2009 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.

2009 Sky Event Almanac
Greenwich Mean Time
January - June July - December 
Date     GMT   Event
        (h:m)

Jan 03  13     Quadrantid Meteor Shower
    04  11:56  FIRST QUARTER MOON 
    04  14     Mercury at Greatest Elong: 19.3°E
    04  16     Earth at Perihelion: 0.98327 AU
    07  18:19  Pleiades 0.8°S of Moon
    10  10:52  Moon at Perigee: 357501 km
    11  03:27  FULL MOON 
    12  08:34  Moon at Descending Node 
    13  15     Mercury at Perihelion 
    13  19:46  Regulus 2.6°N of Moon
    14  23     Venus at Greatest Elong: 47.1°E
    17  20:54  Spica 3.3°N of Moon
    18  02:46  LAST QUARTER MOON 
    20  16     Mercury at Inferior Conjunction 
    21  13:12  Antares 0.0°S of Moon
    23  00:11  Moon at Apogee: 406116 km
    24  07     Jupiter in Conjunction with Sun 
    26  07:55  NEW MOON 
    26  07:59  Annular Solar Eclipse; mag=0.928
    26  13:27  Moon at Ascending Node 
    30  11:38  Venus 2.8°S of Moon

Feb 02  23:13  FIRST QUARTER MOON 
    04  02:23  Pleiades 0.9°S of Moon
    07  20:08  Moon at Perigee: 361487 km
    08  19:46  Moon at Descending Node 
    09  14:38  Pen. Lunar Eclipse; mag=0.899
    09  14:49  FULL MOON 
    10  06:51  Regulus 2.6°N of Moon
    12  12     Neptune in Conjunction with Sun 
    13  21     Mercury at Greatest Elong: 26.1°W
    14  05:39  Spica 3.3°N of Moon
    16  21:37  LAST QUARTER MOON 
    17  18     Mars 0.6°S of Jupiter
    17  20:24  Antares 0.0°S of Moon
    19  17:00  Moon at Apogee: 405132 km
    21  13     Venus at Perihelion 
    22  20:31  Moon at Ascending Node 
    22  22:12  Mercury 1.1°S of Moon: Occn.
    23  01:06  Jupiter 0.7°S of Moon: Occn.
    23  07:49  Mars 1.7°S of Moon
    24  06     Mercury 0.6°S of Jupiter
    25  01:35  NEW MOON 
    26  15     Mercury at Aphelion 
    27  00     Uranus at Aphelion: 20.09883 AU
    27  22:59  Venus 1.3°N of Moon

Mar 02  00     Mercury 0.6°S of Mars
    03  08:05  Pleiades 0.8°S of Moon
    04  07:46  FIRST QUARTER MOON 
    07  15:06  Moon at Perigee: 367020 km
    08  04:05  Moon at Descending Node 
    08  19     Saturn at Opposition 
    09  16:48  Regulus 2.6°N of Moon
    11  02:38  FULL MOON 
    13  01     Uranus in Conjunction with Sun 
    13  15:16  Spica 3.2°N of Moon
    17  04:33  Antares 0.2°S of Moon
    18  17:47  LAST QUARTER MOON 
    19  13:16  Moon at Apogee: 404302 km
    20  11:44  Vernal Equinox 
    22  02:12  Moon at Ascending Node 
    22  21:31  Jupiter 1.5°S of Moon
    24  14:05  Mars 4.1°S of Moon
    26  16:06  NEW MOON 
    27  20     Venus at Inferior Conjunction 
    30  13:38  Pleiades 0.6°S of Moon
    31  03     Mercury at Superior Conjunction 

Apr 02  02:31  Moon at Perigee: 370014 km
    02  14:34  FIRST QUARTER MOON 
    04  07:22  Moon at Descending Node 
    06  00:22  Regulus 2.7°N of Moon
    09  14:56  FULL MOON 
    10  00:12  Spica 3.1°N of Moon
    11  14     Mercury at Perihelion 
    13  12:57  Antares 0.4°S of Moon
    16  09:15  Moon at Apogee: 404232 km
    17  13:36  LAST QUARTER MOON 
    18  05:19  Moon at Ascending Node 
    19  16:26  Jupiter 2.3°S of Moon
    21  10     Mars at Perihelion:  1.38133 AU
    22  10     Lyrid Meteor Shower
    22  14:14  Venus 1.1°S of Moon: Occn.
    24  17     Venus 4.1°N of Mars
    25  03:23  NEW MOON 
    26  08     Mercury at Greatest Elong: 20.4°E
    26  16:30  Mercury 1.9°S of Moon
    26  21:01  Pleiades 0.4°S of Moon
    28  06:26  Moon at Perigee: 366042 km
    30  13:02  Mercury 1.4°S of Pleiades

May 01  07:50  Moon at Descending Node 
    01  20:44  FIRST QUARTER MOON 
    03  06:07  Regulus 2.9°N of Moon
    05  00     Eta-Aquarid Meteor Shower
    07  07:31  Spica 3.1°N of Moon
    09  04:01  FULL MOON 
    10  20:43  Antares 0.5°S of Moon
    14  02:57  Moon at Apogee: 404916 km
    15  07:13  Moon at Ascending Node 
    17  07:26  LAST QUARTER MOON 
    17  07:52  Jupiter 3.0°S of Moon
    18  10     Mercury at Inferior Conjunction 
    24  12:11  NEW MOON 
    26  03:44  Moon at Perigee: 361155 km
    28  10:19  Moon at Descending Node 
    30  11:56  Regulus 3.2°N of Moon
    31  03:22  FIRST QUARTER MOON 

Jun 03  13:26  Spica 3.3°N of Moon
    05  20     Venus at Greatest Elong: 45.8°W
    07  03:25  Antares 0.6°S of Moon
    07  18:12  FULL MOON 
    10  16:04  Moon at Apogee: 405786 km
    11  10:15  Moon at Ascending Node 
    13  12     Mercury at Greatest Elong: 23.5°W
    13  18:01  Jupiter 3.5°S of Moon
    13  21     Venus at Aphelion 
    15  22:15  LAST QUARTER MOON 
    20  16:59  Pleiades 0.5°S of Moon
    21  05     Venus 2.0°S of Mars
    21  05:45  Summer Solstice 
    21  21:42  Mercury 3.0°N of Aldebaran
    22  19:35  NEW MOON 
    23  10:39  Moon at Perigee: 358018 km
    24  17:24  Moon at Descending Node 
    26  19:28  Regulus 3.4°N of Moon
    29  11:28  FIRST QUARTER MOON 
    30  19:09  Spica 3.4°N of Moon


Date     GMT   Event
        (h:m)

Jul 04  02     Earth at Aphelion: 1.01667 AU
    04  09:21  Antares 0.5°S of Moon
    07  09:21  FULL MOON 
    07  09:39  Pen. Lunar Eclipse; mag=0.156
    07  21:39  Moon at Apogee: 406233 km
    08  13     Mercury at Perihelion 
    08  15:24  Moon at Ascending Node 
    10  22:11  Jupiter 3.6°S of Moon
    12  02:03  Mars 4.5°S of Pleiades
    14  02     Mercury at Superior Conjunction 
    14  03:21  Venus 3.0°N of Aldebaran
    15  09:53  LAST QUARTER MOON 
    18  02:42  Pleiades 0.5°S of Moon
    18  11:38  Mars 4.9°S of Moon
    21  20:16  Moon at Perigee: 357465 km
    22  02:35  NEW MOON 
    22  02:35  Total Solar Eclipse; mag=1.080
    22  03:47  Moon at Descending Node 
    24  05:03  Regulus 3.4°N of Moon
    28  01     Delta-Aquarid Meteor Shower
    28  01:59  Spica 3.5°N of Moon
    28  22:00  FIRST QUARTER MOON 
    31  15:19  Antares 0.5°S of Moon

Aug 02  21:08  Mercury 0.5°N of Regulus
    04  00:42  Moon at Apogee: 406027 km
    04  21:42  Moon at Ascending Node 
    06  00:39  Pen. Lunar Eclipse; mag=0.402
    06  00:55  FULL MOON 
    06  22:03  Jupiter 3.4°S of Moon
    12  17     Perseid Meteor Shower
    13  18:55  LAST QUARTER MOON 
    14  10:25  Pleiades 0.5°S of Moon
    14  19     Jupiter at Opposition 
    16  03:11  Mars 3.2°S of Moon
    17  09     Mercury 3.0°S of Saturn
    17  19     Neptune at Opposition 
    17  20:45  Venus 1.7°S of Moon
    18  14:06  Moon at Descending Node 
    19  04:53  Moon at Perigee: 359642 km
    20  10:01  NEW MOON 
    21  13     Mercury at Aphelion 
    22  11:37  Mercury 2.9°N of Moon
    24  10:31  Spica 3.4°N of Moon
    24  16     Mercury at Greatest Elong: 27.4°E
    27  11:42  FIRST QUARTER MOON 
    27  22:08  Antares 0.6°S of Moon
    31  11:03  Moon at Apogee: 405269 km

Sep 01  03:18  Moon at Ascending Node 
    02  21:25  Jupiter 3.1°S of Moon
    04  16:03  FULL MOON 
    10  16:12  Pleiades 0.3°S of Moon
    12  02:16  LAST QUARTER MOON 
    13  15:59  Mars 1.1°S of Moon: Occn.
    14  20:56  Moon at Descending Node 
    16  07:55  Moon at Perigee: 364054 km
    16  18:11  Venus 3.3°N of Moon
    17  01:37  Regulus 3.4°N of Moon
    17  10     Uranus at Opposition 
    17  18     Saturn in Conjunction with Sun 
    18  18:44  NEW MOON 
    20  09:55  Venus 0.4°N of Regulus
    20  10     Mercury at Inferior Conjunction 
    20  20:11  Spica 3.2°N of Moon
    22  21:18  Autumnal Equinox 
    24  06:11  Antares 0.8°S of Moon
    26  04:50  FIRST QUARTER MOON 
    28  03:33  Moon at Apogee: 404432 km
    28  06:52  Moon at Ascending Node 
    30  00:19  Jupiter 3.0°S of Moon

Oct 04  06     Venus at Perihelion 
    04  06:10  FULL MOON 
    04  13     Mercury at Perihelion 
    06  01     Mercury at Greatest Elong: 17.9°W
    07  21:37  Pleiades 0.1°S of Moon
    08  10     Mercury 0.3°S of Saturn
    11  08:56  LAST QUARTER MOON 
    11  23:01  Moon at Descending Node 
    12  01:26  Mars 1.2°N of Moon: Occn.
    13  12:28  Moon at Perigee: 369068 km
    13  14     Venus 0.5°S of Saturn
    14  09:35  Regulus 3.6°N of Moon
    18  05:33  NEW MOON 
    21  10     Orionid Meteor Shower
    21  14:58  Antares 1.0°S of Moon
    25  08:52  Moon at Ascending Node 
    25  23:18  Moon at Apogee: 404168 km
    26  00:42  FIRST QUARTER MOON 
    27  08:42  Jupiter 3.2°S of Moon

Nov 02  19:14  FULL MOON 
    03  02:50  Venus 3.3°N of Spica
    04  04:40  Pleiades 0.0°N of Moon
    05  08     Mercury at Superior Conjunction 
    05  10     S Taurid Meteor Shower
    07  07:30  Moon at Perigee: 368900 km
    07  23:25  Moon at Descending Node 
    09  05:59  Mars 3.5°N of Moon
    09  15:56  LAST QUARTER MOON 
    10  15:31  Regulus 3.8°N of Moon
    12  09     N Taurid Meteor Shower
    14  13:32  Spica 3.2°N of Moon
    16  19:14  NEW MOON 
    17  16     Leonid Meteor Shower
    21  11:34  Moon at Ascending Node 
    22  20:07  Moon at Apogee: 404736 km
    23  22:10  Jupiter 3.7°S of Moon
    24  21:39  FIRST QUARTER MOON 

Dec 01  14:12  Pleiades 0.0°N of Moon
    02  07:30  FULL MOON 
    04  14:12  Moon at Perigee: 363479 km
    05  03:18  Moon at Descending Node 
    07  21:13  Regulus 4.1°N of Moon
    09  00:13  LAST QUARTER MOON 
    11  19:36  Spica 3.4°N of Moon
    14  05     Geminid Meteor Shower
    16  12:02  NEW MOON 
    18  08:14  Mercury 1.4°S of Moon
    18  16:41  Moon at Ascending Node 
    18  17     Mercury at Greatest Elong: 20.3°E
    20  14:54  Moon at Apogee: 405731 km
    21  15:04  Jupiter 4.2°S of Moon
    21  17:47  Winter Solstice 
    22  13     Ursid Meteor Shower
    24  17:36  FIRST QUARTER MOON 
    29  01:03  Pleiades 0.0°S of Moon
    31  12     Mercury at Perihelion 
    31  19:13  FULL MOON 
    31  19:23  Partial Lunar Eclipse; mag=0.076

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

2009 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.

2009 Phases of the Moon
Greenwich Mean Time
New Moon First Quarter Full Moon Last Quarter
- Jan 04 11:56 Jan 11 03:27 Jan 18 02:46
Jan 26 07:55 A Feb 02 23:13 Feb 09 14:49 n Feb 16 21:37
Feb 25 01:35 Mar 04 07:46 Mar 11 02:38 Mar 18 17:47
Mar 26 16:06 Apr 02 14:34 Apr 09 14:56 Apr 17 13:36
Apr 25 03:23 May 01 20:44 May 09 04:01 May 17 07:26
May 24 12:11 May 31 03:22 Jun 07 18:12 Jun 15 22:15
Jun 22 19:35 Jun 29 11:28 Jul 07 09:21 n Jul 15 09:53
Jul 22 02:35 T Jul 28 22:00 Aug 06 00:55 n Aug 13 18:55
Aug 20 10:01 Aug 27 11:42 Sep 04 16:03 Sep 12 02:16
Sep 18 18:44 Sep 26 04:50 Oct 04 06:10 Oct 11 08:56
Oct 18 05:33 Oct 26 00:42 Nov 02 19:14 Nov 09 15:56
Nov 16 19:14 Nov 24 21:39 Dec 02 07:30 Dec 09 00:13
Dec 16 12:02 Dec 24 17:36 Dec 31 19:13 p -

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

        Time Zones Abbreviations
        • 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)

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

book

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


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