Astronomy
2007
Southern Sky
Almanack
Posted on 2007 January 01 @ 00:01 - filed under Astronomy.
Mercury is in the evening sky, well-placed for observation during the first two weeks. It then rapidly moves towards the Sun. Venus is in the morning sky, rising two hours before the Sun. Mars can be seen in the morning sky, rising after midnight. Jupiter is in the evening sky setting before midnight. Saturn is in the morning sky rising an hour before the Sun at the start of the month, and about three hours by month's end.
Day | Event |
01 | Moon in Auriga for 12 hours. |
02 | Mars near the Moon (4.7°). |
02 | Moon in Auriga for about 17 hours. |
02 | Moon northernmost declination this month (+29.0°). |
03 | Jupiter's moon Ganymede at maximum distance from the planet (4.4 arcmin west at 18h). |
03 | Last Quarter Moon (12: 06). |
04 | Jupiter's moon Callisto at maximum distance from the planet (7.6 arcmin east at 08h). |
04 | Pollux near the Moon (3.1°). |
04 | World Space Week (October 04-10). |
05 | Periodic comet 70P/Kojima reaches perihelion (period 7.06 years). |
06 | At noon, Venus is 11° from the Moon (looking NW; altitude 36° Cape Town, 35° Johannesburg). |
07 | At noon, Venus is 3.5° from the Moon (looking NW; altitude 36° Cape Town, 35° Johannesburg). |
07 | Jupiter's moon Ganymede at maximum distance from the planet (4.3 arcmin east at 08h). |
07 | Regulus near the Moon (0.1°), occultation seen from Europe, British Isles, N. and E. Africa, and the Middle East. |
07 | Saturn near the Moon (1.2°), occultation seen from southern ocean south of Polynesia. |
07 | Venus near the Moon (3.1°). |
08 | Ejnar Hertzsprung's birthday (1873). |
08 | Solar rotation number 2062 starts. |
08 | Venus near Regulus (2.8°). |
09 | Anniversary of the first sighting of supernova SN 1604, Kepler's Star, the last supernova observed in our own galaxy, in 1604. |
10 | Jupiter's moon Ganymede at maximum distance from the planet (4.3 arcmin west at 22h). |
11 | New Moon (07: 01). |
11 | Spica near the Moon (1.7°). |
12 | Jupiter's moon Callisto at maximum distance from the planet (7.6 arcmin west at 18h). |
12 | Mercury stationary. |
13 | Mercury near the Moon (1.2°). |
13 | Moon at apogee. |
14 | Jupiter's moon Ganymede at maximum distance from the planet (4.3 arcmin east at 12h). |
14 | Venus near Saturn (2.9°). |
15 | Venus in conjunction with Saturn. |
15 | Antares near the Moon (0.5°), occultation seen from Antarctica and S. half of S. America. |
16 | Jupiter near the Moon (5.3°). |
16 | Moon in Ophiuchus for about 21 hours. |
16 | Moon southernmost declination this month (-28.1°). |
18 | Jupiter's moon Ganymede at maximum distance from the planet (4.2 arcmin west at 02h). |
19 | First Quarter Moon (12: 33). |
19 | Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar's birthday (1910). |
20 | Anniversary of the establishment, in 1820, of the first astronomical observatory in the southern hemisphere, the Royal Observatory at the Cape of Good Hope. Official opening ceremony on October 29. |
21 | Jupiter's moon Callisto at maximum distance from the planet (7.3 arcmin east at 04h). |
21 | Jupiter's moon Ganymede at maximum distance from the planet (4.2 arcmin east at 16h). |
21 | Neptune near the Moon (1.1°), occultation seen from Antarctica and S. Georgia. |
21 | Orionids meteor shower reaches maximum, active Oct 02-Nov 07 (parent body is comet 1P Halley). |
22 | Minor planet (2) Pallas stationary. |
22 | Periodic comet 136P/Mueller reaches perihelion (period 8.57 years). |
23 | Karl Jansky's birthday (1905). |
23 | Uranus near the Moon (1.7°). |
24 | Anniversary of the arrival at Mars of the Mars Odyssey orbiter, in 2001. |
24 | Mercury in inferior conjunction. |
25 | Jupiter's moon Ganymede at maximum distance from the planet (4.2 arcmin west at 06h). |
26 | Full Moon (06: 52). |
26 | Moon at perigee. |
28 | Jupiter's moon Ganymede at maximum distance from the planet (4.1 arcmin east at 20h). |
28 | Minor planet (27) Euterpe occults star TYC 6349-01160-1 (mag= 9.7) at 21:41. |
28 | Venus at greatest elongation W (46°). |
29 | Jupiter's moon Callisto at maximum distance from the planet (7.3 arcmin west at 14h). |
29 | Moon in Auriga for about 14 hours. |
30 | Mars near the Moon (3.2°). |
31 | Mercury at perihelion (last of four occurrences in 2007). |
31 | Mercury near Spica (3.2°). |
31 | Minor planet (71) Niobe occults star TYC 6319-00163-1 (mag= 8.2) at 21:07. |
31 | Neptune stationary. |
31 | Pollux near the Moon (3.3°). |
Constellations visible from Southern Africa at 21:00 SAST (* = overhead):
Andromeda, Apus, Aquarius, Aquila, Aries, Caelum, Capricornus*, Carina, Cetus, Chamaeleon, Corona Australis*, Crux, Cygnus, Delphinus, Dorado, Equuleus, Fornax, Grus*, Horologium, Hydrus, Indus, Libra, Lyra, Mensa, Microscopium*, Musca, Octans, Pavo, Pegasus, Phoenix, Pictor, Pisces, Piscis Austrinus*, Reticulum, Sagitta, Sagittarius*, Scorpius, Sculptor, Scutum, Telescopium*, Triangulum, Triangulum Australe, Tucana, Volans, Vulpecula.
Keywords: Astronomy, Southern Sky Almanack, 2007, monthly sky review, Southern Sky Talk podcast
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