Download ASTRONOMICAL EVENTS FROM 1 FEB 07 TO 24 FEB 08 Note

ASTRONOMICAL EVENTS FROM 1 FEB 07 TO 24 FEB 08
Note: The following events were compiled according to local time (Singapore).
Hence, the date of the event may differ (by a day) from other international
publications.
********************************************************************************************
February 2007
Date
2
-
Saturn 0.9° south of Moon
3
-
Regulus 1.1° south of Moon
Regulus is the brightest star in the constellation of Leo, the Lion.
7
-
Moon at apogee
Apogee is the point in the Moon's orbit when it is farthest from
Earth.
-
Mercury at greatest eastern elongation (18°)
Elongation - The angular distance between the Sun and a planet, or
between a planet and a satellite, as seen from Earth.
-
Venus 0.7° south of Uranus
-
Spica 1.3° north of Moon
Spica is the brightest star in the constellation of Virgo, the Virgin
8
-
Neptune in conjunction with Sun
A conjunction occurs when two or more celestial bodies appear
close together in the sky as seen from a particular viewpoint.
11
-
Saturn at opposition
Opposition occurs when a planet farther from the Sun than Earth,
appears opposite the Sun in the sky. It is the best time to observe a
planet. At this point the Sun, Earth and the planet are roughly in
line and the planet will rise at about the same time that the Sun
sets: the planet is thus visible virtually all night. A good example is
when the Moon is Full, it could be said to be in opposition.
-
Antares 0.7° north of Moon
Antares is the brightest star in the constellation of Scorpius, the
Scorpion.
-
Jupiter 6° north of Moon
12
15
-
Mars 4° north of Moon
18
-
Mercury is 4° north of the moon
19
-
Moon at perigee
The point in the Moon's orbit when it is nearest to Earth.
-
Venus 2° south of Moon
-
Mercury in inferior conjunction
Inferior Conjunction - A conjunction when one of the inferior planets
(Mercury or Venus) appears to lie very close to the Sun, or in line
with the Sun, as seen from Earth, but with the planet between Earth
and the Sun. Obviously, a superior planet (Mars, Jupiter, Saturn,
Uranus, Neptune or Pluto) cannot be at inferior conjunction!
23
********************************************************************************************
March 2007
Date
2
-
Saturn 1.1° south of Moon
4
-
Total lunar eclipse. Visible from Singapore.
Lunar Eclipse - The passage of the Moon through Earth's shadow.
Lunar eclipses may be either total or partial. Totality may last up to
one and three quarter hours although the period of totality is on
average shorter.
5
-
Uranus in conjunction with Sun
A conjunction occurs when two or more bodies appear close
together in the sky.
7
-
Moon at apogee
The point in the Moon's orbit when it is farthest from Earth.
11
-
Antares 0.7° north of Moon
12
-
Jupiter 6° north of Moon
16
-
Mars 1.9° north of Moon
-
Neptune 2° north of Moon
17
-
Mercury 1.4° north of Moon
19
-
Moon at perigee
The point in the Moon's orbit when it is nearest to Earth.
-
Partial solar eclipse. Not visible from Singapore.
Solar Eclipse - The Moon passing directly in front of the Sun as
seen from a particular spot on earth, so that the Moon `covers’ the
Sun. Totality may last for a little over 7 minutes under favourable
conditions. Partial eclipses occur when the Sun is incompletely
covered. Annular eclipses occur when the Moon is near the
farthest part of its orbit and hence its apparent size is too small to
totally cover the apparent size of the solar disc. In this case a bright
ring of sunlight is seen around the dark body of the Moon.
21
-
Venus 4° south of Moon
22
-
Mercury at greatest western elongation (28°)
Elongation is the apparent angular separation of an object from the
Sun.
26
-
Mars 1.0° south of Neptune
29
-
Saturn 1.2° south of Moon
30
-
Regulus 1.1° south of Moon
********************************************************************************************
April 2007
Date
2
-
Mercury 1.6° south of Uranus
3
-
Moon at apogee
The point in the Moon's orbit when it is farthest from Earth.
7
-
Antares 0.6° north of Moon
8
-
Jupiter 6° north of Moon
12
-
Neptune 2° north of Moon
14
-
Mars 0.5° south of Moon, occultation.
An occultation is the passage of one object in front of a smaller
one, temporarily obscuring all or part of the background object from
view.
-
Uranus 1.0° south of Moon
16
-
Mercury 5° south of Moon
17
-
Moon at perigee
The point in the Moon's orbit when it is nearest to Earth.
20
-
Venus 3° south of Moon
21
-
Venus 7° north of Aldebaran
Aldebaran is the brightest star in the constellation of Taurus, the
Bull.
23
-
Lyrid meteors maximum.
The Lyrids are an average meteor shower, usually producing about
20 meteors per hour at their peak. The evening crescent moon will
set early allowing for an excellent viewing experience. Look for
meteors radiating from the constellation of Lyra after midnight.
25
-
Saturn 1.1° south of Moon
26
-
Regulus 1.0° south of Moon
29
-
Mars 0.7° south of Uranus
30
-
Moon at apogee
The point in the Moon's orbit when it is farthest from Earth.
********************************************************************************************
May 2007
Date
3
-
Mercury in superior conjunction
A conjunction occurs when two or more bodies appear close
together in the sky.
Superior Conjunction - A conjunction when one of the inferior
planets (Mercury or Venus) appears to lie very close to the Sun, or
in line with the Sun, as seen from Earth, but with the planet on the
far side of the Sun.
4
-
Antares 0.5° north of Moon
-
Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower.
The Eta Aquarids are a light shower, usually producing about 10
meteors per hour at their peak. Unfortunately, viewing will not be
good this year with the near-full moon obscuring all but the
brightest meteors. The radiant point for this shower will be in the
constellation of Aquarius. Best viewing is usually to the east after
midnight.
5
-
Jupiter 6° north of Moon
10
-
Neptune 1.8° north of Moon
12
-
Uranus 1.3° south of Moon
13
-
Mars 3° south of Moon
16
-
Moon at perigee
The point in the Moon's orbit when it is nearest to Earth.
-
Mercury 7° north of Aldebaran
18
-
Mercury 3° south of Moon
19
-
Conjunction of Moon and Venus.
The crescent moon will appear only 1 degree from the planet
Venus in the evening sky.
20
-
Venus 1.7° south of Moon
23
-
Saturn 0.8° south of Moon
-
Regulus 0.7° south of Moon, occultation
An occultation occurs when one object passes in front of a smaller
one, temporarily obscuring all or part of the background object from
view. Occultation in most of Asia, NE Europe, Greenland and NE
Canada.
28
-
Moon at apogee
The point in the Moon's orbit when it is farthest from Earth.
30
-
Venus 4° south of Pollux
One of the twins (star) in the constellation of Gemini, the Twins.
The other twin (star) is Castor.
31
-
Antares 0.4° north of Moon
********************************************************************************************
June 2007
Date
1
-
Jupiter 6° north of Moon
2
-
Mercury at greatest eastern elongation (23°)
4
-
Mars at perihelion
The point in Mars's orbit when it is closest to the Sun.
6
-
Jupiter at opposition
Opposition occurs when a body farther from the Sun than Earth
appears opposite the Sun in the sky. It is the best time to observe a
planet as it will be at its closest approach to Earth. Hence, this will
be the best time to view and photograph Jupiter and its moons.
-
Neptune 1.5° north of Moon
8
-
Uranus 1.6° south of Moon
9
-
Venus at greatest eastern elongation
Elongation is the apparent angular separation of an object from the
Sun.
11
-
Mars 5° south of Moon
13
-
Moon at perigee
The point in the Moon's orbit when it is nearest to Earth.
16
-
Mercury 6° south of Moon
18
-
Venus 0.6° south of Moon
19
-
Pluto at opposition
Opposition occurs when a body farther from the Sun than Earth
appears opposite the Sun in the sky. It is the best time to observe a
planet.
-
Saturn 0.4° south of Moon
-
Regulus 0.4° south of Moon
24
-
Moon at apogee
The point in the Moon's orbit when it is farthest from Earth.
28
-
Antares 0.5° north of Moon
-
Jupiter 6° north of Moon
-
Mercury in inferior conjunction
Mercury passes between the Sun and Earth.
29
********************************************************************************************
July 2007
Date
1
-
Venus 0.8° south of Saturn.
Conjunction of Venus and Saturn. Venus and Saturn will appear
only 0.8 degrees from each other in the evening sky.
3
-
Neptune 1.3° north of Moon
5
-
Uranus 1.9° south of Moon
7
-
Earth at aphelion
The point in Earth's orbit when it is farthest from the Sun, at about
152 097 000 km.
9
-
Mars 6° south of Moon
10
-
Moon at perigee
The point in the Moon's orbit when it is closest from Earth.
12
-
Venus at greatest brilliancy (magnitude -4.4) and 1.7° from Regulus
13
-
Mercury 9° south of Moon
16
-
Venus 2° south of Regulus
17
-
Saturn 0.4° north of Moon
-
Regulus 0.3° south of Moon
-
Venus 3° south of Moon
21
-
Mercury at greatest western elongation (20°)
22
-
Moon at apogee
The point in the Moon's orbit when it is farthest from Earth.
25
-
Antares 0.6° north of Moon
-
Jupiter 6° north of Moon
-
Southern Delta Aquarids Meteor Shower.
27
The Delta Aquarids usually produce about 20 meteors per hour at
their peak. The nearly full moon will be visible most of the night,
obscuring all but the brightest meteors. The radiant point for this
shower will be in the constellation of Aquarius. Best viewing is
usually to the east after midnight.
30
-
Neptune 1.3° north of Moon
********************************************************************************************
August 2007
Date
1
-
Mercury 6° south of Pollux
-
Uranus 2° south of Moon
2
-
Venus 6° south of Regulus
4
-
Moon at perigee
The point in the Moon's orbit when it is closest from Earth.
7
-
Mars 6° south of Moon
13
-
Perseid meteors maximum.
The Perseids is one of the best meteor showers to observe,
producing up to 60 meteors per hour at their peak. The moon will
be completely absent this year, so this should be a spectacular
show with even the faintest meteors being visible. The radiant point
for this shower will be in the constellation of Perseus. Look to the
northeast after midnight.
-
Moon is 0.4° south of Saturn
-
Moon is 8° north of Venus
-
Neptune at opposition
Opposition occurs when a body farther from the Sun than Earth
appears opposite the Sun in the sky. It is the best time to observe
a planet as it will be at its closest approach to Earth. This is the
best time to view Neptune, although it will only appear as a tiny
blue dot in all but the most powerful telescopes.
-
Venus is 9° south of Saturn
14
16
-
Mercury in superior conjunction
17
-
Mercury is 10° north of Venus
18
-
Venus in inferior conjunction
-
Mercury is 0.46° north of Saturn
19
-
Moon at apogee
The point in the Moon's orbit when it is farthest from Earth.
21
-
Saturn in conjunction with Sun
-
Antares 0.7° north of Moon
22
-
Saturn 6° north of Moon
23
-
Mars 5° north of Aldebaran
27
-
Neptune 1.4° north of Moon
28
-
Total lunar eclipse. Visible from Singapore.
29
-
Uranus 2° south of Moon
31
-
Moon at perigee
The point in the Moon's orbit when it is closest to Earth.
********************************************************************************************
September 2007
Date
1
-
Saturn and Regulus is 0.8° apart
4
-
Mars 6° south of Moon
-
Venus 9° south of Moon
-
Uranus at opposition
Opposition occurs when a body farther from the Sun than Earth
appears opposite the Sun in the sky. It is the best time to observe a
planet. The blue-green planet will be at its closest approach to
Earth. This is the best time to view Neptune, although it will only
appear as a tiny blue-green dot in all but the most powerful
telescopes.
10
-
Saturn 0.8° north of Moon
11
-
Partial Solar Eclipse. Not visible from Singapore.
13
-
Mercury 2° north of Moon
18
-
Antares 0.7° north of Moon
-
Jupiter 6° north of Moon
22
-
Mercury 0.09° north of Spica
23
-
Neptune 1.4° north of Moon
-
Venus at greatest brilliancy (magnitude -4.5)
25
-
Uranus 1.9° south of Moon
28
-
Moon at perigee
The point in the Moon's orbit when it is closest from Earth.
-
Mercury at greatest eastern elongation (26°)
********************************************************************************************
October 2007
Date
3
-
Mars 5° south of Moon
7
-
Venus 3° south of Moon
-
Regulus 0.2° south of Moon
-
Saturn 1.3° north of Moon
-
Draconid meteor shower.
Meteor shower with its radiant (point of origin) in the constellation of
Draco, the Dragon.
-
Venus 3° south of Regulus
-
Mercury 1.3° north of Moon
-
Moon at apogee
The point in the Moon's orbit when it is farthest from Earth.
8
13
14
-
Venus 3° south of Saturn
Conjunction of Venus and Saturn. The planets Venus and Saturn
will appear only 3 degrees apart in the early morning sky.
15
-
Antares 0.5° north of Moon
16
-
Jupiter 5° north of Moon
20
-
Neptune 1.3° north of Moon
21
-
Orionid Meteor Shower maximum.
The Orionids is an average shower producing about 20 meteors per
hour at their peak. The shower will peak this year on the 21st, but
some meteors can be seen from October 15 - 29. The evening
gibbous moon may interfere with viewing faint meteors, but the
brightest ones should still be visible from a dark location. Best
viewing will be to the east after midnight.
22
-
Uranus 1.8° south of Moon
24
-
Mercury in inferior conjunction
26
-
Moon at perigee
The point in the Moon's orbit when it is closest to Earth.
29
-
Venus at greatest western elongation (46°)
31
-
Mars 3° south of Moon
********************************************************************************************
November 2007
Date
3
-
Regulus 0.03° north of Moon
Taurid Meteor Shower maximum
4
-
Saturn 1.8° north of Moon
6
-
Venus 3° north of Moon
8
-
Mercury 7° north of Moon
9
-
Mercury at greatest western elongation (19°)
11
-
Antares 0.4° north of Moon
13
-
Jupiter 5° north of Moon
17
-
Neptune 1.0° north of Moon
18
-
Leonid Meteor Shower maximum.
The Leonids is one of the better meteor showers to observe,
producing an average of 40 meteors per hour at their peak. The
shower itself has a cyclic peak year every 33 years where hundreds
of meteors can be seen each hour. The last of these occurred in
2001. The shower peaks this year on November 18, but you can
see some meteors from November 13 - 20. The first quarter moon
will set around midnight, so viewing in the early morning hours
should be excellent this year. Even the faintest meteors should be
visible from a dark location. Look for the shower radiating from the
constellation Leo after midnight.
19
-
Uranus 2° south of Moon
27
-
Mars 1.7° south of Moon
28
-
Venus 4° north of Spica
30
-
Regulus 0.3° north of Moon, occultation
An occultation occurs when one object passes in front of a smaller
one, temporarily obscuring all or part of the background object from
view. Occultation in SE Asia, NE Australia, New Zealand
********************************************************************************************
December 2007
Date
1
-
Last Quarter Moon
-
Saturn 2° north of Moon
6
-
Venus 7° north of Moon
7
-
Moon at apogee
The point in the Moon's orbit when it is farthest from Earth.
14
-
Geminid Meteor Shower maximum.
Geminids Meteor Shower is considered by many to be the best
meteor shower in the heavens. They are known for producing up to
60 multicolored meteors per hour at their peak. The peak night this
year is December 14, although some meteors should be visible
from December 6 - 19. The evening crescent moon will set early
this year, allowing for an excellent viewing experience. Even the
faintest meteors should be visible from a dark location. The radiant
point for this shower will be in the constellation of Gemini. Best
viewing is usually to the east after midnight.
-
Neptune 0.7° north of Moon
16
-
Uranus 2° south of Moon
17
-
Mercury in superior conjunction
18
-
Mars closest approach (to earth) of the year at 88 185 000 km
23
-
Jupiter in conjunction with Sun
24
-
Mars at opposition
The red planet face will be fully illuminated by the Sun. This is the
best time to view and photograph the planet Mars. Opposition
occurs when a planet farther from the Sun than Earth appears
opposite the Sun in the sky. It is the best time to observe a planet.
27
-
Regulus 0.6° north of Moon
28
-
Saturn 3° north of Moon
********************************************************************************************
January 2008
Date
2
-
Earth at perihelion
The point in Earth's orbit when it is closest to the Sun.
3
-
Quadrantid meteors
5
-
Venus 7° north of Moon
-
Antares 0.5° north of Moon
8
-
New Moon
10
-
Neptune 0.4° north of Moon
12
-
Uranus 3° south of Moon
15
-
First Quarter Moon
19
-
Mars 1.1° south of Moon
21
-
Mercury at greatest eastern elongation (19°)
22
-
Full Moon
24
-
Regulus 0.7° north of Moon
25
-
Saturn 3° north of Moon
********************************************************************************************
February 2008
Date
1
-
Conjunction of Venus and Jupiter.
The planets Venus and Jupiter will appear only 0.6 degrees apart in
the early morning sky.
7
-
New Moon.
Annular Solar Eclipse. Not visible from Singapore.
21
-
Full Moon.
Total Lunar Eclipse. Not visible from Singapore.
24
-
Saturn at Opposition.
The ringed planet will be at its closest approach to Earth. This is the
best time to view and photograph Saturn and its moons.
********************************************************************************************
PHASES OF THE MOON FOR 2007
NEW MOON
FIRST QUARTER
FULL MOON
LAST QUARTER
19 Jan (Fri.)
26 Jan (Fri.)
2 Feb (Fri.)
10 Feb (Sat.)
18 Feb (Sun.)
24 Feb (Sat.)
4 Mar (Sun.)
12 Mar (Mon.)
19 Mar (Mon.)
26 Mar (Mon.)
3 Apr (Tue.)
11 Apr (Wed.)
17 Apr (Tue.)
24 Apr (Tue.)
2 May (Wed.)
10 May (Thu.)
17 May (Thu.)
24 May (Thu.)
1 Jun (Fri.)
8 Jun (Fri.)
15 Jun (Fri.)
22 Jun (Fri.)
30 Jun (Sat.)
8 Jul (Sun.)
14 Jul (Sat.)
22 Jul (Sun.)
30 Jul (Mon.)
6 Aug (Mon.)
13 Aug (Mon.)
21 Aug (Tue.)
28 Aug (Tue.)
4 Sep (Tue.)
11 Sep (Tue.)
20 Sep (Thu.)
27 Sep (Thu.)
3 Oct (Wed.)
11 Oct (Thu.)
19 Oct (Fri.)
26 Oct (Fri.)
2 Nov (Fri.)
10 Nov (Sat.)
18 Nov (Sun.)
24 Nov (Sat.)
1 Dec (Sat.)
10 Dec (Mon.)
17 Dec (Mon.)
24 Dec (Mon.)
31 Dec (Mon.)
********************************************************************************************
ECLIPSES IN 2007
During 2007 there will be 4 eclipses - 2 total lunar eclipses; and 2 partial solar
eclipses.
1.
4 Mar 07
-
TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE
The eclipse commences at 0530 hrs and ends at 0912 hrs. Totality lasts from
0644 hrs to 0758 hrs. Greatest eclipse will be at 0721hrs.
The eclipse will be visible from Singapore and most of the Americas, Europe,
Africa, and Asia.
CONTACT
ECLIPSE EVENT
SINGAPORE TIME
P1
U1
U2
GE
U3
U4
P4
Moon enters Penumbra
Moon enters Umbra
Moon completely in Umbra
Greatest Eclipse
Moon exits Umbra
Moon clear of Umbra
Moon exits Penumbra
04h 18m 11s
05h 30m 22s
06h 44m 13s
07h 20m 56s
07h 57m 37s
09h 11m 28s
10h 23m 44s UT
2.
19 Mar 07
-
PARTIAL SOLAR ECLIPSE
The eclipse starts at 0838 hrs and ends at 1225 hrs. At the time (1032 hrs) of
maximum eclipse, about 87% of the Sun will be obscured.
This partial eclipse of the Sun will not be visible from Singapore although it would
be visible from central and east Asia with maximum eclipse visible from central
Asia after sunrise.
CONTACT
P1
GE
P4
3.
ECLIPSE EVENT
Moon starts to occult solar disc
Greatest eclipse
Moon stops occulting solar disc
28 AUG 07 -
SINGAPORE TIME
08h 38m 25s
10h 31m 56s
12h 25m 00s
TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE
The eclipse will be visible from Singapore and most of the Pacific Ocean, Eastern
Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii and Alaska.
The eclipse commences at 1651 hrs and ends at 2024 hrs. Totality lasts from
1752 hrs to 1923 hrs. Greatest eclipse will be at 1837 hrs. During this event the
Moon passes a little closer to the centre of Earth's shadow and so may appear
darker than the eclipse of 3 Mar 07.
CONTACT
P1
U1
U2
GE
U3
U4
P4
4.
ECLIPSE EVENT
Moon enters Penumbra
Moon enters Umbra
Moon completely in Umbra
Greatest Eclipse
Moon exits Umbra
Moon clear of Umbra
Moon exits Penumbra
11 SEP 07
-
SINGAPORE TIME
15h 53m 38s
16h 51m 16s
17h 52m 22s
18h 37m 22s
19h 22m 24s
20h 23m 30s
21h 21m 01s
PARTIAL SOLAR ECLIPSE
The eclipse will not be visible from Singapore although it would be visible from
South America, part of Antarctica, with maximum eclipse visible from the ocean
between Cape Horn and the Antarctic peninsula.
The eclipse starts at 1826 hrs and ends at 2236 hrs. At the time (2031 hrs) of
maximum eclipse, about 75% of the Sun will be obscured.
CONTACT
P1
GE
P4
ECLIPSE EVENT
Moon starts to occult solar disc
Greatest eclipse
Moon stops occulting solar disc
SINGAPORE TIME
18h 25m 45s
20h 31m 21s
22h 36m 33s