2015 Sky Event Almanac
New Zealand Standard Time
The following table gives the date and time of the important astronomical events for the year. The times listed are for New Zealand Standard Time (Coordinated Universal Time + 12 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.
| 2015 Sky Event Almanac | ||||||||
| New Zealand Standard Time | ||||||||
| January - June | July - December | |||||||
Date NZST Even
(h:m)
Jan 02 23:35 Aldebaran 1.4°S of Moon
04 14 Quadrantid Meteor Shower
04 18 Earth at Perihelion: 0.98328 AU
05 16:53 FULL MOON
09 13:34 Regulus 4.1°N of Moon
10 06:17 Moon at Apogee: 405411 km
11 13 Mercury 0.6°N of Venus
13 03:33 Moon at Ascending Node
13 21:27 Spica 3.1°S of Moon
13 21:47 LAST QUARTER MOON
15 08 Mercury at Greatest Elong: 18.9°E
16 23:52 Saturn 1.9°S of Moon
21 01:14 NEW MOON
22 05:39 Mercury 3.0°S of Moon
22 08:06 Moon at Perigee: 359643 km
22 09 Mercury at Perihelion
23 16:40 Mars 3.9°S of Moon
25 22:23 Moon at Descending Node
27 16:48 FIRST QUARTER MOON
30 05:07 Aldebaran 1.2°S of Moon
31 02 Mercury at Inferior Conjunction
Feb 04 11:09 FULL MOON
05 20:17 Regulus 4.0°N of Moon
06 18:25 Moon at Apogee: 406155 km
07 05 Jupiter at Opposition
09 05:10 Moon at Ascending Node
10 04:23 Spica 3.3°S of Moon
12 15:50 LAST QUARTER MOON
13 12:10 Saturn 2.1°S of Moon
17 18:20 Mercury 3.5°S of Moon
19 11:47 NEW MOON
19 19:29 Moon at Perigee: 356992 km
21 12:56 Venus 2.0°S of Moon
21 13:28 Mars 1.5°S of Moon
22 04:05 Moon at Descending Node
22 17 Venus 0.4°S of Mars
25 04 Mercury at Greatest Elong: 26.7°W
26 05:14 FIRST QUARTER MOON
26 11:02 Aldebaran 1.0°S of Moon
26 16 Neptune in Conjunction with Sun
Mar 05 02:29 Regulus 4.0°N of Moon
05 19:35 Moon at Apogee: 406386 km
06 06:05 FULL MOON
07 08 Mercury at Aphelion
08 09:04 Moon at Ascending Node
09 10:21 Spica 3.4°S of Moon
12 20:25 Saturn 2.3°S of Moon
14 05:48 LAST QUARTER MOON
20 07:38 Moon at Perigee: 357584 km
20 21:36 NEW MOON
20 21:46 Total Solar Eclipse; mag=1.045
21 10:45 Vernal Equinox
21 14:19 Moon at Descending Node
22 10:13 Mars 1.0°N of Moon: Occn.
23 07:51 Venus 2.8°N of Moon
25 18:55 Aldebaran 0.9°S of Moon
27 19:43 FIRST QUARTER MOON
Apr 01 08:45 Regulus 4.0°N of Moon
02 00:59 Moon at Apogee: 406012 km
04 15:17 Moon at Ascending Node
05 00:00 Total Lunar Eclipse; mag=1.001
05 00:06 FULL MOON
05 16:21 Spica 3.5°S of Moon
07 02 Uranus in Conjunction with Sun
09 01:08 Saturn 2.2°S of Moon
10 16 Mercury at Superior Conjunction
12 03:28 Venus 2.5°S of Pleiades
12 15:44 LAST QUARTER MOON
17 15:53 Moon at Perigee: 361026 km
18 01:07 Moon at Descending Node
19 01 Venus at Perihelion
19 06:57 NEW MOON
20 08 Mercury at Perihelion
22 04:35 Aldebaran 0.9°S of Moon
23 11 Lyrid Meteor Shower
26 11:55 FIRST QUARTER MOON
28 15:38 Regulus 4.0°N of Moon
29 15:55 Moon at Apogee: 405085 km
May 01 13:29 Mercury 1.6°S of Pleiades
01 21:50 Moon at Ascending Node
02 23:10 Spica 3.5°S of Moon
04 15:42 FULL MOON
06 01 Eta-Aquarid Meteor Shower
06 04:19 Saturn 2.0°S of Moon
07 17 Mercury at Greatest Elong: 21.2°E
11 22:36 LAST QUARTER MOON
15 08:37 Moon at Descending Node
15 12:23 Moon at Perigee: 366024 km
18 16:13 NEW MOON
23 13 Saturn at Opposition
25 23:14 Regulus 3.8°N of Moon
26 05:19 FIRST QUARTER MOON
27 10:12 Moon at Apogee: 404246 km
29 02:40 Moon at Ascending Node
30 05:27 Venus 3.9°S of Pollux
30 06:52 Spica 3.6°S of Moon
31 05 Mercury at Inferior Conjunction
Jun 02 08:02 Saturn 1.9°S of Moon
03 04:19 FULL MOON
07 07 Venus at Greatest Elong: 45.4°E
10 03:42 LAST QUARTER MOON
10 16:39 Moon at Perigee: 369713 km
11 11:30 Moon at Descending Node
15 03 Mars in Conjunction with Sun
15 14:26 Mercury 0.0°N of Moon: Occn.
15 23:11 Aldebaran 1.0°S of Moon
17 02:05 NEW MOON
22 04:38 Summer Solstice
22 07:10 Regulus 3.6°N of Moon
23 21:37 Mercury 1.8°N of Aldebaran
24 05:01 Moon at Apogee: 404134 km
24 23:03 FIRST QUARTER MOON
25 05 Mercury at Greatest Elong: 22.5°W
25 05:23 Moon at Ascending Node
26 14:58 Spica 3.8°S of Moon
29 13:27 Saturn 2.0°S of Moon
|
Date NZST Even
(h:m)
Jul 01 14 Venus 0.3°S of Jupiter
02 14:20 FULL MOON
06 06:54 Moon at Perigee: 367095 km
07 07 Earth at Aphelion: 1.01668 AU
08 12:07 Moon at Descending Node
09 08:24 LAST QUARTER MOON
13 05:55 Aldebaran 0.9°S of Moon
15 09:15 Venus 1.5°S of Regulus
16 13:24 NEW MOON
17 07 Mercury at Perihelion
19 05:34 Jupiter 4.1°N of Moon
19 13:06 Venus 0.4°N of Moon: Occn.
19 14:49 Regulus 3.4°N of Moon
21 23:02 Moon at Apogee: 404837 km
22 07:32 Moon at Ascending Node
23 22:45 Spica 4.0°S of Moon
24 07 Mercury at Superior Conjunction
24 16:04 FIRST QUARTER MOON
26 20:43 Saturn 2.2°S of Moon
29 02 Delta-Aquarid Meteor Shower
31 22:43 FULL MOON
Aug 02 22:11 Moon at Perigee: 362135 km
04 14:53 Moon at Descending Node
07 14:03 LAST QUARTER MOON
08 05:25 Mercury 0.8°N of Regulus
09 10 Venus at Aphelion
09 11:22 Aldebaran 0.7°S of Moon
13 18 Perseid Meteor Shower
15 02:54 NEW MOON
16 07 Venus at Inferior Conjunction
17 02:34 Mercury 2.0°N of Moon
18 11:05 Moon at Ascending Node
18 14:33 Moon at Apogee: 405852 km
20 05:46 Spica 4.2°S of Moon
23 05:21 Saturn 2.6°S of Moon
23 07:31 FIRST QUARTER MOON
27 09 Jupiter in Conjunction with Sun
30 06:35 FULL MOON
30 07 Mercury at Aphelion
31 03:24 Moon at Perigee: 358289 km
31 22:16 Moon at Descending Node
Sep 01 14 Neptune at Opposition
04 22 Mercury at Greatest Elong: 27.1°E
05 17:09 Aldebaran 0.6°S of Moon
05 21:54 LAST QUARTER MOON
10 17:53 Venus 2.7°S of Moon
12 03:56 Regulus 3.3°N of Moon
13 18:41 NEW MOON
13 18:54 Partial Solar Eclipse; mag=0.788
14 16:38 Moon at Ascending Node
14 23:28 Moon at Apogee: 406466 km
16 12:00 Spica 4.3°S of Moon
19 14:54 Saturn 2.8°S of Moon
21 20:59 FIRST QUARTER MOON
23 20:20 Autumnal Equinox
25 07:38 Mars 0.7°N of Regulus
28 09:04 Moon at Descending Node
28 13:46 Moon at Perigee: 356877 km
28 14:47 Total Lunar Eclipse; mag=1.276
28 14:50 FULL MOON
Oct 01 03 Mercury at Inferior Conjunction
03 00:51 Aldebaran 0.5°S of Moon
05 09:06 LAST QUARTER MOON
09 08:32 Venus 0.7°N of Moon: Occn.
09 09:52 Regulus 3.3°N of Moon
09 12:26 Venus 2.5°S of Regulus
10 04:51 Mars 3.4°N of Moon
10 11:30 Jupiter 2.7°N of Moon
11 22:54 Moon at Ascending Node
12 00:00 Mercury 1.0°N of Moon: Occn.
12 01:17 Moon at Apogee: 406389 km
12 15 Uranus at Opposition
13 06 Mercury at Perihelion
13 12:06 NEW MOON
16 15 Mercury at Greatest Elong: 18.1°W
17 01:20 Saturn 3.0°S of Moon
18 09 Mars 0.4°N of Jupiter
21 08:31 FIRST QUARTER MOON
22 11 Orionid Meteor Shower
25 19:36 Moon at Descending Node
26 11 Venus 1.0°S of Jupiter
26 19 Venus at Greatest Elong: 46.4°W
27 00:59 Moon at Perigee: 358464 km
28 00:05 FULL MOON
30 10:45 Aldebaran 0.6°S of Moon
Nov 03 19 Venus 0.7°S of Mars
04 00:24 LAST QUARTER MOON
05 16:19 Regulus 3.2°N of Moon
06 11 S Taurid Meteor Shower
07 03:49 Jupiter 2.3°N of Moon
07 21:56 Mars 1.8°N of Moon
08 01:54 Venus 1.2°N of Moon
08 03:53 Moon at Ascending Node
08 09:48 Moon at Apogee: 405724 km
10 00:27 Spica 4.3°S of Moon
12 05:47 NEW MOON
13 10 N Taurid Meteor Shower
13 13:05 Saturn 3.0°S of Moon
18 03 Mercury at Superior Conjunction
18 17 Leonid Meteor Shower
19 18:27 FIRST QUARTER MOON
21 11 Mars at Aphelion: 1.66606 AU
22 01:56 Moon at Descending Node
24 08:06 Moon at Perigee: 362818 km
26 10:44 FULL MOON
26 21:33 Aldebaran 0.7°S of Moon
29 18 Venus at Perihelion
30 07:20 Venus 3.9°N of Spica
30 12 Saturn in Conjunction with Sun
Dec 02 23:53 Regulus 3.0°N of Moon
03 19:40 LAST QUARTER MOON
04 18:21 Jupiter 1.8°N of Moon
05 06:33 Moon at Ascending Node
06 02:56 Moon at Apogee: 404800 km
06 14:40 Mars 0.1°N of Moon: Occn.
07 07:42 Spica 4.4°S of Moon
08 04:55 Venus 0.7°S of Moon: Occn.
11 22:29 NEW MOON
15 06 Geminid Meteor Shower
19 03:13 Moon at Descending Node
19 03:14 FIRST QUARTER MOON
21 20:53 Moon at Perigee: 368418 km
22 16:48 Winter Solstice
23 14 Ursid Meteor Shower
24 02:18 Mars 3.3°N of Spica
24 07:09 Aldebaran 0.7°S of Moon
25 23:11 FULL MOON
29 15 Mercury at Greatest Elong: 19.7°E
30 08:30 Regulus 2.7°N 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
2015 Phases of the Moon
New Zealand Standard Time
The following table gives the date and time of the Moon's phases for the year. The times listed are for New Zealand Standard Time (Coordinated Universal Time + 12 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.
| 2015 Phases of the Moon | |||
| New Zealand Standard Time | |||
| New Moon | First Quarter | Full Moon | Last Quarter |
| - | - | Jan 05 16:53 | Jan 13 21:47 |
| Jan 21 01:14 | Jan 27 16:48 | Feb 04 11:09 | Feb 12 15:50 |
| Feb 19 11:47 | Feb 26 05:14 | Mar 06 06:06 | Mar 14 05:48 |
| Mar 20 21:36 T | Mar 27 19:43 | Apr 05 00:06 p | Apr 12 15:44 |
| Apr 19 06:57 | Apr 26 11:55 | May 04 15:42 | May 11 22:36 |
| May 18 16:13 | May 26 05:19 | Jun 03 04:19 | Jun 10 03:42 |
| Jun 17 02:05 | Jun 24 23:03 | Jul 02 14:20 | Jul 09 08:24 |
| Jul 16 13:24 | Jul 24 16:04 | Jul 31 22:43 | Aug 07 14:03 |
| Aug 15 02:54 | Aug 23 07:31 | Aug 30 06:35 | Sep 05 21:54 |
| Sep 13 18:41 P | Sep 21 20:59 | Sep 28 14:50 t | Oct 05 09:06 |
| Oct 13 12:06 | Oct 21 08:31 | Oct 28 00:05 | Nov 04 00:24 |
| Nov 12 05:47 | Nov 19 18:27 | Nov 26 10:44 | Dec 03 19:40 |
| Dec 11 22:29 | Dec 19 03:14 | Dec 25 23:11 | - |
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: 2011 to 2020
Asia & Oceania
Below are links to sky event almanacs from 2011 to 2020 for ten time zones in Asia & Oceania.
Choose a time zone and click on a year to get a sky event almanac for that year.
| Sky Event Almanacs - Asia & Oceania | |||||||||||||||
| PKT | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | |||||
| IST | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | |||||
| BST | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | |||||
| ICT | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | |||||
| AWST | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | |||||
| JST | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | |||||
| ACT | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | |||||
| AEST | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | |||||
| NCT | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | |||||
| NZST | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | |||||
- PKT = Pakistan Standard Time (= UTC + 5 hours)
- IST = Indian Standard Time (= UTC + 5.5 hours)
- BST = Bangladesh Standard Time (= UTC + 6 hours)
- ICT = Indochina Time (= UTC + 7 hours)
- AWST = Australian Western Standard Time (= UTC + 8 hours)
- JST = Japan Standard Time (= UTC + 9 hours)
- ACT = Australian Central Time (= UTC + 9.5 hours)
- AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time (= UTC + 10 hours)
- NCT = New Caledonia Time (= UTC + 11 hours)
- NZST = New Zealand Standard Time (= UTC + 12 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)