The year's special events in the sky
Sun:
Looking
at the Sun either with the unaided eye or through binoculars or a telescope is EXTREMELY
DANGEROUS!
PERMANENT EYE DAMAGE CAN AND PROBABLY WILL OCCUR. Click
here
to find out how to observe the Sun safely.
Moon Phases:
The Moon is ideal for viewing in the week centred on the First Quarter phase, both regarding the sights presented and the most convenient time for observing (evenings). In addition, it is quite high in the sky at sunset. First Quarter in 2021 will occur on the following dates:
2021: January 21; February 20; March 22; April 20; May 20; May 31; June 18; July 17; August 16; September 14; October 13; November 11; December 11.
Eclipses in 2021:
Lunar:
TOTAL, MAY 26: The next total lunar eclipse visible from Australia will occur on this night, nicely timed to begin soon after sunset in eastern Australia and end just before midnight. From the Sunshine Coast and Brisbane, the complete eclipse will run for 5 hours and 2 minutes. Here are the circumstances of the eclipse:
The Full Moon will rise above the theoretical east-south-eastern horizon at 5:00 pm; Penumbral phase begins at 6:47 pm; Partial phase begins at 7:45 pm; Totality begins at 9:11 pm; Mid-eclipse occurs at 9:18 pm; Totality ends at 9:26 pm; Partial phase ends at 10:52 pm; Penumbral phase ends at 11:50 pm.
PARTIAL, NOVEMBER 19: As seen from Australia, this eclipse will be only partial, with no total phase, i.e. the Moon will only be partially immersed in the Earth's shadow. The Moon will rise in the east at 6:14 pm AEST with a large bite out of it already, as the eclipse started at 4:02 pm and the partial phase began at 5:21 pm. The maximum partial phase will occur at 7:03 pm, when 97.4% of the Moon will be in the Earth's shadow. Just a tiny sliver of Moon near its South Pole will not be in the Earth's main shadow or umbra. Partial phase ends at 8:47 pm; Penumbral phase ends at 10:04 pm.
Solar:
ANNULAR
, JUNE 10: No part of this eclipse of the Sun will be visible from anywhere in the southern hemisphere, as the main eclipse shadow will only pass over central Canada, the Arctic regions and parts of Siberia north of the Kamchatka Peninsula. Some partial phases will be visible from Alaska, Canada, eastern USA, the North Atlantic, Europe, Russia, central Asia, Tibet, Siberia and northern China. The best places to view the eclipse are the north-eastern tip of Ellesmere Island and the north-western tip of Greenland, at 6:45 am local time (10:45 am UTC time or (8:45 pm AEST). Annularity will last for 3 minutes 37 seconds, centred on the times given.TOTAL, DECEMBER 4 (AEST): This total eclipse of the Sun will not be visible from Queensland's Sunshine Coast as it occurs when the Sun is below our horizon. Totality will begin in the Southern Ocean near Antarctica heading south, then will curve to the east, crossing the southernmost part of the Antarctic Peninsula. Continuing along its curved track, the Moon's shadow will swing north and then to the north-west, terminating just east of the Falklands Islands. No part of the eclipse path is easily accessible, being mostly over the sea or Antarctica itself. From dry land, a tiny portion of the Sun will be covered by the Moon, visible as a partial eclipse, from Victoria, Tasmania, Otago and Stewart Island in New Zealand, Terra del Fuego in Argentina and the Falkland Islands. Totality at the central point of the eclipse track at Bocharova Nunatak in Antarctica will last for 1 minute 32 seconds, centred on 7:24 am UTC (or 5:24 pm AEST).
Observers on Queensland's Sunshine Coast will not see a partial eclipse of the Sun until April 20, 2023. The next total solar eclipse visible from parts of Australia will occur at 12:56 pm on July 22, 2028, the eclipse track running from Wyndham through Alice Springs to Birdsville and then Sydney, before crossing the Tasman Sea to Dunedin in New Zealand's South Island.
The Planets in 2021:
Mercury:
January 24: Greatest elongation from Sun in evening sky (18
January 29:
Perihelion
January 31: Eastern stationary point
February 8: Inferior conjunction
February 21:
Western stationary point
March 6:
Greatest elongation from Sun in morning sky (27 16')
March 14:
Aphelion
April 19: Superior
conjunction
April 27:
Perihelion
May 17: Greatest
elongation from Sun in evening sky (21
May 30:
Eastern stationary point
June 10:
Aphelion
June 11: Inferior conjunction
June 23: Western stationary point
July 05: Greatest elongation from Sun in
morning sky
(21
July 24:
Perihelion
August 1: Superior
conjunction
September 6:
Aphelion
September 14: Greatest
elongation from Sun in evening sky (26
September 27: Eastern stationary point
October 10: Inferior conjunction
October 19: Western stationary
point
October 20:
Perihelion
October 25: Greatest
elongation from Sun in morning sky (18
November 29: Superior conjunction
December 3:
Aphelion
January
7, 2022: Greatest elongation from Sun in evening sky (19
The best times for observing Mercury in the evening sky are: last two weeks of January; second week of May to end of month; most of September. beginning of January 2022.
The best times for observing Mercury in the morning sky are:
mid-February to second
week of March, last week of June to second week in July, third and fourth weeks
of October.
Venus:
February 20:
Aphelion
March 26:
Superior conjunction
June 12: Perihelion
October 3:
Aphelion
October 30:
Greatest elongation from Sun in evening sky (46
December 19:
Eastern stationary point
January 9, 2022:
Inferior conjunction
From
January to the end of April, Venus will be close to the Sun and hard to detect.
It will reappear in the western twilight sky during June, and from July on will dominate the western twilight sky as an 'Evening Star'.
In August it will
appear as a little 'gibbous Moon' with a phase of 82% and a diameter of 13 arcseconds. At the end of March it will appear like a small 'half-Moon' with a
phase of 50%, but its diameter will have increased to 24 arcseconds. By the
beginning of May its phase will have reduced to 24% (like a crescent Moon), but
as its angular size will have increased to 39 arcseconds, its brightness will
remain unchanged at magnitude -4.5. Venus will pass through inferior
conjunction (between the Earth and the Sun) on June 4, and will therefore move
from the evening sky to the pre-dawn sky. Whereas on very rare occasions Venus
will pass in front of the Sun at such times (a 'transit of Venus'), on this
occasion Venus will pass 14 arcminutes north of the Sun's limb (edge). In the
morning sky, Venus will appear as a crescent during July, and as a 'half-Moon' in
mid-August. Towards the end of the year it will have shrunk in size and
increased in phase until it appears as a tiny 'Full Moon'. Venus will become
visible in the western evening sky in May 2021.
early July 2020 mid-August 2020 March 2021 October 2021 December 2021
Mars:
February 1: Eastern quadrature (angular diameter = 7.8")For all of 2021, Mars will be on the far side of its orbit, and therefore will appear quite small, less than 6 arcseconds in diameter.
Jupiter:
Saturn:
May 22: Western quadrature
June 21:
Western stationary point
August 20:
Opposition (Jupiter rises in the east at sunset)
October 18:
Eastern stationary point
November 16:
Eastern quadrature
March 6, 2022: Conjunction
The
giant planet begins 2021 in the constellation of Capricornus, the Sea-goat, but
crosses Aquarius. the Water-bearer on ???????
May 3: Western quadrature
May 23: Western stationary point
August 2: Opposition
October 11: Eastern stationary point
October
30: Eastern quadrature
February
5, 2022: Conjunction
Saturn
will spend all of 2021 in the constellation of Capricornus.
Uranus:
January 14: Eastern stationary pointUranus will spend 2021 in the constellation of Aries, where it will remain until it enters Taurus on May 17, 2024.
Neptune:
March 11: ConjunctionNeptune spends the whole of 2021 in Aquarius, near the eastern boundary with Pisces. It will remain in Aquarius until April 21, 2022.
Pluto:
January 15: ConjunctionPluto spends all of 2021 in Sagittarius. It will not move out of this constellation until March 1, 2023.
Meteor Showers:
January
4: Quadrantids
February 8: Alpha-Centaurids
April
22: Lyrids
The 3.9 metre Anglo-Australian Telescope near Coonabarabran, NSW
The main Constellations visible at about 8.00 pm each month, from the horizon to the zenith:
January:
East:
Hydra, Canis Minor, Canis Major, Puppis
South: Crux, Musca,
Carina, Vela, Pavo
West: Aquarius, Capricornus, Pisces, Grus,
Piscis Austrinus, Phoenix, Cetus, Eridanus
North: Aries, Perseus, Taurus, Auriga,
Gemini, Orion
February:
East:
Leo, Crater, Corvus, Hydra, Canis Major, Puppis
March:
East:
Virgo, Libra, Lupus, Centaurus, Corvus, Crater, Hydra, Crux, Musca, Vela
South: Triangulum Australe, Toucan,
Carina, Puppis
West: Phoenix, Cetus, Eridanus, Taurus,
Orion, Canis Major
North: Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Canis Minor
April:
East:
Bootes, Libra, Scorpius, Virgo, Centaurus, Lupus, Ara, Crux, Musca, Corvus
South: Triangulum Australe, Pavo, Carina,
Vela
West: Eridanus, Orion, Gemini, Canis
Minor, Canis Major, Puppis
North: Cancer, Ursa Major, Leo, Crater, Hydra
May:
East:
Corona Borealis, Serpens, Ophiuchus, Sagittarius, Libra, Scorpius, Ara,
Lupus, Centaurus
South: Indus, Pavo, Triangulum Australe, Crux,
Musca, Carina
West: Canis Major, Canis Minor, Cancer,
Puppis, Hydra
North: Ursa Major, Leo, Coma Berenices,Bootes,
Virgo, Crater, Corvus
June:
East:
Ophiuchus, Capricornus, Sagittarius, Scorpius
South: Pavo, Triangulum Australe, Ara,
Lupus, Crux, Musca
West: Hydra, Leo, Carina, Vela, Puppis,
Crater, Corvus
North: Coma Berenices, Bootes, Corona Borealis,
Hercules, Virgo, Serpens, Libra
July:
East:
Aquarius, Delphinus, Grus, Capricornus, Aquila, Sagittarius, Scorpius
South: Carina, Musca, Crux, Ara, Triangulum Australe,
Centaurus
West: Hydra, Crater, Corvus, Virgo, Vela,
Libra
North: Bootes, Corona Borealis, Hercules,
Lyra, Ophiuchus, Serpens
August:
East:
Aquarius, Phoenix, Piscis Austrinus, Grus, Sagittarius
South: Eridanus, Musca, Crux, Triangulum
Australe
West: Corvus, Virgo, Bootes, Libra,
Centaurus, Ara, Lupus, Scorpius
North: Corona Borealis, Hercules, Lyra, Cygnus,
Delphinus, Aquila
September:
East:
Pisces, Cetus, Eridanus, Phoenix, Piscis Austrinus, Grus, Aquarius,
Capricornus
South: Crux, Musca, Triangulum Australe, Pavo
West: Centaurus, Libra, Serpens,
Ophiuchus, Scorpius, Lupus, Ara
North: Lyra, Cygnus, Pegasus, Delphinus,
Aquila
October:
East:
Eridanus, Cetus, Aries, Piscis Austrinus
South: Hydrus, Centaurus, Musca,
Triangulum Australe, Ara, Pavo, Grus
West: Lupus, Scorpius, Ophiuchus,
Sagittarius, Aquila, Capricornus
North: Cygnus, Delphinus, Pegasus,
Andromeda, Aquarius
November:
East:
Taurus, Eridanus, Cetus, Phoenix
South: Carina, Musca, Triangulum Australe, Pavo
West: Scorpius, Sagittarius,
Aquila, Delphinus, Capricornus, Grus, Piscis Austrinus
North: Pegasus, Andromeda, Aries, Pisces,
Cetus, Aquarius
December:
East:
Taurus, Orion, Canis Major, Puppis, Carina, Eridanus
South: Carina, Musca, Pavo
West: Capricornus, Aquarius,
Grus, Piscis Austrinus, Phoenix
North: Pegasus, Andromeda, Aries, Perseus,
Cetus
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