2016Calendar of Astronomical Events

    
2016Phases of the Moon
Pacific Standard Time
The following table gives the date and time of the Moon's phases for the year. The times listed are for Pacific Standard Time(Greenwich Mean Time - 8 hours).If Daylight Saving Time is in effect, add one hour to the times listed. 
   
      2016 Phases of the Moon   
      Pacific Standard Time
 New Moon  First Quarter  Full Moon  Last Quarter 
--- Jan  1  21:30   
 Jan  9  17:30    Jan 16  15:26    Jan 23  17:46    Jan 31  19:28   
 Feb  8  06:39    Feb 14  23:46    Feb 22  10:20    Mar  1  15:11   
 Mar  8  17:54 T  Mar 15  09:03    Mar 23  04:01 n  Mar 31  07:17   
 Apr  7  03:24    Apr 13  19:59    Apr 21  21:24    Apr 29  19:29   
 May  6  11:30    May 13  09:02    May 21  13:15    May 29  04:12   
 Jun  4  19:00    Jun 12  00:10    Jun 20  03:02    Jun 27  10:19   
 Jul  4  03:01    Jul 11  16:52    Jul 19  14:57    Jul 26  15:00   
 Aug  2  12:45    Aug 10  10:21    Aug 18  01:27    Aug 24  19:41   
 Sep  1  01:03 A  Sep  9  03:49    Sep 16  11:05 n  Sep 23  01:56   
 Sep 30  16:12    Oct  8  20:33    Oct 15  20:23    Oct 22  11:14   
 Oct 30  09:38    Nov  7  11:51    Nov 14  05:52    Nov 21  00:33   
 Nov 29  04:18    Dec  7  01:03    Dec 13  16:06    Dec 20  17:56   
 Dec 28  22:53   ---
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.
2016Calendar of Astronomical Events
Pacific Standard Time
The following table gives the date and time of the important astronomical events for the year. The times listed are for Pacific Standard Time(Greenwich Mean Time - 8 hours).If Daylight Saving Time is in effect, add one hour to the times listed. A key to astronomical terms appears below the calendar.
   
      2016Calendar of Astronomical Events   
   Pacific Standard Time  
 January - June   July - December 
Date     PST   Event        (h:m)Jan 01  21:30  LAST QUARTER MOON     02  03:53  Moon at Apogee: 404279 km    02  15     Earth at Perihelion: 0.98330 AU    02  19:35  Spica 4.7°S of Moon    03  10:45  Mars 1.5°S of Moon    04  00     Quadrantid Meteor Shower    06  15:57  Venus 3.1°S of Moon    06  20:57  Saturn 3.3°S of Moon    07  03:34  Venus 6.3°N of Antares    08  10     Mercury at Perihelion     09  00     Venus 0.1°N of Saturn    09  17:30  NEW MOON     14  06     Mercury at Inferior Conjunction     14  07:48  Moon at Descending Node     14  18:10  Moon at Perigee: 369619 km    16  15:26  FIRST QUARTER MOON     19  18:16  Aldebaran 0.5°S of Moon    23  17:46  FULL MOON     25  21:10  Regulus 2.5°N of Moon    27  15:58  Moon at Ascending Node     27  17:14  Jupiter 1.4°N of Moon    30  01:10  Moon at Apogee: 404553 km    30  03:35  Spica 5.0°S of Moon    31  19:28  LAST QUARTER MOON Feb 01  00:48  Mars 2.7°S of Moon    03  11:05  Saturn 3.5°S of Moon    05  23:32  Venus 4.3°S of Moon    06  08:47  Mercury 3.8°S of Moon    06  17     Mercury at Greatest Elong: 25.6°W    08  06:39  NEW MOON     10  12:46  Moon at Descending Node     10  18:42  Moon at Perigee: 364358 km    12  19     Mercury 4.0°N of Venus    14  23:46  FIRST QUARTER MOON     15  23:41  Aldebaran 0.3°S of Moon    21  09     Mercury at Aphelion     22  04:48  Regulus 2.5°N of Moon    22  10:20  FULL MOON     23  19:58  Jupiter 1.7°N of Moon    23  22:10  Moon at Ascending Node     26  11:05  Spica 5.1°S of Moon    26  19:28  Moon at Apogee: 405383 km    28  07     Neptune in Conjunction with Sun     29  10:16  Mars 3.6°S of MoonMar 01  15:11  LAST QUARTER MOON     01  22:53  Saturn 3.6°S of Moon    07  02:54  Venus 3.5°S of Moon    08  02     Jupiter at Opposition     08  17:54  NEW MOON     08  17:57  Total Solar Eclipse; mag=1.045    08  22:31  Moon at Descending Node     09  23:02  Moon at Perigee: 359509 km    14  05:44  Aldebaran 0.3°S of Moon    15  09:03  FIRST QUARTER MOON     19  20:31  Vernal Equinox     20  06     Venus at Aphelion     20  11:05  Regulus 2.5°N of Moon    21  19:57  Jupiter 2.1°N of Moon    22  04:59  Moon at Ascending Node     23  03:47  Pen. Lunar Eclipse; mag=0.775    23  04:01  FULL MOON     23  12     Mercury at Superior Conjunction     24  17:50  Spica 5.1°S of Moon    25  06:16  Moon at Apogee: 406125 km    28  10:45  Mars 4.2°S of Moon    29  06:58  Saturn 3.5°S of Moon    31  07:17  LAST QUARTER MOON Apr 05  09     Mercury at Perihelion     05  09:27  Moon at Descending Node     06  00:30  Venus 0.7°S of Moon: Occn.    07  03:24  NEW MOON     07  09:36  Moon at Perigee: 357164 km    08  02:35  Mercury 5.2°N of Moon    09  13     Uranus in Conjunction with Sun     10  14:05  Aldebaran 0.4°S of Moon    13  19:59  FIRST QUARTER MOON     16  16:46  Regulus 2.5°N of Moon    17  20:42  Jupiter 2.2°N of Moon    18  06     Mercury at Greatest Elong: 19.9°E    18  10:04  Moon at Ascending Node     20  23:59  Spica 5.1°S of Moon    21  08:05  Moon at Apogee: 406352 km    21  21:24  FULL MOON     21  21     Lyrid Meteor Shower    24  20:13  Mars 4.9°S of Moon    25  11:28  Saturn 3.3°S of Moon    27  05:51  Mars 4.8°N of Antares    28  00:14  Mercury 3.0°S of Pleiades    29  19:29  LAST QUARTER MOON May 02  17:27  Moon at Descending Node     04  11     Eta-Aquarid Meteor Shower    05  20:14  Moon at Perigee: 357828 km    06  11:30  NEW MOON     08  00:21  Aldebaran 0.5°S of Moon    09  07     Mercury at Inferior Conjunction     13  09:02  FIRST QUARTER MOON     13  23:06  Regulus 2.3°N of Moon    15  01:30  Jupiter 2.0°N of Moon    15  12:39  Moon at Ascending Node     18  06:07  Spica 5.1°S of Moon    18  14:06  Moon at Apogee: 405934 km    21  13:15  FULL MOON     22  03     Mars at Opposition     22  13:59  Saturn 3.2°S of Moon    29  04:12  LAST QUARTER MOON     29  20:45  Moon at Descending Node Jun 02  22     Saturn at Opposition     03  01:47  Mercury 0.7°N of Moon: Occn.    03  02:55  Moon at Perigee: 361142 km    04  19:00  NEW MOON     05  01     Mercury at Greatest Elong: 24.2°W    06  14     Venus at Superior Conjunction     10  06:47  Regulus 2.0°N of Moon    11  11:35  Jupiter 1.5°N of Moon    11  14:20  Moon at Ascending Node     12  00:10  FIRST QUARTER MOON     13  02:06  Mercury 6.4°S of Pleiades    14  12:47  Spica 5.3°S of Moon    15  04:00  Moon at Apogee: 405022 km    18  16:40  Saturn 3.3°S of Moon    18  19:39  Mercury 3.7°N of Aldebaran    20  03:02  FULL MOON     20  14:35  Summer Solstice     25  21:28  Moon at Descending Node     27  10:19  LAST QUARTER MOON     30  22:45  Moon at Perigee: 365983 km
Date     PST   Event        (h:m)Jul 01  19:58  Aldebaran 0.4°S of Moon    02  08     Mercury at Perihelion     04  03:01  NEW MOON     04  08     Earth at Aphelion: 1.01675 AU    06  19     Mercury at Superior Conjunction     07  15:33  Regulus 1.8°N of Moon    08  17:41  Moon at Ascending Node     09  02:08  Jupiter 0.9°N of Moon: Occn.    10  15     Venus at Perihelion     11  16:52  FIRST QUARTER MOON     11  20:13  Spica 5.6°S of Moon    12  21:24  Moon at Apogee: 404272 km    15  21:11  Saturn 3.4°S of Moon    16  15     Mercury 0.5°N of Venus    19  14:57  FULL MOON     22  23:49  Moon at Descending Node     26  15:00  LAST QUARTER MOON     27  03:25  Moon at Perigee: 369659 km    27  13     Delta-Aquarid Meteor Shower    29  02:53  Aldebaran 0.3°S of Moon    30  07:55  Mercury 0.3°N of RegulusAug 02  12:45  NEW MOON     03  22:19  Venus 2.9°N of Moon    04  14:12  Mercury 0.6°N of Moon: Occn.    04  23:48  Moon at Ascending Node     05  03:57  Venus 1.0°N of Regulus    05  19:28  Jupiter 0.2°N of Moon: Occn.    08  04:08  Spica 5.8°S of Moon    09  16:05  Moon at Apogee: 404266 km    10  10:21  FIRST QUARTER MOON     12  04:10  Saturn 3.7°S of Moon    12  04     Perseid Meteor Shower    15  08     Mercury at Aphelion     16  13     Mercury at Greatest Elong: 27.4°E    18  01:27  FULL MOON     19  06:14  Moon at Descending Node     19  22     Mercury 3.8°S of Jupiter    21  17:20  Moon at Perigee: 367047 km    23  21:09  Mars 1.8°N of Antares    24  17     Mars 4.3°S of Saturn    24  19:41  LAST QUARTER MOON     25  08:21  Aldebaran 0.2°S of Moon    27  14     Venus 0.1°N of Jupiter    28  12     Mercury 5.0°S of VenusSep 01  01:03  NEW MOON     01  01:07  Annular Solar Eclipse; mag=0.974    01  07:27  Moon at Ascending Node     02  07     Neptune at Opposition     03  02:33  Venus 1.1°S of Moon: Occn.    04  11:56  Spica 5.8°S of Moon    04  12:05  Saturn 5.9°N of Antares    06  10:44  Moon at Apogee: 405059 km    08  13:23  Saturn 3.8°S of Moon    09  03:49  FIRST QUARTER MOON     12  16     Mercury at Inferior Conjunction     15  15:55  Moon at Descending Node     16  10:54  Pen. Lunar Eclipse; mag=0.908    16  11:05  FULL MOON     18  07:15  Venus 2.2°N of Spica    18  09:00  Moon at Perigee: 361894 km    21  14:13  Aldebaran 0.2°S of Moon    22  06:21  Autumnal Equinox     23  01:56  LAST QUARTER MOON     25  22     Jupiter in Conjunction with Sun     27  14:32  Regulus 1.7°N of Moon    28  07     Mercury at Perihelion     28  11     Mercury at Greatest Elong: 17.9°W    28  14:06  Moon at Ascending Node     29  02:42  Mercury 0.7°N of Moon: Occn.    30  16:12  NEW MOON Oct 03  09:30  Venus 5.0°S of Moon    04  03:02  Moon at Apogee: 406100 km    06  00:04  Saturn 3.8°S of Moon    08  20:33  FIRST QUARTER MOON     11  02     Mercury 0.8°N of Jupiter    13  01:43  Moon at Descending Node     15  02     Uranus at Opposition     15  20:23  FULL MOON     16  15:36  Moon at Perigee: 357860 km    18  22:18  Aldebaran 0.3°S of Moon    20  21     Orionid Meteor Shower    22  11:14  LAST QUARTER MOON     24  20:01  Regulus 1.6°N of Moon    25  17:44  Moon at Ascending Node     26  02:56  Venus 3.0°N of Antares    27  08     Mercury at Superior Conjunction     28  01:33  Jupiter 1.4°S of Moon    29  05     Mars at Perihelion:  1.38124 AU    29  18     Venus 3.0°S of Saturn    30  09:38  NEW MOON     31  11:29  Moon at Apogee: 406660 kmNov 02  11:38  Saturn 3.7°S of Moon    04  21     S Taurid Meteor Shower    06  04:07  Mars 5.3°S of Moon    07  11:51  FIRST QUARTER MOON     09  07:57  Moon at Descending Node     11  20     N Taurid Meteor Shower    14  03:23  Moon at Perigee: 356512 km    14  05:52  FULL MOON     15  08:50  Aldebaran 0.4°S of Moon    17  03     Leonid Meteor Shower    19  09:51  Beehive 4.3°N of Moon    21  00:33  LAST QUARTER MOON     21  02:08  Regulus 1.3°N of Moon    21  18:48  Moon at Ascending Node     23  11     Mercury 3.4°S of Saturn    24  17:47  Jupiter 1.9°S of Moon    27  12:08  Moon at Apogee: 406556 km    29  04:18  NEW MOON Dec 03  04:34  Venus 5.8°S of Moon    05  02:39  Mars 2.9°S of Moon    06  09:35  Moon at Descending Node     07  01:03  FIRST QUARTER MOON     10  03     Saturn in Conjunction with Sun     10  20     Mercury at Greatest Elong: 20.8°E    12  15:27  Moon at Perigee: 358463 km    12  20:14  Aldebaran 0.5°S of Moon    13  16     Geminid Meteor Shower    13  16:06  FULL MOON     16  19:17  Beehive 4.1°N of Moon    18  10:13  Regulus 1.0°N of Moon    18  20:46  Moon at Ascending Node     20  17:56  LAST QUARTER MOON     21  02:45  Winter Solstice     22  00     Ursid Meteor Shower    22  08:37  Jupiter 2.4°S of Moon    24  21:55  Moon at Apogee: 405870 km    25  07     Mercury at Perihelion     28  11     Mercury at Inferior Conjunction     28  22:53  NEW 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