2008 Sky Event Almanac
Gulf Standard Time
The following table gives the date and time of the important astronomical events for the year. The times listed are for Gulf Standard Time (Coordinated Universal Time + 4 hours) . 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 | ||||||||
| Gulf Standard Time | ||||||||
| January - June | July - December | |||||||
Date GST Event
(h:m)
Jan 01 18:51 Spica 2.4°N of Moon
03 04 Earth at Perihelion: 0.98328 AU
03 12:06 Moon at Apogee: 405328 km
04 11 Quadrantid Meteor Shower
05 13:55 Antares 0.5°N of Moon
08 15:37 NEW MOON
11 19:17 Moon at Ascending Node
15 23:46 FIRST QUARTER MOON
18 10:43 Pleiades 1.1°S of Moon
19 12:39 Moon at Perigee: 366436 km
20 03:40 Mars 1.1°S of Moon: Occn.
22 04:00 Pollux 3.8°N of Moon
22 09 Mercury at Greatest Elong: 18.6°E
22 17:35 FULL MOON
24 14:49 Moon at Descending Node
24 18:57 Regulus 0.7°N of Moon
25 10:25 Saturn 3.0°N of Moon
27 22 Mercury at Perihelion
29 03:09 Spica 2.5°N of Moon
30 09:03 LAST QUARTER MOON
31 08:26 Moon at Apogee: 404532 km
Feb 01 17 Venus 0.6°N of Jupiter
01 21:57 Antares 0.6°N of Moon
04 09:52 Jupiter 4.0°N of Moon
04 15:35 Venus 4.3°N of Moon
06 22 Mercury at Inferior Conjunction
07 07:44 NEW MOON
07 07:55 Annular Solar Eclipse; mag=0.965
08 01:39 Moon at Ascending Node
11 06 Neptune in Conjunction with Sun
14 05:07 Moon at Perigee: 370216 km
14 07:34 FIRST QUARTER MOON
14 16:35 Pleiades 1.2°S of Moon
16 11:53 Mars 1.6°S of Moon
18 12:15 Pollux 3.8°N of Moon
21 00:01 Moon at Descending Node
21 04:16 Regulus 0.7°N of Moon
21 07:26 Total Lunar Eclipse; mag=1.106
21 07:31 FULL MOON
21 16:01 Saturn 2.9°N of Moon
24 13 Saturn at Opposition
25 11:47 Spica 2.6°N of Moon
27 12 Mercury 1.1°N of Venus
28 05:27 Moon at Apogee: 404442 km
29 06:16 Antares 0.6°N of Moon
29 06:18 LAST QUARTER MOON
Mar 03 04:56 Jupiter 3.6°N of Moon
03 15 Mercury at Greatest Elong: 27.1°W
05 17:59 Mercury 0.2°N of Moon: Occn.
05 23:20 Venus 0.2°S of Moon: Occn.
06 10:52 Moon at Ascending Node
07 21:14 NEW MOON
09 00 Uranus in Conjunction with Sun
11 01:39 Moon at Perigee: 366302 km
11 22 Mercury at Aphelion
12 22:09 Pleiades 1.2°S of Moon
14 14:46 FIRST QUARTER MOON
15 06:58 Mars 1.7°S of Moon
16 18:16 Pollux 3.8°N of Moon
19 06:53 Moon at Descending Node
19 11:35 Regulus 0.7°N of Moon
19 19:31 Saturn 2.7°N of Moon
20 09:49 Vernal Equinox
21 16 Venus at Aphelion
21 22:40 FULL MOON
23 19:47 Spica 2.5°N of Moon
24 17 Mercury 1.0°S of Venus
27 00:13 Moon at Apogee: 405094 km
27 14:04 Antares 0.5°N of Moon
30 01:47 LAST QUARTER MOON
30 21:23 Jupiter 3.2°N of Moon
Apr 02 19:18 Moon at Ascending Node
05 05:09 Venus 4.7°S of Moon
06 07:55 NEW MOON
07 23:28 Moon at Perigee: 361083 km
09 05:38 Pleiades 1.0°S of Moon
12 09:35 Mars 1.2°S of Moon: Occn.
12 22:32 FIRST QUARTER MOON
12 23:47 Pollux 4.0°N of Moon
15 09:48 Moon at Descending Node
15 17:23 Regulus 0.9°N of Moon
15 22:42 Saturn 2.6°N of Moon
16 11 Mercury at Superior Conjunction
20 02:36 Spica 2.4°N of Moon
20 14:25 FULL MOON
22 08 Lyrid Meteor Shower
23 13:34 Moon at Apogee: 405945 km
23 20:57 Antares 0.3°N of Moon
24 21 Mercury at Perihelion
26 20:24 Mars 4.7°S of Pollux
27 09:11 Jupiter 2.8°N of Moon
28 18:12 LAST QUARTER MOON
30 00:07 Moon at Ascending Node
May 03 00:07 Mercury 2.0°S of Pleiades
04 01:12 Saturn 0.6°N of Regulus
04 22 Eta-Aquarid Meteor Shower
05 16:18 NEW MOON
06 07:22 Moon at Perigee: 357772 km
07 02:17 Mercury 2.5°S of Moon
10 06:51 Pollux 4.3°N of Moon
10 17:44 Mars 0.2°S of Moon: Occn.
12 07:47 FIRST QUARTER MOON
12 10:37 Moon at Descending Node
12 23:14 Regulus 1.1°N of Moon
13 04:08 Saturn 2.8°N of Moon
13 06 Mars at Aphelion: 1.66594 AU
14 08 Mercury at Greatest Elong: 21.8°E
17 08:35 Spica 2.5°N of Moon
20 06:11 FULL MOON
20 18:27 Moon at Apogee: 406404 km
21 03:06 Antares 0.2°N of Moon
24 15:20 Jupiter 2.5°N of Moon
27 01:45 Moon at Ascending Node
28 06:57 LAST QUARTER MOON
Jun 03 17:08 Moon at Perigee: 357251 km
03 23:23 NEW MOON
06 16:04 Pollux 4.5°N of Moon
07 19 Mercury at Inferior Conjunction
08 06:13 Mars 1.1°N of Moon: Occn.
08 13:15 Moon at Descending Node
09 06:37 Regulus 1.4°N of Moon
09 08 Venus at Superior Conjunction
09 13:26 Saturn 3.1°N of Moon
10 19:04 FIRST QUARTER MOON
13 14:37 Spica 2.7°N of Moon
16 21:33 Moon at Apogee: 406229 km
17 09:08 Antares 0.2°N of Moon
18 21:30 FULL MOON
19 18:05 Mercury 1.5°N of Aldebaran
20 16:44 Jupiter 2.4°N of Moon
21 04:00 Summer Solstice
23 03:17 Moon at Ascending Node
26 16:10 LAST QUARTER MOON
30 12:13 Pleiades 1.0°S of Moon
|
Date GST Event
(h:m)
Jul 01 14:15 Mars 0.6°N of Regulus
01 22 Mercury at Greatest Elong: 21.8°W
02 01:22 Moon at Perigee: 359513 km
03 06:19 NEW MOON
04 12 Earth at Aphelion: 1.01675 AU
05 19:53 Moon at Descending Node
06 15:46 Regulus 1.6°N of Moon
06 22:03 Mars 2.6°N of Moon
07 02:27 Saturn 3.5°N of Moon
09 13 Jupiter at Opposition
10 08:35 FIRST QUARTER MOON
10 21:33 Spica 2.9°N of Moon
11 03 Mars 0.6°S of Saturn
12 00 Venus at Perihelion
14 08:13 Moon at Apogee: 405452 km
14 15:40 Antares 0.3°N of Moon
17 16:27 Jupiter 2.6°N of Moon
18 11:59 FULL MOON
20 07:27 Moon at Ascending Node
21 20 Mercury at Perihelion
25 22:42 LAST QUARTER MOON
27 20:08 Pleiades 1.1°S of Moon
27 23 Delta-Aquarid Meteor Shower
30 00 Mercury at Superior Conjunction
30 03:24 Moon at Perigee: 363887 km
31 12:31 Pollux 4.6°N of Moon
Aug 01 14:13 NEW MOON
01 14:21 Total Solar Eclipse; mag=1.039
02 05:21 Moon at Descending Node
02 18:49 Venus 2.3°N of Moon
03 01:42 Regulus 1.7°N of Moon
03 17:42 Saturn 3.8°N of Moon
04 16:14 Mars 4.0°N of Moon
06 04:57 Venus 0.9°N of Regulus
07 05:38 Spica 3.0°N of Moon
09 00:20 FIRST QUARTER MOON
10 23:00 Antares 0.4°N of Moon
11 00:18 Moon at Apogee: 404558 km
12 15 Perseid Meteor Shower
13 18:12 Jupiter 2.8°N of Moon
13 23 Venus 0.2°S of Saturn
15 10 Neptune at Opposition
16 01 Mercury 0.6°S of Saturn
16 14:27 Moon at Ascending Node
17 01:10 Partial Lunar Eclipse; mag=0.808
17 01:16 FULL MOON
21 01 Mercury 0.9°S of Venus
24 02:01 Pleiades 1.1°S of Moon
24 03:50 LAST QUARTER MOON
26 07:44 Moon at Perigee: 368693 km
27 20:45 Pollux 4.6°N of Moon
29 14:30 Moon at Descending Node
30 23:58 NEW MOON
Sep 02 03:16 Mercury 2.9°N of Moon
03 14:20 Spica 3.0°N of Moon
03 20 Mercury at Aphelion
04 06 Saturn in Conjunction with Sun
07 06:56 Antares 0.3°N of Moon
07 07 Mercury 2.5°S of Mars
07 18:04 FIRST QUARTER MOON
07 18:58 Moon at Apogee: 404210 km
10 00:26 Jupiter 2.8°N of Moon
11 08 Mercury at Greatest Elong: 26.9°E
12 06 Venus 0.3°N of Mars
12 20 Mercury 3.6°S of Venus
12 22:24 Moon at Ascending Node
13 06 Uranus at Opposition
15 13:13 FULL MOON
19 07:35 Venus 2.2°N of Spica
20 07:17 Moon at Perigee: 368890 km
20 07:27 Pleiades 1.0°S of Moon
22 09:04 LAST QUARTER MOON
22 19:45 Autumnal Equinox
23 04 Mercury 4.0°S of Mars
23 23:51 Mercury 1.2°S of Spica
24 02:57 Pollux 4.7°N of Moon
25 05:47 Mars 2.1°N of Spica
25 20:20 Moon at Descending Node
26 18:38 Regulus 1.7°N of Moon
27 23:53 Saturn 4.6°N of Moon
29 12:12 NEW MOON
30 22:42 Spica 2.9°N of Moon
Oct 04 14:52 Antares 0.1°N of Moon
05 14:34 Moon at Apogee: 404716 km
07 01 Mercury at Inferior Conjunction
07 11:22 Jupiter 2.5°N of Moon
07 13:04 FIRST QUARTER MOON
10 04:38 Moon at Ascending Node
15 00:03 FULL MOON
17 10:06 Moon at Perigee: 363828 km
17 14:32 Pleiades 0.8°S of Moon
17 20 Mercury at Perihelion
21 08 Orionid Meteor Shower
21 08:24 Pollux 4.9°N of Moon
21 15:55 LAST QUARTER MOON
22 13 Mercury at Greatest Elong: 18.3°W
22 22:00 Moon at Descending Node
24 00:33 Regulus 1.9°N of Moon
27 02:15 Venus 3.1°N of Antares
29 03:14 NEW MOON
31 22:13 Antares 0.1°S of Moon
Nov 01 12:11 Venus 2.6°N of Moon
02 08:55 Moon at Apogee: 405723 km
04 01:54 Jupiter 1.9°N of Moon
05 08 S Taurid Meteor Shower
06 07:34 Moon at Ascending Node
06 08:03 FIRST QUARTER MOON
12 07 N Taurid Meteor Shower
13 10:17 FULL MOON
14 00:16 Pleiades 0.7°S of Moon
14 13:59 Moon at Perigee: 358973 km
17 14 Leonid Meteor Shower
18 22:37 Moon at Descending Node
20 01:31 LAST QUARTER MOON
20 06:17 Regulus 2.2°N of Moon
24 12:03 Spica 3.0°N of Moon
25 21 Mercury at Superior Conjunction
27 20:55 NEW MOON
29 20:55 Moon at Apogee: 406480 km
Dec 01 13 Venus 2.0°S of Jupiter
01 18:45 Jupiter 1.3°N of Moon
01 20:01 Venus 0.8°S of Moon: Occn.
03 08:47 Moon at Ascending Node
06 01:26 FIRST QUARTER MOON
06 02 Mars in Conjunction with Sun
11 11:38 Pleiades 0.8°S of Moon
12 20:37 FULL MOON
13 01:37 Moon at Perigee: 356568 km
14 03 Geminid Meteor Shower
16 03:02 Moon at Descending Node
17 13:47 Regulus 2.4°N of Moon
19 14:29 LAST QUARTER MOON
21 16:04 Winter Solstice
21 17:54 Spica 3.2°N of Moon
22 11 Ursid Meteor Shower
25 10:53 Antares 0.1°S of Moon
26 21:50 Moon at Apogee: 406602 km
27 16:22 NEW MOON
29 08:09 Mercury 0.7°S of Moon: Occn.
29 13:07 Jupiter 0.6°N of Moon: Occn.
30 11:40 Moon at Ascending Node
|
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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
Gulf Standard Time
The following table gives the date and time of the Moon's phases for the year. The times listed are for Gulf Standard Time (Coordinated Universal Time + 4 hours) . 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 | |||
| Gulf Standard Time | |||
| New Moon | First Quarter | Full Moon | Last Quarter |
| Jan 08 15:37 | Jan 15 23:46 | Jan 22 17:35 | Jan 30 09:03 |
| Feb 07 07:44 A | Feb 14 07:34 | Feb 21 07:31 t | Feb 29 06:18 |
| Mar 07 21:14 | Mar 14 14:46 | Mar 21 22:40 | Mar 30 01:47 |
| Apr 06 07:55 | Apr 12 22:32 | Apr 20 14:25 | Apr 28 18:12 |
| May 05 16:18 | May 12 07:47 | May 20 06:11 | May 28 06:57 |
| Jun 03 23:23 | Jun 10 19:04 | Jun 18 21:30 | Jun 26 16:10 |
| Jul 03 06:19 | Jul 10 08:35 | Jul 18 11:59 | Jul 25 22:42 |
| Aug 01 14:13 T | Aug 09 00:20 | Aug 17 01:16 p | Aug 24 03:50 |
| Aug 30 23:58 | Sep 07 18:04 | Sep 15 13:13 | Sep 22 09:04 |
| Sep 29 12:12 | Oct 07 13:04 | Oct 15 00:03 | Oct 21 15:55 |
| Oct 29 03:14 | Nov 06 08:04 | Nov 13 10:17 | Nov 20 01:31 |
| Nov 27 20:55 | Dec 06 01:26 | Dec 12 20:37 | Dec 19 14:29 |
| Dec 27 16:23 | - | - | - |
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)