Astronomical agenda for 2016
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R E M A R K A B L E
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| | | Gaia 1st Release 14 September
| | | | | Detec. Grav. Waves 11 February | |
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 | TABLES: EARTH-SUN | |  | TABLES: MOON | |  | TABLES: PLANETS | |
 | ECLIPSES | |  | METEOR SHOWERS | |  | LINKS | |
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Remarkable events
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Planet Found in Habitable Zone Around Nearest Star, 25/08/2016 Astronomers using ESO telescopes and other facilities have found clear evidence of a planet orbiting the closest star to Earth, Proxima Centauri. The long-sought world, designated Proxima b, orbits its cool red parent star every 11 days and has a temperature suitable for liquid water to exist on its surface. This rocky world is a little more massive than the Earth and is the closest exoplanet to us — and it may also be the closest possible abode for life outside the Solar System. |
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Juno in orbit around Jupiter, 05/07/2016 After an almost five-year journey to the solar system’s largest planet, NASA's Juno spacecraft successfully entered Jupiter’s orbit during a 35-minute engine burn. Confirmation that the burn had completed was received on Earth at 8:53 p.m. PDT (11:53 p.m. EDT) Monday, July 4. Juno's special web page
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Gaia data release set for 14 September, 04/07/2016 ESA's billion-star surveyor Gaia, launched on 19 December 2013, and in routine science operations since 25 July 2014, will release the first mission data on 14 September 2016. |
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TransitMercuri090516 On 9th May a transit of Mercury will be visible from Catalonia. The transit will begin at midday and will end with the sunset.Transits of Mercury cannot be seen with the naked eye. You need a telescope for a good observation. |
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LIGO Detected Gravitational Waves from Black Holes , 12 February 2016 On September 14, 2015 at 5:51 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time (09:51 UTC), the twin Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) detectors, located in Livingston, Louisiana, and Hanford, Washington, USA both measured ripples in the fabric of spacetime – gravitational waves – arriving at the Earth from a cataclysmic event in the distant universe. |
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Historical Anniversaries
 | 1966, Luna 9 February 1966, The unmanned Soviet Luna 9 spacecraft makes the first controlled rocket-assisted landing on the Moon | |  | 1966, Luna 10 March1966: The Soviet Union launches Luna 10, which later becomes the first space probe to enter orbit around the Moon | |  | 1966, Surveyor 1 June 1966: Surveyor program : Surveyor 1 lands in Oceanus Procellarum on the Moon, becoming the first U.S.spacecraft to soft-land on another world | |
 | 1966, Lunar Orbiter 1 August 1966: Lunar Orbiter 1, the first U.S. spacecraft to orbit the Moon, is launched | |  | 1966, Lunar Orbiter 2 November 1966: Lunar Orbiter 2 is launched | |  | 1966, Venera 3 March 1966, Soviet space probe Venera 3 crashes on Venus, becoming the first spacecraft to land on another planet's surface | |
 | 1976, Viking 1, Viking 2 July 1976, The Viking 1 lander touched down on the surface of Mars September 1976, The Viking 2 lander touched down on the surface of Mars | |  | 1986, Giotto i Halley March 1986: Giotto : ESA’s Giotto spacecraft flew to within a mere 596 km of Comet Halley, revealing for the first time how a cometary nucleus looks up close. | |
Tables
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Earth-Sun
Changes of season
|
Date |
Exact hour |
Spring |
20 March |
04 h 30 m UT |
Summer |
20 June |
22 h 34 m UT |
Autumm |
22 September |
14 h 21 m UT |
Winter |
21 December |
10 h 44 m UT |
Sunrise and sunset hours for any place (Calculation tool in javascript).
Earth's orbit
|
Date |
Distance to the Sun |
Perihelion (minimum distance) |
2 January |
147.095.995 km |
Afhelion (maximum distance) |
4 July |
152.093.527 km |
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Moon
Lunar phases ( UT ):
New Moon |
Crescent Moon |
Full Moon |
Waning Moon |
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02/01/2016 |
10/01/2016 |
16/01/2016 |
24/01/2016 |
01/02/2016 |
08/02/2016 |
15/02/2016 |
22/02/2016 |
01/03/2016 |
09/03/2016 |
15/03/2016 |
23/03/2016 |
31/03/2016 |
07/04/2016 |
14/04/2016 |
22/04/2016 |
30/04/2016 |
06/05/2016 |
13/05/2016 |
21/05/2016 |
29/05/2016 |
05/06/2016 |
12/06/2016 |
20/06/2016 |
27/06/2016 |
04/07/2016 |
12/07/2015 |
19/07/2015 |
26/07/2015 |
02/08/2016 |
10/08/2016 |
18/08/2016 |
25/08/2016 |
01/09/2016 |
09/09/2016 |
16/09/2016 |
23/09/2016 |
01/10/2016 |
09/10/2016 |
16/10/2016 |
22/10/2016 |
30/10/2016 |
07/11/2016 |
14/11/2016 |
21/11/2016 |
29/11/2016 |
07/12/2016 |
14/12/2016 |
21/12/2016 |
29/12/2016 |
Moon's orbit
Perigee (minimum distance) |
Apogee (maximum distance) |
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02 January |
15 January |
11 February |
10 March |
30 January |
27 February |
25 March |
07 April |
06 May |
03 June |
21 April |
18 May |
15 June |
01 Julyl |
27 Julyl |
22 August |
13 Julyl |
10 August |
06 September |
18 September |
17 October |
14 November |
04 October |
31 October |
27 November |
12 December |
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25 December |
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Information about the planets ( UT ):
Mercury
Transit of Mercury, 9th May 2016
Day |
Hour |
Event |
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07 February |
01 h |
Max.west elongation |
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18 April |
14 h |
Max.east elongation |
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05 June |
09 h |
Max.west elongation |
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16 August |
21 h |
Max.east elongation |
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28 September |
19 h |
Max.west elongation |
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11 December |
04 h |
Max.east elongation |
Venus
Day |
Hour |
Event |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
Mars
Day |
Hour |
Event |
22 May |
11 h |
Oposition |
Jupiter
Day |
Hour |
Event |
08 March |
10 h |
Oposition |
26 September |
06 h |
Conjunction |
Saturn
Day |
Hour |
Event |
3 June |
06 h |
Oposition |
10 December |
11 h |
Conjunction |
Uranus
Day |
Hour |
Event |
09 April |
21 h |
Conjunction |
15 October |
10 h |
Oposition |
Neptune
Day |
Hour |
Event |
28 February |
15 h |
Conjunction |
02 September |
15 h |
Oposition |
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Eclipses
Solar eclipses
Type |
Day |
Hour of the maximum |
Visibility |
Total |
09 March |
1h 57m UT |
Visible from Asia, Australia, Pacific. Total en: Sumatra, Borneo, Sulawesi, Pacific |
Annular |
1 September |
09h 06m UT |
Visible from Africa, Oceano Indic. Annular: Atlantic, c Africa, Madagascar, Índian Ocean |
Lunar eclipses
Type |
Day |
Hour of the maximum |
Visibility |
Penumbral |
23 March |
11h 47m UT |
Asia, Australia, Pacific, West America |
Penumbral |
16 September |
18h 55m UT |
Europa, Africa, Asia, Australia, West Pacific |
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Meteor Showers
Name |
Days |
Maximum aprox |
Constelation around the radiant |
Meteors per hour (aprox) |
Quadrantids |
1-5 January |
3 January |
Bootes |
120 |
Lyrid |
15-28 April |
22 April |
Lyra |
15 |
Eta-Aquarid |
19 April - 28 May |
6 May |
Aquarius |
60 |
Arietid |
22 May-2 July |
7 June |
Aries |
54 |
Delta Aquarid |
12 july-19 August |
30 July |
Aquarius |
20 |
Perseids |
17 July - 24 August |
12 August |
Perseus |
90 |
Orionids |
2October-7 November |
21 October |
Orion |
20 |
Leonids |
14 - 21 November |
17 November |
Leo |
variable |
Geminids |
7 17 December |
13-14 December |
Gemini |
120 |
Links
- Ephemerids from Observatorio Astronómico Nacional
- Space calendar
- Ephemerids from ROA
- Eclipse Homepage
from NASA
- http://olympus.umons.ac.be/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/ephemerides-olympus-2012.pdf
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