SPACE.com -- Major Astronomical Events

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	Major Astronomical Events By SPACE.com Staff

Occultations of planets and bright stars are by the Moon unless noted otherwise. General locations are given for these occultations. For observers outside these locations, close conjunctions of the Moon and objects may be observed.

All times are given in Universal Time (UT). To calculate the time for your location, use the following table. Take the UT time and add the time in the table for your time zone.

**Time Zone Convertion Table**
Time Zone	Standard Time	Daylight Savings

Eastern Standard Time (EST)	-5 hours	-4 hours
Central Standard Time (CST)	-6 hours	-5 hours
Mountain Standard Time (MST)	-7 hours	-6 hours
Pacific Standard Time (PST)	-8 hours	-7 hours

**2008 Events**
Date	Time (UT)	Event

January

2	23	Earth at perihelion (closest to sun) at 147 million km.
4	7	Quadrantids meteor shower peaks. Up to 120 per hour
5	10	Antares occultation in S. America, Antarctica
11	1	Neptune occultation in S tips Australia, Antarctica, New Zealand
18	7	Moon about a degree north of the Pleiades (M45)
20	0	Mars occultation in N Russia, Arctic, NW tip N. America
22	5	Mercury greatest elongation east. Visible after sunset
24	15	Regulus occultation in S Indonesia, Australasia, Antarctica

February

1	12	Venus 0.7 degrees N of Jupiter
1	18	Antares occultation Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica, S. America
4	6	Jupiter 4 degrees N of Moon
4	12	Venus 4 degrees N of Moon
7	4	Annular eclipse of the Sun. Antarctica and S Pacific Ocean
14	13	Moon about a degree north of Pleiades (M45)
16	8	Mars 1.6 degrees S of Moon
21	0	Regulus occultation in S. America, Antarctica
21	3	Total eclipse of moon. Best in the Americas, W Europe, W Africa. Partially visible in Africa, W Asia
24	10	Saturn at opposition
26	2	Mercury 1.3 degrees N of Venus
29	2	Antares occultation in Antarctica, S tips of Australia

March

3	11	Mercury greatest elongation west. Visible before sunrise
5	14	Mercury occultation in S. America, NW Africa
5	19	Venus occultation in E Melanesia, Polynesia, N. America except NE
5	22	Neptune occultation in Australia, New Zealand, Polynesia, W Mexico
10	17	Mars 1.7 degrees N of M35
12	18	Moon passes about a degree north of Pleiades (M45)
15	3	Mars 1.7 degrees S of Moon
19	8	Regulus occultation in New Zealand, E Melanesia, Polynesia, Antarctica
20	6	Spring Equinox in Northern Hemisphere, Autumn Equinox in Southern Hemisphere
23	10	Mercury 1.0 degrees S of Venus
27	10	Antares occultation in N New Zealand, Polynesia, S S. America, Antarctica

April

2	9	Neptune occultation in central S. America, central Africa, Middle East
5	1	Venus 5 degrees S of Moon
9	2	Moon about a degree north of Pleiades (M45)
12	6	Mars occultation in NE Canada, Greenland, Iceland, N Scandinavia
15	14	Regulus occultation in Madagascar, Antarctica
22	4	Lyrid meteor shower peaks
23	17	Antares occultation in S half Australia, New Zealand, Polynesia
24		Pi-Puppid meteor shower peaks (Southern hemisphere)
29	19	Neptune occultation in Indonesia, N Australasia, Hawaii

May

2	13	Mercury 2 degrees S of Pleiades (M45)
5	18	Eta-Aquarid meteor shower peaks
6	12	Moon about a degree north of Pleiades (M45)
10	14	Mars occultation in N Africa, Europe except N, S Asia
12	19	Regulus occultation S S. America, Antarctica
14	4	Mercury greatest elongation east. Visible after sunset
20	23	Antares occultation in E S. America, S Africa
23	6	Mars in Beehive (M44)
24	11	Jupiter 2 degrees N of Moon
27	3	Neptune occultation in N half of Africa, SE Europe, W Asia

June

8	2	Mars occultation in New Zealand
9	3	Regulus 1.4 degrees N of Moon
9	4	Venus in superior conjunction, occulted by Sun
17	5	Antares occultation in Polynesia, S S. America
20		Pluto at opposition
20	13	Jupiter 2 degrees N of Moon
21	0	Summer Solstice in Northern Hemisphere, Winter Solstice in Southern Hemisphere
23	8	Neptune occultation in N. America except Alaska, S Greenland

July

1	4	Mars 0.7 degree N of Regulus
1	18	Mercury greatest elongation west. Visible in the morning
4	7	Earth at aphelion (furthest from sun) at 152 million km
9	8	Jupiter at opposition
11	6	Mars 0.7 degrees S of Saturn
14	12	Antares occultation in S half Australia, New Zealand, Polynesia
20	13	Neptune occultation in E Asia, Japan, Alaska, NW Canada
27	16	Moon about a degree north of Pleiades (M45)
28	20	South Delta-Aquarids meteor shower peak

August

1	10	Total eclipse of the Sun. N Canada, Greenland, Arctic, central Russia, Mongolia, China
2	15	Venus 2 degrees N of Moon
10	19	Antares occultation in central S. America, S tips of Africa and Madagascar
12	11	Perseid meteor shower peaks
13	19	Venus 0.2 degrees S of Saturn
15	8	Neptune at opposition
16	0	Mercury 0.7 degrees S of Saturn
16	19	Neptune occultation in NE Africa, E Europe, W and central Asia
16	21	Partial eclipse of the moon. Best from Eastern Hemisphere, E S. America
23	5	Mercury 1.3 degrees S of Venus
23	22	Moon about a degree north of Pleiades (M45)

September

1		Aurigid meteor shower peaks
7	3	Antares occultation in E Australasia, Polynesia, SW S. America
11	4	Mercury greatest elongation east. Visible after sunset
11	20	Venus 0.3 degrees N of Mars
13	2	Neptune occultation in N. America except NW, N tip S. America, Iceland, United Kingdom
13	2	Uranus at opposition
20	4	Moon about a degree north of Pleiades (M45)
22	16	Autumn Equinox in Northern Hemisphere, Spring Equinox in Southern Hemisphere
26	15	Regulus 1.7 degrees N of Moon
30	11	Mercury 1.1 degrees N of Moon

October

4	11	Antares occultation in S half Africa, Madagascar, W Australasia
7	7	Jupiter 2 degrees N of Moon
8	1	Draconid meteor shower peaks
10	10	Neptune occultation in E Asia, Philippines. Japan, W Alaska
17	11	Moon about a degree north of Pleiades (M45)
21	4	Orionid meteor shower peaks
22	10	Mercury at greatest elongation west. Visible before sunrise.
23	21	Regulus 1.9 degrees N of Moon
30		Vesta at opposition
31	18	Antares occultation in central S. America, W tip Africa

November

2	5	Jupiter 1.9 degrees N of Moon
5	4	S. Taurid meteor shower peaks
6	19	Neptune occultation in NE tip Canada, United Kingdom except SE, S Scandinavia, Iceland
12	4	N. Taurid meteor shower peaks
13	20	Moon about a degree north of Pleiades (M45)
17	10	Leonid meteor shower peaks
22		Alpha-Monocerotid meteor shower peaks

December

1	0	Venus 2 degrees S of Jupiter
1	15	Jupiter 1.3 degrees N of Moon
1	16	Venus occultation in NE tip Canada, Europe, S Scandinavia
4		Pallas at opposition
5	22	Mars in conjunction with the Sun
6		Dec Phoenicid meteor shower peaks (southern hemisphere)
7		Puppid/Velid meteor shower peaks (southern hemisphere)
11	8	Moon about a degree north of Pleiades (M45)
13	23	Geminid meteor shower peaks
21	12	Winter Solstice in Northern Hemisphere, Summer Solstice in Southern Hemisphere
25	7	Antares occultation in S half Africa, Madagascar, SE Asia
27	1	Venus 1.5 degrees S of Neptune
29	4	Mercury occultation in E Asia, Japan, N Indonesia
29	9	Jupiter occultation in Australia except E, Antarctica