THE HANDBOOK OF THE BRITISH ASTRONOMICAL ASSOCIATION 2016 2015 October ISSN 0068–130–X CONTENTS CALENDAR 2016 . 2 PREFACE . 3 HIGHLIGHTS FOR 2016 . 4 SKY DIARY . .. 5 VISIBILITY OF PLANETS . 6 RISING AND SETTING OF THE PLANETS IN LATITUDES 52°N AND 35°S . 7-8 ECLIPSES . 9-15 TIME . 16-17 EARTH . 18 SUN . 19-21 LUNAR LIBRATION . 22 MOON . 23 MOONRISE AND MOONSET . 24-27 SUN’S SELENOGRAPHIC COLONGITUDE . 28 LUNAR OCCULTATIONS . 29-35 GRAZING LUNAR OCCULTATIONS . 36-37 APPEARANCE OF PLANETS . 38 MERCURY . 39-40 VENUS . 41 MARS . 42-43 ASTEROIDS . 44-49 ASTEROID OCCULTATIONS .. 50-53 ASTEROIDS: FAVOURABLE OBSERVING OPPORTUNITIES . 54-56 NEO CLOSE APPROACHES TO EARTH . 57 JUPITER . .. 58-62 SATELLITES OF JUPITER . 62-66 JUPITER ECLIPSES, OCCULTATIONS AND TRANSITS . 67-76 SATURN . 77-80 SATELLITES OF SATURN . 81-84 URANUS . 85 NEPTUNE . 86 TRANS–NEPTUNIAN & SCATTERED DISK OBJECTS . 87 DWARF PLANETS . 88-91 COMETS . 92-96 METEOR DIARY . 97-99 VARIABLE STARS (RZ Cassiopeiae; Algol; λ Tauri) . 100-101 MIRA STARS . 102 VARIABLE STAR OF THE YEAR (Z Andromedæ) . .. 103-105 EPHEMERIDES OF VISUAL BINARY STARS . 106-107 BRIGHT STARS . 108 ACTIVE GALAXIES . 109 PLANETS – EXPLANATION OF TABLES . 110 ELEMENTS OF PLANETARY ORBITS . 111 ASTRONOMICAL AND PHYSICAL CONSTANTS . 112-113 INTERNET RESOURCES . 114-115 GREEK ALPHABET . 115 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS / ERRATA . 116 Front Cover: The previous Transit of Mercury - as taken through a Hydrogen Alpha telescope on 08 November 2006 at 08:19-22UT (D.C.Parker) British Astronomical Association HANDBOOK FOR 2016 NINETY–FIFTH YEAR OF PUBLICATION BURLINGTON HOUSE, PICCADILLY, LONDON, W1J 0DU Telephone 020 7734 4145 2 CALENDAR 2016 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 1 275 Sun 1 122 2 276 Mon 1 32 2 123 1 214 3 277 Tue 2 33 1 61 3 124 2 215 4 278 Wed 3 34 2 62 4 125 1 153 3 216 5 279 Thu 4 35 3 63 5 126 2 154 4 217 1 245 6 280 1 306 1 336 Fri 1 1 5 36 4 64 1 92 6 127 3 155 1 183 5 218 2 246 7 281 2 307 2 337 Sat 2 2 6 37 5 65 2 93 7 128 4 156 2 184 6 219 3 247 8 282 3 308 3 338 Sun 3 3 7 38 6 66 3 94 8 129 5 157 3 185 7 220 4 248 9 283 4 309 4 339 Mon 4 4 8 39 7 67 4 95 9 130 6 158 4 186 8 221 5 249 10 284 5 310 5 340 Tue 5 5 9 40 8 68 5 96 10 131 7 159 5 187 9 222 6 250 11 285 6 311 6 341 Wed 6 6 10 41 9 69 6 97 11 132 8 160 6 188 10 223 7 251 12 286 7 312 7 342 Thu 7 7 11 42 10 70 7 98 12 133 9 161 7 189 11 224 8 252 13 287 8 313 8 343 Fri 8 8 12 43 11 71 8 99 13 134 10 162 8 190 12 225 9 253 14 288 9 314 9 344 Sat 9 9 13 44 12 72 9 100 14 135 11 163 9 191 13 226 10 254 15 289 10 315 10 345 Sun 10 10 14 45 13 73 10 101 15 136 12 164 10 192 14 227 11 255 16 290 11 316 11 346 Mon 11 13 15 46 14 74 11 102 16 137 13 165 11 193 15 228 12 256 17 291 12 317 12 347 Tue 12 14 16 47 15 75 12 103 17 138 14 166 12 194 16 229 13 257 18 292 13 318 13 348 Wed 13 15 17 48 16 76 13 104 18 139 15 167 13 195 17 230 14 258 19 293 14 319 14 349 Thu 14 16 18 49 17 77 14 105 19 140 16 168 14 196 18 231 15 259 20 294 15 320 15 350 Fri 15 17 19 50 18 78 15 106 20 141 17 169 15 197 19 232 16 260 21 295 16 321 16 351 Sat 16 18 20 51 19 79 16 107 21 142 18 170 16 198 20 233 17 261 22 296 17 322 17 352 Sun 17 19 21 52 20 80 17 108 22 143 19 171 17 199 21 234 18 262 23 297 18 323 18 353 Mon 18 18 22 53 21 81 18 109 23 144 20 172 18 200 22 235 19 263 24 298 19 324 19 354 Tue 19 19 23 54 22 82 19 110 24 145 21 173 19 201 23 236 20 264 25 299 20 325 20 355 Wed 20 20 24 55 23 83 20 111 25 146 22 174 20 202 24 237 21 265 26 300 21 326 21 356 Thu 21 21 25 56 24 84 21 112 26 147 23 175 21 203 25 238 22 266 27 301 22 327 22 357 Fri 22 22 26 57 25 85 22 113 27 148 24 176 22 204 26 239 23 267 28 302 23 328 23 358 BAA Handbook 2016 BAA Sat 23 23 27 58 26 86 23 114 28 149 25 177 23 205 27 240 24 268 29 303 24 329 24 359 Sun 24 24 28 59 27 87 24 115 29 150 26 178 24 206 28 241 25 269 30 304 25 330 25 360 Mon 25 25 29 60 28 88 25 116 30 151 27 179 25 207 29 242 26 270 31 305 26 331 26 361 Tue 26 26 29 89 26 117 31 152 28 180 26 208 30 243 27 271 27 332 27 362 Wed 27 27.