2008 Sky Event Almanac
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 (= Coordinated Universal Time) . 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.
| 2008 Sky Event Almanac | ||||||||
| Greenwich Mean Time | ||||||||
| January - June | July - December | |||||||
Date GMT Event
(h:m)
Jan 01 14:51 Spica 2.4°N of Moon
03 00 Earth at Perihelion: 0.98328 AU
03 08:06 Moon at Apogee: 405328 km
04 07 Quadrantid Meteor Shower
05 09:55 Antares 0.5°N of Moon
08 11:37 NEW MOON
11 15:17 Moon at Ascending Node
15 19:46 FIRST QUARTER MOON
18 06:43 Pleiades 1.1°S of Moon
19 08:39 Moon at Perigee: 366436 km
19 23:40 Mars 1.1°S of Moon: Occn.
22 00:00 Pollux 3.8°N of Moon
22 05 Mercury at Greatest Elong: 18.6°E
22 13:35 FULL MOON
24 10:49 Moon at Descending Node
24 14:57 Regulus 0.7°N of Moon
25 06:25 Saturn 3.0°N of Moon
27 18 Mercury at Perihelion
28 23:09 Spica 2.5°N of Moon
30 05:03 LAST QUARTER MOON
31 04:26 Moon at Apogee: 404532 km
Feb 01 13 Venus 0.6°N of Jupiter
01 17:57 Antares 0.6°N of Moon
04 05:52 Jupiter 4.0°N of Moon
04 11:35 Venus 4.3°N of Moon
06 18 Mercury at Inferior Conjunction
07 03:44 NEW MOON
07 03:55 Annular Solar Eclipse; mag=0.965
07 21:39 Moon at Ascending Node
11 02 Neptune in Conjunction with Sun
14 01:07 Moon at Perigee: 370216 km
14 03:34 FIRST QUARTER MOON
14 12:35 Pleiades 1.2°S of Moon
16 07:53 Mars 1.6°S of Moon
18 08:15 Pollux 3.8°N of Moon
20 20:01 Moon at Descending Node
21 00:16 Regulus 0.7°N of Moon
21 03:26 Total Lunar Eclipse; mag=1.106
21 03:31 FULL MOON
21 12:01 Saturn 2.9°N of Moon
24 09 Saturn at Opposition
25 07:47 Spica 2.6°N of Moon
27 08 Mercury 1.1°N of Venus
28 01:27 Moon at Apogee: 404442 km
29 02:16 Antares 0.6°N of Moon
29 02:18 LAST QUARTER MOON
Mar 03 00:56 Jupiter 3.6°N of Moon
03 11 Mercury at Greatest Elong: 27.1°W
05 13:59 Mercury 0.2°N of Moon: Occn.
05 19:20 Venus 0.2°S of Moon: Occn.
06 06:52 Moon at Ascending Node
07 17:14 NEW MOON
08 20 Uranus in Conjunction with Sun
10 21:39 Moon at Perigee: 366302 km
11 18 Mercury at Aphelion
12 18:09 Pleiades 1.2°S of Moon
14 10:46 FIRST QUARTER MOON
15 02:58 Mars 1.7°S of Moon
16 14:16 Pollux 3.8°N of Moon
19 02:53 Moon at Descending Node
19 07:35 Regulus 0.7°N of Moon
19 15:31 Saturn 2.7°N of Moon
20 05:49 Vernal Equinox
21 12 Venus at Aphelion
21 18:40 FULL MOON
23 15:47 Spica 2.5°N of Moon
24 13 Mercury 1.0°S of Venus
26 20:13 Moon at Apogee: 405094 km
27 10:04 Antares 0.5°N of Moon
29 21:47 LAST QUARTER MOON
30 17:23 Jupiter 3.2°N of Moon
Apr 02 15:18 Moon at Ascending Node
05 01:09 Venus 4.7°S of Moon
06 03:55 NEW MOON
07 19:28 Moon at Perigee: 361083 km
09 01:38 Pleiades 1.0°S of Moon
12 05:35 Mars 1.2°S of Moon: Occn.
12 18:32 FIRST QUARTER MOON
12 19:47 Pollux 4.0°N of Moon
15 05:48 Moon at Descending Node
15 13:23 Regulus 0.9°N of Moon
15 18:42 Saturn 2.6°N of Moon
16 07 Mercury at Superior Conjunction
19 22:36 Spica 2.4°N of Moon
20 10:25 FULL MOON
22 04 Lyrid Meteor Shower
23 09:34 Moon at Apogee: 405945 km
23 16:57 Antares 0.3°N of Moon
24 17 Mercury at Perihelion
26 16:24 Mars 4.7°S of Pollux
27 05:11 Jupiter 2.8°N of Moon
28 14:12 LAST QUARTER MOON
29 20:07 Moon at Ascending Node
May 02 20:07 Mercury 2.0°S of Pleiades
03 21:12 Saturn 0.6°N of Regulus
04 18 Eta-Aquarid Meteor Shower
05 12:18 NEW MOON
06 03:22 Moon at Perigee: 357772 km
06 22:17 Mercury 2.5°S of Moon
10 02:51 Pollux 4.3°N of Moon
10 13:44 Mars 0.2°S of Moon: Occn.
12 03:47 FIRST QUARTER MOON
12 06:37 Moon at Descending Node
12 19:14 Regulus 1.1°N of Moon
13 00:08 Saturn 2.8°N of Moon
13 02 Mars at Aphelion: 1.66594 AU
14 04 Mercury at Greatest Elong: 21.8°E
17 04:35 Spica 2.5°N of Moon
20 02:11 FULL MOON
20 14:27 Moon at Apogee: 406404 km
20 23:06 Antares 0.2°N of Moon
24 11:20 Jupiter 2.5°N of Moon
26 21:45 Moon at Ascending Node
28 02:57 LAST QUARTER MOON
Jun 03 13:08 Moon at Perigee: 357251 km
03 19:23 NEW MOON
06 12:04 Pollux 4.5°N of Moon
07 15 Mercury at Inferior Conjunction
08 02:13 Mars 1.1°N of Moon: Occn.
08 09:15 Moon at Descending Node
09 02:37 Regulus 1.4°N of Moon
09 04 Venus at Superior Conjunction
09 09:26 Saturn 3.1°N of Moon
10 15:04 FIRST QUARTER MOON
13 10:37 Spica 2.7°N of Moon
16 17:33 Moon at Apogee: 406229 km
17 05:08 Antares 0.2°N of Moon
18 17:30 FULL MOON
19 14:05 Mercury 1.5°N of Aldebaran
20 12:44 Jupiter 2.4°N of Moon
21 00:00 Summer Solstice
22 23:17 Moon at Ascending Node
26 12:10 LAST QUARTER MOON
30 08:13 Pleiades 1.0°S of Moon
|
Date GMT Event
(h:m)
Jul 01 10:15 Mars 0.6°N of Regulus
01 18 Mercury at Greatest Elong: 21.8°W
01 21:22 Moon at Perigee: 359513 km
03 02:19 NEW MOON
04 08 Earth at Aphelion: 1.01675 AU
05 15:53 Moon at Descending Node
06 11:46 Regulus 1.6°N of Moon
06 18:03 Mars 2.6°N of Moon
06 22:27 Saturn 3.5°N of Moon
09 09 Jupiter at Opposition
10 04:35 FIRST QUARTER MOON
10 17:33 Spica 2.9°N of Moon
10 23 Mars 0.6°S of Saturn
11 20 Venus at Perihelion
14 04:13 Moon at Apogee: 405452 km
14 11:40 Antares 0.3°N of Moon
17 12:27 Jupiter 2.6°N of Moon
18 07:59 FULL MOON
20 03:27 Moon at Ascending Node
21 16 Mercury at Perihelion
25 18:42 LAST QUARTER MOON
27 16:08 Pleiades 1.1°S of Moon
27 19 Delta-Aquarid Meteor Shower
29 20 Mercury at Superior Conjunction
29 23:24 Moon at Perigee: 363887 km
31 08:31 Pollux 4.6°N of Moon
Aug 01 10:13 NEW MOON
01 10:21 Total Solar Eclipse; mag=1.039
02 01:21 Moon at Descending Node
02 14:49 Venus 2.3°N of Moon
02 21:42 Regulus 1.7°N of Moon
03 13:42 Saturn 3.8°N of Moon
04 12:14 Mars 4.0°N of Moon
06 00:57 Venus 0.9°N of Regulus
07 01:38 Spica 3.0°N of Moon
08 20:20 FIRST QUARTER MOON
10 19:00 Antares 0.4°N of Moon
10 20:18 Moon at Apogee: 404558 km
12 11 Perseid Meteor Shower
13 14:12 Jupiter 2.8°N of Moon
13 19 Venus 0.2°S of Saturn
15 06 Neptune at Opposition
15 21 Mercury 0.6°S of Saturn
16 10:27 Moon at Ascending Node
16 21:10 Partial Lunar Eclipse; mag=0.808
16 21:16 FULL MOON
20 21 Mercury 0.9°S of Venus
23 22:01 Pleiades 1.1°S of Moon
23 23:50 LAST QUARTER MOON
26 03:44 Moon at Perigee: 368693 km
27 16:45 Pollux 4.6°N of Moon
29 10:30 Moon at Descending Node
30 19:58 NEW MOON
Sep 01 23:16 Mercury 2.9°N of Moon
03 10:20 Spica 3.0°N of Moon
03 16 Mercury at Aphelion
04 02 Saturn in Conjunction with Sun
07 02:56 Antares 0.3°N of Moon
07 03 Mercury 2.5°S of Mars
07 14:04 FIRST QUARTER MOON
07 14:58 Moon at Apogee: 404210 km
09 20:26 Jupiter 2.8°N of Moon
11 04 Mercury at Greatest Elong: 26.9°E
12 02 Venus 0.3°N of Mars
12 16 Mercury 3.6°S of Venus
12 18:24 Moon at Ascending Node
13 02 Uranus at Opposition
15 09:13 FULL MOON
19 03:35 Venus 2.2°N of Spica
20 03:17 Moon at Perigee: 368890 km
20 03:27 Pleiades 1.0°S of Moon
22 05:04 LAST QUARTER MOON
22 15:45 Autumnal Equinox
23 00 Mercury 4.0°S of Mars
23 19:51 Mercury 1.2°S of Spica
23 22:57 Pollux 4.7°N of Moon
25 01:47 Mars 2.1°N of Spica
25 16:20 Moon at Descending Node
26 14:38 Regulus 1.7°N of Moon
27 19:53 Saturn 4.6°N of Moon
29 08:12 NEW MOON
30 18:42 Spica 2.9°N of Moon
Oct 04 10:52 Antares 0.1°N of Moon
05 10:34 Moon at Apogee: 404716 km
06 21 Mercury at Inferior Conjunction
07 07:22 Jupiter 2.5°N of Moon
07 09:04 FIRST QUARTER MOON
10 00:38 Moon at Ascending Node
14 20:03 FULL MOON
17 06:06 Moon at Perigee: 363828 km
17 10:32 Pleiades 0.8°S of Moon
17 16 Mercury at Perihelion
21 04 Orionid Meteor Shower
21 04:24 Pollux 4.9°N of Moon
21 11:55 LAST QUARTER MOON
22 09 Mercury at Greatest Elong: 18.3°W
22 18:00 Moon at Descending Node
23 20:33 Regulus 1.9°N of Moon
26 22:15 Venus 3.1°N of Antares
28 23:14 NEW MOON
31 18:13 Antares 0.1°S of Moon
Nov 01 08:11 Venus 2.6°N of Moon
02 04:55 Moon at Apogee: 405723 km
03 21:54 Jupiter 1.9°N of Moon
05 04 S Taurid Meteor Shower
06 03:34 Moon at Ascending Node
06 04:03 FIRST QUARTER MOON
12 03 N Taurid Meteor Shower
13 06:17 FULL MOON
13 20:16 Pleiades 0.7°S of Moon
14 09:59 Moon at Perigee: 358973 km
17 10 Leonid Meteor Shower
18 18:37 Moon at Descending Node
19 21:31 LAST QUARTER MOON
20 02:17 Regulus 2.2°N of Moon
24 08:03 Spica 3.0°N of Moon
25 17 Mercury at Superior Conjunction
27 16:55 NEW MOON
29 16:55 Moon at Apogee: 406480 km
Dec 01 09 Venus 2.0°S of Jupiter
01 14:45 Jupiter 1.3°N of Moon
01 16:01 Venus 0.8°S of Moon: Occn.
03 04:47 Moon at Ascending Node
05 21:26 FIRST QUARTER MOON
05 22 Mars in Conjunction with Sun
11 07:38 Pleiades 0.8°S of Moon
12 16:37 FULL MOON
12 21:37 Moon at Perigee: 356568 km
13 23 Geminid Meteor Shower
15 23:02 Moon at Descending Node
17 09:47 Regulus 2.4°N of Moon
19 10:29 LAST QUARTER MOON
21 12:04 Winter Solstice
21 13:54 Spica 3.2°N of Moon
22 07 Ursid Meteor Shower
25 06:53 Antares 0.1°S of Moon
26 17:50 Moon at Apogee: 406602 km
27 12:22 NEW MOON
29 04:09 Mercury 0.7°S of Moon: Occn.
29 09:07 Jupiter 0.6°N of Moon: Occn.
30 07:40 Moon at Ascending Node
31 21:03 Venus 3.4°S of Moon
|
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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
2008 Phases 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 (= Coordinated Universal Time) . This time zone may have different names in different countries. If Daylight Saving Time is in effect, add one hour to the times listed.
| 2008 Phases of the Moon | |||
| Greenwich Mean Time | |||
| New Moon | First Quarter | Full Moon | Last Quarter |
| Jan 08 11:37 | Jan 15 19:46 | Jan 22 13:35 | Jan 30 05:03 |
| Feb 07 03:44 A | Feb 14 03:34 | Feb 21 03:31 t | Feb 29 02:18 |
| Mar 07 17:14 | Mar 14 10:46 | Mar 21 18:40 | Mar 29 21:47 |
| Apr 06 03:55 | Apr 12 18:32 | Apr 20 10:25 | Apr 28 14:12 |
| May 05 12:18 | May 12 03:47 | May 20 02:11 | May 28 02:57 |
| Jun 03 19:23 | Jun 10 15:04 | Jun 18 17:30 | Jun 26 12:10 |
| Jul 03 02:19 | Jul 10 04:35 | Jul 18 07:59 | Jul 25 18:42 |
| Aug 01 10:13 T | Aug 08 20:20 | Aug 16 21:16 p | Aug 23 23:50 |
| Aug 30 19:58 | Sep 07 14:04 | Sep 15 09:13 | Sep 22 05:04 |
| Sep 29 08:12 | Oct 07 09:04 | Oct 14 20:03 | Oct 21 11:55 |
| Oct 28 23:14 | Nov 06 04:04 | Nov 13 06:17 | Nov 19 21:31 |
| Nov 27 16:55 | Dec 05 21:26 | Dec 12 16:37 | Dec 19 10:29 |
| Dec 27 12:23 | - | - | - |
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: 2001 to 2010
Europe, Africa, and the Middle East
Below are links to sky event almanacs from 2001 to 2010 for six time zones
in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.
Choose a time zone and click on a year to get a sky event almanac for that year.
| Sky Event Almanac - Europe, Africa, & Middle East | |||||||||||||||
| CVT | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | |||||
| GMT | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | |||||
| CET | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | |||||
| EET | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | |||||
| MSK | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | |||||
| GST | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | |||||
- CVT = Cape Verde Time (= UTC - 1 hour)
- GMT = Greenwich Mean Time (= UTC + 0 hour)
- CET = Central European Time (= UTC + 1 hour)
- EET = Eastern European Time (= UTC + 2 hours)
- MSK = Moscow Time (= UTC + 3 hours)
- GST = Gulf Standard Time (= UTC + 4 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
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)
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Astronomy Tools (Astronomy Tools)