Astronomy Almanac Archive
October 2003:
- what to see in Spring
- Mars Occultation 7th October
Melbourne
- ASV VicSouth Desert Spring Star Party
- Oct 21:
Orionid meteor shower peaks. Arises from the debris field of Halley's
comet. Active from October 2 to November 7. Produces very fast (66 km/sec),
generally faint meteors (20 per hour). Observe in the pre-dawn hours;
radiant is near Orion's "club".
- Venus occultation Sth
America October 26 2003
- Oct 28: massive solar storm as 3 naked eye sunspots
traverse the sun & one of them spewed one of the most powerful coronal
mass ejections (CMEs)
ever recorded - the X17.2 flare. The outburst of high-energy particles is
headed directly toward Earth and is set to arrive as early as the night of
October 28th. This will produce a severe or extreme geomagnetic storm.
Transformer damage and widespread blackouts are possible at higher
latitudes, though power outages are the most severe of the possible effects.
Spacecraft are also at risk, and radio-communication disruptions are
expected. It may also trigger spectacular aurorae;
- Oct 2 19:09 FIRST QUARTER
6 15 Mars 1.1°N of
Moon: Occn.
10 07:28 FULL MOON
14 02 Moon at Apogee:
405692 km
18 12:34 LAST QUARTER
21 23 Jupiter 4.4°S of
Moon
25 10 Mercury at Superior
Conjunction
25 12:51 NEW MOON
26 12 Moon at Perigee:
358549 km
26 20 Venus 0.1°N of Moon:
Occn.
November 2003:
- what to see in Spring
- total lunar eclipse Nov 9th - not visible from Australia
- Nov 9: rare asteroid meeting when 5 asteroids of magnitudes 11.7 to
15.7 meet within 1deg - this only happens 6 times in 21st century and this
is the best one - will need CCD camera with stacked pics over 1hr to image
the asteroid trails which move at 0.6-0.9" per minute. They will be
close from 3rd to 14th Nov with closest on the 9th at 8hr UT in Leo. The
next time will be on May 21, 2006 then 2073!.
- Leonid meteor shower Nov
14th 3.30am (up to 9 per 15min from eastern Australia)
- First Predicted Maximum: 13-19 UT on November 13, with peak at 17:17
UT
- 1499 dust trail; Favors Alaska, Hawaii, and eastern Asia
- Second Predicted Maximum: 7:28 UT on November 19
- 1866 dust trail; Favors eastern North America
- partial solar eclipse Nov 23 - but you will have to travel to Antarctica to see it
as a total eclipse
- Mercury occultation
southern Australia Nov 25 2003
- Lunar occultation of k Capricornis Nov 29th 2003
- final views of Mars before it recedes until coming closer again in 2005
- Nov 1 04:22 FIRST QUARTER
3 09 Mars 3.1°N of
Moon
9 01:15 FULL MOON
9 01:20 Total Lunar Eclipse; mag=1.018
10 12 Moon at Apogee:
406298 km
17 04:17 LAST QUARTER
18 16 Jupiter 4.2°S of
Moon
23 22:48 Total Solar Eclipse; mag=1.037
23 23:00 NEW MOON
23 23 Moon at Perigee:
356812 km
25 18 Venus 2.0°N of Moon
30 17:12 FIRST QUARTER
December 2003:
- what to see in Summer
- Geminid meteor shower peaks Dec. 14 @ 15:10 UT
- Dec 1 16 Mars 4.1°N of Moon
7 12 Moon at Apogee:
406281 km
8 20:39 FULL MOON
9 06 Mercury at
Greatest Elong: 20.9°E
16 04 Jupiter 3.8°S of
Moon
16 17:43 LAST QUARTER
22 07:05 Winter Solstice
22 12 Moon at Perigee:
358342 km
23 09:45 NEW MOON
25 16 Venus 3.2°N of Moon
27 01 Mercury at Inferior
Conjunction
30 07 Mars 3.8°N of Moon
30 10:01 FIRST QUARTER
31 21 Saturn at
Opposition
- comet Encke
January 2004:
- what to see in Summer
- Saturn
- Quadrantid meteors peak Jan. 4 @ 04:50
- Jan 3 20 Moon at Apogee: 405707 km
4 21 Earth at
Perihelion
7 15:43 FULL MOON
12 11 Jupiter 3.4°S of
Moon
15 04:45 LAST QUARTER
17 09 Mercury at Greatest
Elong: 23.9°W
19 19 Moon at Perigee:
362768 km
20 03 Mercury 4.7°N of
Moon
21 21:08 NEW MOON
24 16 Venus 3.6°N of Moon
28 03 Mars 2.6°N of Moon
29 06:03 FIRST QUARTER
31 14 Moon at Apogee:
404807 km
February 2004:
- what to see in Summer
- Saturn and Jupiter while Venus is the evening star as it approaches its
greatest elongation on March 29
- Feb 2 03 Neptune-Sun Conjunction
3 04 Saturn 4.5°S of
Moon
6 08:50 FULL MOON
8 14 Jupiter 3.2°S
of Moon
13 13:38 LAST QUARTER
16 08 Moon at Perigee:
368320 km
20 09:21 NEW MOON
22 10 Uranus-Sun
Conjunction
23 20 Venus 3.0°N of Moon
26 02 Mars 0.9°N of Moon:
Occn.
28 03:27 FIRST QUARTER
28 11 Moon at Apogee:
404259 km
March 2004:
- what to see in Autumn
- Saturn and Jupiter (now at its best) while Venus is the evening star as it
approaches its greatest elongation on March 29
- Mar 4 01 Mercury at Superior
Conjunction
4 05 Jupiter at
Opposition
6 16 Jupiter 3.2°S
of Moon
6 23:17 FULL MOON
12 04 Moon at Perigee:
369511 km
13 21:00 LAST QUARTER
20 06:50 Vernal Equinox
20 22:45 NEW MOON
21 23 Venus at
Perihelion
24 21 Venus 2.2°N of Moon
26 00 Mars 0.8°S of Moon:
Occn.
27 07 Moon at Apogee:
404520 km
28 23:53 FIRST QUARTER
29 12 Mercury at Greatest
Elong: 18.9°E
29 15 Venus at Greatest
Elong: 46.0°E
April 2004:
- what to see in Autumn
- comets NEAT and
LINEAR
- Lyrid meteors peak Apr. 22 @ 02:45
- eta Aquarids meteor shower
- Apr 2 19 Jupiter 3.5°S of Moon
5 11:05 FULL MOON
8 02 Moon at Perigee:
364548 km
12 03:47 LAST QUARTER
17 01 Mercury at Inferior
Conjunction
19 13:24 NEW MOON
19 13:39 Partial Solar Eclipse; mag=0.741
23 10 Venus 1.5°N of Moon
23 21 Mars 2.2°S of Moon
24 00 Moon at Apogee:
405403 km
27 17:39 FIRST QUARTER
30 02 Jupiter 3.7°S of
Moon
May 2004:
- what to see in Autumn
- 5 major planets close to each other in the evening sky
- eta Aquarids meteor shower peak May 5 @ 16:25UT
- May 4 20:30 Total Lunar Eclipse; mag=1.296
- total lunar eclipse May 4th at moonset
(just before sunrise) in
Australia, best seen from Middle
East longitudes, the next total lunar eclipse from Australia is Aug 2007!
- 4 20:36 FULL MOON
6 04 Moon at
Perigee: 359812 km
11 11:07 LAST QUARTER
14 21 Mercury at
Greatest Elong: 26.0°W
16 23 Mercury 2.6°S of
Moon
19 04:54 NEW MOON
21 12 Moon at Apogee:
406262 km
21 12 Venus 0.3°S
of Moon: Occn. in Europe
22 16 Mars 3.2°S of
Moon
27 08:02 FIRST QUARTER
27 12 Jupiter 3.7°S of
Moon
- comets NEAT and
LINEAR:
June 2004:
- what's to see in Melbourne in Winter
- transit of Venus June 8th at sunset in Australia
(next one visible from earth in 2012 then next will be in 22nd century!!)
- Jun 3 04:21 FULL MOON
3 13 Moon at Perigee:
357249 km
8 09 Venus at
Inferior Conjunction
9 20:07 LAST QUARTER
17 16 Moon at Apogee:
406575 km
17 20:29 NEW MOON
18 21 Mercury at Superior
Conjunction
20 09 Mars 3.8°S of Moon
21 00:58 Summer Solstice
23 23 Jupiter 3.4°S of
Moon
25 19:11 FIRST QUARTER
July 2004:
- what's to see in Melbourne in Winter
- Jul 1 23 Moon at Perigee: 357450 km
2 11:10 FULL MOON
5 06 Earth at
Aphelion
8 17 Saturn-Sun
Conjunction
9 07:39 LAST QUARTER
12 07 Venus at
Aphelion
14 21 Moon at Apogee:
406192 km
17 11:25 NEW MOON
21 13 Jupiter 3.1°S of
Moon
25 03:38 FIRST QUARTER
27 03 Mercury at Greatest
Elong: 27.1°E
30 06 Moon at Perigee:
360326 km
31 18:06 FULL MOON
August 2004:
- what's to see in Melbourne in Winter
- Perseid meteors peak 2004 Aug. 12 @ 09:20 UT
- Aug 5 20 Neptune at Opposition
7 22:06 LAST QUARTER
8 00 Mars at
Aphelion
11 10 Moon at Apogee:
405291 km
16 01:24 NEW MOON
17 18 Venus at Greatest
Elong: 45.8°W
18 05 Jupiter 2.6°S of
Moon
23 10:10 FIRST QUARTER
23 21 Mercury at Inferior
Conjunction
27 06 Moon at Perigee:
365106 km
28 03 Uranus at
Opposition
30 02:23 FULL MOON then on 31st, Venus
1.9degS of Saturn
September 2004:
- what to see in Spring
- Sep 6 15:13 LAST QUARTER
8 03 Moon at Apogee:
404464 km
9 14 Mercury at
Greatest Elong: 18.0°W
14 14:29 NEW MOON
15 12 Mars-Sun
Conjunction
21 15:51 FIRST QUARTER
22 00 Jupiter-Sun
Conjunction
22 16:31 Autumnal Equinox
22 21 Moon at Perigee:
369600 km
28 13:09 FULL MOON
October 2004:
- what to see in Spring
- partial solar eclipse Oct 14th not visible from Australia but visible from
Japan, eastern Russia
- Orionid meteors peak 2004 Oct. 21 @ 01:30UT
- total lunar eclipse Oct 28th not visible from Australia but visible from
western Europe and eastern America
- Oct 5 18 Mercury at Superior
Conjunction
5 22 Moon at Apogee:
404328 km
6 10:12 LAST QUARTER
10 19 Venus 3.9°S of Moon
14 02:48 NEW MOON
14 02:57 Partial Solar Eclipse; mag=0.925
18 00 Moon at Perigee:
367758 km
20 21:56 FIRST QUARTER
28 03:05 Total Lunar Eclipse; mag=1.308
28 03:08 FULL MOON
November 2004:
- what to see in Spring
- last quarter moon Nov 5th
- Jupiter occultation Nov 9th16hrs UT
- Venus occultation Nov 10th 2hrs UT
- new moon Nov 12th
- Mercury occultation Nov 14th 3hrs UT
- Leonid meteors peak 2004 Nov. 17 @ 07:30UT
- Nov 1 15 Venus at Perihelion
2 18 Moon at Apogee:
404999 km and on 4th, Venus 0.6degN of Jupiter
5 05:53 LAST QUARTER
9 16 Jupiter 1.0°S
of Moon: Occn. in NE America & Canada
10 02 Venus 0.2°N of Moon:
Occn. (visible from Australia - noon in Sydney)
12 14:27 NEW MOON
14 03 Mercury 0.9°N of
Moon: Occn.
14 14 Moon at Perigee:
362313 km
19 05:49 FIRST QUARTER
21 01 Mercury at Greatest
Elong: 22.2°E
26 20:08 FULL MOON
30 11 Moon at Apogee:
405953 km
December 2004:
- what to see in Summer
- Geminid meteors peak 2004 Dec. 13 @ 20:45UT
- Dec 5 00:51 LAST QUARTER
7 11 Jupiter 0.4°S
of Moon: Occn. in eastern Nth America
10 00 Mars 2.1°N of Moon
10 05 Venus 3.5°N of Moon
10 08 Mercury at Inferior
Conjunction
12 01:29 NEW MOON
12 22 Moon at Perigee:
357986 km
18 16:41 FIRST QUARTER
21 12:43 Winter Solstice
26 15:07 FULL MOON
27 19 Moon at Apogee:
406488 km
29 20 Mercury at Greatest
Elong: 22.4°W
January 2005:
- what to see in Summer
- Saturn (now at its best)
- Quadrantid meteors peak Jan. 4
- Jan 7 Comet C/2004 Q2 (Machholz) 2deg from Pleiades at ~Mag4? then rapidly
move north
- 1 22 Earth at Perihelion
- 3 17:43 LAST QUARTER
- 4 02 Jupiter 0.3°N of Moon: Occn.
- 7 19 Mars 3.4°N of Moon
- 9 02 Mercury 4.8°N of Moon
- 9 03 Venus 4.8°N of Moon
- 10 10 Moon at Perigee: 356572 km
- 10 12:04 NEW MOON
- 13 23 Saturn at Opposition
- 17 07:00 FIRST QUARTER
- 23 19 Moon at Apogee: 406444 km
- 25 10:33 FULL MOON
- 31 11 Jupiter 0.9°N of Moon: Occn.
