Assorted celestial events
The following lists and images have mostly been compiled in response to questions on sci.astro.amateur, or in response to questions from customers, or just because I decided it might be interesting to somebody.
Occultations of naked-eye planets for 1998 to 2000
A recent post in sci.astro.amateur asked whether planets are ever occulted by the Moon. Following are lists of such events for the five naked-eye planets.
These events were listed, and charts were made, by running Guide 6.0 , clicking on the Moon and the planet in question, and asking to see a chart of the next occultation. Then I saved this as a .BMP file (later converted to .GIF), and asked for the next one, and so on, until I got bored with the process. (As you'll see, boredom took less time for some events than others.)
I posted the charts at the time, and have removed them to save space.
For Northeastern US observers , the 26 March 1998 occultation of Jupiter should be of particular interest.
Also note: the areas described are where the event occurs in darkness. You can see these events in the daytime, with the aid of binoculars or a telescope.
These events tend to run in "series", when the planet and Moon happen to wander into one another's path; you get an occultation at each lunar month (usually), until they eventually wander apart again. There are exceptions; for example, the current set of Venus occultations ends on 23 April, then we get an isolated event in September, then a resumption of occultations in March 2000. In particular, rapidly moving or highly-inclined objects (such as Mercury) don't have much in the way of patterns.
Observers in the continental US have some right to feel a bit deprived. After the 26 March occultation of Jupiter (visible only from a small corner of the Northeastern US, at low altitude in bright twilight), our next event is on 1 Aug 2000 (Venus).
Occultations of Mercury, Apr 1998 - Jul 2000:
24 Apr 98: Antarctica/S Pacific
20 Sep 98: S Italy/N Africa
17 Feb 99: SE of Hawaii
14 Apr 99: Antarctica
10 Aug 99: Greenland
29 Jul 00: N Siberia, Aleutian Islands
Occultations of Venus, March 1998 - Aug 2000:
24 Mar 98: Eastern Pacific
23 Apr 98: South Atlantic
19 Sep 98: Hawaii (marginal; Venus close to sun)
4 Mar 00: Antarctica
1 Aug 00: Western US, Canada
Occultations of Mars, February 1998 - Aug 2000:
27 Feb 98: Chile/Argentina
16 Oct 98: S Indian Ocean
13 Nov 98: N Pacific/Siberia/N Japan
12 Dec 99: W Europe/NW Africa
30 Jul 00: S America
28 Aug 00: Scandinavia, Greenland
Occultations of Jupiter, March 1998 - May 2001:
26 Mar 98: Eastern US & Canada, Cuba
23 Apr 98: South Atlantic
20 May 98: Indian Ocean
17 Jun 98: far Southern Pacific, Antarctica
14 Jul 98: Antarctica
11 Aug 98: Antarctica, S Atlantic, S Indian Ocean
7 Sep 98: S Atlantic, S America, SE Pacific
4 Oct 98: Pacific/New Zealand/E Australia
31 Oct 98: SE Asia, Madagascar
28 Nov 98: S America
25 Dec 98: Pacific S of New Zealand
24 May 01: Antarctica
Occultations of Saturn, Mar 1998 - Jun 2001:
1 Mar 98: Australia
29 Mar 98: S Pacific
23 May 01: S Indian Ocean
19 Jun 01: S Pacific
Mutual planetary events, -1000 to +6000
A recent query in sci.astro.amateur asked about the frequency of mutual planetary events (transits and occultations). I dusted off some software I wrote to search for conjunctions and modified it slightly to compile a table of these events.
The data below gives the date and time for the center of each event, in the Gregorian calendar (even for dates before 1582) and in TD = Dynamical Time (a.k.a "Ephemeris Time"). If your astronomy software requires the entry of Universal Time, then you may have to subtract a few minutes (for times close to the present) to a few hours (for more distant eras). Each line begins with the numbers of the two planets involved, and the minimum separation of their centers (in degrees).
Also, the events for the distant past and future are slightly more doubtful than those in more recent times; a discussion of the VSOP theory, used to compute these data, is available for those wanting details.
An event is listed if, at some point on the earth, the disk of one planet overlaps another. In some cases, all you get is a slight overlap visible from polar regions.
You'll immediately notice that, though these events occur at an average rate of about one every 35 years, that we are in the midst of a long dearth of such events. The last was in 1818; the next will be in 2065. This is a natural extension of Murphy's Law to celestial events.
Click here for some more details on a few of these events. Click here for an image of the Mars-Jupiter event of 1170, as simulated by Guide.
1 = Mercury, 2 = Venus, 4 = Mars, 5 = Jupiter,
6 = Saturn, 7 = Uranus, 8 = Neptune
sep date time
(degrees) (Gregorian) (TD)
6 1 0.004 12 Oct -992 10:13
5 2 0.006 18 Feb -978 11:44
5 1 0.007 17 Jan -967 11:02
4 1 0.002 2 Dec -928 21:12
2 1 0.002 13 Sep -910 0:37
5 2 0.001 25 Aug -891 20:04
8 1 0.003 22 Aug -864 3:34
5 2 0.001 6 Dec -816 0:46
8 2 0.001 28 Feb -772 4:56
5 1 0.003 3 Sep -771 12:50
8 2 0.001 25 Apr -763 23:55
5 2 0.001 18 Mar -718 10:27
7 4 0.003 9 Mar -696 23:09
5 1 0.006 29 Oct -663 0:05
5 2 0.011 14 May -621 12:33
5 4 0.005 18 Jul -582 17:46
7 2 0.003 6 Sep -557 19:43
5 2 0.000 21 Jan -553 23:03
8 2 0.000 21 Jul -529 10:33
5 2 0.006 5 Aug -512 15:21
4 2 0.001 11 Apr -492 14:55
5 2 0.004 23 Oct -463 22:44
4 1 0.001 3 Nov -439 15:15
2 1 0.002 11 Jul -328 12:58
2 1 0.001 12 Nov -281 11:10
4 1 0.003 28 Sep -268 19:34
5 1 0.002 17 May -265 16:56
5 4 0.006 22 Mar -184 16:08
6 2 0.004 17 Dec -164 1:14
5 2 0.006 17 Apr -147 17:58
4 1 0.003 5 Feb -43 0:22
7 2 0.001 9 Oct -37 7:22
6 4 0.001 28 Jan -9 15:19
5 2 0.008 15 Jun -1 20:50
6 1 0.004 4 Mar 80 11:32
6 2 0.004 10 Aug 209 22:30
6 1 0.004 6 Sep 241 5:29
5 4 0.001 30 Jun 272 8:29
4 1 0.002 10 Aug 317 19:30
7 1 0.002 3 Mar 333 3:18
5 2 0.004 20 Apr 363 18:35
2 1 0.002 10 Dec 392 1:49
5 2 0.003 26 Oct 428 3:03
5 4 0.003 10 Jun 493 1:03
5 1 0.003 26 Jul 509 18:59
8 5 0.006 5 May 539 19:00
4 1 0.001 14 May 578 19:46
6 2 0.004 15 Jan 581 2:41
5 2 0.008 3 Jan 682 22:34
5 2 0.006 21 Sep 700 17:08
8 2 0.001 6 Apr 713 6:45
5 2 0.005 26 Jun 732 13:40
2 1 0.001 21 May 757 22:32
2 1 0.000 24 Aug 796 8:03
5 2 0.003 2 Oct 829 8:07
6 2 0.001 28 Jul 914 18:55
6 1 0.001 12 Sep 919 11:31
7 1 0.001 29 Sep 965 17:55
4 2 0.004 29 May 992 13:18
6 1 0.003 22 Apr 1026 19:03
5 2 0.006 31 Oct 1043 19:27
5 4 0.001 19 Sep 1170 20:44
5 2 0.009 7 Jan 1192 19:58
8 2 0.000 2 Apr 1194 11:09
5 4 0.006 29 Apr 1204 19:43
5 2 0.000 24 Sep 1210 10:50
6 1 0.001 15 Dec 1253 9:24
8 4 0.000 1 Sep 1278 14:32
8 2 0.001 6 Nov 1286 5:47
7 2 0.002 26 Jun 1362 11:31
2 1 0.013 25 Nov 1372 8:11
7 2 0.002 27 Aug 1383 15:07
5 4 0.003 30 Sep 1387 0:14
6 2 0.001 17 Aug 1416 23:48
8 2 0.002 8 Sep 1427 7:42
8 5 0.003 29 Jun 1447 10:38
6 2 0.004 19 Aug 1477 19:48
6 4 0.002 18 Oct 1477 15:15
6 4 0.002 7 Feb 1522 8:12
5 2 0.005 15 Feb 1570 7:48
4 2 0.002 13 Oct 1590 4:53
8 5 0.001 3 Jan 1613 22:22
7 5 0.001 15 Aug 1623 17:04
8 5 0.001 19 Sep 1702 14:04
5 1 0.007 20 Jul 1705 23:38
7 1 0.002 14 Jul 1708 13:02
5 1 0.003 4 Oct 1708 12:41
2 1 0.010 28 May 1737 21:50
6 2 0.003 29 Aug 1771 19:37
7 1 0.000 21 Jul 1793 5:38
6 1 0.005 9 Dec 1808 20:34
5 2 0.004 3 Jan 1818 21:52
5 2 0.004 22 Nov 2065 12:45
8 1 0.003 15 Jul 2067 11:56
4 1 0.000 11 Aug 2079 1:30
5 1 0.005 27 Oct 2088 13:43
5 1 0.002 7 Apr 2094 10:48
8 2 0.000 21 Aug 2104 1:18
5 2 0.002 14 Sep 2123 15:28
4 1 0.001 29 Jul 2126 16:08
2 1 0.011 3 Dec 2133 14:14
5 4 0.005 2 Dec 2223 12:32
6 2 0.005 12 Aug 2243 4:52
7 2 0.001 4 Mar 2251 10:52
7 2 0.003 11 Sep 2307 22:30
4 2 0.009 4 Jun 2327 0:54
5 2 0.006 8 Oct 2335 14:51
7 1 0.001 7 Apr 2351 17:22
7 2 0.001 30 Dec 2419 1:38
5 4 0.004 29 Aug 2478 23:11
8 4 0.001 7 Apr 2515 10:37
6 2 0.001 25 Jan 2518 22:41
8 2 0.000 16 Feb 2649 11:17
8 2 0.003 3 Dec 2781 6:45
5 1 0.002 25 Mar 2816 15:47
6 2 0.000 6 Mar 2817 9:36
4 1 0.001 11 Apr 2818 20:41
7 4 0.000 6 Feb 2825 10:50
4 2 0.013 15 Dec 2830 7:40
5 1 0.006 20 Jul 2833 5:15
5 2 0.003 12 Feb 2912 20:59
5 2 0.006 8 Nov 2954 2:49
6 1 0.004 21 Nov 2954 1:58
5 4 0.001 9 Mar 2959 17:40
5 1 0.002 5 Oct 2965 16:51
5 2 0.004 13 Aug 2986 9:12
8 2 0.003 22 Mar 2991 14:50
5 2 0.007 12 Jun 3127 0:02
2 1 0.002 14 Mar 3129 12:05
6 2 0.004 8 Aug 3156 13:38
5 2 0.002 22 Sep 3224 5:44
7 2 0.002 25 Sep 3231 11:37
8 2 0.000 13 Oct 3243 18:24
5 2 0.008 27 Jul 3249 19:49
4 1 0.001 17 Nov 3285 5:41
5 2 0.003 8 Jan 3324 13:06
6 4 0.003 10 Jul 3332 0:36
6 2 0.013 25 Dec 3340 21:01
8 5 0.005 29 Feb 3428 3:14
5 4 0.001 5 May 3493 4:10
5 1 0.002 8 May 3517 12:30
5 2 0.000 10 Mar 3693 17:41
2 1 0.010 25 Jul 3868 23:26
5 2 0.009 11 Jun 3873 13:12
6 1 0.000 22 Feb 3904 23:40
7 4 0.001 30 Jan 3914 9:20
6 2 0.002 18 Sep 3950 18:09
2 1 0.000 27 Jan 3965 21:31
5 4 0.002 10 Dec 3973 9:18
4 2 0.002 13 Jun 4005 10:00
6 2 0.002 16 Mar 4024 22:30
8 1 0.001 3 Jul 4029 20:11
5 2 0.003 10 Sep 4056 9:59
6 1 0.005 30 Jun 4062 23:03
4 2 0.002 15 Feb 4125 11:14
2 1 0.007 25 Jun 4151 5:18
4 2 0.001 17 Sep 4257 9:54
7 2 0.002 27 Aug 4305 4:46
6 2 0.001 14 Mar 4320 11:15
5 1 0.002 16 Sep 4327 20:53
5 1 0.003 16 Nov 4377 10:56
8 1 0.000 28 Sep 4407 19:45
5 1 0.002 25 Jan 4439 8:31
2 1 0.002 15 Jul 4442 0:59
7 2 0.005 16 Jul 4477 23:49
5 2 0.005 16 Aug 4492 11:04
5 2 0.015 15 Jul 4517 4:41
2 1 0.001 4 Sep 4532 16:37
5 1 0.000 28 Nov 4567 15:30
2 1 0.001 29 Apr 4646 10:50
7 5 0.003 28 Aug 4648 3:14
5 4 0.007 11 Mar 4651 5:24
8 1 0.001 18 Apr 4660 17:37
4 1 0.001 7 Jan 4691 14:35
7 2 0.002 29 May 4710 20:34
7 1 0.001 29 Jul 4719 13:07
8 2 0.002 24 Dec 4757 19:27
8 1 0.001 27 Dec 4762 9:28
5 2 0.002 13 Jan 4830 0:02
7 5 0.000 23 Mar 4897 20:04
5 2 0.002 21 Apr 4927 4:08
2 1 0.002 21 Nov 4941 8:47
4 2 0.008 19 Dec 4998 9:07
7 2 0.003 16 Apr 5023 6:18
4 1 0.001 15 Oct 5051 19:45
5 1 0.005 18 Jan 5091 7:38
7 4 0.002 18 Aug 5135 21:50
5 1 0.000 15 Jun 5143 13:40
7 1 0.003 27 Sep 5149 4:13
6 2 0.000 21 Aug 5188 4:58
6 2 0.003 6 Mar 5199 12:21
5 2 0.002 15 Mar 5199 20:50
6 2 0.002 27 Mar 5231 18:43
6 2 0.001 12 Mar 5233 4:27
8 2 0.000 18 Mar 5282 20:47
5 1 0.001 16 Oct 5312 18:16
5 2 0.006 29 Jul 5381 17:40
7 2 0.000 11 Aug 5477 22:35
2 1 0.001 11 Mar 5492 10:23
2 1 0.000 14 Sep 5512 18:20
7 1 0.001 8 Sep 5565 22:47
5 2 0.003 25 Feb 5578 1:03
6 4 0.001 5 Jan 5615 12:47
5 2 0.003 27 Mar 5652 11:10
2 1 0.002 21 Dec 5702 17:26
8 2 0.001 21 Oct 5728 2:34
7 2 0.001 28 Jun 5805 6:22
6 1 0.004 13 Oct 5807 13:07
6 2 0.002 5 Apr 5821 11:14
8 1 0.001 17 Aug 5849 23:23
6 1 0.002 13 Mar 5877 20:53
5 2 0.005 6 Nov 5883 19:14
6 1 0.002 15 Jul 5917 14:30
7 2 0.001 29 Apr 5947 23:11