The first meteor shower of the year is the Quadrantids, one of the stronger showers of the year with up to 40 meteors per hour at peak. If you want to catch it in person, stake out a spot outside after 11 p.m. through the early hours of the morning, when the shower will be more visible. The shower is most visible for those living in northern latitudes, so if you're in the Southern Hemisphere (or don't want to brave the cold), you can catch a live stream of Quadrantids over at Space.com.
Jupiter will be closest to Earth on this day, with a side completely illuminated by the Sun so you can see the giant planet in all its glory. Around midnight local time, dust off that telescope and just point it upward, since Jupiter will likely be the brightest dot in the night sky. If you look closely, you can also catch some of its many moons as well.
In early April, Mars will be closest to Earth in its orbit with a side illuminated by the Sun. With a fair telescope, you can catch the planet's red-orange surface details. If it's cloudy out, you can still catch a live stream online from the SLOOH Space Camera, which will broadcast imagery from observatories around the world.
Mark your calendars now for this rare event! The first of two total lunar eclipses of 2014, this one in April will be the first total lunar eclipse since December 2011. It will be visible in its entirety for those in North America and on the west coast of South America, and partially visible for those on the east coast of South America, western Africa and Australia. The Moon will get darker before turning a rusty red color, and it will reach its greatest eclipse around 7:45 a.m. Universal Time. You can also get more detailed numbers and times from NASA [PDF].
Every year around late April, Earth passes through a stream of debris left over from Comet Thatcher, and so the Lyrids Meteor Shower has been happening for the past 2,600 years. Meteors pass through at about 110,000 mph with about 15 to 20 meteors per hour at the shower's peak, though there could be more if Earth passes through an unusually large clump of debris. Stake out a spot past midnight, when the shower will be most visible. Point your telescope toward the constellation Lyra, though meteors can appear throughout the night sky. You can also watch the live stream of the shower at Space.com.
An annular solar eclipse occurs when the Moon is too far from Earth to completely cover the Sun, causing a ring of light from the Sun to illuminate around a black Moon. The eclipse will be most visible in Australia, parts of Southern Asia and Antarctica if you truly want to make the trek. For the rest of us, SLOOH will be live streaming the event. The greatest eclipse will occur around 6:03 a.m. Universal Time. Get more detailed numbers and times from NASA.
The Eta Aquarids meteor shower can have up to 60 meteors per hour at its peak, making it one of the stronger meteor showers of the year. The shower will be most visible for those in the Southern Hemisphere. In the Northern Hemisphere, the shower will reach about 30 meteors per hour. A result of Earth passing through the debris left over from Comet Halley, the Eta Aquarids shower occurs annually from late April through May. The best time to view the shower will be after midnight through early dawn. Meteors will be streaming from the constellation Aquarius, but the shower can be seen across the sky. You can watch the event's live stream over at Space.com, courtesy of NASA.
Saturn will be in full view on May 10 as its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun opposite Earth, reaching full height around midnight local time. The planet will be bright enough to see with your naked eye, but you can spot Saturn's rings and moons with a pair of binoculars or through a telescope.
Not as strong as other meteor showers, the Delta Aquarids will reach up to 20 meteors per hour at its peak. Occurring when the Earth passes through debris left by Comets Marsden and Kracht, the shower will be especially exciting in 2014 as the moon will set early for a darker night sky. Scope out a spot after midnight and look toward the constellation Aquarius.
A popular meteor shower, the Perseids produces up to 60 meteors per hour at its peak and occurs when Earth passes through the debris of Comet Swift-Tuttle. Known for some of the brightest meteors, the Perseids is definitely a show not to be missed. The shower is most visible after midnight in the Northern Hemisphere, coming from the constellation Perseus. NASA usually live streams the event as well.
Even though it's so far from Earth, you can at least go outside and point (through a telescope) to a tiny blue dot and say you've seen Neptune in person. The planet will reach its highest point in our night sky around midnight local time.
Similar to the distance to Neptune, the extreme distance between Uranus and Earth will deter us from seeing the planet in its full beauty. You can look through a telescope to find Uranus at opposition in its closest approach to Earth, with a side fully lit by the Sun. Look for a small blue-green dot through your telescope around midnight local time.
The second of two total lunar eclipses of the year, this is one of the most spectacular events of 2014. Like the one in April, the Moon will slowly be eclipsed by the Earth's shadow before turning a bloody, rusty red color. For this one in October, the eclipse will be fully visible in its entirety in western North America, eastern Asia and Australia, and visible for part of its duration in eastern North America, South America and central Asia. Get more details from NASA [PDF].
Though the Orionids shower is not as strong as other meteor showers, this shower in 2014 might be slightly better than past years because there will be no Moon, leaving a dark sky for prime viewing. The shower occurs when Earth passes through debris left by the Comet Halley. Find a dark spot after midnight and look toward the constellation Orion.
This partial solar eclipse will be the first since November 2011, and you won't be able to catch another one until September 2015. Most visible for those in North and Central America, the Sun will resemble a bitten cookie as the Moon covers part of it. Don your safety sunglasses before looking up at the sky. The greatest eclipse will occur around 9:44 p.m. Universal Time. You can get more detailed numbers from NASA.
Perhaps the most spectacular meteor shower, the Geminids can produce up to 120 meteors per hour at its peak. The shower occurs when Earth passes through the debris left by the asteroid 3200 Phaethon. Meteors will come from the constellation Gemini but will run a bright show throughout the night sky. To get the best view of the shower, get to a dark spot past midnight and look about 90 degrees away from the radiant, where the meteors will be at their brightest. NASA will most likely provide a live stream and has held live chats in the past.
Few instances of regret are worse than missing rare astronomical events that come (sometimes literally) once in a lifetime. From witnessing breathtaking eclipses to experiencing the first time a significant comet passes by Earth, celestial events are humbling reminders of the universe's great vastness.
See also: Pooping in Space and 13 Other Cosmic Tutorials
We rounded up some of the best shows the stars will put on in 2014, so you can plan well ahead and mark these in your calendars. Check out the gallery above and let us know what you think.
Image: Flickr, Kartik Ramanathan.