The British Astronomical Association Handbook 2014
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
THE HANDBOOK OF THE BRITISH ASTRONOMICAL ASSOCIATION 2015 2014 October ISSN 0068–130–X CONTENTS CALENDAR 2015 . 2 PREFACE . 3 HIGHLIGHTS FOR 2015 . 4 SKY DIARY . .. 5 VISIBILITY OF PLANETS . 6 RISING AND SETTING OF THE PLANETS IN LATITUDES 52°N AND 35°S . 7-8 ECLIPSES . 9-14 TIME . 15-16 EARTH AND SUN . 17-19 LUNAR LIBRATION . 20 MOON . 21 MOONRISE AND MOONSET . 21-25 SUN’S SELENOGRAPHIC COLONGITUDE . 26 LUNAR OCCULTATIONS . 27-33 GRAZING LUNAR OCCULTATIONS . 34-35 APPEARANCE OF PLANETS . 36 MERCURY . 37-38 VENUS . 39 MARS . 40-41 ASTEROIDS . 42 ASTEROID EPHEMERIDES . 43-47 ASTEROID OCCULTATIONS .. 48-50 NEO CLOSE APPROACHES TO EARTH . 51 ASTEROIDS: FAVOURABLE OBSERVING OPPORTUNITIES . 52-54 JUPITER . 55-59 SATELLITES OF JUPITER . 59-63 JUPITER ECLIPSES, OCCULTATIONS AND TRANSITS . 64-73 SATURN . 74-77 SATELLITES OF SATURN . 78-81 URANUS . 82 NEPTUNE . 83 TRANS–NEPTUNIAN & SCATTERED DISK OBJECTS . 84 DWARF PLANETS . 85-88 COMETS . 89-96 METEOR DIARY . 97-99 VARIABLE STARS (RZ Cassiopeiae; Algol; λ Tauri) . 100-101 MIRA STARS . 102 VARIABLE STAR OF THE YEAR (V Bootis) . 103-105 EPHEMERIDES OF DOUBLE STARS . 106-107 BRIGHT STARS . 108 ACTIVE GALAXIES . 109 PLANETS – EXPLANATION OF TABLES . 110 ELEMENTS OF PLANETARY ORBITS . 111 ASTRONOMICAL AND PHYSICAL CONSTANTS . 111-112 INTERNET RESOURCES . 113-114 GREEK ALPHABET . 115 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . 116 ERRATA . 116 Front Cover: The Moon at perigee and apogee – highlighting the clear size difference when the Moon is closest and farthest away from the Earth. Perigee on 2009/11/08 at 23:24UT, distance 368,500km, apogee on 2009/10/09 at 17:28UT, distance 402,200km (Sheridan Williams) British Astronomical Association HANDBOOK FOR 2015 NINETY–FOURTH YEAR OF PUBLICATION BURLINGTON HOUSE, PICCADILLY, LONDON, W1J 0DU Telephone 020 7734 4145 2 CALENDAR 2015 January February March April May June July Aug September October November December day day day day day day day day day day day day day day day day day day day day day day day day of of of of of of of of of of of of of of of of of of of of of of of of month year month year month year month year month year month year month year month year month year month year month year month year Sat 1 213 Sun 1 32 1 60 2 214 1 305 Mon 2 33 2 61 1 152 3 215 2 306 Tue 3 34 3 62 2 153 4 216 1 244 3 307 1 335 Wed 4 35 4 63 1 91 3 154 1 182 5 217 2 245 4 308 2 336 Thu 1 1 5 36 5 64 2 92 4 155 2 183 6 218 3 246 1 274 5 309 3 337 Fri 2 2 6 37 6 65 3 93 1 121 5 156 3 184 7 219 4 247 2 275 6 310 4 338 Sat 3 3 7 38 7 66 4 94 2 122 6 157 4 185 8 220 5 248 3 276 7 311 5 339 Sun 4 4 8 39 8 67 5 95 3 123 7 158 5 186 9 221 6 249 4 277 8 312 6 340 Mon 5 5 9 40 9 68 6 96 4 124 8 159 6 187 10 222 7 250 5 278 9 313 7 341 Tue 6 6 10 41 10 69 7 97 5 125 9 160 7 188 11 223 8 251 6 279 10 314 8 342 Wed 7 7 11 42 11 70 8 98 6 126 10 161 8 189 12 224 9 252 7 280 11 315 9 343 Thu 8 8 12 43 12 71 9 99 7 127 11 162 9 190 13 225 10 253 8 281 12 316 10 344 Fri 9 9 13 44 13 72 10 100 8 128 12 163 10 191 14 226 11 254 9 282 13 317 11 345 Sat 10 10 14 45 14 73 11 101 9 129 13 164 11 192 15 227 12 255 10 283 14 318 12 346 Sun 11 13 15 46 15 74 12 102 10 130 14 165 12 193 16 228 13 256 11 284 15 319 13 347 Mon 12 14 16 47 16 75 13 103 11 131 15 166 13 194 17 229 14 257 12 285 16 320 14 348 Tue 13 15 17 48 17 76 14 104 12 132 16 167 14 195 18 230 15 258 13 286 17 321 15 349 Wed 14 16 18 49 18 77 15 105 13 133 17 168 15 196 19 231 16 259 14 287 18 322 16 350 Thu 15 17 19 50 19 78 16 106 14 134 18 169 16 197 20 232 17 260 15 288 19 323 17 351 Fri 16 18 20 51 20 79 17 107 15 135 19 170 17 198 21 233 18 261 16 289 20 324 18 352 Sat 17 19 21 52 21 80 18 108 16 136 20 171 18 199 22 234 19 262 17 290 21 325 19 353 Sun 18 18 22 53 22 81 19 109 17 137 21 172 19 200 23 235 20 263 18 291 22 326 20 354 Mon 19 19 23 54 23 82 20 110 18 138 22 173 20 201 24 236 21 264 19 292 23 327 21 355 Tue 20 20 24 55 24 83 21 111 19 139 23 174 21 202 25 237 22 265 20 293 24 328 22 356 Wed 21 21 25 56 25 84 22 112 20 140 24 175 22 203 26 238 23 266 21 294 25 329 23 357 Thu 22 22 26 57 26 85 23 113 21 141 25 176 23 204 27 239 24 267 22 295 26 330 24 358 Fri 23 23 27 58 27 86 24 114 22 142 26 177 24 205 28 240 25 268.