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The following table gives the date and time of the important astronomical events for the year. If Daylight Saving Time is in effect, add one hour to the times listed. A key to astronomical terms appears below the calendar.

2013 Calendar of Astronomical Events

Date     MST   Event
        (h:m)

Jan 01  14:13  Regulus 5.9°N of Moon
    01  17:59  Earth at Perihelion: 0.98329 
    03  07     Quadrantid Meteor Shower
    03  20     Mercury at Aphelion 
    04  20:58  LAST QUARTER MOON 
    05  12:54  Spica 0.6°N of Moon
    06  18:28  Saturn 3.7°N of Moon
    07  16:50  Moon at Ascending Node 
    08  15:55  Antares 5.9°S of Moon
    10  03:26  Moon at Perigee: 360048 km
    10  04:36  Venus 2.8°S of Moon
    11  12:44  NEW MOON 
    18  02     Mercury at Superior Conjunction 
    18  16:45  FIRST QUARTER MOON 
    20  18:19  Moon at Descending Node 
    21  19:57  Jupiter 0.5°N of Moon: Occn.
    22  03:52  Moon at Apogee: 405313 km
    22  04:13  Aldebaran 4.0°S of Moon
    24  05     Mars at Perihelion 
    26  21:38  FULL MOON 
    28  19:57  Regulus 5.8°N of Moon

Feb 01  18:25  Spica 0.3°N of Moon
    03  02:55  Saturn 3.5°N of Moon
    03  06:56  LAST QUARTER MOON 
    03  19:14  Moon at Ascending Node 
    04  23:39  Antares 6.1°S of Moon
    07  05:09  Moon at Perigee: 365314 km
    08  09     Mercury 0.3° of Mars
    10  00:20  NEW MOON 
    11  10:51  Mercury 5.2°S of Moon
    16  14     Mercury at Greatest Elong: 18.1°E
    16  19     Mercury at Perihelion 
    16  19:57  Moon at Descending Node 
    17  13:31  FIRST QUARTER MOON 
    18  04:31  Jupiter 0.9°N of Moon: Occn.
    18  11:49  Aldebaran 3.8°S of Moon
    18  23:30  Moon at Apogee: 404475 km
    20  19     Venus at Aphelion 
    21  00     Neptune in Conjunction with Sun 
    25  03:18  Regulus 5.7°N of Moon
    25  13:26  FULL MOON 
    28  23:56  Spica 0.1°N of Moon

Mar 02  08:21  Saturn 3.3°N of Moon
    02  19:30  Moon at Ascending Node 
    04  05:11  Antares 6.4°S of Moon
    04  06     Mercury at Inferior Conjunction 
    04  14:53  LAST QUARTER MOON 
    05  16:20  Moon at Perigee: 369954 km
    11  12:51  NEW MOON 
    15  23:15  Moon at Descending Node 
    17  18:16  Jupiter 1.5°N of Moon
    17  18:24  Jupiter 5.0°N of Aldebaran
    17  19:56  Aldebaran 3.5°S of Moon
    18  20:13  Moon at Apogee: 404262 km
    19  10:27  FIRST QUARTER MOON 
    20  04:02  Vernal Equinox 
    24  12:17  Regulus 5.8°N of Moon
    27  02:27  FULL MOON 
    28  07:29  Spica 0.0°N of Moon
    28  10     Venus at Superior Conjunction 
    28  17     Uranus in Conjunction with Sun 
    29  13:18  Saturn 3.3°N of Moon
    29  22:55  Moon at Ascending Node 
    30  20:55  Moon at Perigee: 367494 km
    31  15     Mercury at Greatest Elong: 27.8°W

Apr 02  21:37  LAST QUARTER MOON 
    10  02:35  NEW MOON 
    12  05:12  Moon at Descending Node 
    14  03:51  Aldebaran 3.4°S of Moon
    14  11:23  Jupiter 2.1°N of Moon
    15  15:21  Moon at Apogee: 404865 km
    17  17     Mars in Conjunction with Sun 
    18  05:31  FIRST QUARTER MOON 
    20  21:44  Regulus 5.9°N of Moon
    22  04     Lyrid Meteor Shower
    24  17:10  Spica 0.0°N of Moon
    25  12:57  FULL MOON 
    25  13:09  Partial Lunar Eclipse; mag=0.014
    25  19:28  Saturn 3.5°N of Moon
    26  07:07  Moon at Ascending Node 
    27  12:48  Moon at Perigee: 362268 km
    28  01     Saturn at Opposition 

May 02  04:14  LAST QUARTER MOON 
    04  17     Eta-Aquarid Meteor Shower
    09  12:12  Moon at Descending Node 
    09  17:27  Annular Solar Eclipse; mag=0.954
    09  17:29  NEW MOON 
    11  14     Mercury at Superior Conjunction 
    12  06:03  Jupiter 2.6°N of Moon
    13  06:31  Moon at Apogee: 405827 km
    15  19     Mercury at Perihelion 
    17  21:35  FIRST QUARTER MOON 
    18  06:14  Regulus 5.9°N of Moon
    22  03:35  Spica 0.0°N of Moon
    23  02:55  Saturn 3.7°N of Moon
    23  17:40  Moon at Ascending Node 
    24  21:11  Pen. Lunar Eclipse; mag=0.006
    24  21:25  FULL MOON 
    25  04:45  Antares 6.6°S of Moon
    25  18:45  Moon at Perigee: 358375 km
    26  23     Mercury 2.4° of Jupiter
    31  11:58  LAST QUARTER MOON 

Jun 05  17:59  Moon at Descending Node 
    08  08:56  NEW MOON 
    09  14:40  Moon at Apogee: 406487 km
    10  04:19  Venus 5.3°N of Moon
    12  10     Mercury at Greatest Elong: 24.3°E
    13  04     Venus at Perihelion 
    14  13:06  Regulus 5.8°N of Moon
    16  10:24  FIRST QUARTER MOON 
    18  05:57  Mercury 6.1°S of Pollux
    18  12:56  Spica 0.1°S of Moon
    19  08     Jupiter in Conjunction with Sun 
    19  10:45  Saturn 3.6°N of Moon
    20  00     Mercury 1.9° of Venus
    20  02:51  Moon at Ascending Node 
    20  22:04  Summer Solstice 
    21  21:49  Venus 5.1°S of Pollux
    23  04:09  Moon at Perigee: 356990 km
    23  04:32  FULL MOON 
    28  18     Mercury at Aphelion 
    29  21:54  LAST QUARTER MOON

Date     MST   Event
        (h:m)

Jul 02  21:15  Moon at Descending Node 
    03  08:26  Venus 0.1°N of Beehive
    04  23:09  Aldebaran 3.4°S of Moon
    05  11:59  Earth at Aphelion: 1.01671 
    06  17:36  Moon at Apogee: 406493 km
    08  00:14  NEW MOON 
    09  12     Mercury at Inferior Conjunction 
    11  18:45  Regulus 5.7°N of Moon
    15  20:13  Spica 0.3°S of Moon
    15  20:18  FIRST QUARTER MOON 
    16  18:19  Saturn 3.3°N of Moon
    17  07:58  Moon at Ascending Node 
    21  13:27  Moon at Perigee: 358402 km
    22  02:30  Venus 1.0°N of Regulus
    22  11:15  FULL MOON 
    27  19     Delta-Aquarid Meteor Shower
    28  12     Mercury 6.9° of Mars
    29  10:43  LAST QUARTER MOON 
    29  22:50  Moon at Descending Node 
    30  02     Mercury at Greatest Elong: 19.6°W

Aug 01  05:22  Aldebaran 3.2°S of Moon
    03  01:53  Moon at Apogee: 405834 km
    03  15:22  Jupiter 4.0°N of Moon
    04  15:31  Mercury 7.3°S of Pollux
    05  01:39  Mercury 4.4°N of Moon
    06  14:51  NEW MOON 
    09  19:19  Venus 5.1°N of Moon
    11  18     Mercury at Perihelion 
    12  01:46  Spica 0.6°S of Moon
    12  11     Perseid Meteor Shower
    13  01:51  Saturn 2.8°N of Moon
    13  09:20  Moon at Ascending Node 
    14  03:56  FIRST QUARTER MOON 
    17  10:03  Mars 5.8°S of Pollux
    18  18:26  Moon at Perigee: 362265 km
    20  18:45  FULL MOON 
    24  14     Mercury at Superior Conjunction 
    26  01:19  Moon at Descending Node 
    26  17     Neptune at Opposition 
    28  02:35  LAST QUARTER MOON 
    28  12:32  Aldebaran 2.9°S of Moon
    30  16:46  Moon at Apogee: 404883 km
    31  09:38  Jupiter 4.5°N of Moon

Sep 05  04:36  NEW MOON 
    05  17:37  Venus 1.5°N of Spica
    08  03:00  Mars 0.5°S of Beehive
    08  07:11  Spica 0.8°S of Moon
    08  14:04  Venus 0.4°N of Moon: Occn.
    09  10:29  Moon at Ascending Node 
    09  10:29  Saturn 2.3°N of Moon
    12  10:08  FIRST QUARTER MOON 
    15  09:34  Moon at Perigee: 367388 km
    19  04:13  FULL MOON 
    22  06:48  Moon at Descending Node 
    22  13:44  Autumnal Equinox 
    24  15:29  Mercury 0.7°N of Spica
    24  20:39  Aldebaran 2.7°S of Moon
    26  20:56  LAST QUARTER MOON 
    27  11:17  Moon at Apogee: 404309 km
    28  02:05  Jupiter 4.9°N of Moon

Oct 01  15:19  Regulus 5.6°N of Moon
    03  06     Uranus at Opposition 
    03  12     Venus at Aphelion 
    04  17:35  NEW MOON 
    06  15:08  Moon at Ascending Node 
    06  15:28  Mercury 2.8°S of Moon
    06  21:30  Saturn 1.9°N of Moon
    08  05:07  Venus 4.7°S of Moon
    08  06     Mercury 5.0° of Saturn
    09  03     Mercury at Greatest Elong: 25.3°E
    10  16:06  Moon at Perigee: 369813 km
    11  16:02  FIRST QUARTER MOON 
    14  20:51  Mars 0.9°N of Regulus
    16  11:26  Venus 1.5°N of Antares
    18  16:38  FULL MOON 
    18  16:51  Pen. Lunar Eclipse; mag=0.756
    19  14:47  Moon at Descending Node 
    21  03     Orionid Meteor Shower
    22  05:06  Aldebaran 2.7°S of Moon
    25  07:25  Moon at Apogee: 404561 km
    25  14:55  Jupiter 5.1°N of Moon
    26  16:41  LAST QUARTER MOON 
    29  00:17  Regulus 5.7°N of Moon

Nov 01  02     Venus at Greatest Elong: 47.1°E
    01  13     Mercury at Inferior Conjunction 
    02  23:52  Moon at Ascending Node 
    03  05:47  Hybrid Solar Eclipse; mag=1.014
    03  05:50  NEW MOON 
    05  04     S Taurid Meteor Shower
    06  02:28  Moon at Perigee: 365362 km
    06  04     Saturn in Conjunction with Sun 
    07  17     Mercury at Perihelion 
    08  08:08  Jupiter 6.1°S of Pollux
    09  22:57  FIRST QUARTER MOON 
    12  03     N Taurid Meteor Shower
    15  22:30  Moon at Descending Node 
    17  08:16  FULL MOON 
    17  09     Leonid Meteor Shower
    17  19     Mercury at Greatest Elong: 19.5°W
    18  13:00  Aldebaran 2.7°S of Moon
    21  22:21  Jupiter 5.1°N of Moon
    22  02:50  Moon at Apogee: 405446 km
    25  08:45  Regulus 5.6°N of Moon
    25  12:28  LAST QUARTER MOON 
    25  22     Mercury 0.3° of Saturn
    27  09:10  Mars 5.7°N of Moon
    29  09:43  Spica 0.9°S of Moon
    30  09:59  Moon at Ascending Node 

Dec 01  03:13  Saturn 1.2°N of Moon: Occn.
    02  17:22  NEW MOON 
    04  03:15  Moon at Perigee: 360065 km
    09  08:12  FIRST QUARTER MOON 
    13  03:10  Moon at Descending Node 
    13  22     Geminid Meteor Shower
    15  19:45  Aldebaran 2.7°S of Moon
    17  02:28  FULL MOON 
    19  00:11  Jupiter 5.0°N of Moon
    19  16:49  Moon at Apogee: 406269 km
    21  10:11  Winter Solstice 
    21  17     Mercury at Aphelion 
    22  07     Ursid Meteor Shower
    22  15:47  Regulus 5.4°N of Moon
    25  06:48  LAST QUARTER MOON 
    25  19:45  Mars 4.6°N of Moon
    26  19:10  Spica 1.0°S of Moon
    27  17:21  Moon at Ascending Node 
    28  18:42  Saturn 0.9°N of Moon: Occn.
    28  23     Mercury at Superior Conjunction

Astronomical Definitions

Perihelion – the instant when a planet is closest to the Sun
Aphelion – the instant when a planet is furthest from the Sun
Perigee – the instant when the Moon is closest to Earth
Apogee – the instant when the Moon is furthest from Earth
Inferior Conjunction – the instant when a planet passes between Earth and the Sun (Mercury or Venus)
Superior Conjunction – the instant when a planet passes on the opposite side of the Sun from Earth (Mercury or Venus)
Greatest Elongation – elongation is the apparent angle between a planet and the Sun as seen from Earth; during eastern elongation (E), the planet appears as an evening star; during western elongation (W), the planet appears as a morning star
Opposition – the instant when a planet appears opposite the Sun as seen from Earth
Conjunction – the instant when a planet appears closest the Sun as seen from Earth
Occultation – the Moon occults or eclipses a star or planet
Ascending Node – the point where a planet crosses from the southern to northern portion of its orbit
Descending Node – the point where a planet crosses from the northern to the southern portion of its orbit

via http://www.astropixels.com/ephemeris/astrocal/astrocal2013mst.html

Evening Planets:

Jupiter is one of the 1^st objects in the sky to become visible as the Dusk twilight fades away. The planet is up in the West as evening twilight fades. As the month progresses; Jupiter dims down a bit and loses altitude. This is the last full month for an evening view of Jupiter. Towards the end of the month, Jupiter sets well before Midnight.

Saturn has none of the problems of Jupiter. For the 1^st week of April, Saturn rises in the SE after evening darkness falls. Each evening Saturn rises a bit earlier. By the end of the month, Saturn rises in the evening twilight. As the month progress, Saturn brightens up a bit. On 28 April, the planet is closest to the Earth for the year. At that time Saturn is up all night.

Morning Planet:

Mercury puts on a terrible show in the SE during the month of April. It’s stuck in the bright glow of Sunrise and is very low on the horizon. It will be next to impossible to see Mercury with the unaided eye.

13 Apr Crescent Moon right of Hyades Star Cluster, Dusk

14 Apr Crescent Moon left of Jupiter, Dusk

21-22 Apr Lyrid Meteor Shower

24 Apr Bright Star Spica just above the Moon, Evening

25 Apr Moon below Saturn, Evening

Lyrid Meteor Shower:

This weak meteor shower will occur on the night of 21-22 April. This shower will peak in the bright morning sky at 7:00 am. This weak shower will be mostly washed out by the Waxing Gibbous Moon. Consider yourself lucky if you see 5 meteors per hour in the Pre-Dawn skies. This is a very unfavorable situation for trying to observe the Lyrid Meteor shower.

Saturn:

Most sky watchers will agree that the Planet Saturn is considered the “Jewel” of all the Solar System Planets. The reason for this high title is the ring system of Saturn.

To the unaided eye, Saturn exhibits a yellow color point of light with no sign of the rings. In binoculars the view is almost as frustrating. The planet appears as a yellowish elongated blob of light with no signs of the famous ring system.

In a telescope, the view dramatically improves and the famous ring system is revealed. A telescope with an aperture or objective optics of 3″ (75mm) in diameter and a magnification of 75X or more will show that the rings of Saturn are not touching the planet. It takes a larger aperture telescope to show the rings in their fully glory. A 6″ (150mm) diameter objective telescope and a magnification of 150X -200X will show the rings well but also reveal the divisions or separation between the rings.

Rarely does our local atmosphere allow the use of magnification above 150X. This is due to the fact that the air in our atmosphere is constantly moving and is unsteady. This unsteady air often blurs the views of the planets in a telescope. The higher the magnification used; the better chance of seeing this blurring of the planets. When the view of a planet is blurred, its features and fine details are lost from view or the views are ruined.

During the Spring and Summer months, Saturn has a fair position for evening telescopic observations. It may be worth a look at the planet Saturn through a good telescope to see what you think of the ring system.

Written By

Gary T. Nowak

Vermont Astronomical Society

via http://www.wcax.com/story/6330547/astronomical-events

Month/Year	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017
January	Jan 26 9:40 P.M.	Jan 15 9:53 P.M.	Jan 4 9:54 P.M.	Jan 23 6:46 P.M.	Jan 12 4:35 A.M.
February	Feb 25 1:28 P.M.	Feb 14 4:54 P.M.	Feb 3 4:10 P.M.	Feb 22 11:20 A.M.	Feb 10 5:33 P.M.
March	Mar 27 3:30 A.M.	Mar 16 11:10 A.M.	Mar 5 11:06 A.M.	Mar 23 6:01 A.M.	Mar 12 8:54 A.M.
April	Apr 25 1:59 P.M.	Apr 15 1:45 A.M.	Apr 4 6:07 A.M.	Apr 21 11:25 P.M.	Apr 11 12:09 A.M.
May	May 24 10:27 P.M.	May 14 1:18 P.M.	May 3 9:44 P.M.	May 21 3:16 P.M.	May 10 3:43 P.M.
June	Jun 23 5:33 A.M.	Jun 12 10:13 P.M.	Jun 2 10:21 A.M.	Jun 20 5:04 A.M.	Jun 9 7:11 A.M.
July	Jul 22 12:16 P.M.	Jul 12 5:26 A.M.	Jul 1 8:22 P.M. Jul 31 4:45 A.M.	Jul 19 4:59 P.M.	Jul 8 10:08 P.M.
August	Aug 20 7:45 P.M.	Aug 10 12:10 P.M.	Aug 29 12:37 P.M.	Aug 18 3:29 A.M.	Aug 7 12:12 P.M.
September	Sep 19 5:12 A.M.	Sep 8 7:38 P.M.	Sep 27 8:52 P.M.	Sep 16 1:07 P.M.	Sep 6 1:04 A.M.
October	Oct 18 5:37 P.M.	Oct 8 4:50 A.M.	Oct 27 6:05 A.M.	Oct 15 10:25 P.M.	Oct 5 12:41 P.M.
November	Nov 17 8:16 A.M.	Nov 6 3:22 P.M.	Nov 25 3:44 P.M.	Nov 14 6:53 A.M.	Nov 3 11:24 P.M.
December	Dec 17 2:29 A.M.	Dec 6 5:27 A.M.	Dec 25 4:11 A.M.	Dec 13 5:06 P.M.	Dec 3 8:48 A.M.

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Category Archives: Astronomy

2013 Calendar of Astronomical Events

Mountain Standard Time

Astronomical Definitions

Astronomical Events for April

Full Moon Dates for Eagle, Idaho

The Full Pink Moon