The Irish Feder^tion of

@stronomic^l Societies
 Welcome
Welcome to the 4th IFAS calendar of celestial sights during the year ahead. When you buy the
calendar you support the aims of the Irish Federation of Astronomical Societies to foster a wider
interest in astronomy. Contact IFAS, link up with the Irish astronomy community, or find details of
a club near you via www.irishastronomy.org The pdf version (download from the IFAS web site)
has four extra pages appended with a range of tabular data for the year.
Sky-High 2018 (www.irishastrosoc.org) or The BAA Handbook (www.britastro.org/) give ex-
panded coverage of the year. We also recommend subscribing to a monthly magazine for updates
of any transient events like comets. Full-colour guides such as Paul Money’s Nightscenes 2018,
Night Sky 2018 published by Collins, or Stargazing 2018 published by Philips, may be picked up
online or in bookstores. The original Yearbook of Astronomy (previously edited by Patrick Moore
and John Mason) has been re-launched by a new publisher (White Owl). Order via Amazon.
Skylights for 2018
The planets
The monthly wanderings of the planets sometimes bring them close (on the sky) to each other,
pass near a bright star, or see the Moon cosy up. Details of these appulses and conjunctions are
listed in the calendar. Of note is the July 27th opposition of Mars which is its best since Aug 2003.
Eclipses
The total lunar eclipse on January 31st is visible from Asia, Australia, the Pacific, and western
North America. The Moon passes just south of the centre of the Earth’s shadow on this occasion.
This year has three partial solar eclipses and the first on February 15th is visible from Antarc-
tica and southern South America. See Fred Espenak’s www.mreclipse.com/main/preview.html for
more extensive details on the eclipses occurring in 2018 and maps of their visibility.
• The July 13th partial solar eclipse is visible from S Australia and parts of the Southern Ocean.
• A total lunar eclipse on July 27th is visible from S America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia.
The eclipse is in progress at moonrise from IRL/UK and also occurs on Mars opposition night.
• The partial solar eclipse on August 11th is visible from N Europe (but not Ireland) and NE Asia.
Comets
Of the large crop of comets reaching perihelion this year, there are three that stand out. A new
discovery may be announced at any time (C/2017 T1 Heinze discovered as we went to press may
be a binocular object around mag 8.8 in early January) or a dim object suddenly brighten. Check
the BAA Comet Section page www.ast.cam.ac.uk/~jds/ for updates and links to finder charts.
46P/Wirtanen may reach magnitude 3 at the end of the year when it comes within 11.5 million
km of Earth. An observing campaign is being coordinated via wirtanen.astro.umd.edu - Wirtanen
was the originally selected target for ESA’s Rosetta comet lander and orbiter mission.
21P/Giacobini-Zinner has a good return and passes within 0.39 au of Earth on Sept 10/11
when it may be mag 6. It moves through Cygnus, Camelopardalis, Auriga, Gemini, and Monoc-
eros during late-Summer. 21P is linked with the Draconids but no enhanced rates are expected.
38P/Stephan-Oterma has a 38-year period and was last seen in 1980/1. The comet is at peri-
helion on Aug 26th and will be an evening sky object from late-Oct. It may then reach magnitude 9
Comments or queries can sent to the author, John Flannery, at aurorawatcher@gmail.com
but until the 2019 edition, we wish you the astronomer’s adieu: Clear skies!
The IFAS Calendar Team
On the cover: Apollo 8, the first manned mission to the moon, entered lunar orbit on Christ-
mas Eve, Dec. 24, 1968. That evening, the astronauts-Commander Frank Borman, Command
Module Pilot Jim Lovell, and Lunar Module Pilot William Anders-held a live broadcast from lunar
orbit, in which they showed pictures of the Earth and moon as seen from their spacecraft. Said
Lovell, "The vast loneliness is awe-inspiring and it makes you realize just what you have back
there on Earth." They ended the broadcast with the crew taking turns reading from the book of
Genesis. This year we celebrate the 50th anniversary of that historic mission. Image: NASA.
Meteor showers
August’s Perseids occur during New Moon this year giving us perfect conditions should the
sky stay clear, while the Geminids in December enjoy a good dark sky period once the 6-day old
Moon sets. The other major annual showers are somewhat affected by moonlight this year bar the
southern Taurids. A meteor shower calendar for 2018 can be downloaded from www.imo.net/
Asteroids
Opposition dates for six of the first ten numbered asteroids are listed. Some of these are very
favourable - particularly that of (4) Vesta on June 20th - and all can be seen in binoculars. For
near-Earth flyby news see minorplanetcenter.net/daily-minor-planet
Occultations
Regulus and Aldebaran are both occulted twice by the Moon during 2018 as seen from IRL/
UK. CalSky.com or OCCULT (software developed by IOTA - see occultations.org/) will let you
draw up more detailed lists. Use eco.mtk.nao.ac.jp/cgi-bin/koyomi/occulx_p_en.cgi to computes
occultations of planets. Asteroid occultations are only given for stars brighter than magnitude 10.0.
Spaceflight
Mission details are up-to-date at time of publication. Check out https://spaceflightnow.com/
launch-schedule/ or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_in_spaceflight for updates. Both SpaceX
and Boeing hope to demo their crewed vehicles Dragon 2 and Starliner respectively. Will SpaceX
send two paying passengers on a trip round the Moon as touted over the last year or so? Who
knows? A number of ISS crews will rotate during the year though along with regular resupply trips.
Launch of the first core module of China’s space station is now more likely in early 2019 but
Tiangong-1 is due to de-orbit some time this year. China aims to launch Chang’e 4, a far-side lu-
nar lander, in late-2018 with a relay satellite preceding it.
The James Webb Space Telescope was due to launch in October 2018 but is now deferred to
the first half of 2019. NASA’s Parker Solar Probe will embark in October though on a mission to
study the Sun and its corona. Both ESA and JAXA will send BepiColombo towards Mercury while
NASA returns to Mars with the delayed InSight mission. Two exoplanet hunter missions (TESS &
CHEOPS) may fly in 2018, though only TESS has a firm date. Finally, two asteroid sample return
missions - Hayabusa 2 and OSIRIS-REx - will reach their respective targets later in the year.
Some words to know Useful web sites
Looking up
Scale in the sky sunrise when at a favourable elongation. Mars, Jupiter & Saturn
The Sun is 400 times wider than the Moon but is also 400 may be seen right throughout the night when at opposition. • www.skymaps.com
times further away. This means both appear the same apparent Mercury and Venus are closer to the Sun than the Earth • earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials
(or angular) diameter in the sky, or half a degree across. De- while Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and the Dwarf • www.jb.man.ac.uk/astronomy/nightsky/
grees are sub-divided into 60 arc-minutes (60') with each made Planets are further out. The planets are always to be found in
up of 60 arc-seconds (60"). This allows us measure angles in the the zodiac — a band which cuts the sky in half that lies either • www.calsky.com
sky or the apparent size of a celestial object. side of the ecliptic. The ecliptic is the plane of the Earth’s orbit Irish interest
projected on to the celestial sphere. Mercury and Venus seem to
Finding your way around • www.irishastronomy.org
swing from one side of the Sun to the other but viewed from
Two systems exist to find your way round the sky. The first is Earth they never get further away than the positions known as • www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=267
altitude and azimuth. Altitude is measured in degrees from a greatest elongation. The other planets can be anywhere in the • www.astronomytrail.ie/
point on the horizon to the overhead point (the zenith) at 90°. zodiacal band.
Azimuth is measured 360° right around the horizon starting Phenomena and satellite passes
The moment Mercury or Venus are directly between the
from true north equal to 0°. East is 90° azimuth and so on. • www.spaceweather.com
Earth and Sun is known as inferior conjunction. They are at
Astronomers also use a kind of celestial longitude and lati- superior conjunction when they pass behind the Sun. The • www.heavens-above.com
tude called right ascension and declination to help them accu- other planets outside our orbit can only pass through superior
• www.atoptics.co.uk
rately plot the position of an object in the sky. Using these coor- conjunction.
dinates will let you track down that comet you’ve just read about News
When the outer planets are in opposition they are opposite
or pick your way through a deep-sky catalogue.
the Sun to us and are on the celestial meridian at midnight. The • www.universetoday.com
Right ascension is expressed in hours (h), minutes (m) and celestial meridian is an imaginary line that starts at the north
• www.space.com
seconds (s) running eastward from 0 to 24 hours right around point of the horizon, rises directly through the North Celestial
the sky. The zero point of right ascension is the vernal equinox Pole (NCP) to the zenith and continues on down to the southern • spaceflightnow.com and www.astronomynow.com/
— the point where the Sun crosses the celestial equator, moving point of the horizon.
from south to north. Blogs and forums
Venus and Mercury show phases like the Moon. Mars can • samuelastronomy.wordpress.com/
Declination is how many degrees, minutes, and seconds look gibbous, i.e. not quite full. Jupiter can show very slightly
north (+) or south (-) of the celestial equator an object is. less than full at quadrature in amateur telescopes. • www.planetary.org/blogs/

The outer planets can sometimes exhibit a phenomenon • scienceblogs.com/startswithabang/

Star light, star bright
known as retrograding. A consequence of them lying further • astrobob.areavoices.com/
The magnitude of a star refers to its brightness, not to its
from the Sun than us is that they orbit more slowly than the • www.cloudynights.com
size. The scale of magnitudes is a logarithmic one. A difference
Earth. Therefore, at opposition, the Earth can overtake an outer
of one magnitude is a difference of 2.512 times in brightness. A
planet causing its apparent movement against the stars to grind Education
difference of five magnitudes is one of a 100 times in brightness.
to a halt, move back to the right, halt, and then resume direct • www.unawe.org/
The lower the magnitude number, the greater the brightness.
motion.
The apparent brightness of a star depends on its true bright- • www.astrosociety.org/education/
ness and distance. The term magnitude if not qualified, refers to Lunar hide-and-seek • todayinsci.com/
apparent brightness. Absolute magnitude is the magnitude a During its journey round the sky the Moon may hide or oc-
star would show if it lay at a standard distance of 10 parsecs. cult a star or planet. The disappearance of an object at the Equipment and astrophotography
Moon’s limb can be quite sudden due to the lack of a lunar at- • www.calgary.rasc.ca/downloads/
The planets mosphere. A star may also be occulted by an asteroid but such • www.ktectelescopes.ie
Mercury and Venus are tied to the realm of twilight though an event is generally only seen with a telescope over a narrow
Venus can be well placed in a dark sky after sunset or before track. • www.astropix.com

Time in the 2018 calendar

Except when noted, times in the calendar are in Universal Time (UT). This is the 24-hour system starting at mean midnight as measured at Greenwich. It is the same as Greenwich Mean Time
(GMT). To translate UT into Summer Time just add one hour. Summer Time in 2018 begins on March 25th at 01:00 when the clocks go forward one hour. Summer Time ends on October 28th at
01:00 when clocks go back one hour (remember, “Spring forward, Fall back”). Interesting articles are at www.rmg.co.uk/explore/astronomy-and-time/time-facts and www.timeanddate.com/time/dst/
 Mond^y Tuesd^y Wednesd^y Thursd^y Frid^y S^turd^y Sund^y
1 2 02h 24m 3 4 5 6 7
Local holiday (Scotland)
New Year’s Day biggest Full Moon of 2018 Quadrantids peak, 20h
(33' 30" | 356,566 km)
Mercury greatest W Earth at perihelion at 06h, Uranus was stationary on daylight occultation of 1968: launch of early AM: Mars less
elongation (22° 48') (8) Flora opposition (8.2m) 0.98328 au from the Sun 2nd, direct motion resumes Regulus (08:19 to 09:16) Lunar Surveyor 7 (US) than a ½° from Jupiter
J^nu^ry 2018

8 22h 25m 9 10 11 12 13 14

Venus is at Orthodox New Year

superior conjunction
1868: English astronomer BT Young Scientist, early AM: Moon is AM: Mercury & Saturn ½° 2008: MESSENGER
Sir Frank Dyson born Pluto solar conjunction RDS, Dublin (to 13th) near Mars and Jupiter apart but very low in SE first Mercury flyby

15 16 17 02h 17m 18 19 20 21
Martin L. King Jr Day
AM: Moon is near
PM: Neptune (7.9m) in the
Mercury and Saturn
same low-power binocular
most distant Moon of look for earthshine on the field as 3.75m λ Aquarii all
the year (406,464 km) 38-hour old Moon tonight month & into mid-February Sun enters Capricornus

22 23 24 22h 20m 25 26 27 28
Galway Astronomy Festival
Moon < 1° from Aldebaran
Burns’ Night (Scotland)
1968: launch of 1918: Czech astronomer
Apollo 5 (US) Venus at aphelion IWISH 2018 (Cork, IRL) Antonín Mrkos born

29 30 31 13h 27m

IWISH 2018 (Dublin, IRL)

total lunar eclipse
PM: Uranus (5.8m) in the
(not visible from IRL/UK) January and March both have two Full Moons this year and are calendrical Blue
same low-power bino field
Moon months. The next time two Blue Moon months fall in the same year is 2037
as ο Piscium all month Mars enters Scorpius

Mercury rises two hours before the Sun but then slowly slides back towards the solar glare
before becoming lost to view by the third week. Venus moves into the evening sky after
superior conjunction on the 9th but remains stubbornly close to the horizon throughout, mak-
ing any sighting difficult. Mars (1.5m to 1.2m) is rising more than four hours before the Sun
and can be found in Libra.
Jupiter (-1.9m) is rising around the same time as Mars as the year opens but is up an hour
earlier by the end of January. It too can be found in the dim zodiacal group of Libra. Saturn
(0.5m) can be found in Sagittarius and is rising two hours before the Sun by the 31st. The
total lunar eclipse on January 31st is visible from Asia, Australia, the Pacific, and western
North America. Both January’s full moons are popularly called “Supermoons”.
 Mond^y Tuesd^y Wednesd^y Thursd^y Frid^y S^turd^y Sund^y
1 2 3 4

Groundhog Day (US)

SpaceX plan an unmanned Moon < 1° from Regulus
first flight of their Dragon 2 early AM: Mars less than (1) Ceres at opposition
crewed vehicle this month a ½° from 2.6m β Scorpii HTV-7 launch (JAXA) in Cancer (6.9m)
Febru^ry 2018

5 6 7 15h 54m 8 9 10 11
Winter Olympics
in S. Korea (to 25th)
Imbolc early AM: Moon pre-dawn: Moon
lies near Jupiter Astrofest, London (to 10th) lies near Saturn
1918: Edith Müller, Spanish
astrophysicist, born Mars enters Ophiuchus early AM: Moon near Mars Jupiter at W quadrature

12 13 14 15 21h 05m 16 17 18
Galileo Day
partial solar eclipse Chinese New Year
(not visible from IRL/UK) (Year of the Dog)
1918: US physicist Ash Wednesday Mercury is at
Julian Schwinger born World Radio Day and Valentine’s Day NI Science Festival (to 25th) Sun enters Aquarius superior conjunction

19 20 21 22 23 08h 09m 24 25

Engineers Week
Presidents Day (US) Ireland (to Mar 2nd)
1618: Dutch astronomer PM: Venus & Neptune ½° Aldebaran occulted by the 1968: discovery of
Johannes Holwarda born 1993: ASCA launch (JAXA) apart but in bright twilight Progress 69P ISS cargo Moon from 16:30 to 17:39 pulsars was announced

26 27 28
five years have elapsed since the Chelyabinsk event on February 13th, 2013. A map
released by NASA’s NEO Program in 2013 showed that approximately 550 objects
PM: Mercury & Venus 2½° ranging from 1 metre to 20 metres in size entered our atmosphere during the previous
apart but are very low at 20 years. All disintegrated harmlessly, bar the 20-metre diameter object that exploded
the end of Civil Twilight over the Ural city. Events of that magnitude occur only two or three times per century.

Mercury may be picked up low in the SW evening sky the last few days of February. Venus
remains rather low but should be slightly easier to spot after sunset than last month. Mars
(1.2m to 0.8m) is now rising in the early hours and becoming quite prominent. The planet will
pass about 5° from the star Antares in Scorpius but is just slightly dimmer at this time than
its stellar rival.
Jupiter (-2.0m to -2.2m) is in Libra and will be spotted above the eastern skyline from just
after midnight. Saturn (0.6m) is in the morning sky and rises a little under three hours before
the Sun. Binoculars suffice to spot its 8th-magnitude moon Titan while a 10cm (4-inch)
scope will let you pick up Iapaetus, Rhea, Dione, and Tethys. The partial solar eclipse on
February 15th will only be seen from Antarctica and the southern part of South America.
 Mond^y Tuesd^y Wednesd^y Thursd^y Frid^y S^turd^y Sund^y
1 2 00h 51m 3 4
World Wildlife Day
IoP Ireland Spring
St David’s Day (Wales) Festival of Holi Meeting (Limerick)
Regulus occulted by the 1968: Zond 4 launched PM: Mercury & Venus
Moon from 06:06 to 06:58 (USSR circumlunar flight) are about 1° apart Neptune solar conjunction

5 6 7 8 9 11h 20m 10 11
M^rch 2018

Mothering Sunday
Jupiter stationary, DST starts in the US
begins to retrograde AM: Moon is near Mars
Mercury looks gibbous in a telescope at the moment Mars enters Sagittarius
but the phase is waning and it will appear exactly half early AM: Moon rises with crew launch for 1918: Victor Blanco, Puerto
lit on March 15th, day of greatest eastern elongation Jupiter in close attendance International Women’s Day ISS Expedition 55/56 Rican astronomer, born AM: Moon is near Saturn

12 13 14 15 16 17 13h 12m 18

Pi Day
PM: Mercury and Venus
Big Bang Science Fair, Mercury at greatest E 1918: US physicist are 4° apart. The 29½-hour
Sun enters Pisces Birmingham, UK (to 17th) elongation (18° 24') Frederick Reines born St Patrick’s Day (IRL/NIR) old Moon is also nearby

19 20 21 22 23 24 15h 35m 25

AM: Saturn < 2° from M22

Public Holiday (IRL/NIRL) launch of the Transiting ISTA Annual Conference, biggest FQ Moon
Exoplanet Survey Satellite Hyades occulted prior to Athlone, IRL (to the 25th) of the year (32' 32")
AM: Mars < 1° from 1868: Joseph Fourier, Aldebaran being hidden Daylight Saving Time
the Lagoon Nebula (M8) vernal equinox, 16h 15m French mathematician, born from 23:37 to 00:15 World Meteorological Day Mars at W quadrature starts in IRL/UK

26 27 28 29 30 31 12h 37m

PM: Venus and Uranus

early AM: Mars closes in are less than a ½° apart Chandrayaan 2 (Indian
on Saturn all week. They 1968: Yuri Gagarin Earth Hour from lunar probe & lander)
will end March < 2° apart killed in flight accident PM: Moon is near Regulus Saturn at W quadrature Good Friday 8:30pm to 9:30pm may launch this month

Mercury is visible throughout most of March in the evening sky, though will be low towards
the end of the month. Watch it pirouette around Venus after the third week of the month.
Venus is a spectacular evening sky object and will be seen to gain in height as the month
progresses. There’s a close pairing of both it and Uranus on the 28th. Mars (magnitude 0.8
to 0.3) gains another half magnitude and after crossing into Sagittarius it will be found close
to the Lagoon Nebula (M8) around the 19th. The Lagoon is an easy naked-eye object from a
dark site. Jupiter (magnitude -2.2 to -2.4) is rising late evening towards the end of March. Its
retrograde motion sees it travel nearly 10° westward between now and mid-July. Saturn
(magnitude 0.5) is rising nearly three hours before the Sun and lies near the gorgeous
globular cluster M22 - the cluster’s oblate shape is obvious even in giant binoculars.
 Mond^y Tuesd^y Wednesd^y Thursd^y Frid^y S^turd^y Sund^y
1
the rotation period of the Moon is the same as the length of time it takes to revolve (orbit) around the Earth. This has the effect of
Easter Sunday
tidally locking the Moon so that approximately the same aspect is always pointed towards us. An apparent “nodding” of the lunar
disk known as libration allows us to peer a little beyond its edge however. Close to the eastern limb is the circular Mare Crisium. Mercury is at
The Mare can vary in appearance from a thin dark line to an easily seen dark oval patch when libration conditions are favourable. inferior conjunction

2 Easter Bank Holiday

3 4 5 6 7 8 07h 18m

early-AM: Mars & Saturn early-AM: Moon near Mars smallest LQ Moon
1618: Italian physicist
< 1½° apart at the moment 1968: Apollo 6 launched and Saturn this morning of the year (29' 33")
Francesco Grimaldi born
@pril 2018

and pre-dawn tomorrow

1968: premiere of late-PM: Jupiter to right of EWAAS 2018, Liverpool, 2008: Yi So-yeon is the
“2001, A Space Odyssey” the Moon as they both rise UK (from April 3rd to 8th) 1968: Luna 14 launched first S Korean in space

9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Cosmos 2018 in Athlone 1868: Annie R. Maunder, 1718: Danish astronomer

Yuri’s Night (to 15th). Hosted by MAC N. Irish astronomer, born Christian Horrebow born

16 01h 57m 17 18 19 20 21 22 21h 46m

Saturn at aphelion disk of Mars is now Astronomy Day

(10.0656 au from Sun) Saturn stationary, 10 arc-seconds wide
begins to retrograde PM: Venus will approach Earth Day
PM: Venus to upper right 1918: Swedish physicist and pass the Pleiades
National Dark Sky Week of the 42-hour old Moon Uranus solar conjunction Sun enters Aries Kai Siegbahn born over the next few days Lyrids peak, 13h

23 24 25 26 27 28 29
Astronomy Day
favourable lunar libration
1918: French astronomer at Moon’s SE limb tips Mercury greatest W
St George’s Day (England) Moon < 1° from Regulus G. de Vaucouleurs born Mare Australe into view elongation (27° 01')

30 00h 58m

At time of writing (Sept 2017), 553 people from 37 countries have travelled into Earth orbit. As well members of the
world’s major space agencies, the Soviet Union ran the Interkosmos program to allow 14 non-Soviet cosmonauts
PM: Jupiter is close to the participate in Soyuz missions. Flights have also been completed by seven space space tourists, two US politicians,
Moon as they both rise a number of corporate-sponsored individuals, and a second trip for John Glenn that came 36 years after his first.

Mercury is too deep in twilight after inferior conjunction to be seen this month. Venus is now
a very prominent lamp hung above the western sky these evenings. The planet is close to
the Pleiades during the latter part of April. Mars (magnitude 0.3 to -0.3) swells to more than
10 arc-seconds wide. That will allow small telescope users (employing high magnification) to
pick out surface details and the polar caps. Mars is rising in the early hours and is close to
Saturn the nights of the 7th and 8th. Jupiter (magnitude -2.5) is getting close to its opposi-
tion date, rising late evening on the 1st but not long after sunset by the end of the month.
Saturn (magnitude 0.4) is at aphelion (10.0656au or a little over 1.5 billion kilometres). The
almost fully wide open icy rings contribute nearly a whole magnitude to the planet’s overall
brightness at the moment despite Saturn being at the most distant point of its orbit.
 Mond^y Tuesd^y Wednesd^y Thursd^y Frid^y S^turd^y Sund^y
1 2 3 4 5 6
Beltaine
Space Day/Star Wars Day AM: Moon is near Saturn
AM: Saturn spends May eta Aquarids peak, 08h
close to the magnificent 1868: US physicist 1718: Jean Philippe de planned launch of Insight
globular cluster M22 Robert W. Wood born Cheseaux born (French) mission to Mars (NASA) AM: Moon is near Saturn

7 8 02h 09m 9 10 11 12 13
M^y 2018

Jupiter at opposition in Mother’s Day

Libra (4.40 au distant)
PM: Venus near 1918: US physicist PM: Venus goes between
Bank Holiday (IRL/UK) NGC 1746 in Taurus C/2016 R2 at perihelion Richard Feynman born the tips of the Bull’s horns

14 15 11h 48m 16 17 18 19 20
Ramadan begins
Sun enters Taurus Venus at perihelion
PM: this week Venus is
global Pint of Science PM: 32½-hour old Moon PM: lovely sight of two- highest for the current 1868: US geodesist PM: Venus passes
festival talks (to 16th) Mars enters Capricornus visible low in WNW day old Moon near Venus evening sky apparition John Hayford born close to M35 in Gemini

21 22 03h 49m 23 24 25 26 27

Spring equinox on Mars Towel Day

noctilucent cloud season PM: Venus ¼° from 3.1m ε
early AM: Moon & Regulus 2008: Phoenix mission for the latitude of IRL/UK Geminorum. Then look E
very close just as they set Mars brightens to -1.0m landed on Mars (US) tends to begin in late May to see Moon near Jupiter

28 29 14h 20m 30 31

Bank Holiday (UK)

crew launch for PM: Moon & Saturn
Memorial Day (US) ISS Expedition 56/57 are very close

Mercury is too poorly placed to be seen this month. Venus stands high above the western
skyline as twilight fades these evenings. The planet drifts through Taurus and Gemini, com-
ing close to some of open clusters (including M35) that are easily seen in binoculars. Mars
(magnitude -0.4 to -1.2) starts the month in Sagittarius before crossing into Capricornus mid-
month. The Red Planet rises around 01h at the beginning of May.
Jupiter (magnitude -2.5) is at opposition on the 9th in Libra and will be 4.40 au distant. The
43.8" wide planet is now on view all night, albeit setting early a.m. due to Jupiter's low arc
across the sky at this time of year and the shortening summer nights. Saturn (magnitude 0.3
to 0.2) can be found in Sagittarius and rises around midnight on the 1st but will be picked up
late evening at the end of the month.
 Mond^y Tuesd^y Wednesd^y Thursd^y Frid^y S^turd^y Sund^y
1 2 3

The asteroid (4) Vesta has a very favourable opposition in June when as bright as it AM: Moon near Mars
ever gets at magnitude 5.3. That makes it a naked-eye object but it lies in a star-rich
area of Sagittarius at this time and is rather low from the latitude of the British Isles. PM: Jupiter < 1° from
alpha2 Librae (2.8m)

4 5 6 18h 32m 7 8 9 10
June 2018

Bank Holiday (IRL)
Cheltenham Science
Festival, UK (to 10th)
World Environment Day
Mercury is at
superior conjunction World Oceans Day
1868: polar explorer 1868: Irish physicist PM: Venus 1° from
Robert Falcon Scott born J S E Townsend born κ Geminorum (3.6m)

11 12 13 19h 43m 14 15 16 17
Father’s Day
earliest sunrise
(Dublin) at 03h 56m
(785) Zwetana to occult (9) Metis at opposition
2008: Fermi launched 7.2m star from NE Ireland Eid-al-Fitr PM: Moon is near Venus in Ophiuchus (9.7m)

18 19 20 10h 51m 21 22 23 24

PM: Venus skirts N edge Inspirefest, Dublin (to 22nd)

of M44 tonight & tomorrow
Sun enters Gemini Solarfest, Dunsink Obs.
Neptune stationary, (4) Vesta at opposition latest sunset
begins to retrograde in Sagittarius (5.3m) summer solstice, 10h 07m PM: Moon is near Jupiter (Dublin) at 20h 58m

25
N aspect of Saturn’s rings
now tipped 26° earthward
26 27
Saturn at opposition in
Sagittarius (9.048 au)
Progress 70P ISS cargo
m
Mars brightens to -2.0 PM: Moon close to Saturn
28 04h 53m 29 30
Asteroid Day Boeing plan a first flight
1818: Angelo Secchi,
Italian astronomer, born PM: Moon is near Mars test of the Starliner crew
vehicle this month while
Mars stationary, 1868: US astronomer PM: Mercury highest for SpaceX plan a manned
begins to retrograde George E Hale born this evening sky apparition flight test of their Dragon 2

Mercury might be picked up the last week of June in the evening sky but it will be very low.
Venus continues to dominate the western evening sky. Use binoculars to spy the large open
cluster M44 in the same field of view as the veiled planet on the 19th and 20th. Mars (-1.2 to
-2.1) continues to gain in brightness with the planet’s apparent disc now 10 arc-seconds
wide. The planet is up around midnight on the 1st but two hours earlier by the 30th.
Jupiter (magnitude -2.5 to -2.3) shines bright in the south-eastern sky amongst the stars of
Libra after sunset at the start of June but sets around 01h by the 30th. Saturn (magnitude
0.0) is at opposition on the 27th in Sagittarius. (4) Vesta has a very favourable opposition on
the 20th when about as bright as it ever gets at magnitude 5.3. However it lies in a star-rich
area of Sagittarius and is rather low from more northerly latitudes.
 Mond^y Tuesd^y Wednesd^y Thursd^y Frid^y S^turd^y Sund^y
1

JAXA’s Hayabusa 2 is due to reach the asteroid Ryugu AM: Moon & Mars
this month. It aims to return a sample to Earth in 2020 are now 3½° apart

2 3 4 5 6 07h 51m 7 8
BAA-AAVSO meeting
Independence Day (US) (to 8th), Coventry, UK
1868: US astronomer Earth at aphelion at 17h, favourable lunar libration
July 2018

Henrietta Leavitt born PM: Mercury ½° from M44 1.01670 au from the Sun at the Moon’s NW limb

9 10 11 12 13 02h 48m 14 15
Jupiter stationary, Orangemen’s Day (NIRL)
ESOF 2018 (to 14th) direct motion resumes Mercury greatest E partial solar eclipse
Toulouse, France elongation (26° 25') (not visible from IRL/UK)
some of the Hyades are 1868: 100th numbered PM: Moon and Mercury are
PM: Venus 1° from Regulus occulted before sunrise asteroid (Hekate) found Pluto at opposition (14.2m) closest NM of the year close but they are very low PM: Moon is near Venus

16 17 18 19 19h 52m 20 21 22
PM: Moon near Jupiter
favourable lunar libration
Farnborough Air at Moon’s SE limb tips Blue Dot Festival, Jodrell
Show (to 22nd), UK Mare Australe into view Bank Obs., UK (to 22nd) Sun enters Cancer

23 24 25 26 27 20h 20m 28 29
Mars at opposition (-2.8m)
total lunar eclipse & 2018’s
PM: Moon near Saturn smallest Full Moon (29' 25") S δ Aquarids peak, 09h

30 31
launch of the Parker
The July 27th lunar eclipse is in progress at moonrise from IRL/UK. The Moon will
Solar Probe (NASA)
pass a little north of the central part of Earth’s shadow, meaning its southern limb will
α Capricornids peak, 11h Mars closest approach be more dark. Brilliant Mars lies a short distance away, to the lower right of the Moon.

Mercury can be seen low above the western skyline after sunset the first few days of July.
Venus slowly loses altitude over the next few months before being lost to view in early Sep-
tember. It remains prominent though, shining a brilliant magnitude -4.3. Mars is at its best
opposition since August 2003 and burns at magnitude -2.8. This means it enjoys a rare op-
portunity to outshine Jupiter, which it does until early September.
Jupiter (magnitude -2.3 to -2.1) is stationary in Libra mid-July before its direct motion re-
sumes. The planet is setting before midnight by the end of the month. Saturn (magnitude
0.0 to 0.2) is on view in Sagittarius until the early hours. A partial solar eclipse on July 13th
is visible from S. Australia and the Southern Ocean. The total lunar eclipse on the 27th can
be seen from the British Isles but is in progress at moonrise.
 Mond^y Tuesd^y Wednesd^y Thursd^y Frid^y S^turd^y Sund^y
1 2 3 4 18h 18m 5

1868: the meteorological

observatory on Valentia Is. 1818: US astronomer favourable lunar libration
was first set up this month Maria Mitchell born at the Moon’s NW limb
@ugust 2018

6 7 8 9 10 11 09h 46m 12
Sun enters Leo Perseids peak, 20h
Lughnasadh
Solarsphere 2018 Skelligs Star Party, Kerry PM: 34½-hour old Moon
Uranus stationary, (Wales) to 13th visible in evening sky
begins to retrograde partial solar eclipse (from
Mercury is at AM: lunar crescent visible NE Scotland the Sun is 1768: James Cook sets
Bank Holiday (IRL/SCO) Jupiter at E quadrature inferior conjunction 29 hours before New Moon just under 2% covered) sail on his first expedition

13
PM: Jupiter loiters near
α2 Librae (2.8m) this week
14 15 16 17 18 07h 49m 19
Qixi festival
Venus greatest E
elongation (45° 56')
PM: Venus shows a favourable lunar libration 1868: helium first detected
half phase in a telescope at the Moon’s SE limb PM: Moon is near Jupiter in the Sun’s chromosphere

20 21 22 23 24 25 26 11h 56m

PM: Moon near Saturn

tonight & tomorrow night
1993: contact with
XXXth General Assembly Mars Observer lost Mercury greatest W
of IAU in Vienna (to 31st) prior to orbit insertion PM: Moon is near Mars Mars enters Sagittarius AM: Mercury 7° from M 44 elongation (18° 19')

27 28 29 30 31

Mars stationary,
direct motion resumes
Mercury now highest for favourable lunar libration OSIRIS-REx is due to arrive at the asteroid Bennu this
Bank Holiday (UK/NIRL) 1993: Galileo flyby of Ida this morning sky apparition at the Moon’s NW limb month. It aims to return a 60g sample to Earth in 2023

Mercury can be spotted from the second half of the month onwards, gaining altitude in the
morning sky each day until highest for this apparition around the 28th/29th. Venus
(magnitude -4.3 to -4.6) sets 1½ hours after the Sun at the beginning of August but will slip
from view less than one hour after sunset by the 31st. Mars (magnitude -2.5 to -2.1) fades a
little as it recedes from Earth following opposition last month but still doesn’t set until the
early hours. It crosses into Sagittarius in late-August. Jupiter (magnitude -2.1 to -1.9) sets
mid-evening by the end of the month. Saturn (magnitude 0.3) remains a fine sight and isn’t
setting until around midnight. A partial solar eclipse on August 11th is visible from northern
Europe and northeast Asia. The Sun is less than 2% covered from the northern tip of Scot-
land.
 Mond^y Tuesd^y Wednesd^y Thursd^y Frid^y S^turd^y Sund^y
1 2

Mars enters Capricornus

α Aurigids peak, 08h
PM: Moon gets very close
September 2018
21P/Giacobini-Zinner could be a naked eye comet this month as it lies 0.39 AU from Earth on the 11th. It tracks
through Auriga and Gemini during September and may reach magnitude 4, but this is probably over-optimistic. PM: Venus 1¼° from Spica to Aldebaran after rising

3 02h 37m 4 5 6 7 8 9 18h 01m

AM: Mercury is 1°
Venus at aphelion from Regulus
1968: Zond 5 launched on Saturn stationary, Neptune (7.8m) at AM: lunar crescent visible
Labor Day (US) return lunar flight (USSR) direct motion resumes opposition in Aquarius 36½ hours before New PM: Saturn is 2° from M 8

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 23h 15m

Jewish New Year

PM: 25¼-hour old Moon
visible in evening sky
21P/Giacobini-Zinner
is at perihelion
European Society for
British Science Festival, the History of Science Mars at perihelion
Hull, UK (to Sept 14th) Islamic New Year PM: Moon is near Jupiter meet in London (to 17th) (1.3814 au from Sun)

17 18 19 20 21 22 23

autumnal equinox, 01h 54m

Sun enters Virgo (4) Vesta lies in the same N aspect of Saturn’s rings
low power binocular field tipped their maximum for Mercury is at 1768: Scottish astronomer
PM: Moon is near Saturn as Saturn all this week PM: Moon is near Mars the year (26.6142°) superior conjunction William Wallace born

24 25 02h 52m 26 27 28 29 30
Astronomy Day
crew launch for
1918: Martin Ryle born ISS Expedition 57/58
Venus greatest 2008: first spacewalk 1918: premiere of Moon close to Aldebaran
brilliancy (-4.78m) Saturn at E quadrature by a Chinese astronaut Holst’s “The Planets” in SW sky before sunrise

Mercury rises two hours before the Sun at the beginning of September but then quickly slips
lower each morning to be swallowed up mid-month by the solar glare. Venus can be spotted
low in the evening sky the first week or so of the month and is then lost to view until picked
up again before sunrise in November. Mars (magnitude -2.1 to -1.3) still has plenty to offer
though the apparent disk size is gradually getting smaller. The Red Planet is setting by mid-
night on at the end of the month. Jupiter (magnitude -1.8) is setting 1½ hours after the Sun
on the 30th. Saturn (magnitude 0.5) is within 2° of the Lagoon Nebula (M8) in early-
September. The planet is at eastern quadrature this month too, so you'll see the globe's
shadow cast on the rings. Neptune (magnitude 7.8) is at opposition on September 7th in
Aquarius. The planet can be spotted in binoculars and shows a bluish tint in telescopes.
 Mond^y Tuesd^y Wednesd^y Thursd^y Frid^y S^turd^y Sund^y
1 2 09h 45m 3 4 5 6 7

launch of joint ESA/JAXA 2008: first object detected

World Space Week BepiColombo mission to and tracked prior to impact
(to October 10th) Mercury (two orbiters) (2008 TC3 in N. Sudan)
October 2018

8 9 03h 47m 10 11 12 13 14
Astronomy Day
Columbus Day
(only in some states) PM: Moon near Jupiter Maths Week Ireland starts
AM: lunar crescent visible PM: 38¼-hour old Moon 1968: Apollo 7 launched PM: Jupiter is now < 5° up PM: Moon close to Saturn
21¼ hours before New Draconids peak, 00h visible in evening sky (first manned flight) at the end of Civil Twilight tonight & tomorrow night

15 16 18h 02m 17 18 19 20 21
summer begins in
S hemisphere of Mars
Progress 71P ISS cargo
(136199) Eris is at
Hamilton Walk, Dunsink opposition (18.7m) PM: Moon close to Mars 2008: IBEX launch (NASA) Orionids peak, 17h

22 23 24 16h 45m 25 26 27 28

Daylight Saving Time

Uranus (5.7m) at ends in UK/IRL
opposition in Aries
2008: Chandrayaan 1 1868: Thomas Edison
launch (Indian lunar probe) 1968: last X-15 flight 1968: Soyuz 3 launched Venus inferior conjunction applies for his first patent

29 30 31 16h 40m

Dark Matter Day

Sun enters Libra a brief window occurs mid-month when observers below 20°S can see all the major
biggest LQ Moon planets simultaneously above the horizon after sunset. Optical aid will be required to
Bank Holiday (IRL) of the year (32' 16") spot Uranus and Neptune. Pluto is also high at the time but a magnitude 14.2 speck

Mercury is in the evening sky but will not be favourably placed for viewing. Venus is also
too poorly placed to be seen this month. Mars is setting just before midnight and slowly
fades from magnitude -1.3 to -0.6. It still far outshines the stars of Capricornus where it cur-
rently lies though. By late October the apparent size of the disk is only half that of three
months ago.
Jupiter (magnitude -1.8) is getting lower these evenings and sets less than an hour after the
Sun by the 31st. Saturn (magnitude 0.5) sets four hours after the Sun at the beginning of
October and by an hour earlier by the 31st. Uranus (magnitude 5.7) is at opposition on the
24th in Aries. The planet is 18.88 au (2.8 billion kilometres) distant at this time. The planet is
easy to spot in binoculars and keen-eyed observers may also pick it up without optical aid.
 Mond^y Tuesd^y Wednesd^y Thursd^y Frid^y S^turd^y Sund^y
1 2 3 4

PM: Jupiter is only 1° up Daylight Saving Time

November 2018
at the end of Civil Twilight ends in the US

5 6 7 16h 02m 8 9 10 11
Guy Fawkes Day Remembrance Sunday
Mercury greatest E (& Veteran’s Day in US)
PM: Mars ½° from elongation (23° 19') Carl Sagan Day 38P/Stephan-Oterma
2.9m δ Capricorni Diwali/Deepavali is at perihelion Mars enters Aquarius
AM: young Moon, Venus PM: thin lunar crescent
S Taurids peak, 18h and Spica nicely grouped Samhain is 48½-hours old tonight 1968: Zond 6 launched PM: Moon close to Saturn

12 13 14 15 14h 54m 16 17 18

smallest FQ Moon
of the year (29' 35")
PM: Moon is near Mars
N Taurids peak, 17h AM: Venus 1¼° from Spica tonight & tomorrow night Leonids peak, 23h

19 20 21 22 23 05h 39m 24 25

Thanksgiving (US) Sun enters Scorpius

1918: Hendrik van de Hulst, (3) Juno at opposition 1718: French astronomer Neptune stationary,
Dutch astronomer, born Jupiter enters Scorpius α Monocerotids peak, 23h in Eridanus (7.4m) Antoine de Pellepoix born direct motion resumes

26 27 28 29 30 00h 19m

the perihelic opposition of

planned landing of
NASA’s Insight on Mars
Jupiter solar conjunction
Venus greatest
brilliancy (-4.87m)
Mercury is at crew launch for
inferior conjunction ISS Expedition 58/59
(3) Juno this month sees
the asteroid come well
St Andrew’s Day (SCO) within binocular range. It
was last as comparably
Sun enters Ophiuchus bright in September 2009

Mercury will not be seen this month from more northerly latitudes. Venus should be picked
up just before sunrise at the beginning of November but will be up nearly four hours before
the Sun by the end of the month when the planet reaches greatest brilliancy. Venus will ap-
pear as a slender crescent in a small telescope all month. Mars (magnitude -0.6 to -0.1)
moves from Capricornus into Aquarius early in the month and doesn’t set until just before
midnight. The apparent disk size has now shrunk to less than 10". Jupiter is in conjunction
with the Sun on the 26th and is more or less lost to view. Saturn (magnitude 0.5) sets three
hours after the Sun at the beginning of November and an hour earlier at the end of the
month. The Ringed Planet is slowly moving across Sagittarius. NASA’s SLS was due to
have its first test flight this month but that date has slipped to 2019.
 Mond^y Tuesd^y Wednesd^y Thursd^y Frid^y S^turd^y Sund^y
1 2

46P/Wirtanen is a short period comet orbiting the Sun in 5.4 years. It passes just 0.0777 AU from Earth
on the 16th (the 10th closest comet in modern times) when it should be a naked eye object displaying a 1993: first HST servicing
large coma. Wirtanan is heading into Taurus around time of perihelion and will be seen in the evening sky mission (Endeavour)
December 2018

3 4 5 6 7 07h 20m 8 9
PM: Mars < 5'
Mars at E quadrature from Neptune
1868: German physicist AM: Moon 30 hrs from New PM: Moon is only PM: Moon is near Saturn
Uranus enters Pisces AM: Moon is near Venus Arnold Sommerfeld born between Mercury & Jupiter (433) Eros at opposition 33½ hours old tonight tonight & tomorrow night

10
AM: Venus now highest for
this morning sky apparition
11 12 13 14 15 11h 49m 16
Geminids peak, 08h
m
1992 FJ1 to occult 7.6 star earliest sunset, 16h 06m PM: Moon nears Mars Mercury greatest W 46P/Wirtanen passes
from N Ireland & S Scotland 46P/Wirtanen perihelion Jupiter enters Ophiuchus tonight & tomorrow night elongation (21° 16') 0.0777 au from Earth

17 18 19 20 21 22 17h 49m 23
Mars enters Pisces
winter solstice, 22h 22m
1868: Spanish astronomer AM: Mercury and Jupiter
Sun enters Sagittarius José Solá Comas born are < 1° apart tomorrow 1968: Apollo 8 launch Ursids peak, 21h

24 25 26 27 28 29 09h 34m 30
Christmas Day Boxing Day/
St Stephen’s Day
1818: English physicist 1918: Tamara Smirnova, (6) Hebe at opposition latest sunrise
James Joule born Russian astronomer, born Venus at perihelion in Monoceros (8.4m) (Dublin) at 08h 41m

31
China may launch their
on January 1st next, the New Horizons spacecraft will give us our first close up of a
Chang’e 4 lunar probe this
classical Kuiper Belt object during its flyby of 2014 MU69. The probe revealed many
month which will land on
surprises in the Pluto system in 2015, so we eagerly await this upcoming encounter
the far side of the Moon

Mercury is a morning sky object and will be highest for us mid-month when up about two
hours before the Sun. Venus can also be seen in the morning sky and rises four hours be-
fore the Sun all month. Mars (magnitude 0.0 to 0.4) spends most of December in Aquarius
but crosses into Pisces later. The disk appears gibbous in a telescope as the planet will be
at eastern quadrature at the beginning of the month. Mars lies very close to Neptune magni-
tude 7.9) on the 7th. Jupiter (magnitude -1.8) returns to the morning sky and ends the year
rising two hours before the Sun. Saturn (magnitude 0.5) is an evening object but will be lost
to view after the third week. The Geminids enjoy a dark sky period once the Moon sets be-
fore local midnight on the 14th. The shower is one of the best of the year with a ZHR of 120
(this is a theoretical value assuming the radiant source is overhead with perfect conditions).
 2018 rise and set times for the major Solar System bodies (at Dublin)
Sun Sun Moon Moon Mer Mer Mer Mer Mer Ven Ven Ven Ven Ven Mars Mars Mars Mars Jup Jup Jup Jup Sat Sat Sat Sat
Mth Day Rise Set Rise Set Rise Set Mag D" Ph Rise Set Mag D" Ph Rise Set Mag D" Rise Set Mag D" Rise Set Mag D"
Jan 1 08:41 16:17 16:06 07:34 06:51 14:52 -0.3 6.74 0.62 08:40 16:02 -4.0 9.76 1.00 03:53 13:08 1.5 4.79 04:07 13:14 -1.8 33.09 07:59 15:36 0.5 15.06
Jan 15 08:33 16:37 07:08 15:28 07:28 14:55 -0.3 5.45 0.84 08:47 16:37 -4.0 9.75 1.00 03:48 12:32 1.4 5.12 03:25 12:24 -1.9 34.22 07:10 14:48 0.5 15.15
Jan 30 08:13 17:04 15:56 07:17 07:57 15:43 -0.5 4.90 0.94 08:36 17:26 -3.9 9.79 1.00 03:42 11:56 1.2 5.54 02:36 11:30 -2.0 35.66 06:18 13:56 0.5 15.31
Feb 1 08:10 17:08 18:36 08:44 07:59 15:53 -0.6 4.87 0.95 08:34 17:33 -3.9 9.80 1.00 03:41 11:51 1.2 5.60 02:30 11:23 -2.0 35.87 06:11 13:49 0.5 15.34
Feb 15 07:44 17:36 07:42 17:15 07:57 17:17 -1.5 4.83 1.00 08:11 18:21 -3.9 9.89 0.99 03:32 11:21 1.0 6.09 01:41 10:31 -2.1 37.41 05:21 13:00 0.6 15.57
Feb 28 07:15 18:01 16:06 06:37 07:39 18:53 -1.4 5.26 0.94 07:46 19:05 -3.9 10.02 0.98 03:22 10:56 0.8 6.63 00:54 09:41 -2.2 38.95 04:35 12:14 0.6 15.84
Mar 1 07:13 18:03 17:27 07:11 07:37 19:01 -1.3 5.33 0.93 07:43 19:09 -3.9 10.04 0.98 03:21 10:54 0.8 6.68 00:50 09:38 -2.2 39.07 04:31 12:11 0.6 15.86
Mar 15 06:40 18:29 06:11 16:08 06:56 20:22 -0.4 7.26 0.47 07:13 19:56 -3.9 10.24 0.96 03:06 10:30 0.6 7.39 23:51 08:43 -2.3 40.75 03:39 11:20 0.5 16.20
Mar 30 06:04 18:57 17:41 06:05 05:51 19:26 4.8 10.90 0.02 06:41 20:47 -3.9 10.53 0.95 02:45 10:07 0.3 8.31 22:48 07:43 -2.4 42.42 02:43 10:24 0.5 16.60
Apr 1 05:59 19:00 20:13 06:50 05:43 19:08 5.3 11.19 0.01 06:37 20:54 -3.9 10.58 0.94 02:42 10:04 0.3 8.45 22:39 07:34 -2.4 42.62 02:35 10:16 0.5 16.66
Apr 15 05:26 19:26 05:45 18:39 04:59 17:19 1.7 10.45 0.17 06:11 21:43 -3.9 10.95 0.92 02:17 09:44 0.0 9.54 21:37 06:37 -2.4 43.85 01:41 09:22 0.4 17.05
Apr 30 04:53 19:53 20:19 05:38 04:28 17:03 0.3 7.98 0.44 05:53 22:33 -3.9 11.47 0.89 01:46 09:21 -0.3 10.97 20:28 05:34 -2.5 44.64 00:41 08:23 0.4 17.47
May 1 04:51 19:55 21:28 06:03 04:26 17:05 0.3 7.83 0.46 05:53 22:36 -3.9 11.51 0.89 01:44 09:19 -0.4 11.08 20:24 05:29 -2.5 44.67 00:37 08:19 0.3 17.49
May 15 04:26 20:19 04:59 20:12 04:01 18:01 -0.3 6.21 0.68 05:52 23:11 -3.9 12.14 0.85 01:11 08:55 -0.7 12.76 19:19 04:30 -2.5 44.78 23:37 07:22 0.3 17.83
May 30 04:06 20:41 21:23 05:05 03:48 19:54 -1.4 5.22 0.94 06:13 23:29 -3.9 13.00 0.81 00:32 08:21 -1.2 14.97 18:10 03:27 -2.5 44.24 22:35 06:19 0.2 18.13
Jun 1 04:04 20:43 23:06 06:28 03:49 20:13 -1.7 5.16 0.97 06:17 23:30 -3.9 13.13 0.80 00:26 08:16 -1.2 15.30 18:01 03:19 -2.5 44.12 22:26 06:10 0.2 18.16
Jun 15 03:57 20:55 05:51 22:31 04:31 21:59 -1.2 5.31 0.91 06:54 23:23 -4.0 14.18 0.76 23:43 07:33 -1.6 17.80 16:59 02:20 -2.4 43.05 21:28 05:11 0.1 18.32
Jun 30 04:01 20:57 22:21 06:09 05:58 22:19 -0.2 6.47 0.63 07:39 22:59 -4.1 15.63 0.70 22:54 06:32 -2.1 20.69 15:56 01:19 -2.3 41.54 20:25 04:07 0.0 18.36
Jul 1 04:01 20:57 22:50 07:10 06:03 22:18 -0.1 6.58 0.61 07:42 22:57 -4.1 15.74 0.70 22:51 06:27 -2.2 20.88 15:51 01:15 -2.3 41.43 20:20 04:03 0.0 18.36
Jul 15 04:16 20:46 07:15 22:23 06:54 21:38 0.5 8.40 0.38 08:23 22:25 -4.2 17.51 0.65 21:59 05:14 -2.6 23.19 14:56 00:20 -2.2 39.84 19:22 03:03 0.1 18.28
Jul 30 04:38 20:25 21:43 07:11 06:31 20:24 2.4 10.79 0.12 09:03 21:45 -4.3 20.00 0.58 20:57 03:47 -2.8 24.32 14:01 23:17 -2.1 38.13 18:19 01:59 0.2 18.07
Aug 1 04:41 20:21 22:23 09:26 06:19 20:12 2.9 11.02 0.08 09:08 21:39 -4.3 20.39 0.57 20:48 03:36 -2.8 24.33 13:54 23:10 -2.1 37.90 18:11 01:51 0.2 18.03
Aug 15 05:05 19:54 10:13 21:59 04:27 19:04 3.3 10.21 0.06 09:40 20:57 -4.4 23.62 0.50 19:44 02:22 -2.5 23.43 13:05 22:17 -2.0 36.40 17:13 00:53 0.3 17.73
Aug 30 05:31 19:20 21:09 09:37 03:47 18:50 -0.6 6.72 0.57 10:08 20:08 -4.6 28.39 0.42 18:37 01:22 -2.2 21.20 12:17 21:21 -1.9 34.96 16:13 23:48 0.3 17.35
Sep 1 05:34 19:15 21:56 12:03 03:54 18:51 -0.8 6.37 0.65 10:11 20:01 -4.6 29.16 0.40 18:28 01:15 -2.1 20.86 12:10 21:14 -1.9 34.78 16:05 23:40 0.4 17.29
Sep 15 05:59 18:41 12:47 21:42 05:24 18:44 -1.5 5.04 0.98 10:24 19:10 -4.7 35.72 0.31 17:31 00:39 -1.7 18.41 11:28 20:24 -1.9 33.65 15:11 22:45 0.4 16.90
Sep 30 06:25 18:05 21:05 12:22 07:06 18:19 -1.0 4.78 0.98 10:13 18:08 -4.8 45.49 0.18 16:36 00:14 -1.3 15.96 10:44 19:30 -1.8 32.66 14:14 21:48 0.5 16.49
Oct 1 06:27 18:02 21:51 13:32 07:12 18:17 -0.9 4.79 0.98 10:11 18:04 -4.8 46.24 0.17 16:33 00:13 -1.3 15.81 10:41 19:27 -1.8 32.61 14:10 21:44 0.5 16.46
Oct 15 06:52 17:29 13:35 21:38 08:33 17:49 -0.3 5.04 0.90 09:10 17:02 -4.4 56.71 0.05 15:45 23:59 -1.0 13.85 10:02 18:38 -1.8 31.91 13:18 20:52 0.5 16.10
Oct 30 07:20 16:57 21:46 13:28 09:45 17:25 -0.2 5.83 0.77 07:11 16:04 -4.3 61.11 0.01 14:57 23:52 -0.7 12.09 09:21 17:47 -1.7 31.39 12:24 19:57 0.5 15.75
Nov 1 07:24 16:53 00:00 14:49 09:53 17:23 -0.2 6.00 0.74 06:54 15:58 -4.2 60.65 0.01 14:50 23:51 -0.6 11.88 09:15 17:40 -1.7 31.34 12:17 19:50 0.5 15.71
Nov 15 07:50 16:29 14:01 23:24 10:01 17:06 0.1 7.97 0.39 05:18 15:20 -4.7 52.43 0.11 14:06 23:48 -0.3 10.55 08:37 16:54 -1.7 31.10 11:27 19:01 0.6 15.45
Nov 30 08:16 16:12 00:00 13:50 07:31 16:01 3.8 9.72 0.03 04:28 14:47 -4.9 41.38 0.25 13:19 23:46 -0.1 9.35 07:57 16:04 -1.7 31.08 10:34 18:09 0.5 15.24
Dec 1 08:18 16:11 00:46 14:12 07:19 15:56 3.0 9.56 0.06 04:26 14:45 -4.9 40.72 0.26 13:16 23:46 0.0 9.28 07:54 16:01 -1.7 31.08 10:30 18:06 0.5 15.23
Dec 15 08:34 16:06 13:09 23:59 06:33 15:09 -0.5 6.71 0.62 04:18 14:17 -4.8 32.88 0.37 12:33 23:46 0.2 8.36 07:16 15:15 -1.7 31.29 09:42 17:18 0.5 15.11
Dec 30 08:41 16:15 01:10 13:00 07:26 15:00 -0.4 5.29 0.88 04:32 13:52 -4.6 26.94 0.46 11:47 23:46 0.4 7.53 06:34 14:26 -1.8 31.75 08:49 16:27 0.5 15.05

All the times above are in UT -- add 1 hour when Summer Time is in effect. Mag = the planet's magnitude, D" is the diameter in arc-seconds, and Ph is the illuminated phase
 The Moon 2018 Lunar
Perigee/Apogee

Our Moon’s orbit is not perfectly circular, resulting in its distance varying over the course of a month. This leads to a change Jan 01 356,565 km
in the Moon’s angular diameter or apparent size in the sky. The closest Full Moon of 2018 falls on January 1st when the disk closest FM

Moon’s average distance (384,402 km)

measures 33' 30". Conversely, the most distant Full Moon of the year on July 27th measures 29' 25" or about 13% smaller than Jan 15 406,459 km
Jan 1st
January’s. The term “Supermoon” has crept into common use for the closest (and therefore the biggest) Full Moons of the year. furthest NM
In the graph on the right, TLE is a Total Lunar Eclipse and PSE is a Partial Solar Eclipse. Jan 30 358,994 km
Jan 17th
When the Moon is a slender crescent you may notice a phenomenon called Earthshine that is popularly known as "the old Feb 11 405,700 km TLE Jan 31st
Moon in the new Moon's arms". This is due to sunlight reflected off the day side of the Earth on to the unlit portion of the Moon.
Feb 27 363,936 km PSE Feb 15th
When we see the First or Last Quarter Moon we are looking right along the Earth’s path around the Sun. The Last Quarter
Moon marks the Earth’s approximate position about 3½ hours hence while First Quarter marks the Earth’s previous location by Mar 11 404,681 km
about the same length of time (we’re roughly either 370, 000 km ahead or behind the Moon in our own orbit at these moments.)
Mar 26 369,103 km
Easter Sunday this year is on April 1st and is generally taken as the first Sunday after the first Full Moon following the Spring
Equinox. The computation is a little more complex than this but it’s a useful rule of thumb. Apr 08 404,144 km

The Full Moon of September 25th is by definition the Harvest Moon; that is, it is the closest Full Moon to the Autumnal Equi- Apr 20 368,712 km
nox. On average, the Moon rises around one hour later each night. What marks out the Harvest Moon as special is that it ap-
pears to rise around sunset for several successive evenings. May 06 404,457 km
The Moon revolves around the Earth in 29·53059 days (the synodic month) so we may see the same lunar phase repeat in a May 17 363,776 km
month. This occurs about every 2·5 years on average. This year both January and March have two Full Moons. The second
Full Moon in a month is popularly called the Blue Moon but the term can also apply to the fourth Full Moon in a season. Jun 02 405,314 km

Jun 14 359,506 km
New Moon First Quarter Full Moon Last Quarter
Jun 30 406,059 km
d h m d h m d h m d h m
Jul 13 357,431 km
Jan 02 02 24 Jan 08 22 25 PSE Jul 13th
Jul 27 406,222 km
Jan 17 02 17 Jan 24 22 20 Jan 31 13 27 Feb 07 15 54 & closest NM
Aug 10 358,082 km TLE Jul 27th
Feb 15 21 05 Feb 23 08 09 Mar 02 00 51 Mar 09 11 20 & furthest FM

Mar 17 13 12 Mar 24 15 35 Mar 31 12 37 Apr 08 07 18 Aug 23 405,743 km PSE Aug 11th

Apr 16 01 57 Apr 22 21 46 Apr 30 00 58 May 08 02 09 Sep 08 361,354 km

May 15 11 48 May 22 03 49 May 29 14 20 Jun 06 18 32 Sep 20 404,874 km

Jun 13 19 43 Jun 20 10 51 Jun 28 04 53 Jul 06 07 51 Oct 05 366,395 km

Jul 13 02 48 Jul 19 19 52 Jul 27 20 20 Aug 04 18 18 Oct 17 404,225 km

Aug 11 09 58 Aug 18 07 49 Aug 26 11 56 Sep 03 02 37 Oct 31 370,200 km

Sep 09 18 01 Sep 16 23 15 Sep 25 02 53 Oct 02 09 45 Nov 14 404,340 km

Oct 09 03 47 Oct 16 18 02 Oct 24 16 45 Oct 31 16 40 Nov 26 366,622 km

Nov 07 16 02 Nov 15 14 54 Nov 23 05 39 Nov 30 00 19 Dec 12 405,176 km

Dec 07 07 20 Dec 15 11 49 Dec 22 17 49 Dec 29 09 34 Dec 24 361,059 km

 Planet visibility 2018
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec

morning (until evening (last evening evening (first morning (2nd morning (1st
Mercury evening not visible not visible not visible not visible morning
third week) few days) (last week) 3rd of month) half of month) half of month)
evening evening (1st morning (2nd
Venus evening evening evening evening evening evening evening not visible morning
(difficult) half of month) week on)
morning from from evening until evening until evening until evening until
Mars morning morning morning morning all night evening
early am midnight early am midnight midnight midnight
from after from from late until the evening until sets early morning
Jupiter morning all night evening evening not visible
midnight midnight evening early hours midnight evening (from 2nd wk)
from evening until evening until sets early evening until
Saturn morning morning morning morning all night evening evening
midnight early am midnight evening 3rd week

Uranus starts the year in Pisces and is at first an evening sky object. The planet then becomes too close to the Sun from late-March until mid-May to be seen. Uranus has moved into Aries when it
reappears in the morning sky after solar conjunction and reaches opposition on October 24th when it can be found as a magnitude 5.7 “star” a little under 2¾° NW of omicron Piscium. It’s opposition
brightness places Uranus above the theoretical naked-eye limit but binoculars will aid any sighting.

Slower moving Neptune can be found in Aquarius throughout 2018 and is in conjunction with the Sun on March 4th. It returns to the morning sky in late March and comes to opposition on September
7th. Neptune will reach magnitude 7.8 on opposition date when you can spy the planet 2½° SE of the magnitude 4.2 star phi Aquarii.

A detailed finder chart is necessary to identify Pluto, with an 20-cm telescope probably the minimum aperture. Pluto is magnitude 14.3 when it reaches opposition in Sagittarius on 2018 July 12th. The
planet is 4.874 billion kilometres from the Sun at this time and getting more distant each year.

Planet magnitude graph for 2018

magnitude

month
 Earth-Sun phenomena
Earth at perihelion Jan 3d 06h (147,100,933 km) Earth at aphelion July 6d 17h (152,092,565 km)
Spring equinox Mar 20d 16h 15m Autumnal Equinox Sept 23d 01h 54m
Summer Time begins Mar 25th Summer Time ends Oct 28th
Easter Sunday Apr 1st Earliest sunset Dec 13th at 16h 06m
Earliest sunrise Jun 17th at 03h 56m Winter solstice Dec 21d 22h 23m
Summer solstice Jun 21d 10h 07m Latest sunrise Dec 29th at 08h 41m
Latest sunset Jun 24th at 20h 58m

Planetary phenomena 2018

Mercury Venus

greatest elongation W Jan 01 (22° 40’) Apr 29 (27° 01’) Aug 26 (18° 18’) Dec 15 (21° 16’) superior conjunction Jan 09
greatest elongation E Aug 17 (45° 55’)
superior conjunction Feb 17 Jun 06 Sept 21
greatest illuminated extent (mag -4.78) Sep 25
greatest elongation E Mar 15 (18° 23’) Jul 12 (26° 25’) Nov 06 (23° 18’)
inferior conjunction Oct 26
inferior conjunction Apr 01 Aug 09 Nov 27
greatest illuminated extent (mag -4.87) Nov 29

Outer planets
Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune Pluto
solar conjunction Nov 26 Apr 18 Mar 04 Jan 09

western quadrature Mar 24 Feb 11 Mar 29 Jul 25 Jun 07 Apr 11

stationary (begins to retrograde) Jun 28 Mar 09 Apr 18 Aug 07 Jun 19 Apr 22

opposition Jul 27 May 09 Jun 27 Oct 24 Sep 07 Jul 12

stationary (prograde motion resumes) Aug 28 Jul 11 Sep 06 Jan 02 Nov 25 Sep 30

eastern quadrature Dec 03 Aug 07 Sep 26 Jan 14 Dec 05 Oct 12

• Mercury brightens before greatest elongation west when gaining altitude in the morning sky. It dims in the evening sky after greatest elongation east when it gets lower for observers.
• Mercury and Venus show an eastward pointing half phase in a telescope at greatest elongation west. Their half-illuminated disks are westward pointing at greatest elongation east.
• The Juno mission currently circling Jupiter is expected to end in February 2018 when the spacecraft is commanded to burn up in the Jovian atmosphere on its 37th orbit.
• Saturn is at aphelion in 2018 when at the most distant point of its 29.4 year orbit about the Sun. The maximum tilt (26.6°) of the northern aspect of the rings for 2018 is on Sept 20th.
 Hours of darkness 2018 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
The table here shows the number of hours of 1 00h 30m 01h 52m 05h 26m 07h 45m
darkness for each day of 2018 for an observer at
Dublin, Ireland. The criteria used are that the 2 00h 47m 00h 18m 01h 04m 02h 52m 06h 49m 09h 03m
Sun is at least 18° below the horizon (end of 3 02h 03m 00h 03m 01h 25m 00h 41m 01h 47m 04h 03m 08h 11m 10h 19m
astronomical twilight) and the Moon is absent
from the sky. That is not to say observing is not 4 01h 17m 03h 18m 01h 17m 02h 30m 01h 28m 00h 06m 02h 41m 05h 23m 09h 31m 11h 34m
possible on other nights or for longer periods, 5 02h 35m 04h 29m 02h 28m 03h 28m 02h 08m 00h 40m 03h 47m 06h 46m 10h 49m 11h 58m
just that these times are considered true dark.
6 03h 52m 05h 37m 03h 37m 04h 21m 02h 34m 01h 20m 05h 04m 08h 11m 10h 51m 12h 00m

Space-bird watching 7 05h 05m 06h 43m 04h 42m 05h 07m 02h 22m 02h 10m 06h 29m 08h 59m 10h 55m 12h 01m

The lingering twilight from our latitude during 8 06h 16m 07h 45m 05h 43m 05h 45m 02h 10m 03h 03m 06h 37m 09h 03m 10h 58m 12h 02m
the summer months may mean observing activ- 9 07h 24m 08h 44m 06h 39m 05h 59m 01h 57m 03h 13m 06h 43m 09h 08m 11h 01m 12h 02m
ity wanes a little but there are bonuses. You
might notice a surfeit of artificial satellites 10 08h 31m 09h 37m 07h 30m 05h 53m 01h 43m 03h 22m 06h 48m 09h 12m 10h 58m 11h 16m
slowly threading their way across the sky each 11 09h 34m 10h 26m 08h 13m 05h 48m 01h 26m 03h 30m 06h 54m 09h 17m 10h 15m 10h 16m
night at that time of year. There's a good rea-
son for this. The Sun never dips far below the 12 10h 36m 10h 23m 08h 27m 05h 41m 01h 05m 03h 39m 07h 00m 09h 13m 09h 25m 09h 13m
horizon during the summer period so the Earth’s 13 11h 34m 10h 19m 08h 23m 05h 35m 00h 36m 03h 47m 07h 05m 08h 42m 08h 29m 08h 08m
shadow cast in space is low in the sky. During
the winter, when the shadow is higher, most 14 11h 45m 10h 15m 08h 18m 05h 29m 03h 55m 06h 44m 08h 04m 07h 29m 07h 02m
satellites tend to be eclipsed by the Earth's um- 15 11h 42m 10h 12m 08h 14m 05h 22m 04h 03m 06h 16m 07h 19m 06h 25m 05h 55m
bra for an observer on the ground, leading to
fewer of these space-birds being seen. Predic- 16 11h 40m 10h 08m 08h 09m 05h 16m 04h 10m 05h 43m 06h 27m 05h 20m 04h 45m
tions for your location can be generated online 17 11h 38m 10h 04m 08h 04m 05h 09m 03h 53m 05h 03m 05h 29m 04h 12m 03h 34m
at www.heavens-above.com
18 11h 36m 08h 56m 07h 58m 04h 22m 03h 29m 04h 16m 04h 28m 03h 04m 02h 19m

Noctilucent clouds 19 10h 58m 07h 42m 07h 32m 03h 05m 03h 02m 03h 22m 03h 23m 01h 53m 01h 03m

The night-long twilight during the summer also 20 09h 50m 06h 26m 06h 13m 01h 54m 02h 28m 02h 23m 02h 17m 00h 40m
lends itself to occasional displays of noctilucent 21 08h 39m 05h 09m 04h 54m 00h 53m 01h 46m 01h 22m 01h 09m
cloud (NLC). These are clouds that form in the
cold air at altitudes of about 80km and are the 22 07h 28m 03h 52m 03h 36m 00h 04m 00h 58m 00h 17m
highest occurring clouds seen. NLCs are visible 23 06h 14m 02h 36m 02h 23m 00h 03m
long after sunset when their great height allows
them to remain lit by the Sun. Troposphere 24 04h 59m 01h 25m 01h 18m 00h 06m
clouds lower down can often be seen in silhou- 25 03h 42m 00h 20m 00h 22m 00h 10m 01h 25m
ette against them. NLCs are usually bluish or
silvery in hue and can appear as a fine tenuous 26 02h 23m 01h 13m 02h 48m
veil or exhibit a herringbone-like structure. 27 01h 07m 00h 03m 02h 27m 04h 10m
Some extremely bright displays were noted in
28 00h 48m 03h 46m 05h 29m
early-July 2017. An excellent introduction to
observing NLCs by Martin McKenna can be found 29 00h 25m 01h 44m 05h 06m 06h 45m
at www.nightskyhunter.com/Noctilucent
30 01h 03m 02h 51m 06h 27m 08h 00m
%20Clouds.html
31 00h 01m 04h 07m 09h 14m