THE HANDBOOK OF THE BRITISH ASTRONOMICAL ASSOCIATION 2019 2018 October ISSN 0068–130–X CONTENTS PREFACE . 2 HIGHLIGHTS FOR 2019 . 3 SKY DIARY . .. 4-5 CALENDAR 2019 . 6 SUN . 7-9 ECLIPSES . 10-17 APPEARANCE OF PLANETS . 18 VISIBILITY OF PLANETS . 19 RISING AND SETTING OF THE PLANETS IN LATITUDES 52°N AND 35°S . 20-21 PLANETS – Explanation of Tables . 22 ELEMENTS OF PLANETARY ORBITS . 23 MERCURY . 24-25 VENUS . 26 EARTH . 27 MOON . 27 LUNAR LIBRATION . 28 MOONRISE AND MOONSET . 30-33 SUN’S SELENOGRAPHIC COLONGITUDE . 34 LUNAR OCCULTATIONS . 35-41 GRAZING LUNAR OCCULTATIONS . 42-43 MARS . 44-45 ASTEROIDS . 46 ASTEROID EPHEMERIDES . 47-51 ASTEROID OCCULTATIONS (incl. TNO Hightlight:28978 Ixion) . 52-55 ASTEROIDS: FAVOURABLE OBSERVING OPPORTUNITIES . 56-58 NEO CLOSE APPROACHES TO EARTH . 59 JUPITER . .. 60-64 SATELLITES OF JUPITER . .. 64-68 JUPITER ECLIPSES, OCCULTATIONS AND TRANSITS . 69-78 SATURN . 79-82 SATELLITES OF SATURN . 83-86 URANUS . 87 NEPTUNE . 88 TRANS–NEPTUNIAN & SCATTERED-DISK OBJECTS . 89 DWARF PLANETS . 90-93 COMETS . 94-98 METEOR DIARY . 99-101 VARIABLE STARS (RZ Cassiopeiae; Algol; RS Canum Venaticorum) . 102-103 MIRA STARS . 104 VARIABLE STAR OF THE YEAR (RS Canum Venaticorum) . .. 105-107 EPHEMERIDES OF VISUAL BINARY STARS . 108-109 BRIGHT STARS . 110 ACTIVE GALAXIES . 111 TIME . 112-113 ASTRONOMICAL AND PHYSICAL CONSTANTS . 114-115 GREEK ALPHABET . 115 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS / ERRATA . 116 Front Cover: Mercury - taken between 2018 June 25 and July 12 by Simon Kidd using a C14 scope, ASI224MC camera and 742nm filter. Different processing is combined for limb and main image content, owing to extremely low contrast. British Astronomical Association HANDBOOK FOR 2019 NINETY–EIGHTH YEAR OF PUBLICATION BURLINGTON HOUSE, PICCADILLY, LONDON, W1J 0DU Telephone 020 7734 4145 PREFACE Welcome to the 98th Handbook of the British Astronomical Association. The Handbook highlights forthcoming astronomical events for the year, but there are always events that can be missed, or are entirely unpredictable, like comets, asteroid close approaches, aurorae, etc. Make sure you watch the BAA’s website for the latest news. Also, make sure you are receiving the new email newsletters by keeping your email up to date with the BAA office. Once again we would also encourage everyone to join their local astronomical society to try equipment, talk to like-minded people, and to give and receive help. It can take a long time to choose the right equipment and learn how to use it, so make the most of your local society. The BAA’s Sections can help too. Contact the Section Directors, who will be pleased to help. You may also like to consider getting involved with the annual events organised as part of World Space Week (4-10 Oct.). This is an international celebration of all things SPACE and focuses on science and technology and its role in the past, present and future of mankind. World Space Week currently consists of space education and outreach events held by space agencies, aerospace companies, schools, planetaria, museums, and astronomy clubs around the world. (http://www.worldspaceweek.org/). Unfortunately we are restricted by the number of pages that we can include in the Handbook. This does mean that some things will have to be left out. This edition we have had to remove the Internet Resources pages to make room for more eclipse/transit pages. However, the Computing Section does publish all additional data on the section website (http://britastro.org/computing). This includes both Comet charts and Asteroid Oppositions and Appulses. Members may also like to know that the Computing Section provides the data for the Royal Astronomical Society’s Diary. Finally, we must thank all the contributors to the Handbook. You will find them acknowledged on page 116. Contact details for many of these can be found at the back of every Journal. Alternatively, email the Director, Steve Harvey (address below) and messages can be forwarded to those concerned. Clear skies for 2019 ! Steve Harvey Director, Computing Section Email: [email protected] August 2018 2 Preface BAA Handbook 2019 HIGHLIGHTS FOR 2019 The following events during 2019 are worthy of note: Sun and Moon: There will be five eclipses (three of the Sun and two of the Moon). The first being a partial solar eclipse followed by a total (visible form South America) and an Annular at the end of the year (vis- ible from Southern India and Indonesia). The first lunar eclipse is full and visible (early morning) from the UK Jan.21. There will also be a partial lunar eclipse July 16. There will be a transit of Mercury visible from the UK. Nov. 11. The next one will not be until 2032. Planets, Dwarf Planets and Asteroids: Mercury is best seen around the time of greatest elongation. For the mornings, this will be April 11, August 9 and November 28. Whilst for evening apparitions it will be February 27, June 23 and October 20. Venus is a morning object for the first half of the year before moving into visibility at dusk for the latter part of the year. It is at Greatest Western Elongation of 47 degrees from the Sun on January 6. Mars is visible as an all night object until the middle of the year. Meteors: Among the meteor showers, the most favourable are: the Quadrantids (January), Bootids (June) and Alpha Capricornids (July) . Southern Delta Aquarids (July) and the Ursids (December). Also favourable are: Alpha Aurigids, Camelopardalids and Alpha Monocerotids Comets: There are no particularly bright comets predicted for 2019. However it is generally worth paying attention to (due to its tendency to outburst) is Comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann. Refer to the BAA Comet Section for latest info : http://britastro.org/comet Space Probes and Artificial Satellites: Pluto visitor New Horizons will fly past 2014 MU69 on Jan 1. United LaunchAlliance (ULA) aim to launch the Solar Orbiter Probe in February, using the new Atlas V rocket. SpaceX plan to land an autonomous vehicle on the Moon, ULA also plan to launch a two-man crew to the International Space Station (ISS) using the CST-100 Starliner. Positional predictions for the ISS and other bright satellites can be found for any geographic loca- tion at: location at: http://www.heavens-above.com Highlights by date: Jan. 6 Partial solar eclipse visible from north east Asia Jan. 21 Total lunar eclipse visible from central Pacific, Americas, Europe and Africa Mar. 20 The vernal equinox occurs in the northern hemisphere at 21:58 UT Apr. 22 Lyrid meteor shower Jun. 10 Jupiter at opposition Jul. 10 Saturn at opposition Jun. 21 The summer solstice occurs in the northern hemisphere at 15:54 UT Jul. 2 Total solar eclipse visible over Chile and Argentina 14 Pluto at opposition 16 Partial lunar eclipse visible South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia Aug. 13 Perseid meteor shower Sep. 10 Neptune at opposition 23 The autumnal equinox occurs in the northern hemisphere at 07:50 UT Oct..