You'll have to get to a dark spot, but you may notice a faint blob in the western sky

The Geminid meteor shower peaks with dozens of shooting stars being visible per hour (if you're in the right place).

Look toward the southwestern sky between 10:30 and 11:30 p.m. EDT Thursday

The annual meteor shower should be a good one this year due to lack of moonlight

A supermoon will shine brightly in the beginning and end of August

The comet won't be visible to the naked eye, but there are ways you can view it or photograph it

Happy Monday and welcome to another edition of Beyond the Forecast!

Video outside Sycamore Baptist Church shows the moment a fireball entered the earth's atmosphere Wednesday night

A goose is startled as Northup Grumman's Antares rocket lifts off the launch pad at NASA's Wallops Island flight facility in Wallops Island, Va., Saturday, Feb. 20, 2021. The rocket is delivering cargo to the International Space Station. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)WALLOPS ISLAND, Va. – A rocket launch is scheduled at Wallops Island later in the day on Wednesday, March 3rd. Rocket launch at NASA's Wallops Island Facility - Wednesday, March 3, 2021The rocket, according to NASA will reach an altitude of several hundred miles and go about 500 miles offshore. Sunrise and sunset times for Wednesday, March 3rd, 2021No real-time launch updates or live streams will be shown.

ANGERS, FRANCE - JUNE 07: Tony Rice of The Tony Rice Unit performs on stage during Day 2 of Angers Bluegrass Festival on June 7, 1987 in Angers, France. Rice died Friday at his home in Reidsville, North Carolina, according to International Bluegrass Music Association spokesperson Casey Campbell, who did not immediately provide additional details. “Many if not all of the Bluegrass guitar players of today would say that they cut their teeth on Tony Rice’s music. His last live guitar performance was in 2013, when he was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame. It was updated on Dec. 28, 2020 to correct that Tony Rice kept rattlesnake rattles in one of his prized guitars, not rattlesnakes.

ROANOKE, Va. – If you notice a non-blinking red ‘star’ in the night sky the next few weeks, that would be our solar system’s next-door neighbor, Mars! Mars is actually at its closest point to us (perigee) in its orbit around the sun Tuesday evening. This is the closest Mars has been to us in nearly two years, and it won’t get this close again until 2035. Now, Mars won’t be at its brightest until October 13th when it’s at opposition (directly opposite the sun). Whereas our orbit lasts 365 days, it takes Mars 687 days to make a complete lap around the sun.

When I first read about Asteroid 2020 SW making a close pass by Earth, I decided to check with Tony Rice . He’s an ambassador to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and we rely on him most often for space-related news. Rice replied with information from NASA’s JPL that confirms an asteroid (15 to 30 feet wide) will make a “close” pass by Earth Thursday morning. These satellites orbit the earth at roughly 20,000 miles away. After its close pass over the Pacific Ocean, the asteroid will continue its orbit around the sun only to return near Earth (not as close) in 2041.

ROANOKE, Va. For those that follow the moons names each month, you may be confused as to why Septembers full moon is not called the Harvest Moon. The Harvest Moon is the name given to the full moon that comes closest to the fall equinox. 2020s Harvest Moon happens on October 1st. September 2020's full moon is called the Corn MoonAs we head into the weekend, the moon will start to cozy up to Mars. Simulation from Tony Rice, an ambassador to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (Tony Rice)Tony Rice is an ambassador to NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

ROANOKE, Va. *If you get any pictures of the comet, make sure to send them to us via Pin It . The comet, NEOWISE, has now taken to the evening sky. When to spot NEOWISE in the evening skyIt will start low on the horizon this week and progressively get higher even through next week. Its best to get to a high spot, away from buildings and trees. NEOWISE and the Big DipperMake sure to allow some time for your eyes to adjust, as you would any time youre gazing at the dark sky.

ROANOKE, Va. *If you get any pictures of the comet, make sure to send them to us via Pin It . The comet, NEOWISE, has been all the talk on social media for the past week. WHEN TO LOOKRice put together a list of times for us to look for NEOWISE. When and where to view NEOWISE throughout the weekIt will start low on the horizon this week and progressively get higher. Where to look for NEOWISEIn the evening sky, you will have to look northwest and below the Big Dipper.

ROANOKE, Va. We oftentimes tell you about the different planets you can see in the night and morning sky, but what about a comet? At that point, the suns light dims out the light of the comet. In talking with a friend and graduate student at Virginia Tech, Peter Forister , he was able to capture the comet on camera as well. He tells me it was visible to the naked eye between 4 and 5 a.m. Wednesday morning. This forms a glowing head with a trail of dust and gas forming the tail.

ROANOKE, Va. – A lot of us had gotten used to seeing Venus shine in the western evening sky. In June, the brightest planet to grace our sky transitioned between the earth and the sun. Now, it shines brightly in the eastern morning sky, rising a few hours before the sun does. When the planet is about 25% illuminated by the sun is when it will appear at its brightest. It will also appear with a friend, Aldebaran, which is one of the brighter starts in our sky.

We always let you know about International Space Station fly overs each week, thanks to the help of Tony Rice . Strawberry moon - June 5, 2020There have been numerous posts on social media about a lunar eclipse that will accompany the full moon. Moon and planet conjunction - mid JuneLastly, well be able to see Venus near the crescent moon later in the month. Annular solar eclipse - June 21, 2020For us, the next opportunity to see a solar eclipse doesnt come until April of 2024. Solar eclipse - April 8, 2024We would have to travel farther west to see totality, though.

ROANOKE, Va. – The Quadrantids meteor shower peaks overnight Friday into early Saturday morning. Your Local Weather Authority’s contact for all things space, Tony Rice, said that no more than 25 meteors per hour would be seen this year. Quadrantids timing, amount and conditionsIt’s really a shame, as NASA says that this meteor shower is known more for bright fireballs. If you do find yourself in a cloud-free region, mainly well west of us, make sure to remove yourself from city lights. You’ll want to bundle up, as things will be turning much colder west of here.

ROANOKE, Va. - A Friday the 13th full moon is pretty rare, even though the last one only happened in 2014. The next won't won't happen until 2049. The part that's garnered a lot of attention on social media has to do with the orange glow some of us may see. The moon being close to the horizon means that it's passing through more atmosphere, which tends to make it appear bigger and at times have a glow to it. If you see that orange glow, be sure to snap a picture and send it our way.