RFO

What's Up in the Night Sky

Here's a month-by-month listing of astronomical predictions for the year, compiled by
Jack Welch, RFO astronomy instructor.

 

Abbreviations

Astr Twi - Astronomical Twilight
Civ Twi - Civil Twilight
Cr - Crescent
Dbl Tr - Double Tansit
Ex - Exit
Gr El - Greatest Elongation
Jup - Jupiter
Mer - Mercury
Min - Minimum
Naut Twi - Nautical Twilight
Nr - Near
Occ - Occultation
Opp - Opposition
Reap - Reappear
Qtr - Quarter
Sat - Saturn
Sh - Shadow
Stat - Stationary
V Nr - Very Near
Ven - Venus
Zod Lt - Zodiacal Light

 

Observing

2012 Observing Highlights

February 2012
  • Friday, 2/3/2012 - Algol min - Time: 04:30
    • Algol eclipse minimum at 0418am.
  • Monday, 2/6/2012 - Algol min - Time: 01:00
    • Algol eclipse minimum at 0107am.
  • Tuesday, 2/7/2012 - "Snow" Moon - Time: 14:00
  • Wednesday, 2/8/2012 - Sat stat - Time: 04:00
    • Saturn begins retrograde motion.
  • Wednesday, 2/8/2012 - Algol min - Time: 22:00
    • Algol eclipse minimum at 0956pm.
  • Thursday, 2/9/2012 - Ven v nr Ura - Time: 20:00
    • Venus will be about 0.3° from 6th magnitude Uranus. You will need binoculars to have a chance of spotting Uranus.
  • Friday, 2/10/2012 - Moon nr Mars - Time: 04:00
    • -
  • Friday, 2/10/2012 - Zod Lt in W thru 2/23 - Time: 19:30
    • The Zodiacal Light is a faint glow along the line of the ecliptic caused by sunlight reflecting off particles in the plane of our solar system. Look for it from a DARK site from about 0730 to 0815pm.
  • Saturday, 2/11/2012 - Algol min - Time: 19:00
    • Algol eclipse minimum at 0646pm.
  • Sunday, 2/12/2012 - Moon v nr Spica & nr Sat - Time: 05:00
    • The moon will be very near the bright Star Spica with Saturn nearby.
  • Tuesday, 2/14/2012 - Last Qtr - Time: 09:00
    • -
  • Tuesday, 2/21/2012 - New Moon - Time: 14:30
    • -
  • Wednesday, 2/22/2012 - 1.5% Cr Moon - Time: 17:00
    • A chance to see an ultra-thin 1.5% crescent moon. It will be at an altitude of 8° 7° south of due west 30 minutes after sunset (or at 0625pm calculated for the RFO site). Use binoculars. You might also spot Mercury 2.5° lower and 5° south of the moon.
  • Friday, 2/24/2012 - Mer in W thru 3/12 - Time: 18:30
    • Best evening apparition of Mercury of 2012. Start looking around 0645pm PST (0745pm PDT). Maximum altitude on 3/5, 8° 45 minutes after sunset. Greatest elongation east is early on 3/5.
  • Saturday, 2/25/2012 - Cr Moon nr Ven - Time: 20:00
    • -
  • Sunday, 2/26/2012 - Algol min - Time: 03:00
    • Algol eclipse minimum at 0252am.
  • Sunday, 2/26/2012 - Moon nr Jup - Time: 21:00
    • -
  • Tuesday, 2/28/2012 - Algol min - Time: 23:30
    • Algol eclipse minimum at 1141pm.
  • Wednesday, 2/29/2012 - 1st Qtr - Time: 17:30
    • -
March 2012
  • Thursday, 3/1/2012 - Mer in W thru 3/12 - Time: 18:30
    • Best evening apparition of Mercury of 2012 continues. Start looking around 0650pm PST (0750pm PDT). Maximum altitude on 3/5, 8° 45 minutes after sunset. Greatest elongation east is early on 3/5. Mercury will dim quickly after 3/8.
  • Thursday, 3/1/2012 - Occ of SAO77358 - Time: 20:00
    • At about 0813pm the mag 6.4 star SAO77358 will disappear behind the dark limb of the 61% moon 29° from the north cusp. SAO77358 is a very close (about 0.1") binary of equal stars so a double "blink-out" might be detected. This occultation will be challenging for smaller scopes. (Calculated using Occult4 for RFO site and good for general RFO area only, though details will vary as distance from RFO increases.)
  • Friday, 3/2/2012 - Occ of 15 Gem - Time: 19:00
    • At about 0715pm mag 6.7 15 Geminorum will disappear behind the dark limb of the 70% moon 76° from the north cusp. 15 Gem is a wide (25") binary with a mag 8.2 companion. This occultation will be challenging for smaller scopes. (Calculated using Occult4 for RFO site and good for general RFO area only, though details will vary as distance from RFO increases.)
  • Friday, 3/2/2012 - Occ of 16 Gem - Time: 19:30
    • At about 0741pm mag 6.2 16 Geminorum will disappear behind the dark limb of the 70% moon 36° from the south cusp. This occultation will be challenging for smaller scopes. (Calculated using Occult4 for RFO site and good for general RFO area only, though details will vary as distance from RFO increases.)
  • Friday, 3/2/2012 - Algol min - Time: 20:30
    • Algol eclipse minimum at 0831pm.
  • Saturday, 3/3/2012 - Mars Opposition - Time: 12:00
    • Mars, in Leo, reaches magnitude -1.2 and a disk size of 13.9". This is the most distant opposition of Mars until 2026.
  • Monday, 3/5/2012 - Mars closest - Time: 09:00
    • -
  • Thursday, 3/8/2012 - "Worm" Moon - Time: 01:30
  • Saturday, 3/10/2012 - Zod Lt in W thru 3/23 - Time: 20:00
    • The Zodiacal Light is a faint glow along the line of the ecliptic caused by sunlight reflecting off particles in the plane of our solar system. Look for it from a DARK site from about 0800 to 0845pm PST or 0900 to 0945pm PDT.
  • Saturday, 3/10/2012 - Moon nr Sat - Time: 23:00
    • -
  • Sunday, 3/11/2012 - DST Begins - Time: 02:00
    • -
  • Wednesday, 3/14/2012 - Last Qtr - Time: 18:30
    • -
  • Monday, 3/19/2012 - Equinox - Time: 22:00
    • The vernal equinox occurs at 1014pm.
  • Tuesday, 3/20/2012 - Algol min - Time: 02:30
    • Algol eclipse minimum at 0226am.
  • Thursday, 3/22/2012 - New Moon - Time: 07:30
    • -
  • Thursday, 3/22/2012 - Dbl Sh Tr on Jup - Time: 19:30
    • Note: Event starts 10 minutes after sunset. Look for Jupiter at alt/az 34°/261° (or RA/Dec 2h37.0m/+14°24') at 0735pm. Alt/az calculated for RFO site.

      0725pm Sunset; Io and its shadow already in transit
      0735pm Ganymede shadow begins transit
      - Start of double shadow transit
      0742pm Io ends transit
      0831pm Io shadow ends transit
      - End of double shadow transit
      0920pm Ganymede shadow ends transit
  • Thursday, 3/22/2012 - Algol min - Time: 23:00
    • Algol eclipse minimum at 1115pm.
  • Friday, 3/23/2012 - 2.1% Cr Moon - Time: 19:30
    • A good chance to see an ultra-thin 2.1% crescent moon. It will be at an altitude of 11° 6° north of due west 30 minutes after sunset (or at 0755pm calculated for the RFO site). Use binoculars. Jupiter and Venus will be well above the moon and slightly to the south (Venus is the brighter and higher of the pair).
  • Sunday, 3/25/2012 - Occ of 36 Ari - Time: 20:30
    • At about 0853pm mag 6.4 36 Arietis will disappear behind the dark limb of a well-placed 11% moon 58° from the north cusp. (Calculated using Occult4 for the RFO site and good for general RFO area only, though details will vary as distance from RFO increases.)
  • Sunday, 3/25/2012 - Cr Moon nr Jup - Time: 20:30
    • -
  • Monday, 3/26/2012 - Cr Moon nr Ven - Time: 20:30
    • -
  • Tuesday, 3/27/2012 - Ven gr el E - Time: 01:00
    • -
  • Tuesday, 3/27/2012 - Occ of SAO76585 - Time: 20:00
    • At about 0820pm the mag 6.0 star SAO76585 will disappear behind the dark limb of the 25% moon 35° from the south cusp. SAO76585 is a very close (0.2") binary so it may be possible to observe a double "blink out." (Calculated using Occult4 for the RFO site and good for general RFO area only, though details will vary as distance from RFO increases.)
  • Friday, 3/30/2012 - 1st Qtr - Time: 12:30
    • -
April 2012
  • Friday, 4/6/2012 - "Pink" Moon - Time: 12:30
  • Friday, 4/13/2012 - Last Qtr - Time: 04:00
    • -
  • Saturday, 4/21/2012 - New Moon - Time: 00:30
    • -
  • Saturday, 4/21/2012 - Lyrids peak - Time: 22:30
    • The April Lyrid meteor shower peaks at about 1030pm though the peak can vary by many hours. Meteor rates are variable but are likely to be 10 to 15 per hour. No moonlight interferes and best observing is from 0930pm to 0445am.
  • Sunday, 4/22/2012 - 2.8% Cr Moon - Time: 20:00
    • A good chance to see a thin 2.8% crescent moon. It will be at an altitude of 12° 15° north of due west 30 minutes after sunset (or at 0824pm calculated for the RFO site). Jupiter will be about 5° directly below the moon. Use binoculars.
  • Sunday, 4/29/2012 - 1st Qtr - Time: 03:00
    • -
May 2012
  • Saturday, 5/5/2012 - "Flower" Moon - Time: 20:30
  • Saturday, 5/12/2012 - Last Qtr - Time: 15:00
    • -
  • Sunday, 5/20/2012 - New Moon - Time: 17:00
    • -
  • Monday, 5/21/2012 - 1.1% Cr Moon - Time: 20:30
    • A chance to view an ultra-thin 1.1% crescent moon. It will be at an altitude of 4° 24° north of due west 30 minutes after sunset (or at 0850pm calculated for the RFO site). This will challenging to spot due to lingering early twilight. Use binoculars. Venus will be 10° above the moon and very slightly to the south.
  • Monday, 5/28/2012 - 1st Qtr - Time: 13:30
    • -
June 2012
  • Monday, 6/4/2012 - "Strawberry" Moon - Time: 04:00
  • Monday, 6/11/2012 - Last Qtr - Time: 03:30
    • -
  • Tuesday, 6/19/2012 - New Moon - Time: 08:00
    • -
  • Tuesday, 6/26/2012 - 1st Qtr - Time: 20:30
    • -
July 2012
  • Tuesday, 7/3/2012 - "Buck" Moon - Time: 12:00
  • Tuesday, 7/10/2012 - Last Qtr - Time: 19:00
    • -
  • Wednesday, 7/18/2012 - New Moon - Time: 21:30
    • -
  • Thursday, 7/26/2012 - 1st Qtr - Time: 02:00
    • -
August 2012
  • Wednesday, 8/1/2012 - "Sturgeon" Moon - Time: 20:30
  • Thursday, 8/9/2012 - Last Qtr - Time: 12:00
    • -
  • Sunday, 8/12/2012 - Perseids peak - Time: 06:00
    • The Perseid meteor shower most likely peaks sometime between 5am and 7:30am, though it can vary a few hours from the predictions. Most activity usually occurs +/- 1 day around the peak. The waning crescent moon interferes somewhat this year. Best observing should be from 0945pm 8/11 to 0140am 8/12 (after that until about 5am with moonlight) and again from 0845pm 8/12 to 0230am 8/13 (after than until about 5am with moonlight).
  • Monday, 8/13/2012 - Occ of Venus - Time: 13:00
    • At about 1325, quarter phase Venus will disappear behind the bright limb of a 15% moon 56° from the southern cusp. At about 1439, Venus reappears from behind the dark limb 88° from the northern cusp. (All details calculated for the RFO site.)

      The moon will have an elongation of 46°, well away from the sun for safe viewing. This should be an easy naked eye event, but especially nice in telescopes.
  • Friday, 8/17/2012 - New Moon - Time: 09:00
    • -
  • Friday, 8/24/2012 - 1st Qtr - Time: 07:00
    • -
  • Friday, 8/31/2012 - "Blue" Moon - Time: 07:00
    • -
September 2012
  • Saturday, 9/8/2012 - Last Qtr - Time: 06:30
    • -
  • Saturday, 9/15/2012 - New Moon - Time: 19:00
    • -
  • Saturday, 9/22/2012 - 1st Qtr - Time: 12:30
    • -
  • Saturday, 9/29/2012 - "Harvest" Moon - Time: 20:30
October 2012
  • Monday, 10/8/2012 - Last Qtr - Time: 00:30
    • -
  • Monday, 10/15/2012 - New Moon - Time: 05:00
    • -
  • Saturday, 10/20/2012 - Orionids peak - Time: 21:00
    • The Orionid meteor shower should peak around 9pm. However, the meteors do not become viewable until after the radiant rises around 11pm. Viewing is best after the near quarter moon sets around 1120pm until about 6am. About 15 to 20 meteors per hour may occur.
  • Sunday, 10/21/2012 - 1st Qtr - Time: 20:30
    • -
  • Monday, 10/29/2012 - "Hunter's" Moon - Time: 13:00
November 2012
  • Tuesday, 11/6/2012 - Last Qtr - Time: 16:30
    • -
  • Tuesday, 11/13/2012 - New Moon - Time: 14:00
    • -
  • Wednesday, 11/14/2012 - 1.9% Cr Moon - Time: 17:00
    • A chance to see a very thin 1.9% crescent moon. It will be at an altitude of 4° 31° south of due west 30 minutes after sunset (or at 0528pm calculated for the RFO site). Use binoculars.
  • Saturday, 11/17/2012 - Leonids peak - Time: 01:30
    • About 15 meteors per hour are expected at this year's peak of the Leonid meteor shower. The Leonids are observable starting around midnight until 0530am or so. There is no moonlight interference this year.
  • Tuesday, 11/20/2012 - 1st Qtr - Time: 06:30
    • -
  • Wednesday, 11/28/2012 - "Beaver" Moon - Time: 07:00
December 2012
  • Thursday, 12/6/2012 - Last Qtr - Time: 07:30
    • -
  • Wednesday, 12/12/2012 - Geminids peak - Time: 15:30
    • The Geminid meteor shower is one of the consistently best meteor showers of the year with up to 100 or more meteors per hour at the peak and this year is favorable with no moonlight interference. While this year's peak occurs in daylight hours locally, the rates should be about 50 per hour or more until about 0330am on 12/13 and continue nicely past that until twilight begins around 0545am. Observing can start as soon as it gets dark on 12/12, with the best being after 6:30pm.
  • Thursday, 12/13/2012 - New Moon - Time: 00:30
    • -
  • Wednesday, 12/19/2012 - 1st Qtr - Time: 21:30
    • -
  • Friday, 12/28/2012 - "Cold" Moon - Time: 02:30

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