Sky Events for 2010

A major feature of Darker View is alerts for those who enjoy what our night sky has to offer. I have always made an effort to post about celestial events. As far as I know Darker View is the best source for sky events in the state.

It is a fairly major chore to research these events and put together write-ups on what you will be able to see. For many evenings I use a program called The Sky to simulate each night for the entire year, looking for the interesting events that will grace Hawaiian skies. For 2010 I have put even more effort into this part of the blog. There are more postings than ever written, scheduled and ready to pop up when the time comes. Included are planetary appearances, conjunctions, eclipses, meteor showers and anything else that is just interesting. I will update these postings when the unexpected comes along, you can often be surprised by a bright comet or nova.

For most interesting events I have scheduled a posting to pop up that day, for evening events, or the previous day, for morning events. This should provide a little warning to look up at the right time. These include planetary appearances and nice conjunctions. For more significant events there will also be an explanation showing up a week or two ahead.

The timing and descriptions for these events are written to benefit a viewer in Hawai'i, with times in both UT (Universal Time) and HST (Hawai'i Standard Time). Many of these events will be visible across a larger part of the globe, but with slightly different timing or positions. For skywatchers outside of Hawai'i you should consult a local reference or use a planetarium program set for your location to verify event details.

While 2009 was a fairly quiet year with few dramatic events, 2010 offers much more to skywatchers. There will be several decent eclipses and a couple good planetary conjunctions. This coming summer will offer a grand conjunction, for over two months skywatchers will be treated to a show that rarely occurs, with the Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars and Saturn joining for a swirling dance in the sunset. Definitely a chance to appreciate our solar system's beauty. The climax will be August 12th, with four naked eye planets and a crescent Moon within 22° of each other. Look for a series of posts starting in early July for your guide to the Great Planetary Conjunction of 2010.

The 12th of August is one night this year you should mark on your calendar. Along with the conjunction, the Perseid meteor shower also peaks. A warm summer evening, an essentially moonless dark sky, and the peak of a reliable meteor shower... If you choose one night this year to get out and observe, 12 August is it!

2010 Sky Events...

• Jan 03 - Earth at perihelion
  
• Jan 03 - Quadrantid meteor shower peaks
  
• Jan 05 - Saturn near the Moon
  
• Jan 10 - Mercury begins a dawn apparition
  
• Jan 11 - Venus in superior conjunction
  
• Jan 15 - Annular eclipse of the Sun for Africa, India and China
  
• Jan 27 - Mercury at maximum elongation in the dawn
  
• Jan 29 - Mars at opposition
  
• Feb 11 - Mercury near a Thin Moon
  
• Feb 16 - Jupiter near Venus
  
• Feb 20 - Vesta at opposition
  
• Mar 01 - Venus begins an evening apparition
  
• Mar 03 - Venus near Uranus
  
• Mar 10 - Jupiter emerges into the morning sky
  
• Mar 16 - Venus near a thin Moon
  
• Mar 20 - Spring Equinox
  
• Mar 20 - Mercury begins an evening apparition
  
• Mar 22 - Saturn at opposition
  
• Mar 29 - Saturn near the Moon
  
• Apr 02 - Mercury near Venus
  
  

  A slim crescent Moon, 2.8% illuminated, setting over Mauna Kea on 27 March 2009, photo by Deborah Cooper
• Apr 08 - Mercury at maximum elongation
  
• Apr 15 - Conjunction of Mercury, Venus and the Moon
  
• Apr 16 - Lyrid meteor shower peaks
  
• Apr 16 - Moon near the Pleiades
  
• May 01 - Mercury begins a dawn apparition
  
• May 06 - η-Aquariid meteor shower peaks
  
• May 09 - Jupiter near the Moon
  
• May 15 - Venus near the Moon
  
• May 26 - Mercury at maximum elongation in the dawn
  
• Jun 01 - Jupiter near Uranus
  
• Jun 14 - Venus near the Moon
  
• Jun 18 - Saturn near the Moon
  
• Jun 19 - Ceres at Opposition
  
• Jun 21 - Summer Solstice
  
• Jun 25 - Partial lunar eclipse, favoring the Pacific Ocean
  
• Jul 01 - A series of evening planetary conjunctions begins and lasts for the next two months
  
• Jul 02 - Jupiter near the Moon
  
• Jul 04 - Mercury begins an evening apparition
  
• Jul 06 - Earth at aphelion
  
• Jul 11 - Total solar eclipse for the South Pacific
  
• Jul 12 - Mercury near the Moon
  
• Jul 13 - Line of four bright planets in the evening sky
  
• Jul 14 - Venus near the Moon
  
• Jul 15 - Mars near the Moon
  
• Jul 27 - Mars near Saturn
  
• Jul 30 - Jupiter near the Moon
  
  

  Evening planets from August 11th to 13th
• Aug 05-15 - Conjunction of Mercury, Venus, Mars and Saturn within 20° in the sunset
  
• Aug 07 - Mercury at maximum elongation in the sunset
  
• Aug 11-14 - The Moon joins the conjunction of Mercury, Venus, Mars and Saturn in the sunset
  
• Aug 12 - Perseid meteor shower peaks
  
• Aug 13 - Venus and Saturn near Mars
  
• Aug 16 - Venus near Mars
  
• Aug 20 - Venus at maximum elongation
  
• Aug 26 - Jupiter near the Moon
  
• Sep 06 - Mercury begins a dawn apparition
  
• Sep 10 - Venus and Mars near the Moon
  
• Sep 13 - Saturn leaves the evening sky
  
• Sep 17 - Jupiter near Uranus
  
• Sep 19 - Mercury at maximum elongation in the dawn
  
• Sep 21 - Jupiter at opposition
  
• Sep 22 - Jupiter near the Moon
  
• Oct 09 - Venus and Mars near the Moon
  
• Oct 15 - Saturn returns to the dawn sky
  
• Oct 19 - Jupiter near the Moon
  
• Oct 21 - Orionid meteor shower peaks
  
• Oct 29 - Venus at inferior conjunction
  
• Nov 01 - Venus begins a dawn apparition
  
• Nov 02 - Mercury begins an evening apparition
  
  

  The Moon and Venus in conjunction on 27 Feb 2009
• Nov 15 - Jupiter near the Moon
  
• Nov 17 - Leonid meteor shower
  
• Nov 19 - Conjunction of Mars and Mercury
  
• Dec 01 - Saturn near the Moon
  
• Dec 01 - Mercury at maximum elongation in the sunset
  
• Dec 02 - Venus near the Moon
  
• Dec 06 - Conjunction of Mercury, Mars and the Moon
  
• Dec 12 - Jupiter near the Moon
  
• Dec 13 - Geminid meteor shower peaks
  
• Dec 21 - Total lunar eclipse, favoring North American and the Pacific
  
• Dec 21 - Winter Solstice
  
• Dec 28 - Saturn near the Moon
  
• Dec 30 - Jupiter near Uranus
  
• Dec 31 - Venus near the Moon

2010 will be a great year for watching the skies, I hope everyone is looking forward to enjoying the beauty our universe has to offer. Whether with a telescope, binoculars or simply the unaided eye there will be ample opportunity to observe, all you have to do is enjoy a Darker View.