Week of Jan. 4-10, 2015

The beginning of a new year is always filled with hope and optimism, not to mention lists of resolutions we swear we're going to follow. How many times can we possibly say "... and this year I mean it!"

But there is one resolution that we can easily follow up on, and that is to enjoy all the cosmic wonders in store for us during 2015. And there are some really good ones coming up.

For the first half of the year, the brilliant planet Venus will grace our evening sky once again. I don't know about you, but I sure miss it glistening there in the west at dusk, especially when the delicate crescent moon passes nearby each month to create a spectacle that gets everyone talking and gazing skyward. And this year has quite a few good such near passes; the best will come on Dec. 6 when the crescent moon passes in front of Venus and creates what astronomers call an occultation.

Other planets will make a beautiful showing in 2015 as well. The giant planet Jupiter will reach its opposition — the point where it lies closest to Earth and rises at sunset — on Feb. 6, and will shine brightly all spring and summer long. A few months later, the ringed planet Saturn will reach its opposition on May 22. May and June will be the best time to use a small telescope for a glimpse at its spectacular ring system.

Meteor shower fans will be delighted to learn that in 2015 both the Perseids of mid-August (peaks on the night of Aug. 13-14) and the Geminids of mid-December (peaks on the night of Dec. 13-14) occur with no moonlight at all, so be sure to schedule a vacation day or two now while you're thinking of it.

Another couple of exciting celestial events feature the full moon. During the pre-dawn hours of April 4, the moon will experience a total eclipse that is visible from much of North America. And during the early evening hours of Sept. 27, we'll have another. This will be a total lunar eclipse, during prime time, of the Harvest moon which also just happens to be the largest full moon of 2015 — a supermoon. Get out your aluminum foil hats, folks. This one is sure to generate a lot of "interesting" stories!

And, of course, as we enter March and approach the spring equinox in the Earth's Northern Hemisphere, the magical and colorful aurora borealis — the northern lights — will be dancing across arctic skies and, if we're lucky, they may even descend far enough south for those of us in the Lower 48 to get a rare glimpse.

You might like to join me and other well-known astronomers for some of these remarkable celestial events; if so, I hope you'll check my website to see what fun public tours and special events I've got planned. And please feel free to drop me a note if you have any questions.

In the meantime, I wish all my readers and fans a very happy and star-filled new year; get ready for a truly exhilarating year of cosmic wonder!

Visit Dennis Mammana at www.dennismammana.com. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.