List of Astronomical Events for 2014
(Singapore Time zone: UT/GMT +8 hrs)
Phases of the Moon
New Moon
(Not Visible)
Half Moon – 1st Quarter
(Visible: 6pm-12am)
New Moon
Half Moon (1st Quarter)
Full Moon
Half Moon (Last Quarter)
New Moon
Half Moon (1st Quarter)
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Jan
1st
8th
16th
24th
31st
-
Feb
7th
15th
23rd
-
Full Moon
(Visible: 8pm-6am)
Mar Apr May Jun
1st
8th
7th
7th
6th
17th 15th 15th 13rd
24th 22nd 21st 20th
31st 29th 29th 27th
-
Half Moon – Last Quarter
(Visible: 1am-8am)
Jul
Aug Sep
5th
4th
2nd
12nd 11st 9th
19th 17th 16th
27th 25th 24th
-
Oct
2nd
8th
16th
24th
31st
Nov Dec
th
7
6th
th
14
14th
22nd 22nd
29th 29th
16th Jan – Full Moon Apogee – Smallest and furthest full moon of 2014 – 406,531 km away
31st Jan – New Moon – Chinese New Year
2nd Aug – 1st Qtr Half Moon – QiXi – Seventh night of seventh Chinese lunar month.
11th Aug – Full Moon Perigee @ 1.44am – largest and closest full moon of 2014 – 356,922 km away.
8th Sept – Full Moon – Mid Autumn Festival – Chinese Lunar Calendar
24th Oct – New Moon – Deepavali
Planets
The table below indicates the months in which you can view the planets in the evening sky.
Evening Sky (7:30pm – 11pm)
Planet
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr May Jun Jul Aug
Sept Oct Nov
Dec
Mercury
Venus
**Not visible**
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus*
Neptune*
*Uranus and Neptune require telescopes to be seen. Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn can be
seen with the unaided eye or with binoculars. Pluto and other dwarf planets are not visible.
Planetary events
Oppositions (outer planets only) – Alignments between the Sun, Earth and an outer planet such as
Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus or Neptune. During this time the planet is near its closest position to Earth
and is seen at its brightest and fullest. The planets will mainly be visible after 9pm.
Greatest Elongations (Mercury & Venus only) – As Mercury and Venus are closer to the Sun than Earth,
they are only visible when located either east or west from the Sun, when the Sun does not obscure
them from view.
Date
6th Jan
Significant Planetary Events
Jupiter – At Opposition
Remarks
31st Jan
Mercury – Greatest Elongation East
14th Mar
Mercury – Greatest Elongation West
Highest point in the morning sky (East direction).
(27.55º high at sunrise)
23rd Mar
Venus – Greatest Elongation West
Highest point in the morning sky (East direction).
(46.55º high at sunrise)
9th April
Mars - At Opposition
11st May
Saturn - At Opposition
25st May
Mercury – Greatest Elongation East
Alignment of Mars, Earth & Sun.
Mars at its fullest and brightest.
Magnitude/brightness: -1.26
Alignment of Saturn, Earth & Sun.
Saturn at its fullest and brightest.
Magnitude/brightness: 0.27
Highest point in the evening sky (West direction).
(22.66º high at sunset)
13rd July
Mercury – Greatest Elongation West
Highest point in the morning sky (East direction).
(20.9º high at sunrise)
17th July
Mercury and Venus Conjunction
Mercury and Venus 6.2 apart
18th Aug
Venus and Jupiter Conjunction
Venus and Jupiter 0.2 apart.
26th Aug
Mars and Saturn Conjunction
Mars and Saturn 3.5 apart.
29th Aug
Neptune - At opposition
22nd Sept
Mercury – Greatest Elongation East
Alignment of Neptune, Earth & Sun.
Neptune at its fullest and brightest.
Magnitude/brightness: +7.64
Highest point in the evening sky (West direction).
(26.4º high at sunset)
8th Oct
Uranus - At opposition
25th Oct
Venus – Greatest Brilliancy
1st Nov
Mercury – Greatest Elongation West
Alignment of Jupiter, Earth & Sun.
Jupiter at its fullest and brightest.
Magnitude/brightness: -2.23
Highest point in the evening sky (West direction).
(18.3º high at sunset)
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Alignment of Neptune, Earth & Sun.
Neptune at its fullest and brightest.
Magnitude/brightness: +6.05
Venus at its brightest for the year.
Magnitude/brightness: -3.51
Highest point in the morning sky (East direction).
(18.65º high at sunrise)
Eclipses of 2014
Eclipses occur during an alignment of the Sun, Earth and Moon, resulting in the Sun’s light being blocked
and a shadow being cast on either the Earth or the Moon.
Each is eclipse is only visible in a small number of locations.
The location of an eclipse depends on the Earth’s position and tilt, the time, duration and precision of
the alignment.
There are two main types of eclipses:
Solar Eclipse: The New Moon moves directly between the Sun and Earth, blocking out the Sun in certain
locations on Earth. Always occurs in the daytime.
Lunar Eclipse: The Full Moon moves directly behind the Earth. The Moon becomes covered by Earth’s
shadow. Always occurs at night.
Date
15th Apr 2014
Eclipse type
Total Lunar Eclipse
Location & Visibility
North and South America and Pacific Ocean
Not visible in Singapore
29th Apr 2014
Annular Solar Eclipse
Antarctica, Australia and Southern Indonesia
Not visible in Singapore
8th Oct 2014
Total Lunar Eclipse
23rd Oct 2014
Partial Solar Eclipse
4:15pm – 9:33pm – Singapore Time
Mid-eclipse 5:14pm-8:34pm
We can observe the eclipse during moonrise (6:52pm)
North America and Canada
Not visible in Singapore
Meteor Showers
Every year, on specific dates the Earth travels through several areas of debris left over from a comet or
passing asteroid. This debris consists of rock or ice particles similar to grains of sands. As Earth collides
with these particles, they streak through the atmosphere, resulting in a bright flash as they burn up.
Timings & Rates: Meteor showers are best viewed between midnight and sunrise on the peak dates.
The highest rate of meteors usually occurs around 2am-5am. The rates given below are estimates for
the best seeing conditions requiring clear, dark skies.
Brightly lit, urban environments like Singapore will see significantly less meteors.
Origins: This indicates the comet or asteroid from which the debris originates. The comet/asteroid is not
visible at the time of the meteor shower.
Radiants: This indicates the point/constellation in the sky where the meteors appear to start from. The
peak rate usually occurs after the radiant has risen above the horizon. However, there is no need to look
directly at the radiant as meteor travel out in all directions and can bee seen at a variety of distances
from the radiant, therefore a clear open view of most of the sky is important for observing meteor
showers.
Peak Date
Jan 3rd & 4th
Meteor Shower Name
Quandrantids
April 21st & 22nd
Lyrids
May 5th & 6th
Eta Aquarids
July 28th & 29th
Southern Delta Aquarids
August 12nd & 13rd
Perseids
Oct 8th & 9th
Draconids
Oct 22nd & 23rd
Orionids
Nov 5th & 6th
Taurids
Nov 17th & 18th
Leonids
Dec 13rd & 14th
Geminids
Dec 22nd & 23rd
Ursids
Details
Estimated Rate: 40/hr
Origin: Comets C/1490 Y1 & C/1385 U1
Radiant: Bootes
Estimated Rate: 20/hr
Origin: Comet Thatcher C/1861 G1
Radiant: Lyra
Estimated Rate: 10/hr
Origin: Comet 1P/Halley (Halley’s Comet)
Radiant: Aquarius
Estimated Rate: 20/hr
Origin: Comet 96P/Machholz
Radiant: Aquarius
Estimated Rate: 60/hr
Origin: Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle
Radiant: Perseus
Estimated Rate: 10/hr
Origin: Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner
Radiant: Draco
Estimated Rate: 20/hr
Origin: Comet 1P/Halley (Halley’s Comet)
Radiant: Orion
Estimated Rate: 5-10/hr
Origin: Asteroid 2004 TG10, Comet 2P/Encke
Radiant: Taurus
Estimated Rate: 40/hr
Origin: Comet 55P/ Tempel-Tuttle
Radiant: Leo
Estimated Rate: 40/hr
Origin: Asteroid 3200 Phaethon
Radiant: Gemini
Estimated Rate: 5-10/hr
Origin: Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle
Radiant: Ursa Minor
Resources:
Science Centre Observatory (Singapore)
http://www.science.edu.sg/events/Pages/Stargazing.aspx
http://scobbers.blogspot.com
Sky & Telescope – Interactive Sky Chart
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/skychart/
Stellarium Planetarium Software
http://www.stellarium.org/
NASA Eclipse Website
http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse.html
Time and Date – Sunrise/Sunset, Phases of the Moon
http://www.timeanddate.com/