2012Calendar of Astronomical Events

    
2012Phases 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(Greenwich Mean Time - 6 hours).If Daylight Saving Time is in effect, add one hour to the times listed. 
   
      2012 Phases of the Moon   
      Central Standard Time
 New Moon  First Quarter  Full Moon  Last Quarter 
- Jan  1  00:15    Jan  9  01:30    Jan 16  03:08   
 Jan 23  01:39    Jan 30  22:10    Feb  7  15:54    Feb 14  11:04   
 Feb 21  16:35    Feb 29  19:22    Mar  8  03:40    Mar 14  19:25   
 Mar 22  08:37    Mar 30  13:41    Apr  6  13:19    Apr 13  04:50   
 Apr 21  01:18    Apr 29  03:58    May  5  21:35    May 12  15:47   
 May 20  17:47 A  May 28  14:16    Jun  4  05:12 p  Jun 11  04:41   
 Jun 19  09:02    Jun 26  21:30    Jul  3  12:52    Jul 10  19:48   
 Jul 18  22:24    Jul 26  02:56    Aug  1  21:27    Aug  9  12:55   
 Aug 17  09:54    Aug 24  07:54    Aug 31  07:58    Sep  8  07:15   
 Sep 15  20:11    Sep 22  13:41    Sep 29  21:19    Oct  8  01:33   
 Oct 15  06:02    Oct 21  21:32    Oct 29  13:50    Nov  6  18:36   
 Nov 13  16:08 T  Nov 20  08:31    Nov 28  08:46 n  Dec  6  09:32   
 Dec 13  02:42    Dec 19  23:19    Dec 28  04:21   -
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 table above. 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. 
Phases of the Moon Photo Gallery is an image collection showing the Moon's phases over a complete synodic month.
2012Calendar of Astronomical Events
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(Greenwich Mean Time - 6 hours).If Daylight Saving Time is in effect, add one hour to the times listed. A key to astronomical terms appears below the calendar.
   
      2012Calendar of Astronomical Events   
   Central Standard Time  
 January - June   July - December 
Date     CST   Event        (h:m)Jan 01  00:15  FIRST QUARTER MOON     02  14:19  Moon at Apogee: 404580 km    02  20:46  Jupiter 5.0°S of Moon    04  01     Quadrantid Meteor Shower    04  19     Earth at Perihelion: 0.98328 AU    05  03:17  Pleiades 2.8°N of Moon    06  01:43  Aldebaran 5.8°S of Moon    06  08:30  Moon at Descending Node     09  01:30  FULL MOON     12  07:04  Regulus 5.9°N of Moon    16  01:21  Spica 2.0°N of Moon    16  03:08  LAST QUARTER MOON     16  13:07  Saturn 6.4°N of Moon    17  15:28  Moon at Perigee: 369883 km    18  00     Mercury at Aphelion     19  04:59  Antares 4.2°S of Moon    19  12:26  Moon at Ascending Node     23  01:39  NEW MOON     30  08:38  Jupiter 4.5°S of Moon    30  11:42  Moon at Apogee: 404325 km    30  22:10  FIRST QUARTER MOON Feb 01  11:42  Pleiades 3.0°N of Moon    02  10:22  Aldebaran 5.7°S of Moon    02  14:02  Moon at Descending Node     07  03     Mercury at Superior Conjunction     07  15:54  FULL MOON     08  14:43  Regulus 5.8°N of Moon    11  12:32  Moon at Perigee: 367920 km    12  06:47  Spica 1.8°N of Moon    12  19:08  Saturn 6.2°N of Moon    14  11:04  LAST QUARTER MOON     15  10:35  Antares 4.4°S of Moon    15  14:16  Moon at Ascending Node     15  15     Mars at Aphelion:  1.66598 AU    19  14     Neptune in Conjunction with Sun     21  16:35  NEW MOON     25  15:44  Venus 3.3°S of Moon    27  00:16  Jupiter 3.8°S of Moon    27  08:01  Moon at Apogee: 404864 km    28  19:46  Pleiades 3.3°N of Moon    29  16:37  Moon at Descending Node     29  18:45  Aldebaran 5.4°S of Moon    29  19:22  FIRST QUARTER MOON Mar 01  23     Mercury at Perihelion     03  13     Mars at Opposition     05  03     Mercury at Greatest Elong: 18.2°E    07  00:36  Regulus 5.8°N of Moon    08  03:40  FULL MOON     10  04:02  Moon at Perigee: 362401 km    10  14:20  Spica 1.5°N of Moon    11  01:00  Saturn 6.2°N of Moon    13  14:41  Moon at Ascending Node     13  16     Venus 3.0°N of Jupiter    13  16:10  Antares 4.7°S of Moon    14  19:25  LAST QUARTER MOON     19  23:15  Vernal Equinox     20  19     Venus at Perihelion     21  13     Mercury at Inferior Conjunction     22  08:37  NEW MOON     24  12     Uranus in Conjunction with Sun     25  17:57  Jupiter 3.1°S of Moon    26  00:04  Moon at Apogee: 405780 km    26  12:21  Venus 1.8°N of Moon    27  01     Venus at Greatest Elong: 46.0°E    27  02:56  Pleiades 3.5°N of Moon    27  18:19  Moon at Descending Node     28  02:07  Aldebaran 5.2°S of Moon    30  13:41  FIRST QUARTER MOON Apr 03  07:18  Venus 0.4°S of Pleiades    03  11:10  Regulus 5.9°N of Moon    06  13:19  FULL MOON     07  00:24  Spica 1.5°N of Moon    07  08:07  Saturn 6.3°N of Moon    07  10:59  Moon at Perigee: 358314 km    09  18:47  Moon at Ascending Node     09  23:54  Antares 4.9°S of Moon    13  04:50  LAST QUARTER MOON     15  12     Saturn at Opposition     15  20:18  Mars 0.7°N of Regulus    18  11     Mercury at Greatest Elong: 27.5°W    21  01:18  NEW MOON     21  23     Lyrid Meteor Shower    22  07:49  Moon at Apogee: 406422 km    23  09:15  Pleiades 3.6°N of Moon    23  21:43  Moon at Descending Node     24  08:27  Aldebaran 5.0°S of Moon    24  20:21  Venus 5.7°N of Moon    29  03:58  FIRST QUARTER MOON     30  20:31  Regulus 6.1°N of MoonMay 04  11:26  Spica 1.5°N of Moon    04  12     Eta-Aquarid Meteor Shower    04  16:04  Saturn 6.4°N of Moon    05  21:33  Moon at Perigee: 356954 km    05  21:35  FULL MOON     07  03:43  Moon at Ascending Node     07  09:57  Antares 5.0°S of Moon    12  15:47  LAST QUARTER MOON     13  07     Jupiter in Conjunction with Sun     19  10:13  Moon at Apogee: 406451 km    20  17:47  NEW MOON     20  17:53  Annular Solar Eclipse; mag=0.944    21  03:20  Moon at Descending Node     22  14:52  Venus 4.7°N of Moon    27  05     Mercury at Superior Conjunction     28  03:43  Regulus 6.2°N of Moon    28  14:16  FIRST QUARTER MOON     28  23     Mercury at Perihelion     31  21:24  Spica 1.5°N of Moon    31  23:45  Saturn 6.5°N of MoonJun 03  07:19  Moon at Perigee: 358483 km    03  14:38  Moon at Ascending Node     03  20:51  Antares 5.0°S of Moon    04  05:03  Partial Lunar Eclipse; mag=0.370    04  05:12  FULL MOON     05  19     Venus at Inferior Conjunction     11  03:30  Jupiter 4.7°S of Pleiades    11  04:41  LAST QUARTER MOON     15  19:24  Moon at Apogee: 405791 km    16  21:34  Pleiades 3.6°N of Moon    17  02:23  Jupiter 1.1°S of Moon: Occn.    17  09:43  Moon at Descending Node     17  18:47  Venus 2.1°S of Moon    19  09:02  NEW MOON     20  11:50  Mercury 4.9°S of Pollux    20  17:08  Summer Solstice     21  04:33  Venus 2.2°N of Aldebaran    24  09:18  Regulus 6.1°N of Moon    26  09:02  Mars 5.8°N of Moon    26  21:30  FIRST QUARTER MOON     28  05:04  Spica 1.4°N of Moon    28  06:40  Saturn 6.3°N of Moon    30  20     Mercury at Greatest Elong: 25.7°E    30  23:45  Moon at Ascending Node 
Date     CST   Event        (h:m)Jul 01  02     Venus 4.8°S of Jupiter    01  06:42  Antares 5.0°S of Moon    01  12:01  Moon at Perigee: 362363 km    02  08:57  Mercury 1.6°S of Beehive    03  12:52  FULL MOON     04  22     Earth at Aphelion: 1.01668 AU    08  22:13  Venus 0.9°N of Aldebaran    10  19:48  LAST QUARTER MOON     11  04     Venus at Aphelion     11  22     Mercury at Aphelion     13  10:47  Moon at Apogee: 404783 km    14  04:34  Pleiades 3.7°N of Moon    14  14:55  Moon at Descending Node     14  21:02  Jupiter 0.5°S of Moon: Occn.    15  03:40  Aldebaran 4.9°S of Moon    15  09:29  Venus 3.8°S of Moon    18  22:24  NEW MOON     21  14:52  Regulus 5.9°N of Moon    24  16:07  Mars 4.2°N of Moon    25  10:43  Spica 1.2°N of Moon    25  13:29  Saturn 6.0°N of Moon    26  02:56  FIRST QUARTER MOON     27  14     Delta-Aquarid Meteor Shower    28  04:34  Moon at Ascending Node     28  14     Mercury at Inferior Conjunction     28  14:21  Antares 5.2°S of Moon    29  02:30  Moon at Perigee: 367318 km    29  05:45  Jupiter 4.6°N of AldebaranAug 01  21:27  FULL MOON     02  07:36  Saturn 4.0°N of Spica    09  12:55  LAST QUARTER MOON     10  04:52  Moon at Apogee: 404125 km    10  12:12  Pleiades 3.9°N of Moon    10  18:04  Moon at Descending Node     11  11:25  Aldebaran 4.8°S of Moon    11  14:25  Jupiter 0.1°N of Moon: Occn.    12  06     Perseid Meteor Shower    13  13:41  Venus 0.6°S of Moon: Occn.    13  16:45  Mars 1.6°N of Spica    15  04     Venus at Greatest Elong: 45.8°W    15  12     Mars 2.7°S of Saturn    15  23:06  Mercury 3.6°N of Moon    16  06     Mercury at Greatest Elong: 18.7°W    17  09:55  NEW MOON     18  09:33  Mercury 2.1°S of Beehive    21  16:04  Spica 1.0°N of Moon    21  21:43  Saturn 5.5°N of Moon    22  01:50  Mars 2.3°N of Moon    23  13:39  Moon at Perigee: 369731 km    24  05     Neptune at Opposition     24  05:38  Moon at Ascending Node     24  07:54  FIRST QUARTER MOON     24  20:02  Antares 5.4°S of Moon    24  22     Mercury at Perihelion     31  07:58  FULL MOON Sep 06  20:08  Moon at Descending Node     07  00:00  Moon at Apogee: 404296 km    07  19:23  Aldebaran 4.5°S of Moon    08  04:59  Jupiter 0.6°N of Moon: Occn.    08  07:15  LAST QUARTER MOON     10  07     Mercury at Superior Conjunction     12  11:09  Venus 3.7°N of Moon    13  02:52  Venus 2.6°S of Beehive    14  06:51  Regulus 5.9°N of Moon    15  20:11  NEW MOON     17  23:05  Spica 0.8°N of Moon    18  08:45  Saturn 5.0°N of Moon    18  20:52  Moon at Perigee: 365749 km    19  14:36  Mars 0.2°N of Moon: Occn.    20  06:54  Moon at Ascending Node     21  01:30  Antares 5.6°S of Moon    22  08:49  Autumnal Equinox     22  13:41  FIRST QUARTER MOON     29  01     Uranus at Opposition     29  21:19  FULL MOON Oct 01  04:56  Mercury 1.5°N of Spica    02  21:35  Venus 0.1°S of Regulus    03  23:15  Moon at Descending Node     04  18:43  Moon at Apogee: 405162 km    05  02     Mercury 3.2°S of Saturn    05  02:58  Aldebaran 4.3°S of Moon    05  14:50  Jupiter 0.9°N of Moon: Occn.    08  01:33  LAST QUARTER MOON     11  16:52  Regulus 6.0°N of Moon    12  13:10  Venus 6.3°N of Moon    15  06:02  NEW MOON     16  19:02  Moon at Perigee: 360673 km    16  19:43  Mercury 1.3°S of Moon    17  12:27  Moon at Ascending Node     18  07:06  Mars 2.0°S of Moon    18  08:50  Antares 5.8°S of Moon    20  14:07  Mars 3.5°N of Antares    20  22     Orionid Meteor Shower    21  21:32  FIRST QUARTER MOON     25  02     Saturn in Conjunction with Sun     26  16     Mercury at Greatest Elong: 24.1°E    29  13:50  FULL MOON     31  04:36  Moon at Descending Node     31  12     Venus at Perihelion Nov 01  09:30  Moon at Apogee: 406050 km    01  09:49  Aldebaran 4.2°S of Moon    01  18:58  Jupiter 0.9°N of Moon: Occn.    04  23     S Taurid Meteor Shower    06  08:32  Mercury 3.0°N of Antares    06  18:36  LAST QUARTER MOON     08  02:13  Regulus 6.1°N of Moon    11  11:52  Venus 5.3°N of Moon    11  19:42  Spica 0.8°N of Moon    11  22     N Taurid Meteor Shower    13  16:08  NEW MOON     13  16:12  Total Solar Eclipse; mag=1.050    13  22:37  Moon at Ascending Node     14  04:21  Moon at Perigee: 357361 km    16  03:40  Mars 4.0°S of Moon    16  19:22  Venus 3.6°N of Spica    17  04     Leonid Meteor Shower    17  10     Mercury at Inferior Conjunction     20  08:31  FIRST QUARTER MOON     20  21     Mercury at Perihelion     26  23     Venus 0.5°S of Saturn    27  11:05  Moon at Descending Node     28  08:33  Pen. Lunar Eclipse; mag=0.915    28  08:46  FULL MOON     28  13:35  Moon at Apogee: 406366 km    28  16:06  Aldebaran 4.2°S of Moon    28  18:46  Jupiter 0.6°N of Moon: Occn.Dec 02  19     Jupiter at Opposition     04  17     Mercury at Greatest Elong: 20.6°W    05  09:35  Regulus 6.1°N of Moon    06  09:32  LAST QUARTER MOON     09  03     Mercury 6.3°S of Venus    09  06:04  Spica 0.8°N of Moon    10  06:46  Saturn 4.0°N of Moon    11  07:48  Venus 1.6°N of Moon    11  09:57  Moon at Ascending Node     11  18:44  Mercury 1.1°N of Moon: Occn.    12  17:14  Moon at Perigee: 357074 km    12  23:18  Jupiter 4.7°N of Aldebaran    13  02:42  NEW MOON     13  17     Geminid Meteor Shower    18  03:57  Mercury 5.2°N of Antares    19  23:19  FIRST QUARTER MOON     21  05:12  Winter Solstice     22  02     Ursid Meteor Shower    23  21:19  Venus 5.5°N of Antares    24  16:27  Moon at Descending Node     25  15:19  Moon at Apogee: 406101 km    25  18:02  Jupiter 0.4°N of Moon: Occn.    25  22:23  Aldebaran 4.2°S of Moon    28  04:21  FULL MOON     

 Terms Used in Astronomical Events Calendar 
  • 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
  • Beehive - bright star cluster in the constellation Cancer
Calendars of Astronomical Events: 2011 to 2020
The Americas
Below are links to calendars of astronomical events from 2011 to 2020 for seven time zones in the Americas. 
Choose a time zone and click on a year to get a calendar of astronomical events for that year.
   Calendars of Astronomical Events - The Americas
   AST    2011     2012     2013     2014     2015     2016     2017     2018     2019     2020 
   EST    2011     2012     2013     2014     2015     2016     2017     2018     2019     2020 
   CST    2011     2012     2013     2014     2015     2016     2017     2018     2019     2020 
   MST    2011     2012     2013     2014     2015     2016     2017     2018     2019     2020 
   PST    2011     2012     2013     2014     2015     2016     2017     2018     2019     2020 
   AKST    2011     2012     2013     2014     2015     2016     2017     2018     2019     2020 
   HST    2011     2012     2013     2014     2015     2016     2017     2018     2019     2020 
        Time Zones Abbreviations
        • AST = Atlantic Standard Time (= GMT - 4 hours)
        • EST = Eastern Standard Time (= GMT - 5 hours)
        • CST = Central Standard Time (= GMT - 6 hours)
        • MST = Mountain Standard Time (= GMT - 7 hours)
        • PST = Pacific Standard Time (= GMT - 8 hours)
        • AKST = Alaskan Standard Time (= GMT - 9 hours)
        • HST = Hawaiian Standard Time (= GMT - 10 hours)
           (where GMT = Greenwich Mean Time)
A time zone may have a different name in different countries. Note the difference in hours between a given time zone and Greenwich Mean Time to help in identification.
For other years and other time zones, visit: Calendars of Astronomical Events.
 
Accuracy of the Astronomical Events Calendars
The goal of the Astronomical Events Calendars 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 Astronomical Events Calendars
 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 

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: 

Return to: Calendars of Astronomical Events
Return to: Planetary Ephemeris Data