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