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Aug 1, 2016 · National Geographic presents the 2017 edition of American Landscapes, an award-winning calendar featuring breathtaking images of the nation's most splendid scenery. This calendar showcases diverse regions across America: crisp clear lakes, majestic mountains, astounding canyons and enchanted woods. Each image is accompanied by insightful ...
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- National Geographic Society
Aug 1, 2016 · National Geographic Tigers 2017 Wall Calendar [National Geographic Society] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. National Geographic Tigers 2017 Wall Calendar
Aug 1, 2016 · National Geographic Australia 2017 Wall Calendar Calendar – August 1, 2016. by National Geographic Society (Author) 5.0 2 ratings. See all formats and editions. Known for pristine beaches as well as cosmopolitan centers, Australia has become one of the world's most desirable travel destinations.
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- Overview
- Comet 45P/HMP, February 11
- Annular Eclipse, February 26
- Mercury, Mars, Moon, March 29
- Moon Meets Jupiter, April 10
- Total Solar Eclipse, August 21
- Venus Joins Jupiter, November 13
- Geminid Meteors, December 13
Get ready to see an amazing eclipse, a comet encounter, close planetary pairings, and more celestial wonders.
Among the many eye-catching astronomical shows coming up, 2017 may be best remembered for the much anticipated total eclipse of the sun that will cross the continental United States in August.
In addition to that spectacular sight, sky-watchers will have a plethora of treats to look forward to in the coming months. To kick things off, an icy comet will swing by Earth in February, hopefully offering picturesque views. Elusive Mercury and giant Jupiter will both put their best faces forward as they appear their biggest and brightest early in the year. And in December, the annual Geminid meteor shower will put on an especially brilliant display.
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In the first half of February, sky-watchers may get a chance to see a comet swing by Earth. After rounding the sun in December 2016, Comet 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusakova will be heading back to the outer solar system. On its journey it will make an appearance in our dawn skies, seeming to zip across the constellations Aquila and Hercules.
On February 11, it will reach its closest point to Earth at only 7.7 million miles. This should be the best time to catch sight of this icy visitor, since its brightness may reach naked-eye levels, and it should appear as a tiny but distinct fuzzball in the sky. Stay tuned for a detailed viewer’s guide in February.
Lucky sky-watchers along a narrow path in the Southern Hemisphere will get to see a “ring of fire” eclipse of the sun. Also known as an annular solar eclipse, this stunning event occurs when the moon’s disk is too small to cover the entire sun, and it leaves a ring of sunshine around the dark lunar silhouette.
The eclipse path starts over the South Pacific Ocean, crosses South America, and ends in Africa. North and south of this pathway, a much larger region of the world will be able to witness a partial solar eclipse.
After sunset, stargazers should look toward the western sky to see the thin crescent moon forming an impressive celestial triangle with Mercury to its lower right and ruddy Mars above the pair. What makes this event worth watching for, beyond the lovely display, is that the formation will help viewers see Mercury at its brightest and highest in our skies.
The innermost planet is normally very hard to spot, since the tiny world usually gets lost in the glare of the sun. But at the end of March, it will reach its most distant point from the sun as seen from Earth, and so will be easier to catch.
Brilliant Jupiter will be paired with Spica, the lead star of the constellation Virgo, all year long. But April will be extraspecial, as the largest planet in the solar system will also pair up with the full moon. On this night, both objects will rise together in the east moments after the sun sets in the west.
And if you think that Jupiter looks even brighter than normal during this event, that’s because it will have reached opposition just three weeks before, when the planet is the biggest and brightest in our skies for all of 2017.
This year will be especially stunning for viewers in North America, as the sun will undergo the most amazing celestial disappearing act seen there since 1979. In August, a total solar eclipse will cross the United States from coast to coast, changing daytime skies into dark twilight for a few minutes along a narrow path from Oregon to South Carolina.
Totality will touch many cities, and expectations are that most of the U.S. population will be within a day’s drive of places to see this dramatic event. A partial eclipse—where the moon seems to take only a bite out of the sun—will be visible over a much wider area across the entire continent.
Two of the brightest celestial objects in our skies will have a superclose encounter at dawn on November 13. Neighboring planets Venus and Jupiter will have a spectacularly close conjunction very low in the eastern sky. The two worlds will appear to be separated by only 18 arc-minutes, or about equal to the apparent width of a half-lit moon. Since ...
The annual Geminid meteor shower will reach its peak activity this night for viewers in the Americas. The Geminids are known to be quite prolific, with rates as high as 60 to 120 shooting stars an hour at peak times. This year’s event will be special because sky-watchers will only have to contend with the waning crescent moon until about local midnight. Once the moon sets, the best viewing will be in the predawn hours of December 14—exactly when the shower is predicted to reach its peak performance.
Clear skies!
Best of 2017. National Geographic editors select the outstanding photos of the year, from nature to travel to world cultures. Photography. Best of 2017. Pictures We Love. Adventure. Best of...
Dec 7, 2017 · National Geographic's 57 best images of the year—curated from 88 photographers, 112 stories, and nearly 2 million photographs. December 07, 2017 • 30 min read
Dec 21, 2017 · Our 21 Most Popular Stories of 2017. From groundbreaking discoveries to breathtaking photography, check out our top stories of the year.