FreeLists / az-observing / [AZ-Observing] 2003: A Year of Sky Events

["Orman Joe-P27491" <Joe.Orman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Mark your calendar for these interesting alignments, conjunctions, =
occultations, eclipses & meteor showers in the year 2003.  Times are =
calculated for Phoenix, Arizona; other locations may differ.  Most will =
be easy to see with the unaided eye, some very challenging -- take a =
look!  Constructive comments and corrections welcome.  This list may be =
copied and distributed for non-commercial use, but it must be credited =
to Joe Orman.

--Joe Orman

This list is also online:
http://pages.prodigy.net/pam.orman/JoeAlmanac2003.html
Joe Orman's Photo Pages:
http://pages.prodigy.net/pam.orman/JoeGallery.html

***************************

January 4-5 (night): Saturn passes directly in front of Crab Nebula =
(M1).

January 15 (evening): Gibbous Moon 5 degrees to lower right of Saturn, =
in E after sunset.

January 27 (morning): Crescent Moon 1 degree to lower right of Mars, in =
SE before sunrise (occultation in South Pacific, South America).

January 28 (morning): Crescent Moon 5 degrees to lower right of Venus, =
in SE before sunrise.

January 31 (morning): Mercury (magnitude 0.1) only 3 arc-minutes to =
right of 3rd-magnitude star Albaldah (pi Sagittarii), very low in ESE =
before sunrise.

March 18 (evening): Full Moon rises straight east in twilight (sunset =
6:38pm, moonrise 7:15pm).=20

March 20: Spring equinox (6:00 pm MST).  Sunrise straight east (6:32am, =
azimuth 89.6 degrees), sunset straight west (6:40pm, azimuth 270.6 =
degrees).  Always use proper eye protection when viewing the sun.

March 25 (morning): Mars rises 5 degrees to left of last quarter Moon, =
in ESE 4 hours before sunrise.

April 2 (evening): Mercury 4 degrees to right of thin crescent Moon, =
very low in W after sunset.

April 11 (morning): Jupiter 4 degrees to lower left of gibbous Moon, =
both set in WNW 3 hours before sunrise.

April 28 (morning): Venus 4 degrees to lower right of thin crescent =
Moon, very low in E before sunrise.

May 4 (evening): Saturn 4 degrees to upper left of crescent Moon, in W =
after sunset.

May 9 (night): First quarter Moon occults 3.5-magnitude star eta Leonis, =
high in W (disappears behind dark limb 10:04pm MST, reappears from =
bright limb 11:05pm).

May 14 (morning): Neptune 2 degrees above Mars, in SE before sunrise.

May 15 (evening): Total Lunar Eclipse (partial at moonrise at 7:13pm =
MST), low in SE.  Totality from 8:16 pm to 9:04pm.

May 26 (morning): Mercury 2 degrees to lower right of Venus, very low in =
ENE before sunrise.

May 29 (morning): Very thin crescent moon 4 degrees to lower left of =
Venus (Occultation in Africa and Asia), Mercury 3 degrees to lower right =
of Venus, very low in ENE before sunrise.

June 19 (morning):  Mars 3 degrees to upper right of gibbous Moon, high =
in S before sunrise.

June 21 (morning): Mercury 1/2 degree below Venus, very low in ENE =
before sunrise (Mercury and Venus close together May 24 thru June 24).

June 22 (morning): Uranus 3 degrees above Mars, high in S before =
sunrise.

June 28 (morning): Venus 2 degrees to lower right of thin crescent moon, =
very low in ENE before sunrise.

July 8 (morning): Saturn less than 1 degree to lower right of Venus, =
very low in ENE before sunrise.

July 8-9 (night): Gibbous Moon occults 2.8-magnitude star alpha1 Librae, =
low in SW (disappears behind dark limb 11:15pm MST, reappears from =
bright limb 12:25am; 5.3-magnitude companion star alpha2 Librae =
disappears 11:08pm, reappears 12:18am).

July 17 (morning): Mars 2 degrees to lower right of gibbous Moon, in SSW =
before sunrise (occultation for Caribbean region).

July 25 (night): Waning crescent Moon occults 6th-magnitude open star =
cluster NGC 1746; reappears from dark edge of moon just after moonrise =
at 2:09am MST (visible E & N North America).

July 25 (evening): Mercury 1/2 degree to upper right of Jupiter, very =
low in WNW after sunset.

July 30 (evening): Jupiter makes triangle 6 degrees apart from Mercury =
and thin crescent Moon, very low in W after sunset.

August 12-13 (night): Perseids meteor shower.  Full Moon will interfere. =
 Shower radiates from constellation Perseus, which rises in NE about =
10pm.  Best time to look between midnight and dawn.  Typical rate 50 to =
100 meteors per hour.

August 26-27 (night): Mars is nearest Earth, appears 25.1 arc-seconds in =
diameter --closest in last 73,000 years!  At opposition night of August =
27-28.

September 9 (morning): Mars 1/2 degree to upper left of crescent Moon; =
both set in WSW about 5am (Occultation for Asia).

September 19-20 (night): Saturn 5 degrees to right of last quarter Moon; =
both rise in ENE about midnight.

September 23: Fall equinox (3:47am MST).  Sunrise straight east (6:17am, =
azimuth 89.5 degrees), sunset straight west (6:24pm, azimuth 270.3 =
degrees).  Always use proper eye protection when viewing the sun.

September 24 (morning): Jupiter, Mercury and thin crescent Moon make =
triangle within 7 degrees, low in E before sunrise.

October 7 (evening): Uranus 3 1/2 degrees above Mars, in SE after =
sunset.

October 9 (evening): Full Moon rises straight east in twilight (sunset =
6:02pm MST, moonrise 6:03pm, Moon 4 degrees above horizon straight east =
6:26pm).

October 26 (daytime): Venus 1/3 degree to upper left of Moon, in SE at =
11:30am MST (occultation in Hawaii & South America).

November 8 (evening): Total Lunar Eclipse (partial at moonrise at 5:27pm =
MST), low in ENE.  Totality from 6:09 pm to 6:29pm.

November 16-17 (night): Last quarter Moon comes within 1 arc-minute of =
3.5-magnitude star eta Leonis at 2:19am MST, in E (grazing occultation =
for northern Arizona).

November 17-18 (night): Leonids meteor shower.  Last quarter Moon rising =
about midnight will interfere.  Shower radiates from constellation Leo, =
which rises in E about midnight.  Best time to look between midnight and =
dawn.  Typical rate 20 meteors per hour, some years much higher.=20

November 25 (evening): Venus 4 degrees to right of crescent Moon, low in =
SW after sunset.

December 10 (evening): Saturn 5 degrees to right of gibbous Moon; both =
rise in ENE about 7pm.

December 13-14 (night): Geminids meteor shower.  Gibbous moon rising =
about 9pm will interfere.  Shower radiates from Castor in constellation =
Gemini, which rises in NE around 7pm and is near zenith in early morning =
hours.  Best time to look between 7pm and dawn.  Typical rate 60 meteors =
per hour.

December 24 (evening): Venus 5 degrees to right of crescent Moon, low in =
SW after sunset.



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