The August full moon, which is accompanied by a partial lunar eclipse, rises above the 5th Century B.C. Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounioin Greece.

9 must-see stargazing events to watch in 2022

The year ahead offers many heavenly delights for sky-watchers, including two blood moons, a pair of partial solar eclipses, and multiple planetary meetings.

A partial lunar eclipse rises above the fifth century B.C. Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounio, south of Athens, Greece, on August 7, 2017.
Photograph by Petros Giannakouris, AP

In 2022 the night sky promises to be full of cosmic wonders. A pair of total lunar eclipses—nicknamed “blood moons” for the deep shade of red the moon turns when bathed in Earth’s shadow—will be visible to billions. Brilliant shooting stars will streak across the heavens with no bright moon to drown out the light. And sky-watchers can look out for an eye-catching huddle of five of our brightest neighboring planets, all visible to the unaided eye. In the right conditions, distant Uranus may even join the five other visible planets, seen as a tiny, greenish point of light in the sky.

Here is a rundown of some of the most spectacular celestial phenomena worth

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