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The New York Times has offered this calendar to readers since 2017. It\u2019s a collection of newsworthy events in spaceflight and astronomy curated by the paper\u2019s journalists.<\/p>\n
The entries below these instructions will be updated regularly to adjust dates and revise information in the calendar\u2019s entries. New events will be added and entries will be removed after they conclude or are indefinitely postponed.<\/p>\n
The easiest way to use this calendar is to bookmark this page on your web browser and revisit it regularly<\/strong>. Instructions for bookmarking in common web browsers are below.<\/p>\nA second option is to subscribe to the interactive feed that adds the events to your personal digital calendar. Google users can click on this link to subscribe<\/strong>. Apple iCloud and Outlook users may need to copy this URL and paste it into your digital calendar\u2019s \u201cadd calendar\u201d field to subscribe.<\/p>\nWe won\u2019t save any of your private information if you add this calendar to your device.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n
Additional instructions and answers to common questions are included below.<\/p>\n
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Answers to common questions we\u2019ve received<\/h2>\nHow do I unsubscribe?<\/span><\/h3>\nGoogle Calendar: Unsubscribe using a desktop computer<\/strong><\/p>\niCloud: Delete the calendar from iCloud.com<\/strong><\/p>\niPhone\/iPad: Open \u201cSettings,\u201d then \u201cAccounts,\u201d and remove the Space Calendar subscription. If you do not see any entry for Space Calendar, follow the directions for Google Calendar or iCloud.<\/p>\n
Does The Times save any of your private calendar information?<\/span><\/h3>\nNo. While you may receive messages to the contrary when subscribing to the calendar on your preferred app, there is only a one-time call to your calendar to add the feed. Nothing is saved on our end.<\/p>\n
How do I bookmark this calendar on my browser?<\/span><\/h3>\nHere are bookmarking instructions for four of the most common browsers:<\/p>\n
Does the calendar work with Android devices?<\/span><\/h3>\nYes. Use the sign-up at the top of this page to subscribe using your Google account. The calendar will be synced to your phone.<\/p>\n
Is there a WebCal\/iCal feed I can use to subscribe directly?<\/span><\/h3>\nCopy and paste this WebCal URL (do not click on it directly) into your preferred digital calendar:<\/p>\n
https:\/\/calendar.google.com\/calendar\/ical\/nytimes.com_89ai4ijpb733gt28rg21d2c2ek%40group.calendar.google.com\/public\/basic.ics<\/p>\n
I clicked on the link and it took me to Google Calendar, but I\u2019d rather use Apple iCal or Outlook. What do I do?<\/span><\/h3>\nCopy this URL and go to your calendar app. Find the option to add a subscription calendar in the settings of your app. Instructions here for Outlook and here for Apple.<\/p>\n
I subscribed to the calendar on my iPhone, but it isn\u2019t showing up on my computer or tablet. How do I fix that?<\/span><\/h3>\nYou will need to add an iCloud Calendar subscription<\/strong>. Use the WebCal link mentioned above.<\/p>\nHow do I submit feedback, or suggest another important space or astronomy event that I think you missed?<\/span><\/h3>\nEmail us at spacecalendar@nytimes.com<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nShow more<\/button><\/div>\n\n
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\n<\/picture><\/div>The setting sun, at perihelion, in Ankara, Turkey, on Jan. 4, 2022.<\/span>Credit…<\/span>Cagla Gurdogan\/Reuters<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nEven as the Northern Hemisphere experiences winter\u2019s chill, our planet on Wednesday will be at perihelion, the closest it gets to the sun during its elliptical orbit. Learn more about planetary orbits and the search for life around the galaxy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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\nThe Quadrantids seen above northern Spain in January 2022.<\/span>Credit…<\/span>Pedro Puente Hoyos\/EPA, via Shutterstock<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nActive from Dec. 28, 2023 to Jan. 12. Peak night: Jan. 3 to 4.<\/em><\/p>\nThe Quadrantids, which the International Meteor Organization has forecast to be one of the strongest meteor showers this year, are also one of the few caused by debris from an asteroid. Best viewed from the Northern Hemisphere, the shower is one of the toughest to catch.<\/p>\n
The Quadrantids have one of the shortest peak periods, lasting only six hours. And the time of year might mean cloudy skies and frigid temperatures. The moon will be over half full, which may also make meteors harder to spot.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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\nUnited Launch Alliance\u2019s Vulcan rocket will carry the Peregrine lunar lander to the moon.<\/span>Credit…<\/span>United Launch Alliance<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nUnited Launch Alliance, a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin, is preparing for the first flight of Vulcan, its new rocket. The rocket uses engines built by Blue Origin, the space company founded by Jeff Bezos of Amazon. It will carry Peregrine, a robotic lander built by Astrobotic of Pittsburgh, on a NASA-sponsored mission near the Ocean of Storms on the moon\u2019s near side. If the mission launches on time, it would reach the lunar surface in late February, aiming to be the first privately built moon lander to do so.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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\nAxiom Space’s Ax-2 private astronaut mission docked with the International Space Station in May 2023.<\/span>Credit…<\/span>NASA<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nVisits to the International Space Station are valuable, and would-be astronauts and their countries can wait a long time for the opportunity. In addition to wealthy adventurers, Axiom Space is making it possible for people to make the trip from countries that have seldom or never had astronauts aboard the orbital outpost. The three on the Ax-3 flight are: Alper Gezeravc\u0131, who will be the first Turkish astronaut; Marcus Wandt, a European Space Agency astronaut from Sweden; and Walter Villadei, an Italian Air Force pilot who previously flew to the edge of space on a Virgin Galactic rocket plane.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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\nJapan Aerospace Exploration Agency\u2019s Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, or SLIM, at the satellite fairing assembly building at the Tanegashima Space Center, Kagoshima prefecture, Japan.<\/span>Credit…<\/span>Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, via Agence France-Presse \u2014 Getty Images<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nThe Japanese space agency\u2019s Smart Lander for Investigating Moon launched on a long lunar journey in September. The 420-pound spacecraft will attempt to set down after months in deep space, testing sophisticated lunar landing techniques for future space missions. It would be Japan\u2019s first lunar landing, making it the fifth country to reach the moon.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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\nIntuitive Machines\u2019s Nova-C lunar lander at the company\u2019s facility in Houston in February 2023.<\/span>Credit…<\/span>Brandon Thibodeaux for The New York Times<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nIntuitive Machines, a Houston company, may launch its IM-1 mission, using its Nova-C spacecraft to carry payloads to the lunar South Pole region, potentially making it the second spacecraft to land there. Like Astrobotic, which is scheduled to launch in January, its mission is sponsored by NASA and is aiming to be the first privately built moon lander to successfully reach the lunar surface.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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\nThe H3 rocket lifting off from Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan in March 2023.<\/span>Credit…<\/span>Agence France-Presse \u2014 Getty Images<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nThe H3 rocket, built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, will be the flagship vehicle of Japan\u2019s space program. Its first flight in March 2023 failed to reach orbit, resulting in the loss of an Earth imaging satellite. It could attempt to fly again as soon as Feb. 15, this time carrying a test payload and a pair of small satellites.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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\nWork on the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar satellite inside a spacecraft assembly facility clean room at NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., in February 2023.<\/span>Credit…<\/span>Mario Tama\/Getty Images<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nThe NASA-ISRO SAR Mission, or NISAR, is a collaborative project between the American and Indian space agencies. Launching from an Indian rocket, the spacecraft will carry a variety of sensors, some provided by NASA, to study shifts in Earth\u2019s land- and ice-covered surfaces using synthetic aperture radar. NASA says the launch will occur in early 2024, and ISRO has suggested it will be within the first quarter of the year. We will provide a more precise launch date for this mission when NASA and ISRO announce one.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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\nEarth at the vernal equinox.<\/span>Credit…<\/span>Robert Simmon\/NASA Earth Observatory <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nThe vernal equinox is one of two points in Earth\u2019s orbit where the sun creates equal periods of daytime and nighttime across the globe. Many people mark it as the first day of the spring. See what it looks like from space<\/strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\nFrom left, the crew of the Polaris Dawn Mission: Jared Isaacman, mission commander; Anna Menon, mission specialist and medical officer; Sarah Gillis, mission specialist; and Scott Poteet, mission pilot.<\/span>Credit…<\/span>John Kraus\/Polaris Program, via Agence France-Presse \u2014 Getty Images<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nIn 2021, Jared Isaacman, the billionaire founder of the payments processor Shift4, took three people to space with him for a mission called Inspiration4. In 2022, he announced that there would be additional flights. This year, with a new crew in the SpaceX Dragon capsule, Mr. Isaacman wants to fly to a higher orbit and attempt a spacewalk. We will provide a more precise launch date for this mission when the Polaris Program announces one.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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\nEclipse-viewers in Newport, Ore., in 2017, the last time a total solar eclipse passed across the United States.<\/span>Credit…<\/span>Toni Greaves for The New York Times<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nNearly seven years ago, the \u201cGreat American Eclipse\u201d crossed from Oregon to South Carolina, prompting inspiration and wonder as the moon obscured the sun. On April 8, skygazers will stop and watch the \u201cGreat North American Eclipse\u201d that will take a southwest-to-northeast path across the continent. Order your eclipse glasses while you can, and don\u2019t wait any longer to book travel plans if you aim to be in the path of totality.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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\nBoeing\u2019s Starliner spacecraft on a launchpad at Cape Canaveral in 2022.<\/span>Credit…<\/span>Joel Kowsky\/NASA, via Associated Press<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nBoeing and SpaceX once were racing to be the first to carry NASA astronauts to the International Space Station in a privately built spacecraft. That race ended in 2020, with SpaceX emerging as the victor. After technical problems in 2019 and 2021, Boeing finally sent an uncrewed Starliner to the space station in 2022. After even more delays prompted by problems with the capsule, it is scheduled to fly a crew of astronauts to the orbital outpost this spring, expanding the number of spacecraft capable of carrying humans into orbit.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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\nA long exposure of the night sky over Austria in April 2020 during a Lyrid meteor shower.<\/span>Credit…<\/span>Christian Bruna\/EPA, via Shutterstock<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nActive from April 14 to 30. Peak night: April 21 to 22<\/em><\/p>\nBest seen from the Northern Hemisphere, the Lyrids are caused by the dusty debris from a comet named Thatcher and spring from the constellation Lyra.<\/p>\n
During this year\u2019s period of peak activity, viewers may have a more difficult time seeing meteors from this shower because the moon will be nearly full.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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\nThe Chang’e-5 lunar probe mission launching from the Wenchang Space Launch Site in Hainan province, China, in 2020.<\/span>Credit…<\/span>