Next year's special events in the sky

 

 

Sun:   Looking at the Sun either with the unaided eye or through binoculars or telescope is EXTREMELY DANGEROUS!
PERMANENT EYE DAMAGE CAN OCCUR. Click here to find out how to observe the Sun safely.

 

Moon Phases: 

The Moon is ideal for viewing in the week centred on the First Quarter phase, both regarding the sights presented and the most convenient time for observing (evenings). In addition, it is nearly overhead at sunset. First Quarter will occur on the following dates:

2012:   January 1 and 31;   March 1 and 31;   April 29;   May 29;   June 27;   July 26;   August 24;   September 23;   October 22;   November 21;   December 20

 

Eclipses in 2012:

Lunar:

JUNE 4:   There will be a partial eclipse of the Moon on the evening of Saturday, June 4. The Full Moon will enter the Earth's penumbra at 6:47 pm. The penumbra is not very dark, so the visible effect on the Moon will not be very marked. At 8:00 pm the Moon will enter the main shadow or umbra. This will be noticeable to even the most casual observer. The maximum phase of the eclipse will occur at 9:04 pm, when 38% of the Moon will be in shadow. This darkened part of the Moon may be faintly visible with a reddish tinge, due to sunlight being refracted through the Earth's atmosphere. The spectacular effect of a blood-red Moon only occurs during a total lunar eclipse or one that is nearly so, and won't occur this month.

The amount of Moon obscured in the Earth's shadow will then diminish, and the Moon will leave the umbra completely at 10:08 pm. The penumbral phase will conclude at 11:20 am. 

 

NOVEMBER 28:   A second partial eclipse of the Moon will occur on November 28/29. It will begin at 10:13 pm and end at 2:54 am. There will be no umbral phase, so the visible effect will be hardly noticeable to the casual observer. Maximum phase will occur at 12:33 am.

 

Solar:

NOVEMBER 14:    On the morning of Wednesday, November 14 next, there will be an eclipse of the Sun in which 86% of the Sun will be obscured as seen from the Sunshine Coast. The Sun will rise at 4:51 am, the eclipse will begin at 5:44 am, and it will reach its maximum phase by 6:53 am. The eclipse will be over by 8:03 am. If you wish to see this eclipse as a total eclipse (very spectacular!), you will need to travel to Cairns in northern Queensland. The mid-line of the eclipse path will pass close to Double Island, about halfway between Cairns and Port Douglas. There you will see the Sun completely blotted out. From Cairns, sunrise will be at 5:36 am.

 

The Planets in 2012: 

Mercury:        February 7:               Superior conjunction
                      March 5:                   Greatest elongation from Sun in evening sky (18.1º)
                      March 12:                 Eastern stationary point
                      March 22:                 Inferior conjunction
                      April 4:                      Western stationary point
                      April 18:                    Greatest elongation from Sun in morning sky (27.2º)
                      May 27:                     Superior conjunction
                      July 1:                       Greatest elongation from Sun in evening sky (25.4º)
                      July 15:                     Eastern stationary point
                      July 29:                     Inferior conjunction
                      August 8:                  Western stationary point
                      August 17:                Greatest elongation from Sun in morning sky (18.4º)
                      September 10:         Superior conjunction
                      October 27:              Greatest elongation from Sun in evening sky (23.5º)
                      November 7:            Eastern stationary point
                      November 18:          Inferior conjunction
                      November 27:          Western stationary point 
                      December 5:            Greatest elongation from Sun in morning sky (20.2º)
                      January 18, 2013:    Superior conjunction


                              
 Venus:          March 27:                 Greatest elongation from Sun in evening sky (45.6º)
                      May 16:                     Eastern stationary point
                      June 6:                      Inferior conjunction - TRANSIT
                      June 28:                    Western stationary point
                      August 16:                Greatest elongation from Sun in morning sky (45.4º)
                      March 29, 2013:       Superior conjunction
                               

From January to May, Venus will dominate the western twilight sky. In the early part of the year it will appear 'Full' - a small circular disc, as it will be on the opposite side of the Sun from us, and therefore fully illuminated. As it overtakes the Earth, Venus will become progressively larger in angular size, but its phase will decrease to gibbous, then half phase, and finally to a thin crescent. The increasing size and reducing phase cancel out any major changes in brightness, so Venus will maintain a brightness of about magnitude -4 all through the year. After inferior conjunction on June 6, it will move to the eastern pre-dawn sky for the remainder of the year.

On June 6, the planet Venus will transit the disc of the Sun.

      January, 2010                       August, 2010                          October, 2010      

 

Mars:             January 24:               Western stationary point
                      March 4:                   Opposition
                      April 14:                    Eastern stationary point
                      June 8:                     Eastern quadrature. Mars is transitting the meridian at sunset, high in the north, in the constellation Cancer.
                      April 18, 2013:          Conjunction

The Earth overtakes Mars on March 4. During the rest of 2012 the Earth will leave Mars behind, and the red planet will diminish in angular size and brightness for the whole of the year. It begins 2012 near the Leo-Virgo boundary, and after a short excursion into Virgo starting on January 13, it begins its retrograde loop on January 24 and heads west, re-entering Leo on February 5. After opposition on March 4, it continues on towards the star Regulus, reaching the end of its retrograde loop on April 14 before it reaches that star. It turns east once more, and heads back towards Virgo, crossing into that constellation on June 21. Mars crosses into Libra on September 5, into Scorpius on October 6, Ophiuchus on October 18, Sagittarius on November 12 and Capricornus on December 25.

For the second half of 2012, Mars will appear through the telescope as a small, insignificant orange disc.

 

Jupiter:          January 22:                Eastern quadrature
                      May 13:                     Conjunction 
                       September 7:            Western quadrature
                      October 4:                 Western stationary point
                      December 3:             Opposition (Jupiter rises in the east at sunset)
                      January 30, 2013:      Eastern stationary point

The giant planet begins 2012 in Pisces near the boundary with Aries, crosses Aries on May 14, and spends the rest of the year in Taurus, near the Hyades star cluster.

 

Saturn:           January 20:               Western quadrature
                       February 7:               Western stationary point
                       April 16:                    Opposition
                       June 25:                    Eastern stationary point
                       July 15:                     Eastern quadrature
                       October 25:              Conjunction
                       February 12, 2013:   Western quadrature
                       February 19, 2013:   Western stationary point
                       April 28, 2013:          Opposition

Saturn spends mostl of 2012 in the constellation Virgo near the star Spica, but crosses into Libra on December 5.

 

Uranus:            March 17:                Conjunction
                       June 22:                   Western quadrature
                       July 5:                       Western stationary point
                       September 22:         Opposition
                       December 6:            Eastern stationary point
                       December 19:          Eastern quadrature

Uranus spends all of 2012 in the constellation Pisces, except for the periods May 7 to June 25 and July 28 to September 22, when it passes through a corner of Cetus.

 

Neptune:         February 20:            Conjunction
                       May 24:                    Western quadrature
                       June 5:                     Western stationary point
                       August 24:               Opposition
                       November 11:          Eastern stationary point
                       November 22:          Eastern quadrature

Neptune spends the whole of 2012 in Aquarius, near the asterism known as the 'Water Jar'.

 

Pluto:              March 30:                Western quadrature
                       April 10:                   Western stationary point
                       June 30:                   Opposition
                       September 18:         Eastern stationary point
                       September 30:         Eastern quadrature
                       December 30:          Conjunction

Pluto spends all of 2012 in Sagittarius.

 

 

Planetary alignments:

Mercury

 

 

Meteor Showers:

    January 4:            Quadrantids
    February 8:           Alpha-Centaurids
    April 22:                Lyrids
     April 24:                Pi-Puppids
    May 4:                  Alpha Scorpids
    May 5:                  Eta Aquarids (from Comet Halley)
    June 8:                 Arietids
    June 10:               Zeta Perseids
    June 29:               Beta Taurids
    July 10:                Pegasids
    July 29:                S Delta-Aquarids
    July 30:                Alpha-Capricornids
    August 13:           Perseids (from Comet Swift-Tuttle)
    September 1:      Alpha-Aurigids
    October 22:         Orionids (from Comet Halley)
    November 3:        S Taurids (from Comet Encke)
    November 13:      N Taurids (from Comet Encke)
    November 18:      Leonids (from Comet Tempel-Tuttle)
    December 7:       Phoenicids
    December 14:     Geminids (from Comet Phaethon)
    December 24:     Ursids

The 3.9 metre Anglo-Australian Telescope near Coonabarabran, NSW

 

The main Constellations visible at about 8.00 pm each month, from the horizon to the zenith:          

January:

        East:       Hydra, Canis Minor, Canis Major, Puppis
        South:    Crux, Musca, Carina, Vela, Pavo
        West:      Aquarius, Capricornus, Pisces, Grus, Piscis Austrinus, Phoenix, Cetus, Eridanus
        North:     Aries, Perseus, Taurus, Auriga, Gemini, Orion

February:

        East:       Leo, Crater, Corvus, Hydra, Canis Major, Puppis
        South:    Grus, Centaurus, Crux, Musca, Carina, Vela
        West:      Cetus, Eridanus, Aries
        North:     Auriga, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Orion

March:

        East:       Virgo, Libra, Lupus, Centaurus, Corvus, Crater, Hydra, Crux, Musca, Vela
        South:    Triangulum Australe, Toucan, Carina, Puppis
        West:      Phoenix, Cetus, Eridanus, Taurus, Orion, Canis Major
        North:     Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Canis Minor

April:

        East:       Bootes, Libra, Scorpius, Virgo, Centaurus, Lupus, Ara, Crux, Musca, Corvus
        South:    Triangulum Australe, Pavo, Carina, Vela
        West:      Eridanus, Orion, Gemini, Canis Minor, Canis Major, Puppis
        North:     Cancer, Ursa Major, Leo, Crater, Hydra

May:

        East:       Corona Borealis, Serpens, Ophiuchus, Sagittarius, Libra, Scorpius, Ara, Lupus, Centaurus
        South:     Indus, Pavo, Triangulum Australe, Crux, Musca, Carina
        West:      Canis Major, Canis Minor, Cancer, Puppis, Hydra
        North:     Ursa Major, Leo, Coma Berenices,Bootes, Virgo, Crater, Corvus

June:

        East:       Ophiuchus, Capricornus, Sagittarius, Scorpius
        South:     Pavo, Triangulum Australe, Ara, Lupus, Crux, Musca
        West:      Hydra, Leo, Carina, Vela, Puppis, Crater, Corvus
        North:     Coma Berenices, Bootes, Corona Borealis, Hercules, Virgo, Serpens, Libra

July:

        East:       Aquarius, Delphinus, Grus, Capricornus, Aquila, Sagittarius, Scorpius
        South:    Carina, Musca, Crux, Ara, Triangulum Australe, Centaurus
        West:      Hydra, Crater, Corvus, Virgo, Vela, Libra
        North:     Bootes, Corona Borealis, Hercules, Lyra, Ophiuchus, Serpens

August:

        East:       Aquarius, Phoenix, Piscis Austrinus, Grus, Sagittarius
        South:    Eridanus, Musca, Crux, Triangulum Australe
        West:      Corvus, Virgo, Bootes, Libra, Centaurus, Ara, Lupus, Scorpius
        North:     Corona Borealis, Hercules, Lyra, Cygnus, Delphinus, Aquila

September:

        East:       Pisces, Cetus, Eridanus, Phoenix, Piscis Austrinus, Grus, Aquarius, Capricornus
        South:     Crux, Musca, Triangulum Australe, Pavo
        West:      Centaurus, Libra, Serpens, Ophiuchus, Scorpius, Lupus, Ara
        North:      Lyra, Cygnus, Pegasus, Delphinus, Aquila

October:

        East:        Eridanus, Cetus, Aries, Piscis Austrinus
        South:     Hydrus, Centaurus, Musca, Triangulum Australe, Ara, Pavo, Grus
        West:       Lupus, Scorpius, Ophiuchus, Sagittarius, Aquila, Capricornus
        North:      Cygnus, Delphinus, Pegasus, Andromeda, Aquarius

November:

        East:        Taurus, Eridanus, Cetus, Phoenix
        South:     Carina, Musca, Triangulum Australe, Pavo
        West:       Scorpius, Sagittarius, Aquila, Delphinus, Capricornus, Grus, Piscis Austrinus
        North:      Pegasus, Andromeda, Aries, Pisces, Cetus, Aquarius

December:

        East:        Taurus, Orion, Canis Major, Puppis, Carina, Eridanus
        South:     Carina, Musca, Pavo
        West:       Capricornus, Aquarius, Grus, Piscis Austrinus, Phoenix
        North:      Pegasus, Andromeda, Aries, Perseus, Cetus

 

Observatory Index