2012 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.
| 2012 Sky Event Almanac | ||||||||
| Pacific Standard Time | ||||||||
| January - June | July - December | |||||||
Date PST Event
(h:m)
Jan 02 12:19 Moon at Apogee: 404580 km
03 23 Quadrantid Meteor Shower
04 17 Earth at Perihelion: 0.98328 AU
05 01:17 Pleiades 2.8°N of Moon
06 06:30 Moon at Descending Node
08 23:30 FULL MOON
15 23:21 Spica 2.0°N of Moon
16 01:08 LAST QUARTER MOON
17 13:28 Moon at Perigee: 369883 km
17 22 Mercury at Aphelion
19 02:59 Antares 4.2°S of Moon
19 10:26 Moon at Ascending Node
22 23:39 NEW MOON
30 09:42 Moon at Apogee: 404325 km
30 20:10 FIRST QUARTER MOON
Feb 01 09:42 Pleiades 3.0°N of Moon
02 12:02 Moon at Descending Node
07 01 Mercury at Superior Conjunction
07 13:54 FULL MOON
11 10:32 Moon at Perigee: 367920 km
12 04:47 Spica 1.8°N of Moon
14 09:04 LAST QUARTER MOON
15 08:35 Antares 4.4°S of Moon
15 12:16 Moon at Ascending Node
15 13 Mars at Aphelion: 1.66598 AU
19 12 Neptune in Conjunction with Sun
21 14:35 NEW MOON
25 13:44 Venus 3.3°S of Moon
26 22:16 Jupiter 3.8°S of Moon
27 06:01 Moon at Apogee: 404864 km
28 17:46 Pleiades 3.3°N of Moon
29 14:37 Moon at Descending Node
29 17:22 FIRST QUARTER MOON
Mar 01 21 Mercury at Perihelion
03 11 Mars at Opposition
05 01 Mercury at Greatest Elong: 18.2°E
08 01:40 FULL MOON
10 02:02 Moon at Perigee: 362401 km
10 12:20 Spica 1.5°N of Moon
13 12:41 Moon at Ascending Node
13 14 Venus 3.0°N of Jupiter
13 14:10 Antares 4.7°S of Moon
14 17:25 LAST QUARTER MOON
19 21:15 Vernal Equinox
20 17 Venus at Perihelion
21 11 Mercury at Inferior Conjunction
22 06:37 NEW MOON
24 10 Uranus in Conjunction with Sun
25 15:57 Jupiter 3.1°S of Moon
25 22:04 Moon at Apogee: 405780 km
26 10:21 Venus 1.8°N of Moon
26 23 Venus at Greatest Elong: 46.0°E
27 00:56 Pleiades 3.5°N of Moon
27 16:19 Moon at Descending Node
30 11:41 FIRST QUARTER MOON
Apr 03 05:18 Venus 0.4°S of Pleiades
06 11:19 FULL MOON
06 22:24 Spica 1.5°N of Moon
07 08:59 Moon at Perigee: 358314 km
09 16:47 Moon at Ascending Node
09 21:54 Antares 4.9°S of Moon
13 02:50 LAST QUARTER MOON
15 10 Saturn at Opposition
15 18:18 Mars 0.7°N of Regulus
18 09 Mercury at Greatest Elong: 27.5°W
20 23:18 NEW MOON
21 21 Lyrid Meteor Shower
22 05:49 Moon at Apogee: 406422 km
22 10:30 Jupiter 2.4°S of Moon
23 07:15 Pleiades 3.6°N of Moon
23 19:43 Moon at Descending Node
29 01:58 FIRST QUARTER MOON
May 04 09:26 Spica 1.5°N of Moon
04 10 Eta-Aquarid Meteor Shower
05 19:33 Moon at Perigee: 356954 km
05 19:35 FULL MOON
07 01:43 Moon at Ascending Node
07 07:57 Antares 5.0°S of Moon
12 13:47 LAST QUARTER MOON
13 05 Jupiter in Conjunction with Sun
19 08:13 Moon at Apogee: 406451 km
20 15:47 NEW MOON
20 15:53 Annular Solar Eclipse; mag=0.944
21 01:20 Moon at Descending Node
27 03 Mercury at Superior Conjunction
28 12:16 FIRST QUARTER MOON
28 21 Mercury at Perihelion
31 19:24 Spica 1.5°N of Moon
Jun 03 05:19 Moon at Perigee: 358483 km
03 12:38 Moon at Ascending Node
03 18:51 Antares 5.0°S of Moon
04 03:03 Partial Lunar Eclipse; mag=0.370
04 03:12 FULL MOON
05 17 Venus at Inferior Conjunction
11 01:30 Jupiter 4.7°S of Pleiades
11 02:41 LAST QUARTER MOON
15 17:24 Moon at Apogee: 405791 km
16 19:34 Pleiades 3.6°N of Moon
17 00:23 Jupiter 1.1°S of Moon: Occn.
17 07:43 Moon at Descending Node
17 16:47 Venus 2.1°S of Moon
19 07:02 NEW MOON
20 15:08 Summer Solstice
21 02:33 Venus 2.2°N of Aldebaran
26 19:30 FIRST QUARTER MOON
28 03:04 Spica 1.4°N of Moon
30 18 Mercury at Greatest Elong: 25.7°E
30 21:45 Moon at Ascending Node
|
Date PST Event
(h:m)
Jul 01 00 Venus 4.8°S of Jupiter
01 04:42 Antares 5.0°S of Moon
01 10:01 Moon at Perigee: 362363 km
03 10:52 FULL MOON
04 20 Earth at Aphelion: 1.01668 AU
08 20:13 Venus 0.9°N of Aldebaran
10 17:48 LAST QUARTER MOON
11 02 Venus at Aphelion
11 20 Mercury at Aphelion
13 08:47 Moon at Apogee: 404783 km
14 02:34 Pleiades 3.7°N of Moon
14 12:55 Moon at Descending Node
14 19:02 Jupiter 0.5°S of Moon: Occn.
15 07:29 Venus 3.8°S of Moon
18 20:24 NEW MOON
24 14:07 Mars 4.2°N of Moon
25 08:43 Spica 1.2°N of Moon
26 00:56 FIRST QUARTER MOON
27 12 Delta-Aquarid Meteor Shower
28 02:34 Moon at Ascending Node
28 12 Mercury at Inferior Conjunction
29 00:30 Moon at Perigee: 367318 km
29 03:45 Jupiter 4.6°N of Aldebaran
Aug 01 19:27 FULL MOON
02 05:36 Saturn 4.0°N of Spica
09 10:55 LAST QUARTER MOON
10 02:52 Moon at Apogee: 404125 km
10 10:12 Pleiades 3.9°N of Moon
10 16:04 Moon at Descending Node
11 12:25 Jupiter 0.1°N of Moon: Occn.
12 04 Perseid Meteor Shower
13 11:41 Venus 0.6°S of Moon: Occn.
13 14:45 Mars 1.6°N of Spica
15 02 Venus at Greatest Elong: 45.8°W
15 10 Mars 2.7°S of Saturn
15 21:06 Mercury 3.6°N of Moon
16 04 Mercury at Greatest Elong: 18.7°W
17 07:55 NEW MOON
21 14:04 Spica 1.0°N of Moon
21 23:50 Mars 2.3°N of Moon
23 11:39 Moon at Perigee: 369731 km
24 03 Neptune at Opposition
24 03:38 Moon at Ascending Node
24 05:54 FIRST QUARTER MOON
24 20 Mercury at Perihelion
31 05:58 FULL MOON
Sep 06 18:04 Pleiades 4.2°N of Moon
06 18:08 Moon at Descending Node
06 22:00 Moon at Apogee: 404296 km
07 17:23 Aldebaran 4.5°S of Moon
08 02:59 Jupiter 0.6°N of Moon: Occn.
08 05:15 LAST QUARTER MOON
10 05 Mercury at Superior Conjunction
12 09:09 Venus 3.7°N of Moon
15 18:11 NEW MOON
17 21:05 Spica 0.8°N of Moon
18 06:45 Saturn 5.0°N of Moon
18 18:52 Moon at Perigee: 365749 km
19 12:36 Mars 0.2°N of Moon: Occn.
20 04:54 Moon at Ascending Node
22 06:49 Autumnal Equinox
22 11:41 FIRST QUARTER MOON
28 23 Uranus at Opposition
29 19:19 FULL MOON
Oct 01 02:56 Mercury 1.5°N of Spica
02 19:35 Venus 0.1°S of Regulus
03 21:15 Moon at Descending Node
04 01:36 Pleiades 4.4°N of Moon
04 16:43 Moon at Apogee: 405162 km
05 00 Mercury 3.2°S of Saturn
05 00:58 Aldebaran 4.3°S of Moon
05 12:50 Jupiter 0.9°N of Moon: Occn.
07 23:33 LAST QUARTER MOON
15 04:02 NEW MOON
16 17:02 Moon at Perigee: 360673 km
16 17:43 Mercury 1.3°S of Moon
17 10:27 Moon at Ascending Node
18 05:06 Mars 2.0°S of Moon
20 12:07 Mars 3.5°N of Antares
20 20 Orionid Meteor Shower
21 19:32 FIRST QUARTER MOON
25 00 Saturn in Conjunction with Sun
26 14 Mercury at Greatest Elong: 24.1°E
29 11:50 FULL MOON
31 02:36 Moon at Descending Node
31 08:28 Pleiades 4.5°N of Moon
31 10 Venus at Perihelion
Nov 01 07:30 Moon at Apogee: 406050 km
01 07:49 Aldebaran 4.2°S of Moon
01 16:58 Jupiter 0.9°N of Moon: Occn.
04 21 S Taurid Meteor Shower
06 16:36 LAST QUARTER MOON
11 17:42 Spica 0.8°N of Moon
11 20 N Taurid Meteor Shower
12 13:04 Saturn 4.3°N of Moon
13 14:08 NEW MOON
13 14:12 Total Solar Eclipse; mag=1.050
13 20:37 Moon at Ascending Node
14 02:21 Moon at Perigee: 357361 km
16 01:40 Mars 4.0°S of Moon
16 17:22 Venus 3.6°N of Spica
17 02 Leonid Meteor Shower
17 08 Mercury at Inferior Conjunction
20 06:31 FIRST QUARTER MOON
20 19 Mercury at Perihelion
26 21 Venus 0.5°S of Saturn
27 09:05 Moon at Descending Node
27 14:46 Pleiades 4.5°N of Moon
28 06:33 Pen. Lunar Eclipse; mag=0.915
28 06:46 FULL MOON
28 11:35 Moon at Apogee: 406366 km
28 14:06 Aldebaran 4.2°S of Moon
28 16:46 Jupiter 0.6°N of Moon: Occn.
Dec 02 17 Jupiter at Opposition
04 15 Mercury at Greatest Elong: 20.6°W
06 07:32 LAST QUARTER MOON
09 04:04 Spica 0.8°N of Moon
10 04:46 Saturn 4.0°N of Moon
11 05:48 Venus 1.6°N of Moon
11 07:57 Moon at Ascending Node
11 16:44 Mercury 1.1°N of Moon: Occn.
12 15:14 Moon at Perigee: 357074 km
12 21:18 Jupiter 4.7°N of Aldebaran
13 00:42 NEW MOON
13 15 Geminid Meteor Shower
19 21:19 FIRST QUARTER MOON
21 03:12 Winter Solstice
22 00 Ursid Meteor Shower
24 14:27 Moon at Descending Node
24 21:00 Pleiades 4.5°N of Moon
25 13:19 Moon at Apogee: 406101 km
25 16:02 Jupiter 0.4°N of Moon: Occn.
25 20:23 Aldebaran 4.2°S of Moon
28 02:21 FULL MOON
|
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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
2012 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.
| 2012 Phases of the Moon | |||
| Pacific Standard Time | |||
| New Moon | First Quarter | Full Moon | Last Quarter |
| - | Dec 31 22:15 | Jan 08 23:30 | Jan 16 01:08 |
| Jan 22 23:39 | Jan 30 20:10 | Feb 07 13:54 | Feb 14 09:04 |
| Feb 21 14:35 | Feb 29 17:22 | Mar 08 01:40 | Mar 14 17:25 |
| Mar 22 06:37 | Mar 30 11:41 | Apr 06 11:19 | Apr 13 02:50 |
| Apr 20 23:18 | Apr 29 01:58 | May 05 19:35 | May 12 13:47 |
| May 20 15:47 A | May 28 12:16 | Jun 04 03:12 p | Jun 11 02:41 |
| Jun 19 07:02 | Jun 26 19:30 | Jul 03 10:52 | Jul 10 17:48 |
| Jul 18 20:24 | Jul 26 00:56 | Aug 01 19:27 | Aug 09 10:55 |
| Aug 17 07:54 | Aug 24 05:54 | Aug 31 05:58 | Sep 08 05:15 |
| Sep 15 18:11 | Sep 22 11:41 | Sep 29 19:19 | Oct 07 23:33 |
| Oct 15 04:02 | Oct 21 19:32 | Oct 29 11:50 | Nov 06 16:36 |
| Nov 13 14:08 T | Nov 20 06:31 | Nov 28 06:46 n | Dec 06 07:32 |
| Dec 13 00:42 | Dec 19 21:19 | Dec 28 02:21 | - |
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 |
Fifty Year Almanac of Astronomical Events - 2021 to 2070
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)