Celestial Events - 2010

[Natasha]

I'm a bit late in posting this so most of January is missing. The following is a report on significant celestial events in 2010. Most of us get rather busy at these times of the year, with some big events happening close together (of course, that's to be expected because eclipses are possible only at full and new moons).
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29 January - Mars at opposition. This is the best time for viewing the red planet as it comes within 100 million kilometers from Earth.

30 January - Full moon.

9 February - Asteroid 2009 UN3 Close Approach. By "close" we mean about 5.6 million kilometers from Earth - or about 14.5 times the distance between the Earth and the Moon. Most telescopes should be able to pick it up.

14 February - New moon.

16 February - Conjunction of Jupiter and Venus. The two planets will be slightly above and to the left of the setting sun, however, they might get lost in ths sun's glare. The planets will be about a half degree apart in the sky; for reference, a full moon is about a half degree wide.

28 February - Full moon.

15 March - New moon.

20 March - Vernal equinox. There will be equal amounts of day and night.

22 March - Saturn at opposition. The ringed planet's closet approach to Earth makes this a good time for viewing the planet, however, the rings are almost edge-on this year so they will not be easily seen.

30 March - Full moon.

14 April - New moon.

21-22 April - Lyrids meteor shower. It produces about 20 per hour at peak time. The moon sets early, which will help.

28 April - Full moon.

5, 6 May - Eta Aquarids meteor shower. It produces about 10 per hour at peak time.

14 May - New moon.

27 May - Full moon.

12 June - New moon.

21 June - Summer solstice. This is the longest day of the year.

26 June - Full moon. Also partial lunar eclipse visible throughout eastern Pacific and western Americas.

11 July - New moon. Also total solar eclipse with totality visible in southern Pacific, Easter Island, and parts of southern Chile and Argentina; a partial eclipse is visible in parts of southern South America.

27 July - Full moon.

28, 29 July - Southern Delta Aquarids meteor shower. It produces about 20 per hour at peak time.

10 August - New moon.

12, 13 August - Perseids meteor shower. It produces about 60 per hour at peak time. The moon sets early setting up ideal conditions for this impressive meteor shower.

13 August - Triple conjunction with the moon. The planets Venus, Mars, and Saturn will be close to the crescent moon. Look west just after sunset.

20 August - Neptune at opposition. The blue planet's closest approach to Earth will be nothing more than a blue dot in all but the largest telescopes.

24 August - Full moon.

8 September - New moon.

16 September - Last planned shuttle flight. Mission STS-133 is the last scheduled mission of NASA's space shuttles.

21 September - Jupiter at opposition. The giant planet's closest approach to Earth will be an ideal time for observing the planet and its many moons, even with a decent pair of binoculars.

22 September - Uranus at opposition. The blue-green planet's closest approach to Earth will be nothing more than a blue-green dot in all but the largest telescopes.

23 September - Autumnal equinox. There will be equal amounts of day and night. Also a full moon.

7 October - New moon.

20 October - Comet Hartley 2 close approach. This comet's closest approach to Earth at about 18 million kilometers should be visible to the naked eye in the morning sky; look east just before sunrise.

21,22 October - Orionids meteor shower. It produces about 20 per hour at peak time.

23 October - Full moon.

6 November - New moon.

17,18 October - Leonids meteor shower. It produces about 40 per hour at peak time. Every 33 years more than a 100 per hour are produced; this last happened in 2001.

21 November - Full moon.

5 December - New moon.

13, 14 December - Geminids meteor shower. It produces about 60 per hour at peak time. The moon sets early, too.

21 December - Full moon. Also total lunar eclipse which will be visible th

21 December - Winter solstice. This is the shortest day of the year with the sun low in the sky.

[Grace]

Thanks Natasha.

Now I know when to keep my calender clear!

[Holister]

Actually Natasha, this calendar thing of yours is gonna be very useful for us. It will give me the heads up on those times of the year when i should expect to see spikes in activity, as well as knowing when Kelly & Sam are going to have to go for moonlit strolls in the woods.

You are a life saver that Nat, keep up the great work.

[GhostSpider]

March 20

Perfect.

[Natasha]

Actually Natasha, this calendar thing of yours is gonna be very useful for us. It will give me the heads up on those times of the year when i should expect to see spikes in activity, as well as knowing when Kelly & Sam are going to have to go for moonlit strolls in the woods.

You are a life saver that Nat, keep up the great work.

Great to hear. Sorry the report took so long to compile and post.

[skeptic]

Apologies are not necessary.

[skeptic]

March 20

Perfect.

What is perfect about it?

[GhostSpider]

Good day to get some things done.

[skeptic]

Mind being specific enough to convey something meaningful?

[GhostSpider]

Eventually, when the time is right.

[skeptic]

So, no.
Got it.

[Ron Caliburn]

Very useful.

Thank you as usual Natasha.


By the way, anyone else disturbed that Vernal Equinox is followed so closely by a near approach by a planet named for a dark god who devoured his own children?

[skeptic]

Not too different situation with autumnal equinox as well.
Still, no, I'm not disturbed. Because there's no reason to be.

[Hannah]

Hi Natasha,

So nobody is going to get a moonlit stroll on Valentine's Day? That's disappointing.

Hannah

PS: Say Hi to all my Russian friends.

[Natasha]

I will, Hannah. But of course you are free to say hi yourself at any time.

Also, there is more good luck associated with the new moon there is bad luck associated with it. Primarily it's all about starting anew, so a stroll on Valentine's Day under a new moon might be more auspicious than you think - especially if you happen to have a silver coin in your pocket.

[Hannah]

Hi Natasha

Why the silver coin?

Hannah

PS: Dad doesn't like high long distance bills, otherwise I would call you more often.

[Natasha]

Silver has been associated with the moon for ages and has played an important role in mythology and alchemy. One such belief is that a silver coin in your pocket on a new moon grants you one wish.

You can always email us, remember.

[skeptic]

It's also the source of the world lunacy.

[Holister]

Hi again Natasha. I am goin' to have to get a copy of that calendar of yours for Kelly. Half the time she forgets and starts her " monthly " right there in the bar. So that copy would be much appreciated.

[Cameron Thorne]

By the way, anyone else disturbed that Vernal Equinox is followed so closely by a near approach by a planet named for a dark god who devoured his own children?

You have no idea how correct your assumptions truly are Mr. Caliburn.

"Smoke without fire;
Shadow without substance;
the genie is already out of its bottle."

You've been warned.

[Kelly]

Hum? You are just a big ol' ball of sunshine aren't you Thorne? Anyway,thanks again Nat for that calandar. Its going to help me out alot. I got my whole year planned out now. So thanks again.

[Natasha]

You're welcome.

[Cybermancer]

I too would like to offer my thanks, Natasha.

It makes calibrations many times easier.

[Natasha]

Good to hear, cybermancer, but I don't know what sort of calibrations you are referring to. Care to explain?

[Cybermancer]

Good to hear, cybermancer, but I don't know what sort of calibrations you are referring to. Care to explain?

It's difficult to explain. Temporal co-ordinates rarely have anything to do with calender dates but celestial events are most useful in determinging both where and when.

I was thinking of coming by for a visit.

[Natasha]

I see. Intriguing. Call first, though.

[Cybermancer]

I see. Intriguing. Call first, though.

But of course! Manners are mega-universal.

[Natasha]

I see. Intriguing. Call first, though.

But of course! Manners are mega-universal.

mhm, you've never met my comrades, I see.

In any case, I look forward to learning your schedule and finding times we can meet.

[Kolya]

I am who I am. If you don't like it, you can go fuck yourself.

[Hannah]

Kolya, be less un-nice. (I know not to ask you to be nice)


Natasha, you missed something on your calendar - the Lunar New Year is also on February 14th.

Welcome to the Year of the Tiger.