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The Night Sky for 2006For those of us who are interested in the stars and how they affect spiritual presence or if you are just a star gazer, I found this info interesting.
Terms Used
AM: from midnight to 1 hour before sunrise.
Dawn: the hour before sunrise.
Dusk: the hour after sunset.
PM: from 1 hour after sunset until midnight.
Degrees: the angular distance measurement in the sky. The full Moon is 0.5° across, the width of your clenched fist held outstretched at arm’s length is about 10°, and the Big Dipper is 25° from end to end.
January
4 -- AM: Quadrantid meteor shower peaks (40+ per hour).
9 -- PM: The Moon passes near the Pleiades.
10 -- AM: Jupiter is 1° upper left of the double star Alpha Librae for the next week.
24 -- PM: Saturn is within 1° of the Beehive star cluster (M44) in Cancer for the next three weeks.
27 -- Saturn at opposition: it rises at sunset and is visible all night.
February
3 -- PM: Saturn is 0.7° from the Beehive star cluster.
5 -- PM: The Pleiades are occulted by the Moon (visible from Hawaii and western North America).
14 -- PM: Mars is 2 1/2° left of the Pleiades during the next five nights.
17 -- PM: Spica is occulted by the Moon (visible from northeastern North America).
19 -- Dusk: Mercury’s best appearance in the west after sunset occurs during the next 10 evenings.
28 -- Dusk: Mercury is upper right of the crescent moon.
March
5 -- PM: the Moon is nicely placed between the Pleiades and Mars.
14 -- PM: Penumbral lunar eclipse. Subtle shading along the Moon’s southern limb may be visible at mideclipse for observers in Europe.
16 -- PM: Spica is occulted by the Moon (visible from Hawaii).
25 -- AM: Venus at greatest western elongation — the planet is near its highest in the east before sunrise.
29 -- Total eclipse of the Sun visible from the coast of Ghana up into Libya, the Mediterranean, Turkey, and central Asia. Greatest eclipse (4 minutes 7 seconds of totality) occurs in southern Libya. All of Europe, eastern Asia, and most of Africa see a partial solar eclipse.
April
1 -- PM: the Moon occults the Pleiades (visible from northeastern North America).
15 -- PM: Mars passes 1° upper right of the open star cluster M35 in Gemini during the next four nights.
18 -- Dawn: Uranus is 0.3° below Venus (use binoculars).
22 -- AM: Lyrid meteor shower peaks (10–20 per hour).
23 -- PM: Jupiter is 1° upper left of the double star Alpha Librae the next four evenings.
24 -- Dawn: Venus is left of the crescent Moon.
May
3 -- Jupiter at opposition: it rises at sunset and is visible all night.
6 -- AM: Eta Aquarid meteor shower peaks (20 per hour).
16 -- PM: Mars passes left of Pollux (in Gemini) during the next two weeks.
24 -- Dawn: Venus is right of the crescent Moon.
26 -- PM: Saturn is less than 1° from the Beehive star cluster (M44) in Cancer for the next two weeks.
30 -- PM: Crescent Moon is between Mars and Pollux.
June
15 -- Dusk: Mars passes through M44.
17 -- Dusk: Mars and Saturn are about 0.5° apart.
27 -- Dusk: Mercury, the crescent Moon, Saturn, and Mars are together low in the west.
28 -- Dusk: Mars is just below the crescent Moon.
July
20 -- AM: the Pleiades are occulted by the Moon (visible from eastern North America).
23 -- Dawn: Venus is right of the crescent Moon.
27 -- A daylight occultation of Mars by the Moon is visible from Iceland and Europe.
88 -- AM: Delta Aquarid meteor shower peaks (20 per hour).
August
6 -- Dawn: Mercury is less than 3° below Venus for the next eight mornings.
13 -- AM: Perseid meteor shower peaks (60 per hour).
16 -- AM: The Pleiades are occulted by the Moon (visible from Hawaii).
22 -- Dawn: Venus, the crescent Moon, Saturn, and Mercury are together low in the east.
26 -- Dawn: Saturn is 0.5° degrees below Venus.
29 -- Dusk: Jupiter is above the crescent Moon.
September
7 -- PM: Partial lunar eclipse. The Moon nicks the southeastern edge of the umbra for observers in most of Europe, Africa, and Asia; the eclipse lasts 93 minutes.
7 -- PM: Jupiter is within 1° of the double star Alpha Librae the next 10 evenings.
12 -- PM: the Pleiades are occulted by the Moon (visible from eastern Europe).
27 -- Annular eclipse of the Sun visible in South American (Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana) and the South Atlantic Ocean. Most of South America and western Africa see a partial solar eclipse.
October
22 -- PM: the Pleiades are occulted by the Moon (visible from North and Central America).
23 -- AM: Orionid meteor shower peaks (10–15 per hour).
23 -- Dusk: Jupiter and Mercury are right of the crescent Moon.
November
8 -- PM: Transit of Mercury; visible before sunset throughout North and South America and in its entirety from Hawaii (on the 8th) and New Zealand (morning of the 9th).
17 -- PM: Leonid meteor shower peaks (10 per hour).
17 -- Dawn: Mercury’s best appearance in the east before sunrise occurs during the next 10 mornings.
December
3-4 -- PM: The Pleiades are occulted by the Moon; visible from North America (PM) and Europe (AM).
8 -- Dawn: Mercury, Mars, and Jupiter are within 3° of each other for the next five mornings.
10 -- Dawn: Jupiter and Mercury are 0.3° apart with Mars 1° to the right of the pair.
13 -- Dawn: Mars is 1° below Jupiter.
14 -- PM: Geminid meteor shower peaks (75 per hour).
18 -- AM: Dawn: the crescent Moon is right of Jupiter and Mars.
31 -- AM: The Pleiades are occulted by the Moon (visible from mid-western North America).
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