posted: 1974 days ago, on Saturday, 2011 Dec 31 at 00:21
tags: astronomy, Southern Sky Highlights 2012, outreach, almanack, astronomy media, Southern Sky News.

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Stargazing Highlights for 2012 is a handy two-page spread summarizing all the cool things that we can enjoy in the southern skies during 2012.

Download the PDF, print it out, and stick it on the fridge, bathroom mirror, toilet seat, or wherever you spend a moment lost in thought.

The two-page table lists, for each event, the date, approximate time of viewing (morning or evening sky), and which heavenly bodies are involved (the Moon, planets, bright stars, and star clusters).

For the obsessive-compulsives there is a block you can tick off when you've viewed the event. No cheating - I will be conducting surprise house-calls to check up on you.

Details about each event can be found in the SkyGuide for 2012, the Astronomical Handbook for Southern Africa, published by Struik Nature and the Astronomical Society of Southern Africa.

(Update: 2013 edition)

January

Jan 02 - evening - Moon and Jupiter (cloud in Stellenbosch)

Jan 03 - evening - Moon and Jupiter (photos)

Jan 05 - evening - Moon and Pleiades (overslept!)

Jan 09 - evening - Full Moon (photos)

Jan 26 - evening - Venus is the bright Evening Star this month (Venus setting, Jan 15)

Jan 26 - evening - Moon and Venus (photos)

Jan 27 - evening - Moon, Venus and Jupiter (photos)

Jan 28 - evening - Moon, Venus and Jupiter (photos)

Jan 29 - evening - Moon, Venus and Jupiter (photos)

Jan 30 - evening - Moon and Jupiter (cloud in Stellenbosch)

February

Feb 01 - evening - Moon and Pleiades (photos)

Feb 07 - evening - Full Moon (photos)

Feb 08 - evening - Venus near Uranus (photos)

Feb 13 - morning - Moon, Saturn and Spica

Feb 24 - evening - Moon, Venus, Jupiter (photos)

Feb 25 - evening - Moon, Venus, Jupiter (photos)

Feb 26 - evening - Moon, Venus, Jupiter (photos)

Feb 27 - evening - Moon, Venus, Jupiter (photos)

Feb 28 - evening - Moon, Venus, Jupiter and Pleiades (photos by Kos)

Feb 29 - evening - Moon, Venus, Jupiter and Pleiades (photos by Kos, photos by Auke)

March

Mar 07+ - evening - Venus and Jupiter

Mar 08 - evening - Full Moon, rising with Mars (photo by Kos)

Mar 10 - evening - Venus and Jupiter; Moon and Spica. (photo by Kos)

Mar 10 - morning - Moon, Spica and Saturn

Mar 11 - evening - Venus and Jupiter; and the Pleiades (photo by Kos)

Mar 12 - evening - Venus and Jupiter; Pleiades and Hyades (photos by Kos)

Mar 13 - evening - Venus and Jupiter; Pleiades and Hyades (photo by Ed)

Mar 20+ - morning - Mars-Regulus and Saturn-Spica

Mar 24 - evening - Crescent Moon; Venus and Jupiter (photos)

Mar 25 - evening - Crescent Moon with Venus and Jupiter (photos)

Mar 26 - evening - Moon, Venus and Jupiter (photos)

Mar 27 - evening - Moon and Pleiades

April

Apr 02–04 - evening - Venus moves through Pleiades

Apr 03 - evening - Moon, Mars and Regulus

Apr 06 - evening - Full Moon

Apr 07 - evening - Moon, Saturn and Spica

Apr 18, 19 - morning - Moon and Mercury

Apr 23 - evening - Moon and Pleiades

Apr 24 - evening - Venus, Moon and Hyades

May

May 04 - evening - Moon, Spica and Saturn; Venus and beta Tau (photos)

May 05 - evening - Full Moon (photos)

May 06 - evening - Full Moon +1 (photos)

May 23 - evening - Moon and Venus (photos by Kos)

May 31 - evening - Moon, Spica and Saturn

June

Jun 04 - evening - Full Moon (photo by Kos)

Jun 17 - morning - Moon, Jupiter and Pleiades

Jun 18 - morning - Moon, Venus and Hyades

Jun 19 - evening - Mercury with Sirius, Procyon and Gemini (photo by Kos)

Jun 20+ - morning - Venus moves through Hyades

Jun 20 - morning - Venus and Jupiter (photos)

Jun 20 - evening - Crescent Moon at sunset (photos)

Jun 20 - evening - Sunset (photos)

Jun 21 - evening - Moon and Mercury (photos)

Jun 22 - evening - Moon and Mercury (photos)

Jun 26 - evening - Moon and Mars

Jun 28 - morning - Venus moves through the Hyades; with Jupiter nearby. (photos)

Jun 28 - evening - Moon, Saturn and Spica

July

Jul 01–05 - evening - Mercury and Beehive cluster

Jul 01–10 - morning - Venus moves through Hyades (photo: July 03, by Wim, photo: July 04, by Kos)

Jul 03 - evening - Full Moon (pics)

Jul 05 - morning - Venus and Jupiter, with the Pleiades, Hyades and Orion (pics)

Jul 14 - morning - Moon and Pleiades

Jul 15 - morning - Moon, Jupiter and Venus

Jul 20 - evening - Moon and Mercury (pics)

Jul 24 - evening - Moon, Mars, Saturn and Spica (pics)

Jul 25 - evening - Moon, Saturn and Spica

August

Aug 02 - evening - Full Moon

Aug 07+ Spica, Saturn and Mars

Aug 11 - morning - Moon, Pleiades and Hyades

Aug 12 - morning - Moon and Jupiter

Aug 13 - morning - Moon and Venus (pics)

Aug 13 - daytime - Moon and Venus (pics, finder chart)

Aug 13 - evening - Mars, Saturn and Spica (pics)

Aug 14 - daytime - See Venus in daylight (finder chart)

Aug 14 - evening - Mars, Saturn and Spica

Aug 15 - evening - Mars, Saturn and Spica

Aug 16 - morning - Moon and Mercury

Aug 16 - evening - Mars, Saturn and Spica

Aug 17 - evening - Mars, Saturn and Spica

Aug 18 - evening - Mars, Saturn and Spica (and zodiacal light) (pics)

Aug 18 - evening - Crescent Moon in the west (pics)

Aug 19 - evening - Mars, Saturn and Spica

Aug 20 - evening - Moon, Mars, Saturn and Spica (pics)

Aug 21 - evening - Moon, Mars, Saturn and Spica (pics) [rain in the Cape :-( ]

Aug 22 - evening - Moon, Mars, Saturn and Spica (pics)

Aug 31 - evening - Full Moon (2nd in August!)

September

Sep 07 - morning - Moon and Pleiades

Sep 08 - morning - Moon, Jupiter and Hyades

Sep 12, 13 - morning - Moon and Venus (pics by Kos Coronaios)

Sep 12 - daytime - See Venus in daylight (finder chart)

Sep 13 - daytime - See Venus in daylight (finder chart)

Sep 17 - evening - Moon, Spica and Saturn (pics by Kos Coronaios)

Sep 18 - evening - Moon, Spica and Saturn (pics by Kos Coronaios)

Sep 19 - evening - Moon and Mars (pics by Kos Coronaios)

Sep 29, 30 - evening - Mercury, Saturn and Spica

Sep 30 - evening - Full Moon

October

Oct 01+ - evening - Mercury and Saturn

Oct 05 - morning - Moon, Hyades and Pleiades

Oct 06 - morning - Moon and Jupiter

Oct 09+ - evening - Mars and Scorpius (pics by Kos Coronaios)

Oct 12 - daytime - See Venus in daylight (finder chart)

Oct 16 - evening - Moon and Mercury (pics by Kos Coronaios)

Oct 17 - evening - Moon and Mercury (pics by Kos Coronaios)

Oct 18 - evening - Moon, Mars and Antares

Oct 29 - evening - Full Moon

November

Nov 02 - morning - Moon occults Jupiter #1 (images from across South Africa)

Nov 05 - evening - Mars, Mercury and Antares (pics by Kos Coronaios)

Nov 11 - morning - Moon, Spica and Venus (pics by Kos Coronaios)

Nov 11 - daytime - See Venus in daylight (finder chart)

Nov 15+ - evening - Mars moves past the Lagoon Nebula (pics by Kos Coronaios)

Nov 16 - evening - Moon and Mars

Nov 27 - morning - Venus and Saturn (pics by Kos Coronaios)

Nov 28 - evening - Smallest Full Moon for 2012 (pics by Kos Coronaios)

Nov 28 - evening - Moon, Jupiter and Hyades (pics by Kos Coronaios)

Nov 29 - morning - Moon occults Jupiter #2 (images)

December

Dec 10 - morning - Moon and Saturn

Dec 11 - morning - Moon, Venus and Mercury

Dec 13–15 - morning - Geminid meteor shower

Dec 15 - evening - Moon and Mars

Dec 25 - evening - Moon, Jupiter and Hyades

Dec 26 - morning - Moon occults Jupiter

Dec 28 - evening - Full Moon

nothing more to see. please move along.