Astronomy wall calendar

Transcription

1 to Free oad nl w o for d t n i! pr and nal use o pers The Centre for Astronomical Heritage (CfAH) is a non-profit company working to protect South Africa s astronomical heritage. Donations are always welcome, either in the form of skills volunteering or financial support. Social-media shout-out Astronomy wall calendar 0 Sun, Moon, planets, star clusters, nebulae, galaxies, meteor showers, comets, star par es, and special events to celebrate. 0 Centre for Astronomical Heritage NPC 0//0

2 January 0 Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Moon: The Full Moon on the nd is the largest Full Moon during 0. The Full Moon on the st is a Blue Moon. Planets: Mercury is well placed for observing in the morning sky early in the month, being at greatest western elongation on the st. Venus is too near the Sun to be seen. Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are visible after midnight until daybreak. Uranus and Neptune are early-evening objects. During January, Mars lies near Jupiter, closest on the th. The pair are joined by the crescent Moon on the th. Mercury lies near Saturn and are at appulse on the th. Celebrations: International Outer Space Day is celebrated on the th. Photo: NGC 09 in Fornax is in the evening sky from late October to late February. Image by Leslie Rose.

3 February 0 Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Moon: There are only three lunar phases this month. The Lunar X formation is visible during the evening of the nd. Planets: Mercury, at superior conjunction on the th, may be seen at dawn early in the month and at dusk at month-end, but will be very near the Sun and challenging to see. Near the end of the month, Venus shines as the brilliant Evening Star very low in the west soon after sunset. Mars and Jupiter are visible from late night until dawn. Saturn rises in the morning and can be seen until daybreak. Uranus is an early-evening target this month, while Neptune is only visible at dusk very early in February (conjunction is on March th ). Photo: The Moon as imaged by Oleg Toumilovich.

4 March 0 Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Moon: There are five lunar phases this month. The Full Moon on the st is a Blue Moon. Planets: Mercury is visible for most of March low in the west soon after sunset, making its least-favourable dusk appearance for the year (greatest eastern elongation is on the th ). It is outshone by Venus which is the bright Evening Star very low in the west. Mars and Saturn are visible from late-night until daybreak, while Jupiter rises early in the evening and remains visible until dawn. Events: SAAO History Symposium ( th & th at SAAO in Cape Town), th ASSA Symposium (9 th to th at SAAO, Cape Town), and the th Southern Star Party ( th to 9 th ). Celebrations: World Meteorological Day ( rd ) and Earth Hour ( th ). Photo: Solar activity on the Sun s limb during the partial solar eclipse of 0 September. Image by Brett du Preez.

5 April 0 Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Moon: The Lunar X formation is visible during the night of the nd. Planets: Mercury is at inferior conjunction on the st but soon becomes visible in the morning sky. It makes its best dawn appearance for the year this month and is a prominent Morning Star by mid-month. It is at greatest western elongation ( ) on the th. Venus shines brightly as Evening Star. Mars and Saturn rise before midnight and remain visible until daybreak. Jupiter rises early in the evening and is prominent late at night and early morning. Celebrations: Yuri s Night (th) and Earth Day (nd). Photo: The Gem Cluster (NGC ) in Carina, surrounded by bright and dark nebulae, is well placed for evening observing from March to early July. Image by Brett du Preez.

6 May 0 Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun The Moon: The Moon lies near Saturn on the th, Mars on the th, Venus on the th, and Jupiter on the th. Planets: Mercury is the prominent Morning Star for most of May, and is at greatest southern latitude on the th. By month-end the tiny planet is lost in the solar glare. Venus is the prominent Evening Star, well-placed for observing after the end of evening twilight. Mars and Saturn rise well before midnight and remain visible until sunrise. Jupiter can be seen for most of the night during May and is at opposition on the 9 th. During early May, Jupiter is seen rising as Venus sets. Events: Rights Farm Star Party, May 0. Celebrations: International Towel Day ( th ). Photo: Messier 9 (NGC ) in Leo is visible through binoculars in the evening sky from early-april to early-june. Image by Dale Liebenberg.

7 June 0 Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Moon: The crescent Moon is near Venus on the evening of the th. The Lunar X formation is visible during the night of the 0 th. Planets: Mercury, at superior conjunction on the th, returns to the evening sky around mid-june and by month-end is prominent in the west after sunset. Venus is the brilliant Evening Star, setting over two hours after the Sun. Mars rises early evening and can be seen until daybreak. Jupiter is visible after sunset until early in the morning. Saturn rises during twilight and is an all-night target, being at opposition on June. Uranus and Neptune can be seen in the morning sky. Events: Free State Star Party ( th to 0 th ). Deep-sky: The Big Five are best seen around midnight this month. Celebrations: International SUN-day ( th ) and International Asteroid Day ( th ). Photo: Saturn imaged by Clyde Foster.

8 July 0 Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Moon: The total eclipse of the Moon on the th starts at 9:. Maximum eclipse is at :. Planets: All five naked-eye planets can be seen together in the sky for most of July. July is also the best time this year to see Mercury in the evening sky, reaching greatest elongation on the th. It is outshone by the brilliant Venus, which takes the crown as Evening Star, setting about three hours after the Sun. Mars is well placed for observing throughout the night (opposition on the th ) and makes a close approach (. million km) to Earth on the st at 09:. Jupiter can be seen during the evening setting shortly after midnight. Saturn can be seen for most of the night setting early in the morning. Events: Mountain Sanctuary Park Star Party ( th to th ). Photo: Total lunar eclipse, 0 September, imaged by Leslie Rose.

9 August 0 Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Moon: The Full Moon on the th is the smallest Full Moon for 0. The Lunar X formation is visible during the evening of the th. Planets: Mercury may be glimpsed in the evening sky right at the start of the month before slipping into the solar glare (at inferior conjunction on the 9th). By late August it can be seen just before sunrise. Venus is the magnificent Evening Star. By mid-month it sets more than three hours after the Sun. Mars is visible until shortly before daybreak. Jupiter can be seen in the evening sky while Saturn is visible from sunset until early morning. Deep-sky: The Big Five are best seen in the evening sky this month. Events: Karoo Star Party (9th to th). Photo: Messier in the Scorpius Milky Way is well placed for evening observing from mid-june to mid-october. Image by Auke Slotegraaf.

10 September 0 Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Moon: The crescent Moon is near Venus on the th and th and Saturn on the th. Planets: Mercury can be glimpsed at the start of the month (at dawn) and at the end of the month (at dusk). Venus dominates the sky at dusk as the brilliant Evening Star, setting more than two hours after the Sun. Mars sets before daybreak and can be seen for most of the night. Jupiter is visible after sunset but sets well before midnight. Saturn can be seen from sunset for more than half the night, setting a while after midnight. Uranus and Neptune are visible at midnight. Comets: Comet P/Giacobini-Zinner is visible. Events: Southern Star Party (th to 0th). Photo: The Helix Nebula (NGC ) in Aquarius is well placed in the evening sky from mid-august to middecember. Image by Leslie Rose.

11 October 0 Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Moon: There are five lunar phases this month. The Lunar X formation can be seen on the th. Planets: Around mid-october all the planets can be seen shortly after sunset. Mercury starts the month well within the solar glare but by month-end is prominent during deep twilight. Venus is Evening Star for the first half of the month. It is at inferior conjunction on the th and for the last days of October serves as Morning Star, a role it maintains for the remainder of the year. Mars sets while in the morning sky. Jupiter sets early evening whilst Saturn remains visible for a few hours more. Comets: Comet P/Giacobini- Zinner is visible. Celebrations: World Space Week ( th to 0 th ) and Dark Matter Day ( st ). Photo: NGC in Aquarius is well placed in the evening sky from mid-september to late-november. Image by Dale Liebenberg.

12 November 0 Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Moon: The crescent Moon is near Saturn on the th. Planets: Mercury serves as Evening Star and is visible during evening twilight for the first three weeks of November. Venus shines brightly as the Morning Star, becoming more prominent as the month progresses. Mars is visible for the first half of the night, as is Neptune. Jupiter is visible shortly after sunset only for the first part of the month before being lost in the solar glare for the rest of the month, reaching solar conjunction on the th. Saturn sets during the course of the evening. Comets: Comet P/ Wirtanen, in Fornax and Cetus, is visible. Photo: The Furious Dancer (NGC ) in Pavo can be seen in the evening sky from late June until mid-november. Image by Leslie Rose.

13 December 0 Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Moon: The crescent Moon lies near Venus on the rd and th. The Lunar X formation is visible on the th. Planets: Mercury can be seen low in the east shortly before sunrise accompanied by Venus. Mars is visible for the first half of the night, setting around midnight. Jupiter may be glimpsed in the morning twilight, becoming more prominent towards the end of the year. Saturn sets during the evening twilight. Meteor showers: The Geminid meteor shower is one of the finest of the major annual showers, peaking around the morning of the th. Comets: Comet P/ Wirtanen is visible, moving through Eridanus, Taurus, Perseus, and Auriga. Photo: The spectacular Tarantula Nebula (NGC 00) in the Large Magellanic Cloud, easily visible in binoculars, lies in an extensive field of intricate nebulosity. Image by Leslie Rose.