2008 Sky Event Almanac
Mountain Standard Time
The following table gives the date and time of the important astronomical events for the year. The times listed are for Mountain Standard Time (Coordinated Universal Time − 7 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 | ||||||||
Mountain Standard Time | ||||||||
January - June | July - December | |||||||
Date MST Event (h:m) Jan 01 07:51 Spica 2.4°N of Moon 02 17 Earth at Perihelion: 0.98328 AU 03 01:06 Moon at Apogee: 405328 km 04 00 Quadrantid Meteor Shower 05 02:55 Antares 0.5°N of Moon 08 04:37 NEW MOON 11 08:17 Moon at Ascending Node 15 12:46 FIRST QUARTER MOON 17 23:43 Pleiades 1.1°S of Moon 19 01:39 Moon at Perigee: 366436 km 19 16:40 Mars 1.1°S of Moon: Occn. 21 17:00 Pollux 3.8°N of Moon 21 22 Mercury at Greatest Elong: 18.6°E 22 06:35 FULL MOON 24 03:49 Moon at Descending Node 24 07:57 Regulus 0.7°N of Moon 24 23:25 Saturn 3.0°N of Moon 27 11 Mercury at Perihelion 28 16:09 Spica 2.5°N of Moon 29 22:03 LAST QUARTER MOON 30 21:26 Moon at Apogee: 404532 km Feb 01 06 Venus 0.6°N of Jupiter 01 10:57 Antares 0.6°N of Moon 03 22:52 Jupiter 4.0°N of Moon 04 04:35 Venus 4.3°N of Moon 06 11 Mercury at Inferior Conjunction 06 20:44 NEW MOON 06 20:55 Annular Solar Eclipse; mag=0.965 07 14:39 Moon at Ascending Node 10 19 Neptune in Conjunction with Sun 13 18:07 Moon at Perigee: 370216 km 13 20:34 FIRST QUARTER MOON 14 05:35 Pleiades 1.2°S of Moon 16 00:53 Mars 1.6°S of Moon 18 01:15 Pollux 3.8°N of Moon 20 13:01 Moon at Descending Node 20 17:16 Regulus 0.7°N of Moon 20 20:26 Total Lunar Eclipse; mag=1.106 20 20:31 FULL MOON 21 05:01 Saturn 2.9°N of Moon 24 02 Saturn at Opposition 25 00:47 Spica 2.6°N of Moon 27 01 Mercury 1.1°N of Venus 27 18:27 Moon at Apogee: 404442 km 28 19:16 Antares 0.6°N of Moon 28 19:18 LAST QUARTER MOON Mar 02 17:56 Jupiter 3.6°N of Moon 03 04 Mercury at Greatest Elong: 27.1°W 05 06:59 Mercury 0.2°N of Moon: Occn. 05 12:20 Venus 0.2°S of Moon: Occn. 05 23:52 Moon at Ascending Node 07 10:14 NEW MOON 08 13 Uranus in Conjunction with Sun 10 14:39 Moon at Perigee: 366302 km 11 11 Mercury at Aphelion 12 11:09 Pleiades 1.2°S of Moon 14 03:46 FIRST QUARTER MOON 14 19:58 Mars 1.7°S of Moon 16 07:16 Pollux 3.8°N of Moon 18 19:53 Moon at Descending Node 19 00:35 Regulus 0.7°N of Moon 19 08:31 Saturn 2.7°N of Moon 19 22:49 Vernal Equinox 21 05 Venus at Aphelion 21 11:40 FULL MOON 23 08:47 Spica 2.5°N of Moon 24 06 Mercury 1.0°S of Venus 26 13:13 Moon at Apogee: 405094 km 27 03:04 Antares 0.5°N of Moon 29 14:47 LAST QUARTER MOON 30 10:23 Jupiter 3.2°N of Moon Apr 02 08:18 Moon at Ascending Node 04 18:09 Venus 4.7°S of Moon 05 20:55 NEW MOON 07 12:28 Moon at Perigee: 361083 km 08 18:38 Pleiades 1.0°S of Moon 11 22:35 Mars 1.2°S of Moon: Occn. 12 11:32 FIRST QUARTER MOON 12 12:47 Pollux 4.0°N of Moon 14 22:48 Moon at Descending Node 15 06:23 Regulus 0.9°N of Moon 15 11:42 Saturn 2.6°N of Moon 16 00 Mercury at Superior Conjunction 19 15:36 Spica 2.4°N of Moon 20 03:25 FULL MOON 21 21 Lyrid Meteor Shower 23 02:34 Moon at Apogee: 405945 km 23 09:57 Antares 0.3°N of Moon 24 10 Mercury at Perihelion 26 09:24 Mars 4.7°S of Pollux 26 22:11 Jupiter 2.8°N of Moon 28 07:12 LAST QUARTER MOON 29 13:07 Moon at Ascending Node May 02 13:07 Mercury 2.0°S of Pleiades 03 14:12 Saturn 0.6°N of Regulus 04 11 Eta-Aquarid Meteor Shower 05 05:18 NEW MOON 05 20:22 Moon at Perigee: 357772 km 06 15:17 Mercury 2.5°S of Moon 09 19:51 Pollux 4.3°N of Moon 10 06:44 Mars 0.2°S of Moon: Occn. 11 20:47 FIRST QUARTER MOON 11 23:37 Moon at Descending Node 12 12:14 Regulus 1.1°N of Moon 12 17:08 Saturn 2.8°N of Moon 12 19 Mars at Aphelion: 1.66594 AU 13 21 Mercury at Greatest Elong: 21.8°E 16 21:35 Spica 2.5°N of Moon 19 19:11 FULL MOON 20 07:27 Moon at Apogee: 406404 km 20 16:06 Antares 0.2°N of Moon 24 04:20 Jupiter 2.5°N of Moon 26 14:45 Moon at Ascending Node 27 19:57 LAST QUARTER MOON Jun 03 06:08 Moon at Perigee: 357251 km 03 12:23 NEW MOON 06 05:04 Pollux 4.5°N of Moon 07 08 Mercury at Inferior Conjunction 07 19:13 Mars 1.1°N of Moon: Occn. 08 02:15 Moon at Descending Node 08 19:37 Regulus 1.4°N of Moon 08 21 Venus at Superior Conjunction 09 02:26 Saturn 3.1°N of Moon 10 08:04 FIRST QUARTER MOON 13 03:37 Spica 2.7°N of Moon 16 10:33 Moon at Apogee: 406229 km 16 22:08 Antares 0.2°N of Moon 18 10:30 FULL MOON 19 07:05 Mercury 1.5°N of Aldebaran 20 05:44 Jupiter 2.4°N of Moon 20 17:00 Summer Solstice 22 16:17 Moon at Ascending Node 26 05:10 LAST QUARTER MOON 30 01:13 Pleiades 1.0°S of Moon |
Date MST Event (h:m) Jul 01 03:15 Mars 0.6°N of Regulus 01 11 Mercury at Greatest Elong: 21.8°W 01 14:22 Moon at Perigee: 359513 km 02 19:19 NEW MOON 04 01 Earth at Aphelion: 1.01675 AU 05 08:53 Moon at Descending Node 06 04:46 Regulus 1.6°N of Moon 06 11:03 Mars 2.6°N of Moon 06 15:27 Saturn 3.5°N of Moon 09 02 Jupiter at Opposition 09 21:35 FIRST QUARTER MOON 10 10:33 Spica 2.9°N of Moon 10 16 Mars 0.6°S of Saturn 11 13 Venus at Perihelion 13 21:13 Moon at Apogee: 405452 km 14 04:40 Antares 0.3°N of Moon 17 05:27 Jupiter 2.6°N of Moon 18 00:59 FULL MOON 19 20:27 Moon at Ascending Node 21 09 Mercury at Perihelion 25 11:42 LAST QUARTER MOON 27 09:08 Pleiades 1.1°S of Moon 27 12 Delta-Aquarid Meteor Shower 29 13 Mercury at Superior Conjunction 29 16:24 Moon at Perigee: 363887 km 31 01:31 Pollux 4.6°N of Moon Aug 01 03:13 NEW MOON 01 03:21 Total Solar Eclipse; mag=1.039 01 18:21 Moon at Descending Node 02 07:49 Venus 2.3°N of Moon 02 14:42 Regulus 1.7°N of Moon 03 06:42 Saturn 3.8°N of Moon 04 05:14 Mars 4.0°N of Moon 05 17:57 Venus 0.9°N of Regulus 06 18:38 Spica 3.0°N of Moon 08 13:20 FIRST QUARTER MOON 10 12:00 Antares 0.4°N of Moon 10 13:18 Moon at Apogee: 404558 km 12 04 Perseid Meteor Shower 13 07:12 Jupiter 2.8°N of Moon 13 12 Venus 0.2°S of Saturn 14 23 Neptune at Opposition 15 14 Mercury 0.6°S of Saturn 16 03:27 Moon at Ascending Node 16 14:10 Partial Lunar Eclipse; mag=0.808 16 14:16 FULL MOON 20 14 Mercury 0.9°S of Venus 23 15:01 Pleiades 1.1°S of Moon 23 16:50 LAST QUARTER MOON 25 20:44 Moon at Perigee: 368693 km 27 09:45 Pollux 4.6°N of Moon 29 03:30 Moon at Descending Node 30 12:58 NEW MOON Sep 01 16:16 Mercury 2.9°N of Moon 03 03:20 Spica 3.0°N of Moon 03 09 Mercury at Aphelion 03 19 Saturn in Conjunction with Sun 06 19:56 Antares 0.3°N of Moon 06 20 Mercury 2.5°S of Mars 07 07:04 FIRST QUARTER MOON 07 07:58 Moon at Apogee: 404210 km 09 13:26 Jupiter 2.8°N of Moon 10 21 Mercury at Greatest Elong: 26.9°E 11 19 Venus 0.3°N of Mars 12 09 Mercury 3.6°S of Venus 12 11:24 Moon at Ascending Node 12 19 Uranus at Opposition 15 02:13 FULL MOON 18 20:35 Venus 2.2°N of Spica 19 20:17 Moon at Perigee: 368890 km 19 20:27 Pleiades 1.0°S of Moon 21 22:04 LAST QUARTER MOON 22 08:45 Autumnal Equinox 22 17 Mercury 4.0°S of Mars 23 12:51 Mercury 1.2°S of Spica 23 15:57 Pollux 4.7°N of Moon 24 18:47 Mars 2.1°N of Spica 25 09:20 Moon at Descending Node 26 07:38 Regulus 1.7°N of Moon 27 12:53 Saturn 4.6°N of Moon 29 01:12 NEW MOON 30 11:42 Spica 2.9°N of Moon Oct 04 03:52 Antares 0.1°N of Moon 05 03:34 Moon at Apogee: 404716 km 06 14 Mercury at Inferior Conjunction 07 00:22 Jupiter 2.5°N of Moon 07 02:04 FIRST QUARTER MOON 09 17:38 Moon at Ascending Node 14 13:03 FULL MOON 16 23:06 Moon at Perigee: 363828 km 17 03:32 Pleiades 0.8°S of Moon 17 09 Mercury at Perihelion 20 21 Orionid Meteor Shower 20 21:24 Pollux 4.9°N of Moon 21 04:55 LAST QUARTER MOON 22 02 Mercury at Greatest Elong: 18.3°W 22 11:00 Moon at Descending Node 23 13:33 Regulus 1.9°N of Moon 26 15:15 Venus 3.1°N of Antares 28 16:14 NEW MOON 31 11:13 Antares 0.1°S of Moon Nov 01 01:11 Venus 2.6°N of Moon 01 21:55 Moon at Apogee: 405723 km 03 14:54 Jupiter 1.9°N of Moon 04 21 S Taurid Meteor Shower 05 20:34 Moon at Ascending Node 05 21:03 FIRST QUARTER MOON 11 20 N Taurid Meteor Shower 12 23:17 FULL MOON 13 13:16 Pleiades 0.7°S of Moon 14 02:59 Moon at Perigee: 358973 km 17 03 Leonid Meteor Shower 18 11:37 Moon at Descending Node 19 14:31 LAST QUARTER MOON 19 19:17 Regulus 2.2°N of Moon 24 01:03 Spica 3.0°N of Moon 25 10 Mercury at Superior Conjunction 27 09:55 NEW MOON 29 09:55 Moon at Apogee: 406480 km Dec 01 02 Venus 2.0°S of Jupiter 01 07:45 Jupiter 1.3°N of Moon 01 09:01 Venus 0.8°S of Moon: Occn. 02 21:47 Moon at Ascending Node 05 14:26 FIRST QUARTER MOON 05 15 Mars in Conjunction with Sun 11 00:38 Pleiades 0.8°S of Moon 12 09:37 FULL MOON 12 14:37 Moon at Perigee: 356568 km 13 16 Geminid Meteor Shower 15 16:02 Moon at Descending Node 17 02:47 Regulus 2.4°N of Moon 19 03:29 LAST QUARTER MOON 21 05:04 Winter Solstice 21 06:54 Spica 3.2°N of Moon 22 00 Ursid Meteor Shower 24 23:53 Antares 0.1°S of Moon 26 10:50 Moon at Apogee: 406602 km 27 05:22 NEW MOON 28 21:09 Mercury 0.7°S of Moon: Occn. 29 02:07 Jupiter 0.6°N of Moon: Occn. 30 00:40 Moon at Ascending Node 31 14:03 Venus 3.4°S of Moon |
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
Mountain Standard Time
The following table gives the date and time of the Moon's phases for the year. The times listed are for Mountain Standard Time (Coordinated Universal Time − 7 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 | |||
Mountain Standard Time | |||
New Moon | First Quarter | Full Moon | Last Quarter |
Jan 08 04:37 | Jan 15 12:46 | Jan 22 06:35 | Jan 29 22:03 |
Feb 06 20:44 A | Feb 13 20:34 | Feb 20 20:31 t | Feb 28 19:18 |
Mar 07 10:14 | Mar 14 03:46 | Mar 21 11:40 | Mar 29 14:47 |
Apr 05 20:55 | Apr 12 11:32 | Apr 20 03:25 | Apr 28 07:12 |
May 05 05:18 | May 11 20:47 | May 19 19:11 | May 27 19:57 |
Jun 03 12:23 | Jun 10 08:04 | Jun 18 10:30 | Jun 26 05:10 |
Jul 02 19:19 | Jul 09 21:35 | Jul 18 00:59 | Jul 25 11:42 |
Aug 01 03:13 T | Aug 08 13:20 | Aug 16 14:16 p | Aug 23 16:50 |
Aug 30 12:58 | Sep 07 07:04 | Sep 15 02:13 | Sep 21 22:04 |
Sep 29 01:12 | Oct 07 02:04 | Oct 14 13:03 | Oct 21 04:55 |
Oct 28 16:14 | Nov 05 21:04 | Nov 12 23:17 | Nov 19 14:31 |
Nov 27 09:55 | Dec 05 14:26 | Dec 12 09:37 | Dec 19 03:29 |
Dec 27 05:23 | - | - | - |
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
The Americas
Below are links to sky event almanacs from 2001 to 2010 for eight time zones in the Americas.
Choose a time zone and click on a year to get a sky event almanac for that year.
Sky Event Almanacs - The Americas | |||||||||||||||
ART | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | |||||
AST | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | |||||
EST | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | |||||
CST | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | |||||
MST | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | |||||
PST | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | |||||
AKST | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | |||||
HST | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 |
- ART = Argentina Time (= UTC - 3 hours)
- AST = Atlantic Standard Time (= UTC - 4 hours)
- EST = Eastern Standard Time (= UTC - 5 hours)
- CST = Central Standard Time (= UTC - 6 hours)
- MST = Mountain Standard Time (= UTC - 7 hours)
- PST = Pacific Standard Time (= UTC - 8 hours)
- AKST = Alaskan Standard Time (= UTC - 9 hours)
- HST = Hawaiian Standard Time (= UTC - 10 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 |
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)
Sky Maps (sky-map.org)
Astronomical Almanac (Sky and Telescope)
Weather Forecast for Astronomy (Clear Outside)
GOES-East Images (NOAA-GOES)
Astronomy Tools (Astronomy Tools)