2016 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.
2016 Sky Event Almanac | ||||||||
Pacific Standard Time | ||||||||
January - June | July - December | |||||||
Date PST Event (h:m) Jan 01 21:30 LAST QUARTER MOON 02 03:53 Moon at Apogee: 404279 km 02 15 Earth at Perihelion: 0.98330 AU 03 10:45 Mars 1.5°S of Moon 04 00 Quadrantid Meteor Shower 06 15:57 Venus 3.1°S of Moon 06 20:57 Saturn 3.3°S of Moon 08 10 Mercury at Perihelion 09 00 Venus 0.1°N of Saturn 09 17:30 NEW MOON 14 06 Mercury at Inferior Conjunction 14 07:48 Moon at Descending Node 14 18:10 Moon at Perigee: 369619 km 16 15:26 FIRST QUARTER MOON 19 18:16 Aldebaran 0.5°S of Moon 23 17:46 FULL MOON 25 21:10 Regulus 2.5°N of Moon 27 15:58 Moon at Ascending Node 27 17:14 Jupiter 1.4°N of Moon 30 01:10 Moon at Apogee: 404553 km 31 19:28 LAST QUARTER MOON Feb 01 00:48 Mars 2.7°S of Moon 03 11:05 Saturn 3.5°S of Moon 05 23:32 Venus 4.3°S of Moon 06 08:47 Mercury 3.8°S of Moon 06 17 Mercury at Greatest Elong: 25.6°W 08 06:39 NEW MOON 10 12:46 Moon at Descending Node 10 18:42 Moon at Perigee: 364358 km 12 19 Mercury 4.0°N of Venus 14 23:46 FIRST QUARTER MOON 15 23:41 Aldebaran 0.3°S of Moon 21 09 Mercury at Aphelion 22 04:48 Regulus 2.5°N of Moon 22 10:20 FULL MOON 23 19:58 Jupiter 1.7°N of Moon 23 22:10 Moon at Ascending Node 26 19:28 Moon at Apogee: 405383 km 28 07 Neptune in Conjunction with Sun 29 10:16 Mars 3.6°S of Moon Mar 01 15:11 LAST QUARTER MOON 01 22:53 Saturn 3.6°S of Moon 07 02:54 Venus 3.5°S of Moon 08 02 Jupiter at Opposition 08 17:54 NEW MOON 08 17:57 Total Solar Eclipse; mag=1.045 08 22:31 Moon at Descending Node 09 23:02 Moon at Perigee: 359509 km 14 05:44 Aldebaran 0.3°S of Moon 15 09:03 FIRST QUARTER MOON 19 20:31 Vernal Equinox 20 06 Venus at Aphelion 20 11:05 Regulus 2.5°N of Moon 21 19:57 Jupiter 2.1°N of Moon 22 04:59 Moon at Ascending Node 23 03:47 Pen. Lunar Eclipse; mag=0.775 23 04:01 FULL MOON 23 12 Mercury at Superior Conjunction 25 06:16 Moon at Apogee: 406125 km 28 10:45 Mars 4.2°S of Moon 29 06:58 Saturn 3.5°S of Moon 31 07:17 LAST QUARTER MOON Apr 05 09 Mercury at Perihelion 05 09:27 Moon at Descending Node 06 00:30 Venus 0.7°S of Moon: Occn. 07 03:24 NEW MOON 07 09:36 Moon at Perigee: 357164 km 09 13 Uranus in Conjunction with Sun 10 14:05 Aldebaran 0.4°S of Moon 13 19:59 FIRST QUARTER MOON 16 16:46 Regulus 2.5°N of Moon 17 20:42 Jupiter 2.2°N of Moon 18 06 Mercury at Greatest Elong: 19.9°E 18 10:04 Moon at Ascending Node 21 08:05 Moon at Apogee: 406352 km 21 21:24 FULL MOON 21 21 Lyrid Meteor Shower 25 11:28 Saturn 3.3°S of Moon 27 05:51 Mars 4.8°N of Antares 29 19:29 LAST QUARTER MOON May 02 17:27 Moon at Descending Node 04 11 Eta-Aquarid Meteor Shower 05 20:14 Moon at Perigee: 357828 km 06 11:30 NEW MOON 08 00:21 Aldebaran 0.5°S of Moon 09 07 Mercury at Inferior Conjunction 13 09:02 FIRST QUARTER MOON 13 23:06 Regulus 2.3°N of Moon 15 01:30 Jupiter 2.0°N of Moon 15 12:39 Moon at Ascending Node 18 14:06 Moon at Apogee: 405934 km 21 13:15 FULL MOON 22 03 Mars at Opposition 22 13:59 Saturn 3.2°S of Moon 29 04:12 LAST QUARTER MOON 29 20:45 Moon at Descending Node Jun 02 22 Saturn at Opposition 03 01:47 Mercury 0.7°N of Moon: Occn. 03 02:55 Moon at Perigee: 361142 km 04 19:00 NEW MOON 05 01 Mercury at Greatest Elong: 24.2°W 06 14 Venus at Superior Conjunction 10 06:47 Regulus 2.0°N of Moon 11 11:35 Jupiter 1.5°N of Moon 11 14:20 Moon at Ascending Node 12 00:10 FIRST QUARTER MOON 15 04:00 Moon at Apogee: 405022 km 18 16:40 Saturn 3.3°S of Moon 18 19:39 Mercury 3.7°N of Aldebaran 20 03:02 FULL MOON 20 14:35 Summer Solstice 25 21:28 Moon at Descending Node 27 10:19 LAST QUARTER MOON 30 22:45 Moon at Perigee: 365983 km |
Date PST Event (h:m) Jul 01 19:58 Aldebaran 0.4°S of Moon 02 08 Mercury at Perihelion 04 03:01 NEW MOON 04 08 Earth at Aphelion: 1.01675 AU 06 19 Mercury at Superior Conjunction 07 15:33 Regulus 1.8°N of Moon 08 17:41 Moon at Ascending Node 09 02:08 Jupiter 0.9°N of Moon: Occn. 10 15 Venus at Perihelion 11 16:52 FIRST QUARTER MOON 12 21:24 Moon at Apogee: 404272 km 15 21:11 Saturn 3.4°S of Moon 19 14:57 FULL MOON 22 23:49 Moon at Descending Node 26 15:00 LAST QUARTER MOON 27 03:25 Moon at Perigee: 369659 km 27 13 Delta-Aquarid Meteor Shower 29 02:53 Aldebaran 0.3°S of Moon 30 07:55 Mercury 0.3°N of Regulus Aug 02 12:45 NEW MOON 03 22:19 Venus 2.9°N of Moon 04 00:22 Regulus 1.7°N of Moon 04 14:12 Mercury 0.6°N of Moon: Occn. 04 23:48 Moon at Ascending Node 05 03:57 Venus 1.0°N of Regulus 05 19:28 Jupiter 0.2°N of Moon: Occn. 09 16:05 Moon at Apogee: 404266 km 10 10:21 FIRST QUARTER MOON 12 04:10 Saturn 3.7°S of Moon 12 04 Perseid Meteor Shower 15 08 Mercury at Aphelion 16 13 Mercury at Greatest Elong: 27.4°E 18 01:27 FULL MOON 19 06:14 Moon at Descending Node 19 22 Mercury 3.8°S of Jupiter 21 17:20 Moon at Perigee: 367047 km 23 21:09 Mars 1.8°N of Antares 24 17 Mars 4.3°S of Saturn 24 19:41 LAST QUARTER MOON 25 08:21 Aldebaran 0.2°S of Moon 27 14 Venus 0.1°N of Jupiter Sep 01 01:03 NEW MOON 01 01:07 Annular Solar Eclipse; mag=0.974 01 07:27 Moon at Ascending Node 02 07 Neptune at Opposition 02 13:53 Jupiter 0.4°S of Moon: Occn. 03 02:33 Venus 1.1°S of Moon: Occn. 06 10:44 Moon at Apogee: 405059 km 08 13:23 Saturn 3.8°S of Moon 09 03:49 FIRST QUARTER MOON 12 16 Mercury at Inferior Conjunction 15 15:55 Moon at Descending Node 16 10:54 Pen. Lunar Eclipse; mag=0.908 16 11:05 FULL MOON 18 07:15 Venus 2.2°N of Spica 18 09:00 Moon at Perigee: 361894 km 21 14:13 Aldebaran 0.2°S of Moon 22 06:21 Autumnal Equinox 23 01:56 LAST QUARTER MOON 25 22 Jupiter in Conjunction with Sun 27 14:32 Regulus 1.7°N of Moon 28 07 Mercury at Perihelion 28 11 Mercury at Greatest Elong: 17.9°W 28 14:06 Moon at Ascending Node 29 02:42 Mercury 0.7°N of Moon: Occn. 30 16:12 NEW MOON Oct 04 03:02 Moon at Apogee: 406100 km 06 00:04 Saturn 3.8°S of Moon 08 20:33 FIRST QUARTER MOON 13 01:43 Moon at Descending Node 15 02 Uranus at Opposition 15 20:23 FULL MOON 16 15:36 Moon at Perigee: 357860 km 18 22:18 Aldebaran 0.3°S of Moon 20 21 Orionid Meteor Shower 22 11:14 LAST QUARTER MOON 24 20:01 Regulus 1.6°N of Moon 25 17:44 Moon at Ascending Node 26 02:56 Venus 3.0°N of Antares 27 08 Mercury at Superior Conjunction 28 01:33 Jupiter 1.4°S of Moon 29 05 Mars at Perihelion: 1.38124 AU 29 18 Venus 3.0°S of Saturn 30 09:38 NEW MOON 31 11:29 Moon at Apogee: 406660 km Nov 02 11:38 Saturn 3.7°S of Moon 04 21 S Taurid Meteor Shower 07 11:51 FIRST QUARTER MOON 09 07:57 Moon at Descending Node 11 20 N Taurid Meteor Shower 14 03:23 Moon at Perigee: 356512 km 14 05:52 FULL MOON 15 08:50 Aldebaran 0.4°S of Moon 17 03 Leonid Meteor Shower 21 00:33 LAST QUARTER MOON 21 02:08 Regulus 1.3°N of Moon 21 18:48 Moon at Ascending Node 23 11 Mercury 3.4°S of Saturn 24 17:47 Jupiter 1.9°S of Moon 27 12:08 Moon at Apogee: 406556 km 29 04:18 NEW MOON Dec 05 02:39 Mars 2.9°S of Moon 06 09:35 Moon at Descending Node 07 01:03 FIRST QUARTER MOON 10 03 Saturn in Conjunction with Sun 10 20 Mercury at Greatest Elong: 20.8°E 12 15:27 Moon at Perigee: 358463 km 12 20:14 Aldebaran 0.5°S of Moon 13 16 Geminid Meteor Shower 13 16:06 FULL MOON 18 10:13 Regulus 1.0°N of Moon 18 20:46 Moon at Ascending Node 20 17:56 LAST QUARTER MOON 21 02:45 Winter Solstice 22 00 Ursid Meteor Shower 22 08:37 Jupiter 2.4°S of Moon 24 21:55 Moon at Apogee: 405870 km 25 07 Mercury at Perihelion 27 13:00 Saturn 3.6°S of Moon 28 11 Mercury at Inferior Conjunction 28 22:53 NEW 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
2016 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.
2016 Phases of the Moon | |||
Pacific Standard Time | |||
New Moon | First Quarter | Full Moon | Last Quarter |
- | - | - | Jan 01 21:30 |
Jan 09 17:30 | Jan 16 15:26 | Jan 23 17:46 | Jan 31 19:28 |
Feb 08 06:39 | Feb 14 23:46 | Feb 22 10:20 | Mar 01 15:11 |
Mar 08 17:54 T | Mar 15 09:03 | Mar 23 04:01 n | Mar 31 07:17 |
Apr 07 03:24 | Apr 13 19:59 | Apr 21 21:24 | Apr 29 19:29 |
May 06 11:30 | May 13 09:02 | May 21 13:15 | May 29 04:12 |
Jun 04 19:00 | Jun 12 00:10 | Jun 20 03:02 | Jun 27 10:19 |
Jul 04 03:01 | Jul 11 16:52 | Jul 19 14:57 | Jul 26 15:00 |
Aug 02 12:45 | Aug 10 10:21 | Aug 18 01:27 | Aug 24 19:41 |
Sep 01 01:03 A | Sep 09 03:49 | Sep 16 11:05 n | Sep 23 01:56 |
Sep 30 16:12 | Oct 08 20:33 | Oct 15 20:23 | Oct 22 11:14 |
Oct 30 09:38 | Nov 07 11:51 | Nov 14 05:52 | Nov 21 00:33 |
Nov 29 04:18 | Dec 07 01:03 | Dec 13 16:06 | Dec 20 17:56 |
Dec 28 22:53 | - | - | - |
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
The Americas
Below are links to sky event almanacs from 2011 to 2020 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 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | |||||
AST | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | |||||
EST | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | |||||
CST | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | |||||
MST | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | |||||
PST | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | |||||
AKST | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | |||||
HST | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
- 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)