Calendar
Astronomical Events
Moon at Perigee
Every month, the Moon’s eccentric orbit carries it to perigee, the Moon’s closest point to Earth in its orbit – then 2 weeks later, to apogee, its most distant point from Earth.
First Quarter Moon
The Moon is at First quarter on this date -it will be visible high in the southern sky in early evening.
Last Quarter Moon
The Moon is at Last Quarter (or Third Quarter) – rising around midnight, and visible to the south after sunrise.
Winter Solstice
The winter solstice, also called the hibernal solstice, occurs when either of Earth's poles reaches its maximum tilt away from the Sun.
Ursids Meteor Shower
The Ursids peak just before Christmas with rates of 5-10 meteors per hour during the late morning hours.
Earth at Perihelion
Earth will be at the closest point in its orbit around the Sun on this date - 91,403,034 miles.
Inf. Conjunction of Mercury
Mercury passes very close to the Sun in the sky as its orbit carries it between the Sun and Earth. This happens once in 116 days (the synodic cycle of […]
Moon at Apogee
The Moon’s distance from Earth varies throughout its monthly orbit because the Moon’s orbit isn’t perfectly circular. Every month, the Moon’s eccentric orbit carries it to apogee – its most distant point from […]
Mercury at Aphelion
Mercury's 88-day orbit around the Sun will carry it to its furthest point to the Sun – its aphelion – at a distance of 0.47 AU.
Spica 3.6° S of Moon
The star Spica will appear 3.6° south of the Moon at 23:23