2012Calendar of Astronomical Events

    
2012Phases of the Moon
Greenwich Mean Time
The following table gives the date and time of the Moon's phases for the year. The times listed are for Greenwich Mean Time.If Daylight Saving Time is in effect, add one hour to the times listed. 
   
      2012 Phases of the Moon   
      Greenwich Mean Time
 New Moon  First Quarter  Full Moon  Last Quarter 
- Jan  1  06:15    Jan  9  07:30    Jan 16  09:08   
 Jan 23  07:39    Jan 31  04:10    Feb  7  21:54    Feb 14  17:04   
 Feb 21  22:35    Mar  1  01:22    Mar  8  09:40    Mar 15  01:25   
 Mar 22  14:37    Mar 30  19:41    Apr  6  19:19    Apr 13  10:50   
 Apr 21  07:18    Apr 29  09:58    May  6  03:35    May 12  21:47   
 May 20  23:47 A  May 28  20:16    Jun  4  11:12 p  Jun 11  10:41   
 Jun 19  15:02    Jun 27  03:30    Jul  3  18:52    Jul 11  01:48   
 Jul 19  04:24    Jul 26  08:56    Aug  2  03:27    Aug  9  18:55   
 Aug 17  15:54    Aug 24  13:54    Aug 31  13:58    Sep  8  13:15   
 Sep 16  02:11    Sep 22  19:41    Sep 30  03:19    Oct  8  07:33   
 Oct 15  12:02    Oct 22  03:32    Oct 29  19:50    Nov  7  00:36   
 Nov 13  22:08 T  Nov 20  14:31    Nov 28  14:46 n  Dec  6  15:32   
 Dec 13  08:42    Dec 20  05:19    Dec 28  10:21   -
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
Greenwich Mean Time
The following table gives the date and time of the important astronomical events for the year. The times listed are for Greenwich Mean Time.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   
   Greenwich Mean Time  
 January - June   July - December 
Date     GMT   Event        (h:m)Jan 01  06:15  FIRST QUARTER MOON     02  20:19  Moon at Apogee: 404580 km    03  02:46  Jupiter 5.0°S of Moon    04  07     Quadrantid Meteor Shower    05  01     Earth at Perihelion: 0.98328 AU    05  09:17  Pleiades 2.8°N of Moon    06  07:43  Aldebaran 5.8°S of Moon    06  14:30  Moon at Descending Node     09  07:30  FULL MOON     12  13:04  Regulus 5.9°N of Moon    16  07:21  Spica 2.0°N of Moon    16  09:08  LAST QUARTER MOON     16  19:07  Saturn 6.4°N of Moon    17  21:28  Moon at Perigee: 369883 km    18  06     Mercury at Aphelion     19  10:59  Antares 4.2°S of Moon    19  18:26  Moon at Ascending Node     23  07:39  NEW MOON     30  14:38  Jupiter 4.5°S of Moon    30  17:42  Moon at Apogee: 404325 km    31  04:10  FIRST QUARTER MOON Feb 01  17:42  Pleiades 3.0°N of Moon    02  16:22  Aldebaran 5.7°S of Moon    02  20:02  Moon at Descending Node     07  09     Mercury at Superior Conjunction     07  21:54  FULL MOON     08  20:43  Regulus 5.8°N of Moon    11  18:32  Moon at Perigee: 367920 km    12  12:47  Spica 1.8°N of Moon    13  01:08  Saturn 6.2°N of Moon    14  17:04  LAST QUARTER MOON     15  16:35  Antares 4.4°S of Moon    15  20:16  Moon at Ascending Node     15  21     Mars at Aphelion:  1.66598 AU    19  20     Neptune in Conjunction with Sun     21  22:35  NEW MOON     25  21:44  Venus 3.3°S of Moon    27  06:16  Jupiter 3.8°S of Moon    27  14:01  Moon at Apogee: 404864 km    29  01:46  Pleiades 3.3°N of Moon    29  22:37  Moon at Descending Node Mar 01  00:45  Aldebaran 5.4°S of Moon    01  01:22  FIRST QUARTER MOON     02  05     Mercury at Perihelion     03  19     Mars at Opposition     05  09     Mercury at Greatest Elong: 18.2°E    07  06:36  Regulus 5.8°N of Moon    08  09:40  FULL MOON     10  10:02  Moon at Perigee: 362401 km    10  20:20  Spica 1.5°N of Moon    11  07:00  Saturn 6.2°N of Moon    13  20:41  Moon at Ascending Node     13  22     Venus 3.0°N of Jupiter    13  22:10  Antares 4.7°S of Moon    15  01:25  LAST QUARTER MOON     20  05:15  Vernal Equinox     21  01     Venus at Perihelion     21  19     Mercury at Inferior Conjunction     22  14:37  NEW MOON     24  18     Uranus in Conjunction with Sun     25  23:57  Jupiter 3.1°S of Moon    26  06:04  Moon at Apogee: 405780 km    26  18:21  Venus 1.8°N of Moon    27  07     Venus at Greatest Elong: 46.0°E    27  08:56  Pleiades 3.5°N of Moon    28  00:19  Moon at Descending Node     28  08:07  Aldebaran 5.2°S of Moon    30  19:41  FIRST QUARTER MOON Apr 03  13:18  Venus 0.4°S of Pleiades    03  17:10  Regulus 5.9°N of Moon    06  19:19  FULL MOON     07  06:24  Spica 1.5°N of Moon    07  14:07  Saturn 6.3°N of Moon    07  16:59  Moon at Perigee: 358314 km    10  00:47  Moon at Ascending Node     10  05:54  Antares 4.9°S of Moon    13  10:50  LAST QUARTER MOON     15  18     Saturn at Opposition     16  02:18  Mars 0.7°N of Regulus    18  17     Mercury at Greatest Elong: 27.5°W    21  07:18  NEW MOON     22  05     Lyrid Meteor Shower    22  13:49  Moon at Apogee: 406422 km    23  15:15  Pleiades 3.6°N of Moon    24  03:43  Moon at Descending Node     24  14:27  Aldebaran 5.0°S of Moon    25  02:21  Venus 5.7°N of Moon    29  09:58  FIRST QUARTER MOON May 01  02:31  Regulus 6.1°N of Moon    04  17:26  Spica 1.5°N of Moon    04  18     Eta-Aquarid Meteor Shower    04  22:04  Saturn 6.4°N of Moon    06  03:33  Moon at Perigee: 356954 km    06  03:35  FULL MOON     07  09:43  Moon at Ascending Node     07  15:57  Antares 5.0°S of Moon    12  21:47  LAST QUARTER MOON     13  13     Jupiter in Conjunction with Sun     19  16:13  Moon at Apogee: 406451 km    20  23:47  NEW MOON     20  23:53  Annular Solar Eclipse; mag=0.944    21  09:20  Moon at Descending Node     22  20:52  Venus 4.7°N of Moon    27  11     Mercury at Superior Conjunction     28  09:43  Regulus 6.2°N of Moon    28  20:16  FIRST QUARTER MOON     29  05     Mercury at Perihelion Jun 01  03:24  Spica 1.5°N of Moon    01  05:45  Saturn 6.5°N of Moon    03  13:19  Moon at Perigee: 358483 km    03  20:38  Moon at Ascending Node     04  02:51  Antares 5.0°S of Moon    04  11:03  Partial Lunar Eclipse; mag=0.370    04  11:12  FULL MOON     06  01     Venus at Inferior Conjunction     11  09:30  Jupiter 4.7°S of Pleiades    11  10:41  LAST QUARTER MOON     16  01:24  Moon at Apogee: 405791 km    17  03:34  Pleiades 3.6°N of Moon    17  08:23  Jupiter 1.1°S of Moon: Occn.    17  15:43  Moon at Descending Node     18  00:47  Venus 2.1°S of Moon    19  15:02  NEW MOON     20  17:50  Mercury 4.9°S of Pollux    20  23:08  Summer Solstice     21  10:33  Venus 2.2°N of Aldebaran    24  15:18  Regulus 6.1°N of Moon    26  15:02  Mars 5.8°N of Moon    27  03:30  FIRST QUARTER MOON     28  11:04  Spica 1.4°N of Moon    28  12:40  Saturn 6.3°N of Moon
Date     GMT   Event        (h:m)Jul 01  02     Mercury at Greatest Elong: 25.7°E    01  05:45  Moon at Ascending Node     01  08     Venus 4.8°S of Jupiter    01  12:42  Antares 5.0°S of Moon    01  18:01  Moon at Perigee: 362363 km    02  14:57  Mercury 1.6°S of Beehive    03  18:52  FULL MOON     05  04     Earth at Aphelion: 1.01668 AU    09  04:13  Venus 0.9°N of Aldebaran    11  01:48  LAST QUARTER MOON     11  10     Venus at Aphelion     12  04     Mercury at Aphelion     13  16:47  Moon at Apogee: 404783 km    14  10:34  Pleiades 3.7°N of Moon    14  20:55  Moon at Descending Node     15  03:02  Jupiter 0.5°S of Moon: Occn.    15  09:40  Aldebaran 4.9°S of Moon    15  15:29  Venus 3.8°S of Moon    19  04:24  NEW MOON     21  20:52  Regulus 5.9°N of Moon    24  22:07  Mars 4.2°N of Moon    25  16:43  Spica 1.2°N of Moon    25  19:29  Saturn 6.0°N of Moon    26  08:56  FIRST QUARTER MOON     27  20     Delta-Aquarid Meteor Shower    28  10:34  Moon at Ascending Node     28  20     Mercury at Inferior Conjunction     28  20:21  Antares 5.2°S of Moon    29  08:30  Moon at Perigee: 367318 km    29  11:45  Jupiter 4.6°N of AldebaranAug 02  03:27  FULL MOON     02  13:36  Saturn 4.0°N of Spica    09  18:55  LAST QUARTER MOON     10  10:52  Moon at Apogee: 404125 km    10  18:12  Pleiades 3.9°N of Moon    11  00:04  Moon at Descending Node     11  17:25  Aldebaran 4.8°S of Moon    11  20:25  Jupiter 0.1°N of Moon: Occn.    12  12     Perseid Meteor Shower    13  19:41  Venus 0.6°S of Moon: Occn.    13  22:45  Mars 1.6°N of Spica    15  10     Venus at Greatest Elong: 45.8°W    15  18     Mars 2.7°S of Saturn    16  05:06  Mercury 3.6°N of Moon    16  12     Mercury at Greatest Elong: 18.7°W    17  15:55  NEW MOON     18  15:33  Mercury 2.1°S of Beehive    21  22:04  Spica 1.0°N of Moon    22  03:43  Saturn 5.5°N of Moon    22  07:50  Mars 2.3°N of Moon    23  19:39  Moon at Perigee: 369731 km    24  11     Neptune at Opposition     24  11:38  Moon at Ascending Node     24  13:54  FIRST QUARTER MOON     25  02:02  Antares 5.4°S of Moon    25  04     Mercury at Perihelion     31  13:58  FULL MOON Sep 07  02:08  Moon at Descending Node     07  06:00  Moon at Apogee: 404296 km    08  01:23  Aldebaran 4.5°S of Moon    08  10:59  Jupiter 0.6°N of Moon: Occn.    08  13:15  LAST QUARTER MOON     10  13     Mercury at Superior Conjunction     12  17:09  Venus 3.7°N of Moon    13  08:52  Venus 2.6°S of Beehive    14  12:51  Regulus 5.9°N of Moon    16  02:11  NEW MOON     18  05:05  Spica 0.8°N of Moon    18  14:45  Saturn 5.0°N of Moon    19  02:52  Moon at Perigee: 365749 km    19  20:36  Mars 0.2°N of Moon: Occn.    20  12:54  Moon at Ascending Node     21  07:30  Antares 5.6°S of Moon    22  14:49  Autumnal Equinox     22  19:41  FIRST QUARTER MOON     29  07     Uranus at Opposition     30  03:19  FULL MOON Oct 01  10:56  Mercury 1.5°N of Spica    03  03:35  Venus 0.1°S of Regulus    04  05:15  Moon at Descending Node     05  00:43  Moon at Apogee: 405162 km    05  08     Mercury 3.2°S of Saturn    05  08:58  Aldebaran 4.3°S of Moon    05  20:50  Jupiter 0.9°N of Moon: Occn.    08  07:33  LAST QUARTER MOON     11  22:52  Regulus 6.0°N of Moon    12  19:10  Venus 6.3°N of Moon    15  12:02  NEW MOON     17  01:02  Moon at Perigee: 360673 km    17  01:43  Mercury 1.3°S of Moon    17  18:27  Moon at Ascending Node     18  13:06  Mars 2.0°S of Moon    18  14:50  Antares 5.8°S of Moon    20  20:07  Mars 3.5°N of Antares    21  04     Orionid Meteor Shower    22  03:32  FIRST QUARTER MOON     25  08     Saturn in Conjunction with Sun     26  22     Mercury at Greatest Elong: 24.1°E    29  19:50  FULL MOON     31  10:36  Moon at Descending Node     31  18     Venus at Perihelion Nov 01  15:30  Moon at Apogee: 406050 km    01  15:49  Aldebaran 4.2°S of Moon    02  00:58  Jupiter 0.9°N of Moon: Occn.    05  05     S Taurid Meteor Shower    06  14:32  Mercury 3.0°N of Antares    07  00:36  LAST QUARTER MOON     08  08:13  Regulus 6.1°N of Moon    11  17:52  Venus 5.3°N of Moon    12  01:42  Spica 0.8°N of Moon    12  04     N Taurid Meteor Shower    13  22:08  NEW MOON     13  22:12  Total Solar Eclipse; mag=1.050    14  04:37  Moon at Ascending Node     14  10:21  Moon at Perigee: 357361 km    16  09:40  Mars 4.0°S of Moon    17  01:22  Venus 3.6°N of Spica    17  10     Leonid Meteor Shower    17  16     Mercury at Inferior Conjunction     20  14:31  FIRST QUARTER MOON     21  03     Mercury at Perihelion     27  05     Venus 0.5°S of Saturn    27  17:05  Moon at Descending Node     28  14:33  Pen. Lunar Eclipse; mag=0.915    28  14:46  FULL MOON     28  19:35  Moon at Apogee: 406366 km    28  22:06  Aldebaran 4.2°S of Moon    29  00:46  Jupiter 0.6°N of Moon: Occn.Dec 03  01     Jupiter at Opposition     04  23     Mercury at Greatest Elong: 20.6°W    05  15:35  Regulus 6.1°N of Moon    06  15:32  LAST QUARTER MOON     09  09     Mercury 6.3°S of Venus    09  12:04  Spica 0.8°N of Moon    10  12:46  Saturn 4.0°N of Moon    11  13:48  Venus 1.6°N of Moon    11  15:57  Moon at Ascending Node     12  00:44  Mercury 1.1°N of Moon: Occn.    12  23:14  Moon at Perigee: 357074 km    13  05:18  Jupiter 4.7°N of Aldebaran    13  08:42  NEW MOON     13  23     Geminid Meteor Shower    18  09:57  Mercury 5.2°N of Antares    20  05:19  FIRST QUARTER MOON     21  11:12  Winter Solstice     22  08     Ursid Meteor Shower    24  03:19  Venus 5.5°N of Antares    24  22:27  Moon at Descending Node     25  21:19  Moon at Apogee: 406101 km    26  00:02  Jupiter 0.4°N of Moon: Occn.    26  04:23  Aldebaran 4.2°S of Moon    28  10:21  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
Europe, Africa, and the Middle East
Below are links to calendars of astronomical events from 2011 to 2020 for five time zones 
in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. 
Choose a time zone and click on a year to get a calendar of astronomical events for that year.
   Calendar of Astronomical Events - Europe, Africa, & Middle East
   GMT    2011     2012     2013     2014     2015     2016     2017     2018     2019     2020 
   CET    2011     2012     2013     2014     2015     2016     2017     2018     2019     2020 
   EET    2011     2012     2013     2014     2015     2016     2017     2018     2019     2020 
   MSK    2011     2012     2013     2014     2015     2016     2017     2018     2019     2020 
   GST    2011     2012     2013     2014     2015     2016     2017     2018     2019     2020 
        Time Zones Abbreviations
        • GMT = Greenwich Mean Time 
        • CET = Central European Time (= GMT + 1 hour)
        • EET = Eastern European Time (= GMT + 2 hours)
        • MSK = Moscow Time (= GMT + 3 hours)
        • GST = Gulf Standard Time (= GMT + 4 hours)
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
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