FreeLists / az-observing / [AZ-Observing] Joe Orman's Sky Events Almanac 2007

[Joe Orman <joe.orman@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

  Joe Orman's Sky Events Almanac 2007
   
  Photo Pages: joeorman.shutterace.com 
   
  Mark your calendar for these interesting alignments, conjunctions, 
occultations & meteor showers in the year 2007. 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.
   
  also available online:
  http://joeorman.shutterace.com/Almanac2007.html
   
      January 2-3 (night): Major lunar standstill: full Moon passes nearly 
overhead, only 6 degrees away from zenith at about 12:15 a.m.
    
   January 15 (morning): Bright star Antares 1 degree to upper left of crescent 
Moon as they rise in SE about 4:30 a.m. (occultation for southern South 
America), Jupiter 5 degrees to upper left.
    
   January 20 (evening): Venus 3 degrees to lower right of crescent Moon, low 
in WSW after sunset (occultation for southern Africa).
    
   February 7 (evening): Mercury at Greatest Elongation, visible for about a 
week around this date above twilight, low in WSW after sunset. Venus 7 degrees 
to upper left.
    
   February 19 (evening): Venus 5 degrees below crescent Moon, in W after 
sunset.
    
   February 23 (evening): First-quarter Moon 2 degrees from Pleiades star 
cluster, near zenith after sunset (occultation for northeast North America, 
northwest Europe).
    
   March 15 (morning): Mars 7 degrees to left of crescent Moon, low in SE 
before sunrise. Mercury 15 degrees to lower left of Mars. Moon between Mars and 
Mercury on March 16.
    
   March 20: Spring equinox (5:07 p.m. MST). Sunrise straight east (6:32 a.m., 
azimuth 89.6 degrees), sunset straight west (6:40 p.m., azimuth 270.6 degrees). 
Always use proper eye protection when viewing the sun.
    
   March 20 (evening): Venus 7 degrees to upper left of crescent Moon, in W 
after sunset.
    
   March 22 (evening): Pleiades star cluster 3 degrees below crescent Moon high 
in W after sunset, within 0.5 degrees as they set in WNW about 11:30 p.m. 
(occultation for northeast North America, northwest Europe).
    
   March 28 (evening): Saturn 0.5 degree from gibbous Moon, very high in ESE 
after sunset (occultation for Greenland & Iceland).
    
   April 14 (morning): Mars 7 degrees to upper right of crescent Moon, low in 
ESE before sunrise.
    
   April 19 (evening): Crescent Moon between Venus and Pleiades star cluster, 5 
degrees from each, in W after sunset (Moon occults Pleiades for northeast 
Europe).
    
   April 25 (morning): Saturn 1 degree to upper left of first-quarter Moon, as 
they set in WNW about 2:30 a.m. (occultation for northwestern Canada and 
Alaska).
    
   April 26 (morning): Gibbous Moon occults bright star Regulus (disappears 
behind dark edge just minutes before they set in W about 3:00 a.m. MST) 
(occultation more easily seen in northwestern North America).
    
   May 19 (evening): Venus 1 degree to lower left of crescent Moon, in W after 
sunset.
    
   May 22 (evening): First-quarter Moon between Saturn and bright star Regulus, 
5 degrees from each, high in WSW after sunset (Moon occults Saturn for parts of 
Europe, Africa, Asia).
    
   May 31 (evening): Jupiter 7 degrees straight to left of full Moon, as they 
rise in SE about 7:45 p.m.
    
   June 1 (evening): Mercury at Greatest Elongation, visible for about a week 
around this date above twilight, low in WNW after sunset. Also follow line 
through Venus and Saturn higher in W, across to Jupiter low in ESE.
    
   June 13 (morning): Very thin crescent Moon occults Pleiades star cluster, 
low in ENE before sunrise, Moon entering cluster as they rise about 3:30 a.m.
    
   June 17 (evening): Crescent Moon, Venus, Saturn, and bright star Regulus in 
line, about 10 degrees between each, in W after sunset. Moon between Venus and 
Saturn on June 18.
    
   June 19 (daytime, evening): Thick crescent Moon occults bright star Regulus, 
high in SW in late afternoon (disappears behind dark edge about 5:00 p.m. MST, 
reappears from behind bright edge about 6:25 p.m.). After sunset, Regulus 1 
degree to right of Moon, high in W.
    
   June 30 (evening): Saturn 1 degree above Venus, in W after sunset.
    
   July 11-12 (evenings): Bright star Regulus 2 degrees above Venus, low in W 
after sunset. Saturn 5 degrees to lower right.
    
   July 16 (evening): Venus and bright star Regulus 5 degrees to upper left of 
crescent Moon, Saturn 2 degrees to lower right of Moon, low in W after sunset.
    
   August 6-7 (night): Pleiades, Mars and thick crescent Moon in triangle 6 
degrees apart, rising in ENE around midnight (Moon occults Pleiades for western 
Europe).
    
   August 12-13 (night): Perseids meteor shower. New Moon will not interfere. 
Shower radiates from constellation Perseus, which rises in NE about 10 p.m. 
Best time to look between midnight and morning twilight. Typical rate 50 
meteors per hour. 
    
   August 28 (morning): Total lunar eclipse, in SW before sunrise (partial 
phase starts 1:51 a.m. MST, totality from 2:52 a.m. to 4:22 a.m., partial phase 
ends 5:23 a.m., Moonset 6:10 a.m.).
    
   September 1-3 (mornings): Saturn 1 degree from bright star Regulus, very low 
in ENE before sunrise.
    
   September 2 (evening): Moon occults Pleiades star cluster, low in ENE after 
sunset, Moon entering cluster as they rise about 10 p.m.
    
   September 9 (morning): Venus 10 degrees to upper right of crescent Moon, 
Saturn and bright star Regulus 7 degrees below Moon, low in E before sunrise.
    
   September 21 (evening): Bright star Spica 0.5 degree to left of Mercury, 
extremely low in W after sunset.
    
   September 23: Fall equinox (2:51 a.m. MST). Sunrise straight east (6:17 
a.m., azimuth 89.5 degrees), sunset straight west (6:24 p.m., azimuth 270.3 
degrees. Always use proper eye protection when viewing the sun.
    
   September 30 (morning): Pleiades star cluster 1 degree from gibbous Moon, 
near zenith before sunrise (occultation for parts of Asia).
    
   October 7 (morning): Saturn 1 degree to left of crescent Moon, Venus and 
bright star Regulus 5 degrees to upper right, in E before sunrise.
    
   October 14-15 (mornings): Saturn 3 degrees to upper left of Venus, bright 
star Regulus 5 degrees above, in E before sunrise.
    
   November 3 (morning): Thick crescent Moon occults bright star Regulus, in E 
before sunrise (disappears behind bright edge about 3:38 a.m. MST, reappears 
from behind dark edge about 4:44 a.m.).
    
   November 5 (morning): Venus 3 degrees to left of crescent Moon, in ESE 
before sunrise.
    
   November 7 (morning): Mercury 10 degrees to lower left of thin crescent 
Moon, bright star Spica between them, low in ESE before sunrise.
    
   November 17-18 (night): Leonids meteor shower. First-quarter Moon setting 
around midnight will not 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.
    
   November 24 (morning): Full Moon grazes Pleiades star cluster, low in WNW 
before sunrise (occultation for northern North America, northern Asia).
    
   November 26 (evening): Mars 1 degree to lower right of gibbous Moon, rising 
in ENE about 7:30 p.m.
    
   December 5 (morning): Venus, crescent Moon and bright star Spica make 
triangle 7 degrees apart, in SE before sunrise.
    
   December 13-14 (night): Geminids meteor shower. Crescent Moon setting about 
9 p.m. will not interfere. Shower radiates from Castor in constellation Gemini, 
which rises in NE around 7 p.m. and is near zenith in early morning hours. Best 
time to look between 9 p.m. and dawn. Typical rate 60 meteors per hour.
    
   December 21 (evening): Pleiades star cluster 2 degrees to upper right of 
gibbous Moon, high in E after sunset (occultation for northeast North America, 
northern Europe).
    
   December 23 (evening): Mars 1 degree below full Moon as they rise in NE 
about 5:00 p.m. (occultation for northwestern Canada). Mars is only 1 day 
before opposition, so should be bright enough to see close to full Moon.


--
See message header for info on list archives or unsubscribing, and please 
send personal replies to the author, not the list.