There are several exceptional astronomical events that will occur by the end of 2016. The majority of these will be visible with the naked eye.
The appearance of a comet and several lunar eclipses - these are just some of the things that will be visible by the end of the year. During the summer months, more precisely in the middle of August, the most eye-catching will be the meteor showers.
The Perseids meteor shower will be visible between August 12 and 13. On that night, you'll have to find a dark area from where you would be able to observe the night sky. The meteor shower will continue until August 24.
Three weaker meteor showers are expected at the end of July and beginning of August. Their peak will be between July 28 and 30.
2016 is looking to be a good year for observing different planets. On August 23 and 24, Mars, Saturn and the star Antares will all line up.
They will be visible with ordinary binoculars. Then on August 27, 2 of the brightest celestial bodies in our night sky, Jupiter and Venus, will appear dangerously close to one another.
The orange Harvest Moon will occur on September 16. In the same night, there's going to be a partial lunar eclipse in Asia, Africa and Europe.
Less than a month later, on October 7, the meteor shower of Draconids will be at its peak. It will be visible at dawn. Happy star gazing!
