2021 Sky Event Almanac
Central Standard Time
The following table gives the date and time of the important astronomical events for the year . The times listed are for Central Standard Time (Coordinated Universal Time − 6 hours) . This time zone may have different names in different countries. If Daylight Saving Time is in effect, add one hour to the times listed. A key to astronomical terms appears below the almanac.
2021 Sky Event Almanac | ||||||||
Central Standard Time | ||||||||
January - June | July - December | |||||||
Date CST Event (h:m) Jan 02 08 Earth at Perihelion: 0.98325 AU 02 15:58 Regulus 4.7°S of Moon 03 09 Quadrantid Meteor Shower 06 03:37 LAST QUARTER MOON 09 09:39 Moon at Perigee: 367390 km 10 14:14 Moon at Descending Node 11 14:12 Venus 1.5°N of Moon 12 23:00 NEW MOON 14 02:15 Mercury 2.3°N of Moon 20 15:02 FIRST QUARTER MOON 21 07:11 Moon at Apogee: 404361 km 23 20 Mercury at Greatest Elong: 18.6°E 23 20 Saturn in Conjunction with Sun 24 15:47 Moon at Ascending Node 27 09:46 Pollux 3.8°N of Moon 28 13:16 FULL MOON 28 19 Jupiter in Conjunction with Sun 28 20 Mercury at Perihelion 29 22:56 Regulus 4.6°S of Moon Feb 03 13:33 Moon at Perigee: 370127 km 04 11:37 LAST QUARTER MOON 06 18:29 Moon at Descending Node 08 08 Mercury at Inferior Conjunction 10 05:16 Saturn 3.4°N of Moon 11 13:06 NEW MOON 18 04:22 Moon at Apogee: 404467 km 18 16:47 Mars 3.7°N of Moon 19 12:47 FIRST QUARTER MOON 19 23 Venus at Aphelion 20 19:44 Moon at Ascending Node 23 02 Mercury 4.0°N of Saturn 23 19:10 Pollux 3.7°N of Moon 26 08:04 Regulus 4.6°S of Moon 27 02:17 FULL MOON Mar 01 23:19 Moon at Perigee: 365422 km 03 17:36 Mars 2.6°S of Pleiades 04 23 Mercury 0.3°N of Jupiter 05 18:56 Moon at Descending Node 05 19:30 LAST QUARTER MOON 06 05 Mercury at Greatest Elong: 27.3°W 09 17:02 Saturn 3.7°N of Moon 10 09:35 Jupiter 4.0°N of Moon 10 18 Neptune in Conjunction with Sun 10 19:02 Mercury 3.7°N of Moon 13 04:21 NEW MOON 13 20 Mercury at Aphelion 17 23:04 Moon at Apogee: 405253 km 19 11:48 Mars 1.9°N of Moon 19 21:31 Moon at Ascending Node 20 03:37 Vernal Equinox 21 08:40 FIRST QUARTER MOON 23 04:26 Pollux 3.5°N of Moon 25 18:17 Regulus 4.7°S of Moon 26 00 Venus at Superior Conjunction 28 12:48 FULL MOON 30 00:12 Moon at Perigee: 360311 km Apr 01 14:49 Antares 4.9°S of Moon 01 20:41 Moon at Descending Node 04 04:02 LAST QUARTER MOON 06 02:34 Saturn 4.0°N of Moon 07 01:15 Jupiter 4.4°N of Moon 11 20:31 NEW MOON 14 11:47 Moon at Apogee: 406120 km 15 23:53 Moon at Ascending Node 17 06:09 Mars 0.1°N of Moon: Occn. 18 20 Mercury at Superior Conjunction 19 12:18 Pollux 3.2°N of Moon 20 00:59 FIRST QUARTER MOON 22 06 Lyrid Meteor Shower 26 19 Mercury at Perihelion 26 21:31 FULL MOON 27 09:24 Moon at Perigee: 357379 km 29 00:07 Antares 4.8°S of Moon 29 03:17 Moon at Descending Node 30 15 Uranus in Conjunction with Sun May 03 11:02 Saturn 4.2°N of Moon 03 13:50 LAST QUARTER MOON 03 21:03 Mercury 2.1°S of Pleiades 04 15:00 Jupiter 4.6°N of Moon 04 19 Eta-Aquarid Meteor Shower 11 13:00 NEW MOON 11 15:54 Moon at Apogee: 406512 km 13 04:29 Moon at Ascending Node 13 11:59 Mercury 2.1°N of Moon 15 22:47 Mars 1.5°S of Moon 16 18:39 Pollux 3.1°N of Moon 17 00 Mercury at Greatest Elong: 22.0°E 19 13:13 FIRST QUARTER MOON 25 19:52 Moon at Perigee: 357310 km 26 05:14 FULL MOON 26 05:19 Total Lunar Eclipse; mag=1.009 26 10:55 Antares 4.8°S of Moon 26 13:38 Moon at Descending Node 28 21 Mercury 0.4°S of Venus 30 19:22 Saturn 4.2°N of Moon Jun 01 02:57 Jupiter 4.6°N of Moon 02 01:24 LAST QUARTER MOON 07 20:27 Moon at Apogee: 406230 km 09 10:42 Moon at Ascending Node 10 04:42 Annular Solar Eclipse; mag=0.943 10 04:53 NEW MOON 10 19 Mercury at Inferior Conjunction 12 00:44 Venus 1.5°S of Moon 12 07 Venus at Perihelion 13 00:19 Pollux 3.1°N of Moon 13 13:52 Mars 2.8°S of Moon 17 21:54 FIRST QUARTER MOON 20 21:32 Summer Solstice 22 21:26 Antares 4.8°S of Moon 23 00:07 Moon at Descending Node 23 03:58 Moon at Perigee: 359960 km 24 12:40 FULL MOON 27 03:30 Saturn 4.0°N of Moon 28 12:38 Jupiter 4.5°N of Moon |
Date CST Event (h:m) Jul 01 15:11 LAST QUARTER MOON 04 14 Mercury at Greatest Elong: 21.6°W 05 08:48 Moon at Apogee: 405342 km 05 17 Earth at Aphelion: 1.01673 AU 06 16:41 Moon at Ascending Node 07 22:38 Mercury 3.7°S of Moon 09 19:17 NEW MOON 12 03:10 Venus 3.3°S of Moon 12 04:10 Mars 3.8°S of Moon 12 18 Mars at Aphelion: 1.66596 AU 13 07 Venus 0.5°N of Mars 17 04:11 FIRST QUARTER MOON 20 06:06 Antares 4.7°S of Moon 20 07:22 Moon at Descending Node 21 04:30 Moon at Perigee: 364520 km 21 15:21 Venus 1.0°N of Regulus 23 19 Mercury at Perihelion 23 20:37 FULL MOON 24 10:42 Saturn 3.8°N of Moon 25 19:17 Jupiter 4.2°N of Moon 27 21 Delta-Aquarid Meteor Shower 29 08:09 Mars 0.6°N of Regulus 31 07:16 LAST QUARTER MOON Aug 01 08 Mercury at Superior Conjunction 01 23 Saturn at Opposition 02 01:35 Moon at Apogee: 404412 km 02 20:51 Moon at Ascending Node 06 13:42 Pollux 3.1°N of Moon 08 07:50 NEW MOON 09 18:42 Mars 4.3°S of Moon 11 01:00 Venus 4.3°S of Moon 12 13 Perseid Meteor Shower 15 09:20 FIRST QUARTER MOON 16 10:04 Moon at Descending Node 16 12:34 Antares 4.5°S of Moon 17 03:23 Moon at Perigee: 369127 km 18 21 Mercury 0.1°S of Mars 19 17 Jupiter at Opposition 20 16:19 Saturn 3.7°N of Moon 21 22:52 Jupiter 4.0°N of Moon 22 06:02 FULL MOON 29 20:22 Moon at Apogee: 404100 km 29 23:13 Moon at Ascending Node 30 01:13 LAST QUARTER MOON Sep 02 22:04 Pollux 3.0°N of Moon 05 08:32 Venus 1.4°N of Spica 05 18 Mercury at Aphelion 06 18:52 NEW MOON 09 20:09 Venus 4.1°S of Moon 11 04:05 Moon at Perigee: 368464 km 12 10:35 Moon at Descending Node 12 17:59 Antares 4.2°S of Moon 13 14:39 FIRST QUARTER MOON 13 22 Mercury at Greatest Elong: 26.8°E 14 02 Neptune at Opposition 16 20:37 Saturn 3.8°N of Moon 18 00:50 Jupiter 4.0°N of Moon 20 17:55 FULL MOON 20 20:00 Mercury 1.2°S of Spica 22 13:21 Autumnal Equinox 26 01:33 Moon at Ascending Node 26 15:44 Moon at Apogee: 404641 km 28 19:57 LAST QUARTER MOON 30 06:44 Pollux 2.8°N of Moon Oct 02 16 Venus at Aphelion 06 05:05 NEW MOON 07 22 Mars in Conjunction with Sun 08 11:28 Moon at Perigee: 363388 km 09 10 Mercury at Inferior Conjunction 09 12:36 Venus 2.9°S of Moon 09 13:35 Moon at Descending Node 10 00:27 Antares 4.0°S of Moon 12 21:25 FIRST QUARTER MOON 14 01:12 Saturn 3.9°N of Moon 15 03:58 Jupiter 4.1°N of Moon 16 07:24 Venus 1.4°N of Antares 19 18 Mercury at Perihelion 20 08:57 FULL MOON 21 05 Orionid Meteor Shower 22 23:45 Pleiades 4.5°N of Moon 23 05:47 Moon at Ascending Node 24 09:30 Moon at Apogee: 405616 km 24 23 Mercury at Greatest Elong: 18.4°W 27 14:40 Pollux 2.6°N of Moon 28 14:05 LAST QUARTER MOON 29 16 Venus at Greatest Elong: 47.0°E Nov 01 19:18 Mercury 3.7°N of Spica 03 12:40 Mercury 1.2°S of Moon: Occn. 04 15:15 NEW MOON 04 18 Uranus at Opposition 05 06 S Taurid Meteor Shower 05 16:23 Moon at Perigee: 358845 km 05 21:38 Moon at Descending Node 06 09:29 Antares 3.9°S of Moon 07 23:21 Venus 1.1°S of Moon: Occn. 10 08:27 Saturn 4.1°N of Moon 11 06:46 FIRST QUARTER MOON 11 11:13 Jupiter 4.4°N of Moon 12 05 N Taurid Meteor Shower 17 12 Leonid Meteor Shower 19 02:58 FULL MOON 19 03:03 Partial Lunar Eclipse; mag=0.974 19 06:21 Pleiades 4.5°N of Moon 19 11:59 Moon at Ascending Node 20 20:14 Moon at Apogee: 406276 km 23 21:22 Pollux 2.5°N of Moon 27 06:28 LAST QUARTER MOON 28 23 Mercury at Superior Conjunction Dec 02 18:28 Mars 0.7°S of Moon: Occn. 03 08:58 Moon at Descending Node 04 01:33 Total Solar Eclipse; mag=1.037 04 01:43 NEW MOON 04 04:01 Moon at Perigee: 356794 km 06 18:48 Venus 1.9°N of Moon 07 19:52 Saturn 4.2°N of Moon 09 00:07 Jupiter 4.5°N of Moon 10 19:36 FIRST QUARTER MOON 14 01 Geminid Meteor Shower 16 12:30 Pleiades 4.5°N of Moon 16 18:12 Moon at Ascending Node 17 20:16 Moon at Apogee: 406322 km 18 22:36 FULL MOON 21 03:20 Pollux 2.6°N of Moon 21 09:59 Winter Solstice 22 09 Ursid Meteor Shower 26 20:24 LAST QUARTER MOON 27 03:15 Mars 4.4°N of Antares 28 23 Mercury 4.2°S of Venus 30 19:07 Moon at Descending Node 31 07:54 Antares 3.9°S of Moon 31 14:13 Mars 1.0°N of Moon: Occn. |
Terms Used in Sky Event Almanac
- Perihelion - instant when a planet is closest to the Sun
- Aphelion - instant when a planet is furthest from the Sun
- Perigee - instant when the Moon is closest to Earth
- Apogee - instant when the Moon is furthest from Earth
- Inferior Conjunction - instant when a planet (Mercury or Venus) passes between Earth and the Sun
- Superior Conjunction - instant when a planet (Mercury or Venus) passes on the opposite side of the Sun from Earth
- Greatest Elongation - the maximum angular separation between the Sun and the planet (Mercury or Venus) 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 - instant when a planet appears opposite the Sun as seen from Earth
- Conjunction - instant when a planet appears closest the Sun as seen from Earth
- Occultation - the Moon occults or eclipses a star or planet
- Ascending Node - point where the Moon crosses from the southern to northern portion of its orbit
- Descending Node - point where the Moon crosses from the northern to the southern portion of its orbit
- Aldebaran - bright star in the constellation Taurus
- Pollux - bright star in the constellation Gemini
- Regulus - bright star in the constellation Leo
- Spica - bright star in the constellation Virgo
- Antares - bright star in the constellation Scorpius
- Pleiades - bright star cluster in the constellation Taurus
2021 Phases of the Moon
Central Standard Time
The following table gives the date and time of the Moon's phases for the year . The times listed are for Central Standard Time (Coordinated Universal Time − 6 hours) . This time zone may have different names in different countries. If Daylight Saving Time is in effect, add one hour to the times listed.
2021 Phases of the Moon | |||
Central Standard Time | |||
New Moon | First Quarter | Full Moon | Last Quarter |
- | - | - | Jan 06 03:37 |
Jan 12 23:00 | Jan 20 15:02 | Jan 28 13:16 | Feb 04 11:37 |
Feb 11 13:06 | Feb 19 12:47 | Feb 27 02:17 | Mar 05 19:30 |
Mar 13 04:21 | Mar 21 08:40 | Mar 28 12:48 | Apr 04 04:02 |
Apr 11 20:31 | Apr 20 00:59 | Apr 26 21:31 | May 03 13:50 |
May 11 13:00 | May 19 13:13 | May 26 05:14 t | Jun 02 01:24 |
Jun 10 04:53 A | Jun 17 21:54 | Jun 24 12:40 | Jul 01 15:11 |
Jul 09 19:17 | Jul 17 04:11 | Jul 23 20:37 | Jul 31 07:16 |
Aug 08 07:50 | Aug 15 09:20 | Aug 22 06:02 | Aug 30 01:13 |
Sep 06 18:52 | Sep 13 14:39 | Sep 20 17:55 | Sep 28 19:57 |
Oct 06 05:05 | Oct 12 21:25 | Oct 20 08:57 | Oct 28 14:05 |
Nov 04 15:15 | Nov 11 06:46 | Nov 19 02:58 p | Nov 27 06:28 |
Dec 04 01:43 T | Dec 10 19:36 | Dec 18 22:36 | Dec 26 20:24 |
For a collection of images showing the Moon's phases see: Phases of the Moon Photo Gallery.
The Phases of the Moon table also shows when an eclipse takes place. An eclipse of the Sun can only occur at New Moon (see: Solar Eclipses for Beginners), while an eclipse of the Moon can only occur at Full Moon (see: Lunar Eclipses for Beginners). In any calendar year there are a minimum of two solar and two lunar eclipses.
If an eclipse of the Sun or Moon takes place on a given date, it is noted by a character next to the date in the Phases of the Moon table. Solar eclipses are indicated as: T=Total, A=Annular, H=Hybrid and P=Partial. Lunar eclipses are indicated as: t=Total, p=Partial, and n=Penumbral.
Solar Eclipses
The following table contains links to a series of web pages covering the 21st Century. Each one summarizes ten years of solar eclipses. Every eclipse has links to a global visibility map, an interactive Google map, tables, and additional information.
Decade Pages of Solar Eclipses | |||||
Decades | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2001-2010 | 2011-2020 | 2021-2030 | 2031-2040 | 2041-2050 | |
2051-2060 | 2061-2070 | 2071-2080 | 2081-2090 | 2091-2100 |
Lunar Eclipses
The following table contains links to a series of web pages covering the 21st Century. Each one summarizes ten years of lunar eclipses. Every eclipse has links to an eclipse diagram, a global visibility map, tables, and additional information.
Decade Pages of Lunar Eclipses | |||||
Decades | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2001-2010 | 2011-2020 | 2021-2030 | 2031-2040 | 2041-2050 | |
2051-2060 | 2061-2070 | 2071-2080 | 2081-2090 | 2091-2100 |
Sky Event Almanacs: 2021 to 2030
The Americas
Below are links to sky event almanacs from 2021 to 2030 for eight time zones in the Americas.
Choose a time zone and click on a year to get a sky event almanac for that year.
Sky Event Almanacs - The Americas | |||||||||||||||
ART | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 | |||||
AST | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 | |||||
EST | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 | |||||
CST | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 | |||||
MST | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 | |||||
PST | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 | |||||
AKST | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 | |||||
HST | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 |
- ART = Argentina Time (= UTC - 3 hours)
- AST = Atlantic Standard Time (= UTC - 4 hours)
- EST = Eastern Standard Time (= UTC - 5 hours)
- CST = Central Standard Time (= UTC - 6 hours)
- MST = Mountain Standard Time (= UTC - 7 hours)
- PST = Pacific Standard Time (= UTC - 8 hours)
- AKST = Alaskan Standard Time (= UTC - 9 hours)
- HST = Hawaiian Standard Time (= UTC - 10 hours)
(where UTC = Coordinated Universal Time)
- Time Zones Abbreviations
A time zone may have a different name in different countries. Note the difference in hours between a given time zone and Coordinated Universal Time to help in identification.
For other years and other time zones, visit: Sky Event Almanacs.
Accuracy of the Sky Event Almanacs
The goal of the Sky Event Almanacs is to present a wide range of solar system phenomena with reasonable accuracy. In general, events listed to the nearest hour are accurate to ± 30 minutes. Events listed with a precision in hours and minutes (i.e., hh:mm) are typically accurate to ± 5 minutes or less.
The following table gives a more detailed breakdown of the accuracy of times for various astronomical events.
Accuracy of the Sky Event Almanacs | |
Solstice/Equinox (Earth) | ± 0.5 minute |
Aphelion/Perihelion (Earth) | ± 30 minutes; ± 0.00001 AU |
Solar and Lunar Eclipses | ± 0.5 minute |
Phases of the Moon | ± 0.5 minute |
Moon at Nodes | ± 2 minutes |
Apogee/Perigee of Moon | ± 5 minutes; ± 5 kilometers |
Conjunctions of Moon with Star or Planet | ± 10 minutes |
Conjunctions of Planet with Planet | ± 3 hours |
Inferior/Superior Conjunctions (Mercury & Venus) | ± 30 minutes |
Greatest Elongation (Mercury & Venus) | ± 30 minutes |
Opposition/Conjunction (Outer Planets) | ± 3 hours |
Aphelion/Perihelion of Planets | ± 30 minutes |
Fifty Year Almanac of Astronomical Events - 2021 to 2070
For more information and sample pages, see Fifty Year Almanac of Astronomical Events - 2021 To 2070.
Acknowledgements
All calculations are by Fred Espenak and he assumes full responsibility for their accuracy. Algorithms used in predicting many of the astronomical events are based on Astronomical Algorithms by Jean Meeus (Willmann-Bell Inc. Richmond 1998).
Permission is freely granted to reproduce this data when accompanied by the acknowledgment:
- "Sky Event Almanacs Courtesy of Fred Espenak, www.AstroPixels.com".
Return to: Sky Event Almanacs
Return to: Planetary Ephemeris Data
Useful External Links
Interactive Sky Chart (Sky and Telescope)
Sky Maps (sky-map.org)
Astronomical Almanac (Sky and Telescope)
Weather Forecast for Astronomy (Clear Outside)
GOES-East Images (NOAA-GOES)
Astronomy Tools (Astronomy Tools)