the Northern Hemisphere. 

It is where the Earth's South pole is tilted towards the Sun.

21 - 22 - Ursids Meteor Shower

The shower runs annually from December 17 to December 25. 

It will peak on the evening of December 21 into the morning of December 22 in 2022.

23 - New Moon

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