THE HANDBOOK OF THE BRITISH ASTRONOMICAL ASSOCIATION 2014 2013 October ISSN 0068-130-X CONTENTS CALENDAR 2014 . 2 PREFACE . 3 HIGHLIGHTS FOR 2014 . 4 SKY DIARY . .. 5 VISIBILITY OF PLANETS . 6 RISING AND SETTING OF THE PLANETS IN LATITUDES 52°N AND 35°S . 7-8 ECLIPSES . 9-13 TIME . 14-15 EARTH AND SUN . 16-18 MOON . 19 SUN’S SELENOGRAPHIC COLONGITUDE . 20 MOONRISE AND MOONSET . 21-25 LUNAR OCCULTATIONS . 26-32 GRAZING LUNAR OCCULTATIONS . 33-34 APPEARANCE OF PLANETS . 35 MERCURY . 36-37 VENUS . 38 MARS . 39-40 ASTEROIDS . 41-53 JUPITER . 54-57 SATELLITES OF JUPITER . 58-62 JUPITER ECLIPSES, OCCULTATIONS AND TRANSITS . 63-72 SATURN . 73-76 SATELLITES OF SATURN . 77-80 URANUS . 81 NEPTUNE . 82 TRANS-NEPTUNIAN & SCATTERED DISK OBJECTS . 83 DWARF PLANETS . 84-87 COMETS . 88-94 METEOR DIARY . 95-97 VARIABLE STARS . 98-103 RZ Cassiopeiae; Algol; λ Tauri; Mira Stars; X Ophiuchi EPHEMERIDES OF DOUBLE STARS . 104-105 BRIGHT STARS . 106 ACTIVE GALAXIES . 107 PLANETS – EXPLANATION OF TABLES . 108 ELEMENTS OF PLANETARY ORBITS . 109 ASTRONOMICAL AND PHYSICAL CONSTANTS . 110-111 INTERNET RESOURCES . 112-113 GREEK ALPHABET . 113 CERES - VESTA APPULSE . 114 ERRATA . 114 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . 115 Front Cover: C/2011 L4 PanSTARRS approaching the Andromeda Galaxy (M31) on 1st April 2013. It is seen here as it faded from its perihelion naked-eye apparition (Magnitude +2) in March 2013 but its dust trail is nonetheless dramatic and equals the angular size of M31. Its visible coma was estimated at a diameter of 120,000 km. 2011 L4 is a non- periodic comet discovered in June 2011 and may have taken millions of years to reach perihelion from the Oort Cloud. Like many comets, it required several adjustments to predictions of its brightness as it approached Earth and illustrates the importance and interest of regular comet observation, whether of newly discovered comets or regular returners. The DSLR image was taken by Nick James of the BAA's Comet Section. British Astronomical Association HANDBOOK FOR 2014 NINETY-THIRD YEAR OF PUBLICATION BURLINGTON HOUSE, PICCADILLY, LONDON, W1J 0DU Telephone 020 7734 4145 2 CALENDAR 2014 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 32 1 60 1 305 Sun 2 33 2 61 1 152 Mon 3 34 3 62 2 153 1 244 3 307 Tue 4 35 4 63 1 91 3 154 1 182 2 245 4 308 1 335 Wed 1 11 5 36 5 64 2 92 4 155 2 183 3 246 1 274 5 309 2 336 Thu 2 2 6 37 6 65 3 93 1 121 5 156 3 184 4 247 2 275 6 310 3 337 Fri 3 3 7 38 7 66 4 94 2 122 6 157 4 185 1 213 5 248 3 276 7 311 4 338 Sat 4 4 8 39 8 67 5 95 3 123 7 158 5 186 2 214 6 249 4 277 8 312 5 339 6 340 Sun 5 5 9 40 9 68 6 96 4 124 8 159 6 187 3 215 7 250 5 278 9 313 Mon 6 6 10 41 10 69 7 97 5 125 9 160 7 188 4 216 8 251 6 279 10 314 7 341 Tue 7 7 11 42 11 70 8 98 6 126 10 161 8 189 5 217 9 252 7 280 11 315 8 342 Wed 8 8 12 43 12 71 9 99 7 127 11 162 9 190 6 218 10 253 8 281 12 316 9 343 Thu 9 9 13 44 13 72 10 100 8 128 12 163 10 191 7 219 11 254 9 282 13 317 10 344 Fri 10 10 14 45 14 73 11 101 9 129 13 164 11 192 8 220 12 255 10 283 14 318 11 345 Sat 11 11 15 46 15 74 12 102 10 130 14 165 12 193 9 221 13 256 11 284 15 319 12 346 13 347 Sun 12 12 16 47 16 75 13 103 11 131 15 166 13 194 10 222 14 257 12 285 16 320 Mon 13 13 17 48 17 76 14 104 12 132 16 167 14 195 11 223 15 258 13 286 17 321 14 348 Tue 14 14 18 49 18 77 15 105 13 133 17 168 15 196 12 224 16 259 14 287 18 322 15 349 Wed 15 15 19 50 19 78 16 106 14 134 18 169 16 197 13 225 17 260 15 288 19 323 16 350 Thu 16 16 20 51 20 79 17 107 15 135 19 170 17 198 14 226 18 261 16 289 20 324 17 351 Fri 17 17 21 52 21 80 18 108 16 136 20 171 18 199 15 227 19 262 17 290 21 325 18 352 Sat 18 18 22 53 22 81 19 109 17 137 21 172 19 200 16 228 20 263 18 291 22 326 19 353 20 354 Sun 19 19 23 54 23 82 20 110 18 138 22 173 20 201 17 229 21 264 19 292 23 327 Mon 20 20 24 55 24 83 21 111 19 139 23 174 21 202 18 230 22 265 20 293 24 328 21 355 Tue 21 21 25 56 25 84 22 112 20 140 24 175 22 203 19 231 23 266 21 294 25 329 22 356 Wed 22 22 26 57 26 85 23 113 21 141 25 176 23 204 20 232 24 267 22 295 26 330 23 357 Thu 23 23 27 58 27 86 24 114 22 142 26 177 24 205 21 233 25 268 23 296 27 331 24 358 Fri 24 24 28 59 28 87 25 115 23 143 27 178 25 206 22 234 26 269 24 297 28 332 25 359 BAA Handbook 2014 BAA Sat 25 25 29 88 26 116 24 144 28 179 26 207 23 235 27 270 25 298 29 333 26 360 27 361 Sun 26 26 30 89 27 117 25 145 29 180 27 208 24 236 28 271 26 299 30 334 Mon 27 27 31 90 28 118 26 146 30 181 28 209 25 237 29 272 27 300 28 362 Tue 28 28 29 119 27 147 29 210 26 238 30 273 28 301 29 363 Wed 29 29 30 120 28 148 30 211 27 239 29 302 30 364 Thu 30 30 29 149 31 212 28 240 30 303 31 365 Fri 31 31 30 150 29 241 31 304 Sat 31 151 30 242 Sun 31 243 1. 1st January 2014 is Julian day number 2456658.5. See also p.15 PREFACE In June 2013 the Computing Section had its very first stand at the BAA's Exhibition which took place in Manchester. Graham Relf, the section’s webmaster showed many of the programs.