2018 Astronomical Year Not As Momumental as '17, But Still Has Its Moments

Dr. Kent Montgomery, director of the Texas A&M-Commerce Planetarium, says the astronomical events of 2018can't compare to the total solar eclipse of 2017, but are still noteworthy.  Just today (January 31), we have had a total lunar eclipse, but it wasn't very visible in Northeast Texas.  The full moon, however, is a "super moon" and a "blue moon," the second full moon of the month of January.  Kent says the Perseid meteor showers on August 12 will be an annual highlight, and NASA's launch of the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) on March 20 will give us a much better look at what's "out there."  The Planetarium's latest show, "To Space and Back," is about a private company that is sponsoring a competition for sending rovers to the moon.