Selected sky events in the coming weeks/months/years--

Highlights ---

2018 Jul-Aug: Mars closest to Earth, 24.3 arcsec disk

2019 Jan.20, 8-10pm, total lunar eclipse

2019 Nov.11, sunrise to ~noon, transit of Mercury across the Sun

* * * * *

METEOR SHOWERS - these are leisurely, wide angle events that don't require a telescope to view.

Among the best are the PERSEIDS that peak Aug.11-13, and the LEONIDS that peak Nov 16-18.

Both have HOURLY RATES of under 100, with very occasional peaks.  Best seen AFTER MIDNIGHT after the moon has set.

Have you seen a FIREBALL?  Report it at: http://www.cloudbait.com/science/fireballs.html  (and a good place to see reports about recent meteor showers too).

- - - - -
Here are scheduled "In the Sky" events visible in Colorado
Source: US Naval Observatory Astronomical Almanac, aa.usno.navy.mil/AA/
Local information and updates: www.du.edu/~rstencel/Chamberlin & https://twitter.com/Chamberlin_Obs 


Need more info?  Great source for this: http://www.calsky.com 

Good observing sites near Denver?  Start with light pollution maps at: http://www.cleardarksky.com/lp/DenverCOlp.html?Mn=telescope%20accessory 

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Planet placement -

Dates of [1] conjunction (becoming morning star), [2] opposition (becoming evening star)

 Planet  Conjunction, becomes Morning star  Greatest elongations
Mercury

P(syn)= 116d

numerous, see webpage -> http://www.jgiesen.de/skymap/MercuryVenus/mercury.html  
 Venus

P(syn)= 584d

 2018 Oct.26 (inf.)

2019 Aug.14 (sup.)

2020 Jun.03 (inf.)

 West of Sun (morning): 2019 Jan-Jun

East of Sun (evening): 2020 Jul-Dec

   Conjunction, becomes Morning star  Opposition, becomes Evening star
 Mars

P(syn)= 780d

2017 Aug. 1

2018 July 10

2020 Oct.13

2022 Dec.07

 Jupiter

P(syn)= 399d

 2018 Nov 26

2019 Nov.11

2019 Jun.10

2020 Jul.14

2021 Aug.19

 Saturn

P(syn)= 378d

 2019 Jan. 02

2020 Jan.13

 2019 Jul.09

2020 Jul.20

2021 Aug.02

 sources included https://in-the-sky.org/data/planets.php 

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URANUS in Pisces;     NEPTUNE - Capricorn;     PLUTO - Sagittarius
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Annually:
Nov. 22 Prof. Howe's birth anniversary.

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2009 was IYA, International Year of Astronomy: www.astronomy2009.org - celebrating 400 years of the telescope.

2010 featured the rare total eclipse of the remote binary star, epsilon Aurigae, next one starts 2036.

2011 saw extensive mechanical restoration of  the Saegmuller mount of "Denver's Great Telescope"

2012 featured a rare transit of Venus, visible in Denver; Dawn mission departed Vesta, en route to Ceres

2012 DEC 21 Winter solstice, 4am Denver time & End of the Mayan 5,200 year "long count" cycle
2015*April - NASA Dawn mission - launched in 9/07 - reached Ceres.
2015*July - NASA Pluto Express/New Horizons arrival [ Launch = 2006]

2015 Sept 27 - total lunar eclipse soon after sunset Denver time, look East.

2016 May 9 (Monday) - sunrise til ~11am, Mercury transits the Sun 

2016 May 30 - close approach, Mars, 18.6 arcsec disk

2017 AUG 21 (Monday) TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE, ca. 12h25m local time
    To SE, path from Oregon, across Casper, Wyo; toward Lincoln, Neb; & on toward Charleston SC...

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UPCOMING ADDITIONAL EVENTS: (*tentative)

 

2018 Total lunar eclipses: Jan.31 6am (low in the west); July 27 2pm (below horizon)

2018 Mars close approach, Jul-Aug, 24 arcsec disk

2019 Jan.01 - New Horizons flyby of Kuiper Belt Object, Ultima Thule (2014MU69), http://pluto.jhuapl.edu  

2019 Jan.20, Total lunar eclipse, 8--10pm
2019 Nov.11 - sunrise til ~ noon, Mercury transit the Sun (next one in 2032)
2020 JWST launched???  annular solar eclipse June 20
2021 May 26 - total lunar eclipse
2022 May 15 - total lunar eclpse
2023 OCT 14 ANNULAR SOLAR ECLIPSE, ca. 16h GMT
    To SW, path from Oregon, Utah, **4Corners, NewMex**, So.Texas coast...
2024 APR 08 TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE, ca. 18h GMT
    To NE, path from near Baja, **central Texas**, Cairo IL, Maine...
2029 APR 13 Asteroid Apophis near-miss with Earth

2032 Transit of Mercury
2036 Asteroid Apophis tries again to hit Earth
2036 next eclipse, epsilon Aurigae
2040 Sep.08 Planetary quintet, Merc-Ven-Mars-Jup-Sat within 9 deg of each other

2045 AUG 12 - TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE across Colorado!
2061 July-Aug, next close approach, Halley's comet

2117 Dec 10, Transit of Venus, after sunset Denver time

2125 Dec 8, Transit of Venus, morning hours Denver time

 

final update 5 Dec 2018

 

More about epsilon Aurigae

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