THE HANDBOOK OF THE BRITISH ASTRONOMICAL ASSOCIATION 2008 2007 OCTOBER ISSN 0068-130-X CONTENTS CALENDAR 2008 ............................................................. 2 PREFACE. ................................................................ 3 SKY DIARY FOR 2008 ..................................................... .... 4 VISIBILITYOFPLANETS...................................................... 5 RISING AND SETTING OF THE PLANETS IN LATITUDES 52°N AND 35°S . 6–7 ECLIPSES. ......... ......................................................... 8–12 TIME.................................................................. ..... 13–14 RADIOTIMESIGNALS........................................................ 15 EARTHANDSUN............................................. ................ 16–18 MOON...................................................................... 19 SUN’SSELENOGRAPHIC COLONGITUDE . ................... 20 MOONRISE AND MOONSET ................................................... 21–23 LUNAROCCULTATIONS................................. ..................... 24–32 GRAZINGLUNAROCCULTATIONS............................................. 33–34 PLANETS –EXPLANATIONOFTABLES........................... .............. 35 APPEARANCEOFPLANETS................................................... 36 MERCURY............................................. ...................... 37–38 VENUS. ..................................................................... 39 MARS........................... ............................................ 40–41 MINORPLANETS............................................................. 42–56 Website; Orbital elements and ephemerides; Astrometry; Occultations of stars by minor planets; Photometry; NEO close approaches to Earth JUPITER.................................................................. ... 57–60 SATELLITESOFJUPITER...................................................... 61-73 Configurations; Eclipses, occultations and transits SATURN......................... ............................................ 74–77 SATELLITES OF SATURN ...................................................... 78–84 URANUS........... ......................................................... 85 NEPTUNE.................................................................. 86 PLUTO...................................................................... 87–88 COMETS............................................... ..................... 89–96 Orbital elements and magnitude parameters; Ephemerides for: 6P/d’Arrest, 8P/Tuttle, 19P/Borelly, 26P/Schwassmann-Wachmann, 46P/Wirtanen, 85P/Boethin,144P/Kushida, 2006OF2 (Broughton, 2006Q1 (McNaught. METEOR DIARY.............................................................. 97–99 VARIABLESTARS.................................................... ........ 100–105 Algol; X Tauri; RZ Cassiopeiae; Mira Stars; U Orionis EPHEMERIDESOFDOUBLESTARS............................................ 106–107 BRIGHT STARS.................... .......................................... 108 GALAXIES................................................................... 109–110 SUN, MOON AND PLANETS:Physicaldata....................................... 111 SATELLITES(NATURAL):Physicalandorbitaldata................................. 112–113 ELEMENTS OF PLANETARY ORBITS ........................................... 114 PROGRAMANDDATALIBRARY............................................... 115 INTERNETRESOURCES. ... ... .. .. ............................................ 116–117 CONVERSIONFORMULAEANDERRATA....................................... 117 ASTRONOMICAL AND PHYSICAL CONSTANTS . ........................... 118–119 MISCELLANEOUSDATAANDTELESCOPEDATA................................ 119 Front Cover: British Astronomical Association HANDBOOK FOR 2008 EIGHTY-SEVENTH YEAR OF PUBLICATION BURLINGTON HOUSE, PICCADILLY, LONDON, W1J 0DU Telephone 020 7734 4145 2 CALENDAR 2008 January February March April May June July August 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 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 of Month Week Year Week Year Week Year Week Year Week Year Week Year Week Year Week Year Week Year Week Year Week Year Week Year 1 Tue. 1 Fri. 32 Sat. 61 Tue. 92 Thu. 122 Sun. 153 Tue. 183 Fri. 214 Mon. 245 Wed. 275 Sat. 306 Mon. 336 2 Wed. 2 Sat. 33 Sun. 62 Wed. 93 Fri. 123 Mon. 154 Wed. 184 Sat. 215 Tue. 246 Thu. 276 Sun. 307 Tue. 337 3 Thu. 3 Sun. 34 Mon. 63 Thu. 94 Sat. 124 Tue. 155 Thu. 185 Sun. 216 Wed. 247 Fri. 277 Mon. 308 Wed. 338 4 Fri. 4 Mon. 35 Tue. 64 Fri. 95 Sun. 125 Wed. 156 Fri. 186 Mon. 217 Thu. 248 Sat. 278 Tue. 309 Thu. 339 5 Sat. 5 Tue. 36 Wed. 65 Sat. 96 Mon. 126 Thu. 157 Sat. 187 Tue. 218 Fri. 249 Sun. 279 Wed. 310 Fri. 340 6 Sun. 6 Wed. 37 Thu. 66 Sun. 97 Tue. 127 Fri. 158 Sun. 188 Wed. 219 Sat. 250 Mon. 280 Thu. 311 Sat. 341 7 Mon. 7 Thu. 38 Fri. 67 Mon. 98 Wed. 128 Sat. 159 Mon. 189 Thu. 220 Sun. 251 Tue. 281 Fri. 312 Sun. 342 8 Tue. 8 Fri. 39 Sat. 68 Tue. 99 Thu. 129 Sun. 160 Tue. 190 Fri. 221 Mon. 252 Wed. 282 Sat. 313 Mon. 343 9 Wed. 9 Sat. 40 Sun. 69 Wed. 100 Fri. 130 Mon. 161 Wed. 191 Sat. 222 Tue. 253 Thu. 283 Sun. 314 Tue. 344 10 Thu. 10 Sun. 41 Mon. 70 Thu. 101 Sat. 131 Tue. 162 Thu. 192 Sun. 223 Wed. 254 Fri. 284 Mon. 315 Wed. 345 Calendar 11 Fri. 11 Mon. 42 Tue. 71 Fri. 102 Sun. 132 Wed. 163 Fri. 193 Mon. 224 Thu. 255 Sat. 285 Tue. 316 Thu. 346 12 Sat. 12 Tue. 43 Wed. 72 Sat. 103 Mon. 133 Thu. 164 Sat. 194 Tue. 225 Fri. 256 Sun. 286 Wed. 317 Fri. 347 13 Sun. 13 Wed. 44 Thu. 73 Sun. 104 Tue. 134 Fri. 165 Sun. 195 Wed. 226 Sat. 257 Mon. 287 Thu. 318 Sat. 348 14 Mon. 14 Thu. 45 Fri. 74 Mon. 105 Wed. 135 Sat. 166 Mon. 196 Thu. 227 Sun. 258 Tue. 288 Fri. 319 Sun. 349 15 Tue. 15 Fri. 46 Sat. 75 Tue. 106 Thu. 136 Sun. 167 Tue. 197 Fri. 228 Mon. 259 Wed. 289 Sat. 320 Mon. 350 16 Wed. 16 Sat. 47 Sun. 76 Wed. 107 Fri. 137 Mon. 168 Wed. 198 Sat. 229 Tue. 260 Thu. 290 Sun. 321 Tue. 351 17 Thu. 17 Sun. 48 Mon. 77 Thu. 108 Sat. 138 Tue. 169 Thu. 199 Sun. 230 Wed. 261 Fri. 291 Mon. 322 Wed. 352 18 Fri. 18 Mon. 49 Tue. 78 Fri. 109 Sun. 139 Wed. 170 Fri. 200 Mon. 231 Thu. 262 Sat. 292 Tue. 323 Thu. 353 19 Sat. 19 Tue. 50 Wed. 79 Sat. 110 Mon. 140 Thu. 171 Sat. 201 Tue. 232 Fri. 263 Sun. 293 Wed. 324 Fri. 354 20 Sun. 20 Wed. 51 Thu. 80 Sun. 111 Tue. 141 Fri. 172 Sun. 202 Wed. 233 Sat. 264 Mon. 294 Thu. 325 Sat. 355 21 Mon. 21 Thu. 52 Fri. 81 Mon. 112 Wed. 142 Sat. 173 Mon. 203 Thu. 234 Sun. 265 Tue. 295 Fri. 326 Sun. 356 22 Tue. 22 Fri. 53 Sat. 82 Tue. 113 Thu. 143 Sun. 174 Tue. 204 Fri. 235 Mon. 266 Wed. 296 Sat. 327 Mon. 357 23 Wed. 23 Sat. 54 Sun. 83 Wed. 114 Fri. 144 Mon. 175 Wed. 205 Sat. 236 Tue. 267 Thu. 297 Sun. 328 Tue. 358 24 Thu. 24 Sun. 55 Mon. 84 Thu. 115 Sat. 145 Tue. 176 Thu. 206 Sun. 237 Wed. 268 Fri. 298 Mon. 329 Wed. 359 BAA Handbook 2008 25 Fri. 25 Mon. 56 Tue. 85 Fri. 116 Sun. 146 Wed. 177 Fri. 207 Mon. 238 Thu. 269 Sat. 299 Tue. 330 Thu. 360 26 Sat. 26 Tue. 57 Wed. 86 Sat. 117 Mon. 147 Thu. 178 Sat. 208 Tue. 239 Fri. 270 Sun. 300 Wed. 331 Fri. 361 27 Sun. 27 Wed. 58 Thu. 87 Sun. 118 Tue. 148 Fri. 179 Sun. 209 Wed. 240 Sat. 271 Mon. 301 Thu. 332 Sat. 362 28 Mon. 28 Thu. 59 Fri. 88 Mon. 119 Wed. 149 Sat. 180 Mon. 210 Thu. 241 Sun. 272 Tue. 302 Fri. 333 Sun. 363 29 Tue. 29 Fri. 60 Sat. 89 Tue. 120 Thu. 150 Sun. 181 Tue. 211 Fri. 242 Mon. 273 Wed. 303 Sat. 334 Mon. 364 30 Wed. 30 Sun. 90 Wed. 121 Fri. 151 Mon. 182 Wed. 212 Sat. 243 Tue. 274 Thu. 304 Sun. 335 Tue. 365 31 Thu. 31 Mon. 91 Sat. 152 Thu. 213 Sun. 244 Fri. 305 Wed. 366 BAA Handbook 2008 Preface 3 PREFACE The general arrangement of the Handbook remains much the same as in 2007 except that we have used A5 format. The work of the Director has been greatly eased by the help of the Editor, Valerie White, who has seen all the material through the press. Andrew Sinclair provided all the tables and diagrams for Saturn’ssatellites, the two diagrams for the rising and setting of planets, and the diagram of the appearances of the planets. He also gave assistance with the grazing lunar occultations map. Mitsuo Kawata, International Lunar Occultation Centre, Japan, provided the predictions of lunar occultations. Barry Leggett prepared the table of the satellites of Jupiter from data supplied by William Thuillot of the Institut de Mécanique Céleste et de Calcul des Ephémérides, who also supplied the diagrams of Jupiter’ssatellites. Roger Dymock, Andrew Elliott and Richard Miles provided the data on minor planets and Jonathan Shanklin contributed the comet data. Solar and lunar eclipse maps and diagrams were provided by Fred Espenak, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center. Neil Bone contributed the Meteor Diary. Des Loughney prepared the information on eclipsing binaries. John Isles contributed the data on Mira stars and double stars. The information for U Orionis and the diagrams for Uranus, Neptune and NGC 1275 were provided by John Toone. Roger Dymock provided the Pluto diagrams and Max White the list of radio time signals. The elements of Pluto’sorbit were provided by the late Andrew Hollis. Programs to calculate data have been written as follows: lunar librations by Ken Hall, Mercury and Venus ephemerides by the late John Williams and modified by Tony Evans who also provided the Mars ephemeris and central meridian. The Director has written programs for the calendar page, the ephemerides of the Sun, Jupiter and Saturn, the central meridians of Systems I, II and III of Jupiter, and of Systems I, II and III of Saturn, the Moon’sphases,