Credit: Sky and Telescope

There will be a Supermoon December 3 and 4. A Supermoon is a new or full moon that comes close to Earth in its elliptical orbit; this is called a Lunar Perigee.

The full moon comes on December 3 and lunar perigee takes place on December 4.

The best time to observe the Supermoon is when the moon is near the horizon during either moonrise or moonset:

Sunday Morning, Dec. 3 –  Moonset — 6:45am
Sunday Evening, Dec. 3 –  Moonrise — 6:15pm
Monday Morning, Dec. 4 – Moonset — 7:56am
Monday Evening, Dec. 4 – Moonrise — 6:57pm

The Universe is under no obligation to make sense to you — Neil deGrasse Tyson

NASA: A Supermoon Trilogy

The eclipse is August 21, 2017 (see below for times).

A solar eclipse in which the moon passes between the sun and us.  Those of us in California will see a partial eclipse.  If you wish to see a total eclipse, head on up to Salem, Oregon.

Never look directly at the sun without appropriate eye protection. One way to safely view an eclipse of the sun including direct viewing is with eclipse glasses. Eclipse glasses are available from Amazon from about $8.00 to $18.00; also from Walmart online.

Partial eclipse in Sacramento begins 9:02 am and ends 11:39 am with maximum 10:17 am.
Total eclipse in Salem, Oregon begins 9:05 am and ends 11:37 am with maximum 10:18 am.

Check out NASA’s Eyes Eclipse 2017 Web Application. “In this interactive, web-based 3D simulation, you can click anywhere on the Earth to preview your view of the August 21st, 2017 total eclipse.” On the right under Explore the 2017 Solar Eclipse click Launch Interactive.

Watch online with NASA’s Eclipse Live Streaming.

Various eclipse activities at the Powerhouse Science Center beginning August 5.

On May 5 and 6 (peak), 2017 before dawn, is the Eta Aquariids meteor shower.

The Eta Aquariids meteor shower is debris from Halley’s Comet.

The best time to watch these meteors is in the early morning hours, before the beginning of morning twilight (see below).

Give yourself at least an hour of viewing time for watching as there will be lulls. Remember that it may take up to 20 minutes for your eyes to adjust to the dark.

Some meteors may fly in the dark hour before dawn for a few days before and after May 5/6.

May 4 — morning twilight: 4:24 AM
May 5 — morning twilight: 4:22 AM
May 6 — morning twilight: 4:21 AM
May 7 — morning twilight: 4:19 AM

If you wish to make an apple pie truly from scratch, you must first invent the universe. — Carl Sagan

Supermoons, most of us can’t detect the difference between a supermoon and a regular full moon, using just our eyes. Finely tuned instruments or composite images do show that a supermoon is indeed closer to Earth and thus bigger than an ordinary full moon. Therefore, if we can’t see that a supermoon actually appears larger in the sky, we notice the increased brightness of the supermoon.
Supermoons bring the highest and lowest tides, they follow the date of full moon by a day or two.

The supermoon event happens Sunday November 13 and Monday the 14th.
The best time to observe the supermoon is when the moon is near the horizon during either moonrise or moonset; allegedly, Monday is best. …

Sunday Evening, Nov. 13 — Moonrise — 4:47 pm
Monday Morning, Nov. 14 — Moonset — 6:42 am
Monday Evening, Nov. 14 — Moonrise — 5:34 pm
Tuesday Morning, Nov. 15 — Moonset — 7:54 am

In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move. — Douglas Adams