Selected sky events in the coming weeks/months/years--
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
DATE TIME EVENT (FQ = First Quarter, Moon)
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MERCURY: EVENING STAR 2009 mid Dec'09; 2010 Apr, Jul-Aug, Dec
MERCURY: MORNING STAR early Oct'09;
2010 Jan, May, Sept.
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VENUS: MORNING STAR - 2009 April
through Dec.
VENUS: EVENING STAR - 2010 Jan through Oct, then morning star
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MARS: MORNING STAR - 2009 all year, Jan-Dec. (Next "close" approach and
opposition is early 2010)
then EVENING STAR all of 2010 with
closest approach 27 Jan 2010, 0.65AU, 14 arcsec diam. (small!)
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JUPITER: EVENING STAR - mid 2009 til 2010 Feb., then after mid-Sept.
JUPITER: MORNING STAR - 2010
Mar-Sept.
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SATURN: EVENING STAR - 2010 Apr - Sept
SATURN: MORNING STAR - mid-2009 til 2010 Mar., then Oct-Dec.
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Summer evening stars:
URANUS - Aquarius; NEPTUNE - Capricorn; PLUTO - Sagittarius
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Annually:
Nov.
22 Prof. Howe's birthday anniv.
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2009 - IYA, International Year of Astronomy: www.astronomy2009.org - celebrating 400 years of the telescope.
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2009 SEP
4 Full moon
17 Saturn behind Sun (conjunction)
18 New moon
22 Autumn Equinox, 3pm Denver time, Sun at equator in sky
26 Open house at Chamberlin Obs http://www.du.edu/~rstencel/Chamberlin
2009 OCT
4 Full moon
6 Mercury, 18 deg W of Sun, morning star
18 New moon
24 Open house at Chamberlin Obs http://www.du.edu/~rstencel/Chamberlin
2009 NOV
2 Full moon
16 New moon
21 Open house at Chamberlin Obs http://www.du.edu/~rstencel/Chamberlin
22 Prof. Howe's birthday anniv.
2009 DEC
2 Full moon
16 New moon
18 Mercury, 20 deg E of sun, evening star
21 Winter solstice, 11am Denver time, Sun starts heading north again
31 Full moon, marginal eclipse but not visible over Denver
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2010
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2010 JAN
11 Venus at superior conjunction, becoming evening star for much of 2010
15 New moon + annular eclipse, southern hemisphere/Asia
27 Mercury, 25 deg W of Sun, morning star; Mars closest to earth
29 Mars at opposition, becomes evening star
30 Full moon
2010 FEB
14 New moon
18 Vesta at opposition
28 Full moon; Jupiter at conjunction - becomes morning star
2010 MAR
15 New moon
20 Spring equinox, noon Denver
22 Saturn at opposition, becomes evening star
30 Full moon
2010 APR
08
Mercury, 19 deg E of Sun, evening star
14 New moon
28 Full moon
2010 MAY
14 New moon
26 Mercury, 25 deg W of Sun, morning star
27 Full moon
2010 JUN
12 New moon
18 Ceres at opposition
21 Summer solstice, 5am Denver
26 Full moon + partial lunar eclipse Denver & west
2010 JUL
11
New moon + Annular eclipse of the Sun over the south Pacific
26 Full moon
2010 AUG = Mid-eclipse, epsilon Aurigae
07
Mercury, 27 deg E of Sun, evening star
08 Venus-Mars-Saturn within 5
degrees of each other
10 New moon
20 Venus, greatest elongation E, 46 deg., evening star
24 Full moon
2010 SEP
08 New moon
19 Mercury, 18 deg W of Sun, morning star
21 Jupiter at opposition, becomes evening star
22 Autumn equinox, 9pm Denver
23 Full moon
2010 OCT
01 Saturn at conjunction, becomes morning star
07 New moon
23 Full moon
29 Venus at inferior conjunction, becoming morning star
2010 NOV
06 New moon
21 Full moon
2010 DEC
01 Mercury, 21 deg E of Sun, evening star
05 New moon
21 Winter solstice, 6pm Denver
21 Full moon + total eclipse, Denver
Lunar eclipse details, Denver time:
totality begins 1132pm Mon Dec 20th
mid-eclipse: 0117am Tue Dec 21st
totality ends 0301am Tue Dec 21st
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ADDITIONAL COMING EVENTS:
(*tentative)
2011 APR Eclipse of epsilon Aurigae ends, next one ~2036
2011 Dawn mission - launched in 9/07 - reaches Vesta
2011 MAY.11 Merc-Venus-Jupiter within 2 degrees of each other
2012 Dawn mission - launched in 9/07 - departs Vesta for Ceres
2012 MAY 20 Annual eclipse of the Sun at sunset Denver
2012 JUN 5 VENUS TRANSITS THE SUN, mid event is 8pm Denver time
2012 DEC 21 End of the Mayan 5,200 year "long count" cycle
2013 nothing much happens?
2014 Mars Sample Return mission scheduled
2014 OCT 23 Partial solar eclipse, Denver [23h GMT]
2015*July - Pluto Express/New Horizons arrival [ Launch = 2006]
2015 Dawn mission - launched in 9/07
- reaches Ceres
2015* Rosetta mission reaches comet C/G
2016 nothing much happens?
2017 AUG 21 TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE, ca. 18h25m
path includes Casper, Wyo; Lincoln, Neb; Charleston SC...
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023 OCT 14 TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE, ca. 16h GMT
path from Oregon, Utah, 4Corners, NewMex, So.Texas coast...
2024 APR 08 TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE, ca. 18h GMT
path near Baja, central Texas, Cairo IL, Maine...
2029 APR 13 Asteroid Apophis near miss with Earth
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
2062 next return, Halley's comet