(no subject) natashagen wrote in January 9th, 2011
Astronomical calendar is a reference book published annually or monthly containing ephemeris and overviews of expected astronomical events. Ephemerides are tables indicating the coordinates and visibility conditions of the Sun, Moon, planets and other space objects. The calendar uses astronomical phenomena: the change of day and night, changes in lunar phases and the change of seasons. On their basis, units of measurement for large periods of time are established: the average solar day (24 hours), the synodic month (29 days 12 hours 44 minutes 3 seconds of average solar time) and the tropical year (365 days 5 hours 48 minutes 46 seconds of average solar time). It is impossible to select an integer number of tropical years that would contain an integer number of synodic months and an integer number of average solar days; all three of these quantities are incommensurable. This explains the complexity of constructing calendars and the emergence over several millennia of numerous calendar systems seeking to overcome these difficulties.
Moon calendar- a calendar based on the synodic month. A year in the lunar calendar consists of 12 months containing 29 or 30 days. In the lunar calendar, the year is divided into 12 months. , containing alternately 30 or 29 days. There are 354 days in a lunar year. To ensure that the first month of each year falls on the new moon (this is one of the requirements of the lunar calendar), in certain years an additional day is added to the last month; Years with 355 days are leap years. Since the lunar year is shorter than the solar year by about 11 days, the beginning of the lunar year moves to an earlier time every year and can fall on any month of the solar year.
Solar calendar- a calendar based on the tropical year. One of the first solar calendars was the Egyptian one, created in the 4th millennium BC. e. In this calendar, the year consisted of 365 days. It was divided into 12 months. 30 days each; At the end of the year, five holidays were added that were not part of the months.
Julian calendar - was developed by a group of Alexandrian astronomers led by Sosigenes and introduced by Julius Caesar in 45 BC. e. A typical year according to the Julian calendar consists of 365 days and is divided into 12 months. Once every 4 years, a leap year is declared, in which one additional day is added - February 29 (previously, a similar system was adopted in the zodiac calendar according to Dionysius). The modern calendar originates from the ancient Roman solar calendar, which was introduced on January 1, 45 BC. e. as a result of the reform carried out in 46 BC. e. Julius Caesar (hence the name). January 1st also became the beginning of the new year (before that, the new year began in the Roman calendar on March 1st). The average length of the year in the Julian calendar was taken to be 365 1/4 days, which corresponded to the length of the tropical year known at that time. For convenience, 3 consecutive years were counted as 365 days, and the fourth, leap year, as 366 days. The year was divided into 12 months. , for which their ancient names were retained: January, February, March, April, May, June, Quintilis, Sextilis, September, October, November and December. The number of days in months was ordered: all odd-numbered months had 31 days, and even months had 30. Only February of a simple year contained 29 days. In 44 BC e. in honor of Julius Caesar, the month Quintilis (fifth) was renamed July, and in 8 BC. e. month of sextilis (sixth) - in August in honor of the Roman emperor Augustus. In addition, the alternation of long and short months changed: one day was added to August at the expense of February, at the same time one day of September was transferred to October and one day of November to December. The correct use of the Julian calendar began with 7 AD. e.; from now on, all years of the Julian calendar, the ordinal number of which is divisible by 4, are leap years.
Gregorian calendar. Due to the fact that the length of the Julian year is 11 minutes 14 seconds longer than the tropical year, an error of a whole day accumulated over 128 years. Therefore, by the end of the 16th century. spring equinox, which in 325 AD e. fell on March 21st, March 11th had already arrived. The error was corrected in 1582, when, based on a bull of Pope Gregory XIII, the Julian calendar was reformed. To correct it, the count of days was moved forward 10 days, and the day after Thursday, October 4, was prescribed to be considered Friday, but not October 5, but October 15. So the spring equinox was again returned to March 21st. To avoid a new mistake, it was decided to exclude 3 days from the count every 400 years. Thus, instead of 100 leap days for every 400 years in the Julian calendar, in the new calendar there were only 97 of them. Those century years (years with two zeros at the end), the number of hundreds of which is not divisible by 4, were excluded from the number of leap days. Such years, in particular, were: 1700, 1800 and 1900. The corrected calendar was called the Gregorian calendar, or new style (in contrast to the Julian calendar, which became known as the “old style”). The average length of the year in it exceeds the duration of the tropical one by only 26 seconds, which leads to an error of one day in only 3280 years. The difference between the old and new styles is: for the 18th century. 11 days, for the 19th century. 12 days and for the 20th century. 13 days.
Thu, November 29, 2018 - 18:56
General astronomical events
During the period from December 3 to December 5, 2018, a surge is possible near the location with coordinates R.A. = 01h36m, Decl. = +50°00", this is 2° northwest of the star Nembus (51 Andromedae +4.0 mag). This area of the sky is located high above the horizon as soon as it becomes dark in late November/early December. Fortunately, the Moon will be in the morning sky at this time and will not interfere with observations of possible meteor activity.It is highly advisable to observe in a very dark sky, as most meteors are expected to be faint.
In addition, it was estimated that activity on December 2, 2023 should be approximately 4 times stronger than in 2011. The zenith hour number can be around 200!
December 8 - maximum action of the Monocerotis meteor shower (ZHR = 2) from the constellation Monoceros,
December 13 - maximum action of the Geminids meteor shower (ZHR = 120) from the constellation Gemini,
December 22 - maximum action of the Ursid meteor shower (ZHR = 10) from the constellation Ursa Minor,
In the northern half of the country,
Large planets of the solar system.
Mercury
It moves backward through the constellation Libra, changing its movement here to direct on December 7. On December 15, the fast planet moves into the constellation Scorpio, and on December 20 it reaches the constellation Ophiuchus. Mercury is in the morning sky, and is observed against the background of dawn quite high above the southeastern horizon. On December 15, the planet reaches a morning (western) elongation of 21.5 degrees with a visibility duration of more than an hour. At the beginning of the month, the apparent diameter of Mercury is about 10 arcseconds, and then begins to decrease, reaching a value of 5 arcseconds by the end of the year. The phase of the planet gradually increases from 0.1 at the beginning of the period described and to 0.9 by the end of December. This means that when observed through a telescope, Mercury will have the appearance of a sickle, turning into a half-disk, and then into an oval. The planet's brightness increases from 2m to -0.5m by the middle of the month, and then slowly begins to decrease. In December 2016, Mercury passed across the disk of the Sun, and the next transit is next year on November 11.
Venus moves in the same direction as the Sun through the constellation Virgo, moving into the constellation Libra on December 13. The planet is visible in the morning sky, increasing its angular distance to the west from the Sun from 40 to 47 degrees, almost reaching its maximum western elongation by the end of the year. In the second half of the month, Venus approaches the star Alpha Libra by up to 3 degrees. Through the telescope, a thin crescent without details is observed. The crescent of the planet is easily observed even with binoculars! The apparent diameter of Venus decreases from 40" to 28", and the phase increases from 0.25 to 0.45 with a magnitude remaining at -4.8m.
Mars moves in the same direction as the Sun through the constellation Aquarius, moving into the constellation Pisces on December 21. The planet is observed in the evening hours above the southern horizon in the form of a bright reddish star that stands out against the background of other stars. The planet’s brightness decreases from 0m to +0.4m per month, and its apparent diameter decreases from 9” to 7.5”. The favorable period of visibility of the mysterious planet is ending this year. Mars went through a great opposition with the Sun on July 27 of this year. Details on the surface of the planet can still be visually observed with an instrument with a lens diameter of 60 mm, and, in addition, photographically with subsequent processing on a computer.
Jupiter moves in a direct motion through the constellation Scorpio, gradually approaching Antares and moving into the constellation Ophiuchus on December 13. The gas giant is observed in the rays of the rising Sun. The angular diameter of the largest planet in the solar system is about 31” with a magnitude of -1.7m. The planet's disk is visible even through binoculars, and through a small telescope, stripes and other details are visible on the surface. Four large satellites are already visible with binoculars, and with a telescope in good visibility conditions you can observe the shadows of the satellites on the planet’s disk. Information about satellite configurations is available in the tables above.
Saturn moves in the same direction as the Sun in the constellation Sagittarius near the globular star cluster M22. You can observe the ringed planet against the background of the evening dawn. The planet's brightness is 0.5m with an apparent diameter of about 15". With a small telescope you can observe the ring and the Titan satellite, as well as other brighter satellites. The apparent dimensions of the planet's ring are on average 40x15” with an inclination of 26 degrees to the observer. Uranus (5.9m, 3.4”) moves backward through the constellation Aries (near the star Omicron Psc with a magnitude of 4.2m) until December 3, when it moves into the constellation Pisces. The planet is visible all night, and you can find it with binoculars.
A telescope with a diameter of 80 mm or more with a magnification of more than 80 times and a clear sky will help you to see the disk of Uranus. The planet can be seen with the naked eye during new moon periods in a dark, clear sky. The satellites of Uranus have a brightness less than 13m.
Neptune (7.9m, 2.3”) moves in the same direction as the Sun in the constellation Aquarius near the star lambda Aqr (3.7m). The planet is visible almost all night. To search for the most distant planet in the Solar System, you will need binoculars and star maps in the Astronomical Calendar for 2018, and the disk will be visible in a telescope of 100 mm in diameter with a magnification of more than 100 times (with a clear sky). Neptune can be captured photographically with the simplest camera with a shutter speed of 10 seconds or more. Neptune's moons are brighter than 13m
Of the comets visible in December from the territory of our country, at least two comets will have a calculated brightness of about 10m or brighter.
P/Wirtanen (46P), with a maximum estimated magnitude of about 4m, moves through the constellations Cetus, Eridanus, Taurus, Perseus, Auriga and Lynx.
P/Stephan-Oterma (38P).
It moves through the constellations Cancer and Lynx with a maximum calculated brightness of about 9m.
C/2018 V1 (Machholtsa-Fujikawa-Iwamoto)
From November 27 to December 4, the comet moves through the constellations Serpens and Ophiuchus. You can try to find the comet in the evenings at sunset just after sunset against the background of the evening dawn very low in the west. The period of morning visibility ends in December. In the mornings, the comet rises shortly before sunrise in the east and therefore drowns in the rays of the morning dawn. The brightness of C/2018 V1 (Machholtz-Fujikawa-Iwamoto) will be maximum - about the fifth and a half to the sixth magnitude. The comet has an average degree of condensation DC=5-6. The stars that can serve as reference stars for searching for a comet are: first mu Serpens, then delta Serpens, 30 Ophiuchi, and then mu Ophiuchi. After midnight on December 1, the comet will pass in front of the famous globular star cluster M10.
04.12.2018
812 4 min.
December is a good time for observations, although the cold in most regions of Russia does its best to prevent this. But this month there are no longer as many clouds as in November and October, and you probably won’t miss any interesting astronomical event. In addition, this month has the longest and darkest nights, which begin early.
In December, according to the astronomical calendar, there is one such important event - the winter solstice on December 21. He also has an exact time - 22:23 Moscow time. From this moment on, astronomical winter begins, but the days will begin to increase, not decrease.
The starry sky in December is magnificent. Everything, rich in attractions, sparkles on it in all its glory. In the south, a gigantic figure winking at the red giant Betelgeuse immediately attracts attention. Below blazes Sirius, alpha and the brightest star in the northern hemisphere. Above and to the right of Orion is Aldebaran, surrounded by the Hyades cluster, and not far from it are the magnificent Pleiades. Even higher - with the beautiful Chapel.
The starry sky in December is the southern part.
To the left and above Orion, high above the horizon, the constellation Castor and Pollux sparkle. By the way, Castor is a six-time star, quite interesting. Towards the East shines Regulus, the brightest star in the constellation.
Starry sky in December - northern part. The autumn constellations are leaning towards the west.
Astronomical calendar for December 2018
In December 2018, the astronomical calendar promises a couple of meteor showers, of which the Geminids with a maximum on December 14 is quite abundant - up to 120 meteors per hour. In addition, comet 46P/Wirtanen can be observed with the naked eye from the beginning of the month, and by mid-December it will reach its closest point to Earth.
The times of the astronomical events in December 20128 listed below are indicated in Moscow.
1.12 – evening visibility ends.
3.12 – at 12:00 the passage of the Moon is 7 degrees north of Spica.
4.12 – at 00:00 the passage of the Moon is 3 degrees north of Venus.
5.12 – passage of the Moon near Mercury.
6.12 – close passage of the Moon.
6.12 – at 23:50 the station of Mercury, the transition from retrograde motion to direct motion.
7.12 – the morning visibility of Mercury begins.
7.12 – the beginning of activity of the Geminids meteor shower.
7.12 – at 10:22 there is a new moon.
7.12 – passage of the Moon 2 arc minutes north of Neptune.
9.12 – at 08:00 the occultation of Saturn by the Moon. Apparently in Siberia and the Far East, but this event will happen there during the day.
12.12 – at 15:27 the Moon is at its apogee, the distance from the Earth is 405176 km.
13.12 – comet 47P/Wirtanen passes the perihelion point, distance from the Sun is 1.05 AU.
14.12 – at 15:00 the maximum of the Geminids meteor shower with a radiant in the constellation Gemini. Up to 120 meteors per hour are expected.
14.12 – at 20:00 the passage of the Moon is 3 degrees south of Neptune.
15.12 – at 05:00 the passage of the Moon is 3 degrees south of Mars.
15.12 – at 14:50 The moon is in the first quarter phase.
15.12 – The maximum western morning elongation of Mercury is 21.5 degrees.
16.12 – Comet 46P/Wirtanen passes within 4 degrees of the Pleiades cluster. Its brightness is +4m, i.e. visible to the naked eye. On this day, the comet is at its minimum distance from Earth - 11.5 million kilometers.
17.12 – the end of the Geminids meteor shower.
17.12 – the beginning of the Ursid meteor shower.
18.12 – the beginning of the morning visibility of Jupiter.
18.12 – at 10:00 the passage of the Moon is 5 degrees south of Uranus.
21.12 – at 08:00 the Moon is in the Hyades cluster.
21.12 – at 11:00 the passage of the Moon is 2 degrees north of Aldebaran.
21.12 – at 21:00 the passage of Mercury is 1 degree north of Jupiter.
21.12 – at 22:23 winter solstice.
22.12 – at 20:50 full moon.
22.12 – the maximum of the Ursid meteor shower with a radiant in the constellation Ursa Minor. Up to 10 meteors per hour are expected.
23.12 – passage of Jupiter 5 degrees north of Antares.
23.12 – passage of comet 46P/Wirtanen 1 degree from Capella, alpha of the constellation Auriga.
23.12 – evening visibility of Mercury ends.
24.12 – at 09:00 the passage of the Moon is 4 degrees south of Pollux.
24.12 – at 12:53 the Moon is at the perigee point, the distance from the Earth is 361059 km.
26.12 – the end of the Ursids meteor shower.
26.12 – at 21:00 the passage of the Moon is 2 degrees north of Regulus.
26.12 – Venus at perihelion point.
28.12 – the beginning of the Quadrantids meteor shower.
29.12 – at 12:37 The moon is in the last quarter phase.
30.12 – at 18:00 the passage of the Moon is 7 degrees north of Spica.
Moon in December 2018
The phases of the moon in December 2018 are presented below.
Comet 46P/Wirtanen November 26, 2018. Photo by Gerald Rehmann. Location: Farm Tivoli, Namibia/SW-Africa.
Telescope: ASA Astrograph 12″f3.6.
Camera: FLI ML 16200.
Mount: ASA DDM85.
Exposure: LRGB 30/15/15/15 min.
Within a month, the comet can be found using the map below. On December 16, comet 46P/Wirtanen will be at its minimum distance from Earth, its brightness will reach +4m. Since the beginning of the month, it can be detected with the naked eye with good vision.
On December 16, the comet will be very close to the Pleiades cluster and will be very easy to find. On December 23, it will be near Capella and also easy to find.
Planets in December 2018
According to the astronomical calendar, the visibility of the planets in December 2018 will be as follows:
Evening– Neptune and Mars (before midnight).
Night- Uranus.
Morning– Mercury, Venus, Jupiter (at the end of the month).
Meteor showers
In December, the astronomical calendar for December 2018 promises two meteor showers:
- Geminids have a radiant in the constellation Gemini, the beginning of activity is on December 7, the end is on December 17, and the maximum is on December 14 - up to 120 meteors per hour are expected.
- Ursids have a radiant in the constellation Ursa Minor, begin activity on December 17, stop on December 26, maximum on December 22 - up to 10 meteors per hour are expected.
On December 28, the Quadrantids meteor shower begins activity, with a radiant in the constellation Bootes, but its maximum occurs on January 3-4. Its activity reaches 200 meteors per hour.
Gemenids in the skies of Alaska What can you observe through a telescope in December?
December frosts are not very conducive to telescope observations, but this does not stop astronomy lovers. In December, you can observe many interesting objects, since the winter constellations are very rich in attractions.
Double stars: θ Orion, ι Cancer, θ Taurus, γ Andromeda, η Perseus, η Cassiopeia;
Variable stars: δ Cepheus, ζ Gemini, β Perseus, λ Taurus;
Open star clusters: Manger (Cancer), Pleiades (Taurus), M35 (Gemini), h and χ Perseus;
Nebulae: M1 in the constellation Taurus, M42 in the constellation Orion;
Galaxies: M31 in the constellation Andromeda, M33 in the constellation Triangulum, M81 and M82 in the constellation .
These are the brightest objects that can be found through binoculars or even with the naked eye, although through a telescope they look much more interesting and impressive. If you wish, you can find dozens of other interesting nebulae, galaxies, and clusters.
The astronomical calendar for November 2018 does not promise any special events. There will be no eclipses, there will be no other significant or rare phenomena.
But for an astronomy lover this is not a problem, because constellations with a huge number of interesting objects for observation will still sparkle in the sky. In addition, winter constellations appear, which are especially rich in attractions. Moreover, in November it is not so cold yet, you can still afford to stay outside longer.
Compared to the summer sky, significant changes are noticeable in November. Vega and Deneb, alpha Lyra and , which shone brightly at their zenith all summer, are leaning toward the horizon in the northwest. And in the east the constellation Leo rises, winking at the bright Regulus. In the northeast it hangs above the horizon.
The most interesting thing, of course, happens in the southern part of the sky - here you can observe new constellations quite high, which just a month ago were barely visible above the horizon. It stands quite high, you can quite clearly see the Great Orion Nebula. Even higher up is a red eye - Aldebaran, and the Pleiades sparkle nearby. A little to the east you can see Castor and Pollux - the main stars, quite interesting, we recommend reading about them on our website.
Even higher sparkles Capella - Alpha, another constellation rich in attractions. Perseus is almost at its zenith. But Pegasus and Andromeda noticeably moved to the west.
Astronomical calendar for November 2018
The time below is Moscow, which differs from the world time by +3 hours. According to the astronomical calendar, the following events will occur in November:
2.11 – passage of the Moon 2 degrees north of Regulus at 09:00.
4.11 – end of evening visibility.
4.11 – the beginning of the morning visibility of Venus.
4.11 – comet 64P Swift-Gerels will pass perihelion, located at 1.393 AU. from the sun. The minimum distance from the Earth was on October 28, so in early November it reaches a maximum brightness of about 11.2m and will be observable with an average amateur telescope.
6.11 – passage of the Moon 7 degrees north of Spica.
6.11 – passage of the Moon 9 degrees north of Venus.
6.11 – the beginning of the Leonids meteor shower.
6.11 – Mercury is at maximum eastern elongation, at an angular distance from the Sun of 23.3 degrees.
7.11 – new moon at 19:03.
8.11 – passage of the Moon near Jupiter.
9.11 – passage of the Moon near Mercury.
9.11 – passage of Mercury 2 degrees north of Antares at 08:00.
11.11 – passage of the Moon 1 degree north at 18:00.
11.11 – Comet 38P/Stefan Oterma will pass perihelion at a distance of 1.589 AU. from the sun. The minimum distance from the Earth will be on December 18 – 0.766 AU. From the twentieth of November, the comet can be observed in small amateur telescopes - its brightness will reach 9.7m.
14.11 – standing of Venus, retrograde movement changes to direct at 06:00.
14.11 – transit of Venus 1 degree south of Spica.
14.11 – The Moon is at its apogee, the distance from the Earth is 404,340 km – at 18:58.
15.11 – Moon in last quarter phase at 17:54.
16.11 - coverage of Mars by the Moon. This phenomenon will only be observed in South America.
16.11 – passage of the Moon 1 degree south of Mars at 08:00.
17.11 - position of Mercury. Changes movement from forward to backward at 08:00.
17.11 – the passage of the Moon 3 degrees south of Neptune.
18.11 – maximum of the Leonids meteor shower, about 15 meteors per hour, at 01:00.
21.11 – passage of the Moon 5 degrees south of Uranus at 02:00.
23.11 – full moon at 08:41.
23.11 – passage of Mercury 4 degrees north of Antares.
23.11 - The moon will pass through the Hyades.
24.11 – passage of the Moon 2 degrees north of Aldebaran at 00:00.
25.11 – Neptune changes retrograde motion to direct at 15:00.
26.11 – conjunction of Jupiter with the Sun at 10:00.
26.11 – The Moon is at the perigee point, the distance from the Earth is 366622 km – at 15:11.
27.11 – inferior conjunction of Mercury with the Sun at 12:00.
29.11 – Mercury begins to be observed in the morning.
29.11 – passage of the Moon 2 degrees north of Regulus at 14:00.
30.11 – The moon is in the last quarter phase at 03:21.
Moon in November 2018
The phases of the moon in November will be as follows:
Planets in November 2018
The planets in November 2018, according to the astronomical calendar, can be observed at the following times:
Evening: Mars, Neptune, Saturn.
Night: Uranus.
Morning: Venus.
Meteor showers
From November 5 to November 30, the Leonid meteor shower will be visible, with its radiant in the constellation Leo. From November 17 to 18 at 1:00 Moscow time the maximum of this flow will be observed. Expected activity is 15 meteors per hour. Meteors are white and fast.
The Leonid meteor shower is generated by comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle, which orbits the Sun every 33 years. Usually it is not very abundant, but every 33 years the flow increases greatly. For example, in 1966, activity reached 10,000 meteors per hour!
What can you observe with a telescope in November?
Some of the objects listed below can be observed with the naked eye, but it is better to use binoculars - this applies primarily to stars. But clusters, nebulae and galaxies are best viewed through a telescope.
Double stars:η Perseus, θ Taurus, η Cassiopeia, γ Andromeda;
Variable stars:ζ Gemini, δ Cepheus, β Perseus, λ Taurus;
Open star clusters: M35 (Gemini), Manger (Cancer), M39 (Swan), Pleiades (Taurus), h and χ Perseus;
Nebulae: M1 in Taurus, M42 in Orion;
Galaxies: M31 in Andromeda, M33 in Triangulum, M81 and M82 in Ursa Major.
This concludes our brief review of astronomical events in November 2018, and we wish you clear skies and successful observations.
Very soon the year 2018 will come into its own, which promises a lot of interesting astronomical events. We continue to inform about these events to all those who look with bated breath at the starry sky, admiring the boundless mystery of space.
You will also learn about many interesting and significant dates in the coming year related to historical events (domestic and foreign) that had one way or another to do with space exploration.
According to the eastern calendar, the upcoming year is the year of the yellow dog. The dog, as you know, is man's friend, so, given the reputation of this symbol of 2018, we can hope that it will pass peacefully, with nice mood.
And even approaching our planet skull-shaped asteroid, which, according to some assumptions, is the nucleus of a degenerate comet (a comet that has lost most of its volatile substances and therefore does not form a tail), will “friendly” fly past at a distance exceeding one hundred distances of the Moon from the Earth.
Astronomical calendar 2018
In 2018, we will have a whole five eclipses: three solar and two lunar. One solar and one lunar eclipse will be observed in the winter of the coming year, while the remaining three eclipses will be observed in the summer months.
Solar eclipses will be recorded in the new year February 15, July 13 and August 11. Lunar eclipses will be celebrated January 31 and July 27. Lunar eclipses will be total; solar eclipses are partial. Only the third solar eclipse will be observed on Russian territory.
In the coming year, it will also be possible to observe how all the celestial bodies of the solar system, revolving around the Sun in their orbit, are somewhat slow down their movement relative to the Earth (that is, they will be retrograde). Most often in 2018, Mercury will be in retrograde – three times.
We should take these phenomena into account, since they limit a person in some new endeavors in a given period, sometimes turning around increased conflict and emotionality. Mercury in the new year will be retrograde during from March 23 to April 15, from July 26 to August 19 and from November 17 to December 7, 2018.
You should take into account the retrograde periods of other planets in the coming year: Venus- With October 5 to November 16; Mars – from June 27 to August 27; Jupiter – from March 9 to July 10; Saturn – from April 18 to September 6; Uranus – from August 7 to January 6; Neptune – from June 19 to November 25; Pluto – from April 22 to October 1.
If you observe the above celestial bodies from the surface of the Earth during retrograde periods, you may get the feeling that one or another planet is moving forward along its trajectory, and then - heading back. In fact, this effect occurs when a celestial body “overtakes” the Earth, then slowing down.
Astronomical objects 2018
In the coming year there will also be a significant event of astronomical proportions, which is repeated once once every 15 or 17 years. This is about The Great Opposition of Mars- a period when the planet Mars, closest to the Earth, provides a unique opportunity to study its surface using telescopes.
It is believed that behind such a rapprochement, some significant events are taking place on our planet. The Last Great Opposition of Mars was celebrated August 28, 2003. In 2018 approach of Earth and Mars will also happen in the summer , July 27.
Residents of the southern hemisphere will be the luckiest in the coming year, as they will be able to observe Mars naked eye at zenith. But with the observation of Venus in 2018, the situation is a little worse due to its low position in the evening above the horizon, although it can be detected with the naked eye even in the daytime until the end of October.
Even Uranus will be visible to the naked eye in the coming year, but this will only be possible in autumn months with a clear knowledge of the star chart, and only after preparing your eyes accordingly (after sitting in the dark for half an hour). And to see the disk of the planet very clearly, you need a telescope with magnification 150 times.
Astronomers also predict a potentially dangerous approach to the surface of our planet. 13 asteroids. Asteroids will be the first “swallows” "2003CA4" And "306383 1993VD" that will approach in the end of January. A dangerous approach of an asteroid is also reported 2015 DP155, which will approach the Earth on minimum distance June 11.
This article also pays special attention to "working schedule" of our planet's satellite: the reader will be able to obtain information about the phases of the Moon by finding out when the Moon is at its minimum distance from the Earth (at perigee), at its maximum (at apogee); study the schedule of full moons and new moons and more.
So, we bring to your attention the most vivid and memorable astronomical events of 2018, which may be of interest not only to people professionally interested in astronomy, but also to ordinary amateurs. All events in the article are recorded in Moscow time.
Astronomical observations 2018
JANUARY
January 3 – today the Quadrantid meteorite shower will reach its pronounced maximum, which only residents of the northern hemisphere of our planet will be able to observe. Some period of peak activity will occur on the night of January 4th. The number of visible meteors per hour (zenith hour number) this year will be about one hundred.
January 31 – Lunar eclipse (peak at 16:30). This will be a total lunar eclipse, which can be observed from the Asian part of Russian territory; from the territory of Belarus, Ukraine; in the eastern part of Western Europe. The eclipse will also be recorded in Central Asia, the Middle East, Australia, Alaska, western Africa and northwestern Canada. In various phases, the eclipse will be available for observation from all over Russia.
In January 2018, the United States of America plans to launch the first super-heavy-class launch vehicle - FalconHeavy. It is assumed that the carrier will be used to deliver cargo to low Earth orbit (up to 64 tons), as well as to Mars (up to 17 tons) and Pluto (up to 3.5 tons).
FEBRUARY
February, 15 – Solar eclipse (peak at 23:52). This partial eclipse will not be observable from the territory of the Russian Federation. However, if you were in South America or Antarctica during this period, you would be presented with a rather beautiful sight (the maximum phase of this eclipse is 0.5991, whereas with a total eclipse it is equal to one).
March, 6 – Today marks the 81st anniversary of the birth of the world’s first female cosmonaut, Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova.
9th of March – Today marks the 84th anniversary of the birth of pilot-cosmonaut Yuri Alekseevich Gagarin.
APRIL
12th of April – Cosmonautics Day in Russia or International Day of Human Space Flight.
April 22 – today will be the peak of the Lyrid starfall with a maximum observed number of meteors per hour of no more than 20. This short-lived meteor shower, celebrated from April 16 to April 25, will be observed closer to the sunrise by residents of the Earth's northern hemisphere.
the 6th of May – the peak of the Eta Aquarids meteor shower, whose radiant is located in the constellation Aquarius. This fairly powerful meteor shower, associated with Halley's Comet, with a visible number of meteors reaching 70 per hour, is most clearly visible in the hours before dawn.
JUNE
June 7 – the maximum of the Arietids meteor shower, which will occur during the daytime. Despite the fairly large zenith hour number (about 60 observed meteors per hour), it is impossible to see the Arietids starfall with the naked eye. However, some amateurs manage to capture it with binoculars after three in the morning, even from Moscow.
June 20 – in the night sky it will be possible to observe with the naked eye one of the largest asteroids in the main asteroid belt, asteroid Vesta. The asteroid will pass at a distance of 229 million kilometers, and it will be possible to observe it at the latitude of the Russian capital.
JULY
July 13 – Solar eclipse (peak at 06:02 am). This partial eclipse will be visible to residents of Tasmania and southern Australia. In addition, it can be observed from Antarctic stations located in the eastern part of Antarctica, and from ships sailing the Indian Ocean (between Antarctica and Australia). The maximum phase of the eclipse is 0.3365.
July 27 – Lunar eclipse (peak at 23:22). Residents of southern Russia and the Urals will be able to observe this total eclipse; it will also be able to be seen by residents of the southern and eastern parts of Africa, southern and central Asia, and the Middle East. During the same period, residents of the entire planet (except for Chukotka, Kamchatka and North America) will be able to see a penumbral lunar eclipse.
July 30 – maximum activity of the Southern Delta Aquarids meteor shower, which was formed as a result of the destruction of the object that served as material for comets Kracht and Marsden. The zenith hour number of this shower is 18 comets per hour; The flow is best seen by residents of the southern hemisphere (away from city lighting, in the pre-dawn hours).
July 31 – a solar probe is scheduled to be launched from Cape Canaveral on this day Parker Solar Probe, designed to study the Sun.
AUGUST
11th August – Solar eclipse (at 12 hours 47 minutes). This partial eclipse of the Sun will be available for observation from the territory of Siberia, the Far East, and the central part of Russia. In addition, it can be seen by residents of northern Canada, Greenland, Scandinavia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and northeastern China. The maximum phase of this solar eclipse will reach 0.7368.
12th of August – Peak of the Perseid meteor shower. The meteor shower will occur from July 17 to August 25, with the maximum number of observed meteors per hour being about two hundred. This will be one of the brightest starfalls of the coming year, best seen in the northern hemisphere.
SEPTEMBER
OCTOBER
The 4th of October– World Space Week, established by the General Assembly of the United Nations, opens. The discovery date was not chosen by chance: it was on October 4, 1957 that the USSR launched the first artificial satellite of planet Earth.
October 9 – the maximum of the Draconid meteor shower, which “delights” observers with from five to 18 meteors per hour. This shower of stars is visible only in the northern hemisphere, but in the coming year the shower will be more visible due to the new moon.
October 21 – the peak of the Orionids starfall, which are notable for the fact that the meteors of this shower are distinguished by their large shapes. The Orionids, with a maximum number of meteoroids reaching 22, are brighter and more specific tail-shimmering celestial bodies.
NOVEMBER
November 17 – maximum of the Leonids meteor shower; It has a small zenith hour number (15 meteors per hour), but once every 33 years it shows us a surge in its activity. The next burst, when hundreds of thousands of Leonid meteors can be observed, will only be observed in 2034.
DECEMBER
December 14 – on this day the maximum of the Geminid meteor shower is distinguished, which can “boast” of very bright meteors. This year, the Geminids meteor shower, with a maximum number of meteors - about two hundred per hour), can be observed in the northern hemisphere.
December 22 - the maximum of the Ursid meteor shower, a meteor shower whose radiant is located in the constellation Ursa Minor. The maximum number of meteors per hour is no more than ten, although in 1945 at least 120 meteors were recorded.
