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While nearly all of our plans here on Earth have been cancelled, there’s plenty going on in space to look forward to.

We worked with the Royal Astronomical Society to bring you some of the most exciting events to look forward to over the coming months. You won’t even need equipment to see most of them - just a keen eye and a window to gaze out of.

7 May: Full supermoon

If the sky is clear, you’ll be able to see the last of 2020’s supermoons.

A supermoon is when the Moon is at its closest point of its orbit round Earth, so it looks slightly larger and brighter than normal. You don’t need any equipment to see this, so keep an eye out!

23 May: Comet Atlas

This one’s a bit of a sad story. The comet was discovered in December 2019 and it was extremely exciting stuff, as astronomers hoped it would be visible to the naked eye in May. This doesn’t happen very often with comets.

Unfortunately, recent images have shown it’s breaking up faster than expected as it hurtles towards Earth, so it’s not going to be as bright as scientists hoped. If you have some astronomy equipment, you might still be able to see it, though!

End May: Comet Swan

This was discovered on 11 April this year by an amateur astronomer looking at images from the SOHO satellite. It’s hopefully going to be quite bright by the end of the month - but watch this space.

21 June: Annular eclipse

Although you won’t be able to see this from the UK, it’s a pretty special event.

Purely by coincidence, the Sun and Moon appear roughly the same size when we look in the sky because of their actual sizes and relative distances to Earth. It’s all about perspective.

Sometimes during an eclipse the Moon will cover the Sun entirely, but when it’s a bit further away in its orbit during an annular eclipse, it leaves a narrow ring of sunlight around the lunar silhouette.

People in the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, southern China and others will be able to see it, so look out for pictures in the news and on social media. However, it’s important to never look at the Sun directly, even during an eclipse - it is only safe to view through projection with a telescope or pinhole camera, or using a certified safe solar filter.

13-14 July: Jupiter reaches opposition with the Sun

Opposition literally means when a planet is directly opposite the Sun, when seen from Earth. This makes it more visible to us in the sky, and so is a great time to capture some snaps of it.

13 and 14 July is when this happens for Jupiter but it will be visible to the naked eye for months either side of this. While you won’t need equipment to see the gas giant, a pair of binoculars help you see the four largest Moons (the Galilean Moons), and that Jupiter appears to be disk shaped. Jupiter has the appearance of a squashed circle, because its upper layers are gas, and it rotates so fast that its equator bulges out. A small telescope shows details like cloud belts.

Capturing Jupiter on a smartphone in a starfield will be fairly easy, but getting anything other than a dot will need a long telephoto lens or telescope. One problem for the UK is Jupiter will be low down in the sky, so you’ll need a clear southern horizon to see it well.

20 July: Saturn reaches opposition with the Sun

It’s not just Jupiter that will get its moment in the Sun (as it were). In July Saturn will also reach opposition, but it will be visible for months either side of this date. Jupiter and Saturn are actually fairly close together in the sky.

You will be able to see Saturn without equipment, but good binoculars should help you see its largest moon Titan. You’ll need a telescope to see the planet’s famous rings.

28-29 July: Delta Aquarids meteor shower

A meteor is a bit of space rock that enters the Earth’s atmosphere. The resistance of the air on the rock makes it really hot, so it burns and this is why you can see it light up in the sky. This particular shower is connected to debris from Halley’s Comet, which last came close to the Sun (and Earth) in 1986 and will return in 2061.

The Delta Aquarids shower runs every year from July 12 - August 23, but this is its peak. The peak is at the same time (more or less) every year. The crucial difference this year is that the Moon won’t interfere, so people in rural areas will get a better view. It will definitely be easier to see in areas with less light pollution but it won’t impossible to see in more built up areas, like inner cities.

You’ll need patience for this one though, as it’s expected that as few as five meteors per hour will be visible from the UK.

Summer months: the Summer Triangle

Lastly, a bonus you can see throughout all three months. The three bright stars Vega, Deneb and Altair make up the Summer Triangle, which marks the constellations of the summer months.

It’s easy to spot, even from cities. You won’t need special equipment to see it, and it should be easy to capture with a smartphone without zooming in at all.

Here's how: Look for the brightest star in your eastern sky. That’s Vega, the brightest star in the constellation Lyra the Harp.

Look to the lower left of Vega for another bright star – Deneb, the brightest in the constellation Cygnus the Swan and the third brightest in the Summer Triangle. They are about a hand length apart, if you stretch your arm out and hold it up against the sky.

Look to the lower right of Vega to locate the Summer Triangle’s second brightest star. That’s Altair, the brightest star in the constellation Aquila the Eagle. Altair and Vega are further apart than Vega and Deneb are, more like a 30cm ruler length apart, again if you stretch your arm out.