SKY EVENTS 2013

You may want to start with  Tonight's Sky Maps, as well as today's  Sunrise, Sunset, Moonrise, Moonset!

To view a video of the Moon for the entire year of 2013, (showing its changing phases, path, distance, apparent size, libration, orbital nodes and eclipses,) click on the image directly below or  click here.

To find the Moon's current position in its orbit, you can  view our Moon's Orbital Position & Phase video.

2013's Eclipse "Seasons":
    late Apr thru late May; mid Oct thru early Nov
    (Look for listings in appropriate months.)

2013 JANUARY
02   05hr    Earth at perihelion (147,098,150 km)
03   13hr      Quadrantid Meteor Sh. est. peak: 40/hr
05   03:58     Last Qtr Moon
10   10hr    Moon at perigee (360,050 km)
11   19:44     New Moon
18   23:45     1st Qtr Moon
22   03:02   Moon occults Jupiter: S. Pacific, S. America
22   10hr    Moon at apogee (405,310 km)
27   04:38     Full Moon

2013 FEBRUARY
03   13:56     Last Qtr Moon
07   12hr    Moon at perigee (365,310 km)
10   07:20     New Moon
16   21hr    Mercury: Gr. East Elong. (18.13°)
17   20:31     1st Qtr Moon
19   06hr    Moon at apogee (404,470 km)
25   20:26     Full Moon

2013 MARCH
04   21:53     Last Qtr Moon
05   23hr    Moon at perigee (369,950 km)
11   19:51     New Moon
19   03hr    Moon at apogee (404,260 km)
19   17:27     1st Qtr Moon
20   11:02   March Equinox  (also see)
27   09:27     Full Moon
31   03hr    Moon at perigee (367,490 km)
31   21hr    Mercury: Gr. West Elong. (27.82°)

2013 APRIL
03   04:37     Last Qtr Moon
10   09:35     New Moon
15   22hr    Moon at apogee (404,870 km)
18   12:31     1st Qtr Moon
25   19:31     Full Moon
25   20:07   Partial Lunar Eclipse (barely visible)
27   19hr    Moon at perigee (362,270 km)

2013 MAY
02   11:14     Last Qtr Moon
06   13hr      Eta Aquariid Meteor Sh. est. peak: 40/hr
10   00:25   Annular Solar Eclipse: Australia, S. Pacific
10   00:28     New Moon
13   13hr    Moon at apogee (405,830 km)
18   04:34     1st Qtr Moon
25   04:10   Penumbral Lunar Eclipse (essentially invisible)
25   04:25     Full Moon
26   01hr    Moon at perigee (358,370 km)
31   18:58     Last Qtr Moon

2013 JUNE
08   15:56     New Moon
09   21hr    Moon at apogee (406,490 km)
12   16hr    Mercury: Gr. East Elong. (24.28°)
16   17:24     1st Qtr Moon
21   05:04   Summer Solstice
23   11hr    Moon at perigee (356,990 km)
23   11:32     Full Moon    Very high tides!
30   04:54     Last Qtr Moon

2013 JULY
05   15hr    Earth at aphelion (152,097,430 km)
07   00hr    Moon at apogee (406,490 km)
08   07:14     New Moon
16   03:18     1st Qtr Moon
21   20hr    Moon at perigee (358,400 km)
22   18:15     Full Moon
29   17:43     Last Qtr Moon
30   09hr    Mercury: Gr. West Elong. (19.63°)

2013 AUGUST
03   08hr    Moon at apogee (405,830 km)
06   21:51     New Moon
12   19hr      Perseid Meteor Shower  est. peak: 60/hr
14   10:56     1st Qtr Moon
19   01hr    Moon at perigee (362,260 km)
21   01:45     Full Moon
28   09:35     Last Qtr Moon
30   23hr    Moon at apogee (404,880 km)

2013 SEPTEMBER
05   11:36     New Moon
08   21:05   Moon occults Venus: S. Pacific, S. America
12   17:08     1st Qtr Moon
15   16hr    Moon at perigee (367,390 km)
19   11:13     Full Moon
22   20:44   Autumnal Exuinox
27   03:55     Last Qtr Moon
27   18hr    Moon at apogee (404,310 km)

2013 OCTOBER
05   00:34     New Moon
09   07hr    Mercury: Gr. East Elong. (25.33°)
10   23hr    Moon at perigee (369,810 km)
11   23:02     1st Qtr Moon
18   23:38     Full Moon
18   23:51   Penumbral Lunar Eclipse (nearly invisible)
25   14hr    Moon at apogee (404,560 km)
26   23:40     Last Qtr Moon

To view this video in a larger size, click here.

2013 NOVEMBER
01   09hr    Venus Gr. West Elong. (47.07°)
03   12:46   Hybrid Solar Eclipse: PDF Map  Animation
03   12:50     New Moon
06   09hr    Moon at perigee (365,360 km)
10   05:57     1st Qtr Moon
17   15:16     Full Moon
18   02hr    Mercury: Gr. West Elong. (19.48°)
22   09hr    Moon at apogee (405,450 km)
25   19:28     Last Qtr Moon

2013 DECEMBER
03   00:22     New Moon
04   10hr    Moon at perigee (360,060 km)
09   15:12     1st Qtr Moon
14   06hr      Geminid Meteor Sh. est. peak: 75/hr
17   09:28     Full Moon
19   23hr    Moon at apogee (405,450 km)
22   17:11   Winter Solstice
25   13:48     Last Qtr Moon
29   01:23   Moon occults Saturn: Antarctica, s. oceans

NOTES:

1. Times are given in Universal Time, which is basically equal to Greenwich Time.
2. Times of lunar occultations are given at conjunction.
3.   New Moons generally rise and set with the Sun and reflect no sunlight, so they allow Deep Sky Observing all night.
4.   1st Qtr Moons generally rise near "local noon" and set near "local midnight", allowing Deep Sky Observing only during the last half of the night.
5.   Full Moons generally set near sunrise and rise near sunset, allowing no Deep Sky Observing all night.
6.   Last Qtr Moons generally rise near "local midnight" and set near "local noon", allowing Deep Sky Observing only during the first half of the night.
7.   Estimated peak meteor rates are not ZHR's; they are what a casual observer might realistically expect to observe with clear, dark skies.
8. Times and angles of Greatest East and West Elongations for Mercury and Venus are given for maximum angular separations from the Sun, not for maximum differences in Ecliptic Longitude.

THIS MONTH'S SKY MARVELS

Every month, HubbleSite and the Space Telescope Science Institute's Office of Public Outreach release an excellent video that highlights "sky happenings" for that month.  Here is the link to the site where you may view and/or download the  video for the current month.

Detailed NASA / JPL SPACE CALENDAR 2013

This includes a lot of info on the major planets, dwarf planets, asteroids, KBO's, comets, eclipses, the Moon's occultations and more.

THE MOON

Moon's Current Distance, Apparent Size and Phase

View the Moon's Features  that are visible from Earth with binoculars or a low-power telescope.

To help you with you lunar observations, download these classic maps of the Moon:

USAF Lunar Earthside Hemisphere Map:
Download (hi-res JP2)    View Now (smaller version)

NASA Apollo-Era Lunar Chart:
Download (hi-res JP2)    View Now (smaller version)

To view in a larger size with notes,  click here.

To view in a larger size with notes,  click here.

Previous Months' Phases:
2013:  Feb    Mar    Apr    May    Jun    Jul    Aug    Sep    Oct   

CURRENT AURORA FORCASTS

Aurora Borealis ("Northern Lights")
Aurora Australis ("Southern Lights")

Image credit: NOAA / NWS Space Weather Prediction Center

Ovation Forecast:  N Hemis    S Hemis

Image credit: NOAA / NWS Space Weather Prediction Center

POES Forecast

EARTH'S CURRENT TILT
RELATIVE TO THE SUN

Though its two principal views display Earth rotating at different speeds, this interesting Flash animation lets you  Easily Find Earth's Current Tilt Relative to the Sun.  Moreover you can change just a few Settings to view how Earth's varying tilt throughout the year causes the seasons and affects the lengths of our days and nights.  Changing the month is most instructive.  (Note: in this animation the Vernal Equinox is essentially toward the bottom of your screen in its Northern Hemisphere view and outward toward you in its Oblique view.)

EQUINOXES & SOLSTICES THROUGH MARCH 2014

WHERE IS THE SUN TODAY
ALONG THE ZODIAC?

Here's a nice interactive Flash demo showing the  Sun's Location Along the Zodiac at Various Times of Year.  Drag its red pointer right and left over the names of the months.  You can also drag the Zodiac itself.

HOW FAR NORTH OR SOUTH WILL
THE SUN RISE AND SET TODAY?

Here's a nice interactive Flash demo showing the  How Far North and South the Sun Rises and Sets at Various Times of Year.

LATEST MAJOR SOLAR ACTIVITY
VISIBLE FROM EARTH

Sunspots      Prominences, Flares, etc.

W A R N I N G !   It is never safe to look directly at the real Sun with the naked eye!  Moreover, looking at it through a telescope or binoculars without adequate safeguards—even for an instant—can cause permanent blindness!  NEVER DO IT!  To learn how to safely "observe" the real Sun, consult the professionals at your local planetarium or observatory.

GET THE LATEST AWESOME SATELLITE
VIEWS OF THE SUN WITH "HELIOVIEWER"

HelioViewer  might just be the best free solar astronomy tool on the web, giving you access to countless actual photos of the Sun from multiple satellites!  "Time-step" through photos, and save and even make movies of what you find!  This free web-tool is not to be missed.

And to help get you started, here's the direct link to the HelioViewer User Guide.

W A R N I N G !   It is never safe to look directly at the real Sun with the naked eye!  Moreover, looking at it through a telescope or binoculars without adequate safeguards—even for an instant—can cause permanent blindness!  NEVER DO IT!  To learn how to safely "observe" the real Sun, consult the professionals at your local planetarium or observatory.

CURRENT SUN AND MAJOR PLANET
VIEWS AND CONDITIONS FROM EARTH

Distances, Apparent Sizes, Phases, Moon Locations
Sun      Mercury      Venus      Mars
Jupiter      Saturn      Uranus      Neptune

Locations Among the Constellations (w/ Geo-Coords)
Sun      Mercury      Venus      Mars
Jupiter      Saturn      Uranus      Neptune

SOLAR SYSTEM VISUALIZATIONS

Note that the next three visualizations are oriented differently from each other.  So the Vernal Equinox is in a different direction in each.

Current Locations of the Planets in their Orbits  This SkyMarvels™ visualization shows the Vernal Equinox to the right, i.e. in the 3 o'clock direction.

The Solar System in 3-D  This third-party visualization "opens" with the Vernal Equinox "obliquely upward", i.e. essentially in the 12 o'clock midnight direction.

Solar System Orrery  This third-party visualization shows the Vernal Equinox to the left, i.e. in the 9 o'clock direction.

MAJOR MOONS OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM

Martian Moons Today
Jupiter's Galilean Moons Today
Saturn's Major Moons Today
Uranus's Major Moons Today
Neptune's Moon Triton Today

MERCURY'S AND VENUS'S SKY PATHS 2013–2014

To view the above video in a larger size with notes,  click here.

MARS'S SKY PATH 2013-2014

To view the above video in a larger size,  click here.

What's Happening On . . .

MARS TODAY
image credit: NASA Ames Research Center
Mars Global Circulation Model Group

To view the above image in a larger size, with notes on each view,  click here.

JUPITER'S SKY PATH 2013–2014
video credit: SkyMarvels™

To view the above video in a larger size with notes,  click here.

SATURN'S SKY PATH 2013–2014
video credit: SkyMarvels™

To view the above video in a larger size with notes,  click here.

CLIMATIC VS. ASTRONOMICAL SEASONS

Most school children know that the climatic seasons of the two hemispheres are the reverse of each other's.  For example, when it is Summer in the Northern Hemisphere, climatically-speaking it is Winter in the Southern Hemisphere.

Nonetheless the "astronomical" seasons, as well as their respective equinoxes and solstices, have always traditionally been named for the "climatic" seasons of the Northern Hemisphere—no doubt because roughly 90% of the human population lives north of Earth's equator!  So the Summer Solstice, for instance, is the solstice in June at the beginning of the Northern Hemisphere's summer, etc.

Unfortunately, this traditional naming convention does create a potential ambiguity.  For example, for Southern Hemisphere astronomers the "traditional" Summer Solstice occurs at the start of their climatic Winter!

This is why we often now see the less traditional (though slightly less recognizable) terms: March Equinox, June Solstice, September Equinox and December Solstice.  Because these terms are more precise, they are increasingly becoming accepted as the best ways to refer to the equinoxes and solstices.

HOW LONG IS EACH SEASON?

Since their beginnings and ends are explicitly defined by the Sun's arrival at the equinoxes and the solstices in our sky, Earth's astronomical seasons have precise durations.  Moreover, though the equinoxes and solstices are equally spaced at 90-degree intervals around the Celestial Sphere, the astronomical seasons are not of equal length!  This is because Earth's changing velocity in its elliptical orbit makes the Sun appear to arrive a little early at parts of the Celestial Sphere, and a little late at others.  The lengths of the astronomical seasons are very close to the following:

Spring: 92 3/4 days
Summer: 93 2/3 days
Autumn: 89 5/6 days
Winter: 89 days.

HALF OF EARTH IN SUNLIGHT & DARKNESS

During your voyages in CELESTIA, would you like to be able to position yourself directly over the center of the half of Earth in sunlight or the half in darkness at any time this month?  On our  Tips  page, you'll find that it's quite easy to do so!  If you're any kind of sky watcher at all, you probably know just how helpful this can be!