2008 Sky Event Almanac
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 (Coordinated Universal Time − 8 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 | ||||||||
Pacific Standard Time | ||||||||
January - June | July - December | |||||||
Date PST Event (h:m) Jan 01 06:51 Spica 2.4°N of Moon 02 16 Earth at Perihelion: 0.98328 AU 03 00:06 Moon at Apogee: 405328 km 03 23 Quadrantid Meteor Shower 05 01:55 Antares 0.5°N of Moon 08 03:37 NEW MOON 11 07:17 Moon at Ascending Node 15 11:46 FIRST QUARTER MOON 17 22:43 Pleiades 1.1°S of Moon 19 00:39 Moon at Perigee: 366436 km 19 15:40 Mars 1.1°S of Moon: Occn. 21 16:00 Pollux 3.8°N of Moon 21 21 Mercury at Greatest Elong: 18.6°E 22 05:35 FULL MOON 24 02:49 Moon at Descending Node 24 06:57 Regulus 0.7°N of Moon 24 22:25 Saturn 3.0°N of Moon 27 10 Mercury at Perihelion 28 15:09 Spica 2.5°N of Moon 29 21:03 LAST QUARTER MOON 30 20:26 Moon at Apogee: 404532 km Feb 01 05 Venus 0.6°N of Jupiter 01 09:57 Antares 0.6°N of Moon 03 21:52 Jupiter 4.0°N of Moon 04 03:35 Venus 4.3°N of Moon 06 10 Mercury at Inferior Conjunction 06 19:44 NEW MOON 06 19:55 Annular Solar Eclipse; mag=0.965 07 13:39 Moon at Ascending Node 10 18 Neptune in Conjunction with Sun 13 17:07 Moon at Perigee: 370216 km 13 19:34 FIRST QUARTER MOON 14 04:35 Pleiades 1.2°S of Moon 15 23:53 Mars 1.6°S of Moon 18 00:15 Pollux 3.8°N of Moon 20 12:01 Moon at Descending Node 20 16:16 Regulus 0.7°N of Moon 20 19:26 Total Lunar Eclipse; mag=1.106 20 19:31 FULL MOON 21 04:01 Saturn 2.9°N of Moon 24 01 Saturn at Opposition 24 23:47 Spica 2.6°N of Moon 27 00 Mercury 1.1°N of Venus 27 17:27 Moon at Apogee: 404442 km 28 18:16 Antares 0.6°N of Moon 28 18:18 LAST QUARTER MOON Mar 02 16:56 Jupiter 3.6°N of Moon 03 03 Mercury at Greatest Elong: 27.1°W 05 05:59 Mercury 0.2°N of Moon: Occn. 05 11:20 Venus 0.2°S of Moon: Occn. 05 22:52 Moon at Ascending Node 07 09:14 NEW MOON 08 12 Uranus in Conjunction with Sun 10 13:39 Moon at Perigee: 366302 km 11 10 Mercury at Aphelion 12 10:09 Pleiades 1.2°S of Moon 14 02:46 FIRST QUARTER MOON 14 18:58 Mars 1.7°S of Moon 16 06:16 Pollux 3.8°N of Moon 18 18:53 Moon at Descending Node 18 23:35 Regulus 0.7°N of Moon 19 07:31 Saturn 2.7°N of Moon 19 21:49 Vernal Equinox 21 04 Venus at Aphelion 21 10:40 FULL MOON 23 07:47 Spica 2.5°N of Moon 24 05 Mercury 1.0°S of Venus 26 12:13 Moon at Apogee: 405094 km 27 02:04 Antares 0.5°N of Moon 29 13:47 LAST QUARTER MOON 30 09:23 Jupiter 3.2°N of Moon Apr 02 07:18 Moon at Ascending Node 04 17:09 Venus 4.7°S of Moon 05 19:55 NEW MOON 07 11:28 Moon at Perigee: 361083 km 08 17:38 Pleiades 1.0°S of Moon 11 21:35 Mars 1.2°S of Moon: Occn. 12 10:32 FIRST QUARTER MOON 12 11:47 Pollux 4.0°N of Moon 14 21:48 Moon at Descending Node 15 05:23 Regulus 0.9°N of Moon 15 10:42 Saturn 2.6°N of Moon 15 23 Mercury at Superior Conjunction 19 14:36 Spica 2.4°N of Moon 20 02:25 FULL MOON 21 20 Lyrid Meteor Shower 23 01:34 Moon at Apogee: 405945 km 23 08:57 Antares 0.3°N of Moon 24 09 Mercury at Perihelion 26 08:24 Mars 4.7°S of Pollux 26 21:11 Jupiter 2.8°N of Moon 28 06:12 LAST QUARTER MOON 29 12:07 Moon at Ascending Node May 02 12:07 Mercury 2.0°S of Pleiades 03 13:12 Saturn 0.6°N of Regulus 04 10 Eta-Aquarid Meteor Shower 05 04:18 NEW MOON 05 19:22 Moon at Perigee: 357772 km 06 14:17 Mercury 2.5°S of Moon 09 18:51 Pollux 4.3°N of Moon 10 05:44 Mars 0.2°S of Moon: Occn. 11 19:47 FIRST QUARTER MOON 11 22:37 Moon at Descending Node 12 11:14 Regulus 1.1°N of Moon 12 16:08 Saturn 2.8°N of Moon 12 18 Mars at Aphelion: 1.66594 AU 13 20 Mercury at Greatest Elong: 21.8°E 16 20:35 Spica 2.5°N of Moon 19 18:11 FULL MOON 20 06:27 Moon at Apogee: 406404 km 20 15:06 Antares 0.2°N of Moon 24 03:20 Jupiter 2.5°N of Moon 26 13:45 Moon at Ascending Node 27 18:57 LAST QUARTER MOON Jun 03 05:08 Moon at Perigee: 357251 km 03 11:23 NEW MOON 06 04:04 Pollux 4.5°N of Moon 07 07 Mercury at Inferior Conjunction 07 18:13 Mars 1.1°N of Moon: Occn. 08 01:15 Moon at Descending Node 08 18:37 Regulus 1.4°N of Moon 08 20 Venus at Superior Conjunction 09 01:26 Saturn 3.1°N of Moon 10 07:04 FIRST QUARTER MOON 13 02:37 Spica 2.7°N of Moon 16 09:33 Moon at Apogee: 406229 km 16 21:08 Antares 0.2°N of Moon 18 09:30 FULL MOON 19 06:05 Mercury 1.5°N of Aldebaran 20 04:44 Jupiter 2.4°N of Moon 20 16:00 Summer Solstice 22 15:17 Moon at Ascending Node 26 04:10 LAST QUARTER MOON 30 00:13 Pleiades 1.0°S of Moon |
Date PST Event (h:m) Jul 01 02:15 Mars 0.6°N of Regulus 01 10 Mercury at Greatest Elong: 21.8°W 01 13:22 Moon at Perigee: 359513 km 02 18:19 NEW MOON 04 00 Earth at Aphelion: 1.01675 AU 05 07:53 Moon at Descending Node 06 03:46 Regulus 1.6°N of Moon 06 10:03 Mars 2.6°N of Moon 06 14:27 Saturn 3.5°N of Moon 09 01 Jupiter at Opposition 09 20:35 FIRST QUARTER MOON 10 09:33 Spica 2.9°N of Moon 10 15 Mars 0.6°S of Saturn 11 12 Venus at Perihelion 13 20:13 Moon at Apogee: 405452 km 14 03:40 Antares 0.3°N of Moon 17 04:27 Jupiter 2.6°N of Moon 17 23:59 FULL MOON 19 19:27 Moon at Ascending Node 21 08 Mercury at Perihelion 25 10:42 LAST QUARTER MOON 27 08:08 Pleiades 1.1°S of Moon 27 11 Delta-Aquarid Meteor Shower 29 12 Mercury at Superior Conjunction 29 15:24 Moon at Perigee: 363887 km 31 00:31 Pollux 4.6°N of Moon Aug 01 02:13 NEW MOON 01 02:21 Total Solar Eclipse; mag=1.039 01 17:21 Moon at Descending Node 02 06:49 Venus 2.3°N of Moon 02 13:42 Regulus 1.7°N of Moon 03 05:42 Saturn 3.8°N of Moon 04 04:14 Mars 4.0°N of Moon 05 16:57 Venus 0.9°N of Regulus 06 17:38 Spica 3.0°N of Moon 08 12:20 FIRST QUARTER MOON 10 11:00 Antares 0.4°N of Moon 10 12:18 Moon at Apogee: 404558 km 12 03 Perseid Meteor Shower 13 06:12 Jupiter 2.8°N of Moon 13 11 Venus 0.2°S of Saturn 14 22 Neptune at Opposition 15 13 Mercury 0.6°S of Saturn 16 02:27 Moon at Ascending Node 16 13:10 Partial Lunar Eclipse; mag=0.808 16 13:16 FULL MOON 20 13 Mercury 0.9°S of Venus 23 14:01 Pleiades 1.1°S of Moon 23 15:50 LAST QUARTER MOON 25 19:44 Moon at Perigee: 368693 km 27 08:45 Pollux 4.6°N of Moon 29 02:30 Moon at Descending Node 30 11:58 NEW MOON Sep 01 15:16 Mercury 2.9°N of Moon 03 02:20 Spica 3.0°N of Moon 03 08 Mercury at Aphelion 03 18 Saturn in Conjunction with Sun 06 18:56 Antares 0.3°N of Moon 06 19 Mercury 2.5°S of Mars 07 06:04 FIRST QUARTER MOON 07 06:58 Moon at Apogee: 404210 km 09 12:26 Jupiter 2.8°N of Moon 10 20 Mercury at Greatest Elong: 26.9°E 11 18 Venus 0.3°N of Mars 12 08 Mercury 3.6°S of Venus 12 10:24 Moon at Ascending Node 12 18 Uranus at Opposition 15 01:13 FULL MOON 18 19:35 Venus 2.2°N of Spica 19 19:17 Moon at Perigee: 368890 km 19 19:27 Pleiades 1.0°S of Moon 21 21:04 LAST QUARTER MOON 22 07:45 Autumnal Equinox 22 16 Mercury 4.0°S of Mars 23 11:51 Mercury 1.2°S of Spica 23 14:57 Pollux 4.7°N of Moon 24 17:47 Mars 2.1°N of Spica 25 08:20 Moon at Descending Node 26 06:38 Regulus 1.7°N of Moon 27 11:53 Saturn 4.6°N of Moon 29 00:12 NEW MOON 30 10:42 Spica 2.9°N of Moon Oct 04 02:52 Antares 0.1°N of Moon 05 02:34 Moon at Apogee: 404716 km 06 13 Mercury at Inferior Conjunction 06 23:22 Jupiter 2.5°N of Moon 07 01:04 FIRST QUARTER MOON 09 16:38 Moon at Ascending Node 14 12:03 FULL MOON 16 22:06 Moon at Perigee: 363828 km 17 02:32 Pleiades 0.8°S of Moon 17 08 Mercury at Perihelion 20 20 Orionid Meteor Shower 20 20:24 Pollux 4.9°N of Moon 21 03:55 LAST QUARTER MOON 22 01 Mercury at Greatest Elong: 18.3°W 22 10:00 Moon at Descending Node 23 12:33 Regulus 1.9°N of Moon 26 14:15 Venus 3.1°N of Antares 28 15:14 NEW MOON 31 10:13 Antares 0.1°S of Moon Nov 01 00:11 Venus 2.6°N of Moon 01 20:55 Moon at Apogee: 405723 km 03 13:54 Jupiter 1.9°N of Moon 04 20 S Taurid Meteor Shower 05 19:34 Moon at Ascending Node 05 20:03 FIRST QUARTER MOON 11 19 N Taurid Meteor Shower 12 22:17 FULL MOON 13 12:16 Pleiades 0.7°S of Moon 14 01:59 Moon at Perigee: 358973 km 17 02 Leonid Meteor Shower 18 10:37 Moon at Descending Node 19 13:31 LAST QUARTER MOON 19 18:17 Regulus 2.2°N of Moon 24 00:03 Spica 3.0°N of Moon 25 09 Mercury at Superior Conjunction 27 08:55 NEW MOON 29 08:55 Moon at Apogee: 406480 km Dec 01 01 Venus 2.0°S of Jupiter 01 06:45 Jupiter 1.3°N of Moon 01 08:01 Venus 0.8°S of Moon: Occn. 02 20:47 Moon at Ascending Node 05 13:26 FIRST QUARTER MOON 05 14 Mars in Conjunction with Sun 10 23:38 Pleiades 0.8°S of Moon 12 08:37 FULL MOON 12 13:37 Moon at Perigee: 356568 km 13 15 Geminid Meteor Shower 15 15:02 Moon at Descending Node 17 01:47 Regulus 2.4°N of Moon 19 02:29 LAST QUARTER MOON 21 04:04 Winter Solstice 21 05:54 Spica 3.2°N of Moon 21 23 Ursid Meteor Shower 24 22:53 Antares 0.1°S of Moon 26 09:50 Moon at Apogee: 406602 km 27 04:22 NEW MOON 28 20:09 Mercury 0.7°S of Moon: Occn. 29 01:07 Jupiter 0.6°N of Moon: Occn. 29 23:40 Moon at Ascending Node 31 13:03 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
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 (Coordinated Universal Time − 8 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 | |||
Pacific Standard Time | |||
New Moon | First Quarter | Full Moon | Last Quarter |
Jan 08 03:37 | Jan 15 11:46 | Jan 22 05:35 | Jan 29 21:03 |
Feb 06 19:44 A | Feb 13 19:34 | Feb 20 19:31 t | Feb 28 18:18 |
Mar 07 09:14 | Mar 14 02:46 | Mar 21 10:40 | Mar 29 13:47 |
Apr 05 19:55 | Apr 12 10:32 | Apr 20 02:25 | Apr 28 06:12 |
May 05 04:18 | May 11 19:47 | May 19 18:11 | May 27 18:57 |
Jun 03 11:23 | Jun 10 07:04 | Jun 18 09:30 | Jun 26 04:10 |
Jul 02 18:19 | Jul 09 20:35 | Jul 17 23:59 | Jul 25 10:42 |
Aug 01 02:13 T | Aug 08 12:20 | Aug 16 13:16 p | Aug 23 15:50 |
Aug 30 11:58 | Sep 07 06:04 | Sep 15 01:13 | Sep 21 21:04 |
Sep 29 00:12 | Oct 07 01:04 | Oct 14 12:03 | Oct 21 03:55 |
Oct 28 15:14 | Nov 05 20:04 | Nov 12 22:17 | Nov 19 13:31 |
Nov 27 08:55 | Dec 05 13:26 | Dec 12 08:37 | Dec 19 02:29 |
Dec 27 04:23 | - | - | - |
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)