Astronomical Events of 2011

As we are fast approaching the calendar year 2011, let us have a look at the Astronomical Events that will take place this year.

1. Quadrantids Meteor Shower 2011

- Active Start Date = 1st January

- Active End Date = 10th January

- Peak Date = 4th January

- Peak Rate = 60-120 per hour

2. January 4 - New Moon

3. Partial Solar Eclipse

- Date = January 4, 2011

- Visibility = Most parts of Europe, the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa and Western Asia and Northern India.

Animated Path of the Eclipse. Credit - A.T Sincalir and NASA

4. January 19 - Full Moon

5. February 3 - New Moon

6. February 17 - Neptune in Conjunction with Earth. A conjunction occurs when two celestial bodies appear one near another in the sky.

7. February 18 - Full Moon

8. March 4 - New Moon

9. March 19 - Full Moon

10. March 20 - The Vernal Equinox. This means that there will be equal hours of day and night. This is also the beginning of Spring.

11. April 3 - Saturn closest to Earth at 8,61 AU. This is the best time to view Saturn.

12. April 3 - New Moon

13. April 6 - Jupiter in conjunction with Earth.

14. April 8 - Jupiter at its furthest from Earth at 5,95 AU.

15. April 9 - Mercury in lower conjunction with Earth.

16. April 18 - Full Moon

17. Lyrids Meteor Shower 2011

- Active Start Date = April 16

- Active End Date = April 25

- Peak Date = April 22

- Peak Rate = 20 per hour

18. May 3 - New Moon

19. Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower 2011

- Active Start Date = May 4

- Active End Date = May 7
- Peak Date = May 6

- Peak Rate = 12 per hour

20. May 17 - Full Moon

21. Partial Solar Eclipse

- Date = June 1, 2011

- Visibility = Eastern Asia, Alaska, Northern Canada, and Greenland.

Animated Path of the Eclipse. Credit - A.T Sincalir and NASA

22. June 1 - New Moon

23. June 12 - Mercury in upper conjunction with Earth.

24. Total Lunar Eclipse

- Date = June 15, 2011

- Visibility = South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. Visible throughout India.

Map of the Eclipse. Credit - NASA

25. June 15 - Full Moon

26. June 21 - The Summer Solstice. This occurs when Sun is at its highest point in the sky. This day is the longest day of the year and also the first day of summer.

27. June 26 - Pluto at its closest to Earth at 31,04 AU.

28. Partial Solar Eclipse

- Date = July 1, 2011

- Visibility = Only visible off the coast of Antarctica.

Animated Path of the Eclipse. Credit - A.T Sincalir and NASA

29. July 1 - New Moon

30. July 4 - Sun at its furthest from Earth at 1,02 AU.

31. July 15 - Full Moon

32. Southern Delta Aquarids Meteor Shower 2011

- Active Start Date = July 18

- Active End Date = August 18

- Peak Date = July 29

- Peak Rate = 20 per hour

33. July 30 - New Moon. This is the second new moon of the month, this is also referred to as the Black Moon.

34. Perseids Meteor Shower 2011

- Active Start Date = July 23

- Active End Date = August 22

- Peak Date = August 13

- Peak Rate = 60 per hour

35. August 13 - Full Moon

36. August 13 - Venus at its furthest from Earth at 1,73 AU and Mercury at its closest to Earth at 0,61 AU.

37. August 22 - Neptune at its closest to Earth at 29,00 AU. This is the best time to view the planet.

38. August 29 - New Moon

39. September 12 - Full Moon

40. September 23 - The Autumnal Equinox. This means that there will be equal amounts of day and night. This is also the beginning of Fall.

41. September 25 - Uranus at its closest to Earth at 19,08 AU. This is the best time to view the planet.

42. September 27 - New Moon

43. October 6 - Mercury at its furthest from Earth at 1,42 AU.

44. October 12 - Full Moon

45. October 13 - Saturn in conjunction with Earth. Also, at this point Saturn is at its furthest from Earth at 10,67 AU.

46. Orionids Meteor Shower 2011

- Active Start Date = October 17

- Active End Date = October 25

- Peak Date = October 21

- Peak Rate = 20 per hour

47. October 26 - New Moon

48. October 29 - Jupiter at its closest to Earth at 3,97 AU. This is the best time to view the planet.

49. November 10 - Full Moon

50. Leonids Meteor Shower 2011

- Active Start Date = November 13

- Active End Date = November 20

- Peak Date = November 18

- Peak Rate = 40 per hour

51. Partial Solar Eclipse

- Date = November 25, 2011

- Visibility = Over Antarctica and parts of South Africa and Tasmania.

Animated Path of the Eclipse. Credit - A.T Sincalir and NASA

52. November 25 - New Moon

53. December 4 - Mercury at its closest to Earth at 0,68 AU.

54. Total Lunar Eclipse

- Date = December 10, 2011

- Visibility = Europe, Eastern Africa, Asia, Australia, the Pacific Ocean, and North America. Visible throughout India at Moonrise.

Map of the Eclipse. Credit - NASA

55. Geminids Meteor Shower 2011

- Active Start Date = December 6

- Active End Date = December 19

- Peak Date = December 14

- Peak Rate = 60 per hour

56. December 21 - The Winter Solstice. This occurs when the Sun is at its lowest point in the sky. It will also be the shortest day of the year and the first day of winter.

57. December 24 - New Moon

58. December 31 - Pluto at its furthest from Earth at 33,13 AU.

That's all from 2011. Happy viewing!

Copyright AFA (Goa), this calendar is an original work of the Association of Friends of Astronomy, Goa.

Get Set Go! Quadrantids 2011

The Quadrantids are in sight. The timings have been digested. All we can do now is wait and watch for the best! This post is a successor to the previous one on the Quadrantids. While the previous post had lot of detail, this post will even out the facts.

For AFA's previous detailed post on the Quadrantids, and to know in detail about the meteor shower, please visit this link.

QUADRANTIDS METEOR SHOWER 2011

Active Start Date - 1st January
Active End Date - 10th January

Peak Date - 3rd and 4th January
Maximum Activity - January 4, 1h 10m UTC i.e. 6:40 am IST

Timings for India - Best Time to Observe is from 11:00 pm to 4:30 am on January 3-4. Look for the pole star in the North. Pole Star to be visible from 8:30 pm onwards on January 3, and Bootes (the radiant) will be visible from about 10:30 pm onwards. Try to get away from cities for the best loacation!

The Association of Friends of Astronomy (Goa) is planning a 'Official' overnight observation for the Quadrantids Meteor Shower 2011.

Quadrantids Meteor Shower 2011 - Info and Timings for India

This post by The Association of Friends of Astronomy (Goa) will deal with information, viewing times for India and locations for the Quadrantids Meteor Shower 2011, a "shooting" treat for amateur astronomers and everyone who has looked up in the majestic sky.



Quadrantids, the first major astronomical event of the calendar year 2011, is set to take center stage. It is all set to happen on 4th January, the peak date of the shower, all around the world. The Moon gives way (New Moon) and for once, Jupiter's might will be ignored and the whole world will train their eyes on Bootes and the Pole Star.


For starters, for an idea and basic info about a meteor shower, please visit this webpage.

The Quadrantids is the very first meteor shower of the year, and is known to be one of the strongest - producing fireballs and meteors that are exceptionally bright. If the sky is clear enough, expect to see meteors with persistent trails (also called trains). The shower is active from January 1 to January 10, but the peak dates, the days on which the maximum activity is recorded, are January 3 and 4. Moreover, Meteor shower gazing conditions will be nearly ideal as it will be a New Moon night! The Quadrantids meteor shower was first observed in Italy by Antonio Brucalassi during the mid-1820’s on the morning of January 2nd. During its recorded history, the Quadrantids meteor shower has had observed rates as low as 65 meteors per hour, and as high as 160 per hour.

The radiant of the Quadrantids, also known as the point from where the meteors appear to come from throughout its peak, is situated within the now extinct constellation named Quadrans Muralis. Currently, we can trace this near the constellation named Bootes. To find the radiant, first find the Pole/North Star (Polaris) and observe near the area.

For many meteor showers it is often recommended to look straight up, but for this year’s Quadrantids it is advised that observers face as low as possible toward the horizon without being looking at the ground. In Goa and the rest of India, it is advised to look North-East near the Horizon, for the Pole Star will be visible from 8:30 pm and Bootes will be visible from 12 am onwards. Meteors will grab your attention as they streak by!


Given here are the timings for the Meteor Shower in India. For viewing times in other countries, please visit Spacedex. The Best Time to Observe the meteor shower in India is from 11 pm to 4:30 am Indian Standard Time on January 3 and 4. But remember, meteors will be visible from January 1 to 10. So keep watching!


Here is a past video of the Quadrantids in 2010. Sourced from Youtube.

The Association of Friends of Astronomy (Goa) has also planned an overnight observation at the Public Astronomical Observatory. This being a public event, the general public is welcome to pay

visit to the observatory and be a part of the ongoing observations!

RSVP to the Facebook event here!!

December 2010 Lunar Eclipse

This article contains basic information about the recently concluded Total Lunar Eclipse which occurred from 5:27 to 11:06 UTC on December 21, coinciding with the date of the December Solstice. It was visible in its entirety as a total lunar eclipse in North and South America.

A picture from the Celestial event. 8:28 UTC, from Florida.

A Lunar Eclipse occurs when "The moon moves completely into the shadow of the Earth. It only happens when the Sun, the Earth and the Moon all line up in a straight line. Sometimes it is only partial, and sometimes it is so slight that most of us don’t notice that it dims at all,". According to NASA, in this eclipse, the Moon's orbital trajectory takes it through the northern half of Earth's umbral shadow. Although the eclipse is not central, the total phase still lasts 72 minutes.

The eclipse of December 2010 was the first total lunar eclipse in almost three years, since the February 2008 lunar eclipse. It is the second of two lunar eclipses in 2010. The first was a partial lunar eclipse on June 26, 2010. The eclipse was the first total lunar eclipse to occur on the day of the Northern Winter Solstice (Southern Summer Solstice) since 1638, and only the second in the Common Era.

Duration (hr:mn:sc)
Totality	1:13:12
Partial	3:29:22
Penumbral	5:38:22

Duration of the Eclipse

The Phases of the Eclipse

For all the people who missed it, you can see the time lapse video below:

Sourced from www.en.wikipedia.org and www.youtube.com. Copied for informational purposes only, no breach of copyright intended.

Into the Blue - Planet Uranus!

Guess who dropped in to visit Panjim on December 19th, Sunday? If you were there at the Public Astronomical Observatory in Panjim from 7 to 9 pm that day, you would have been witness to a unique public observation programme of Planet Uranus. Yes, Planet Uranus - The very Blue Planet, the 7th in our Solar System.

The sky cleared itself, some 40-odd people came in early and the air was hot, all in the prospect of getting a peek of Uranus. This was facilitated by the Celestron C-14 Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope, the observatory's newest and famous member. Close to a 100 people attended the observation cum film screening, a number not quite expected (we never ever mind the huge publicity, though) but they say, the word of mouth is the fastest. And so it was.

The sky was so clear that the people got a rare glimpse of the elusive rings of the planet, along with its round blue body. Then 8 inch and 5 inch Reflecting Telescopes were pointed towards Jupiter and Moon, somewhat regular these winter days. After a brief presentation on Uranus by member Raj Kunkolienkar, there was also a film screening done. The program concluded at 9 pm.

Another activity of the AFA Observer's club was complete. Perhaps the upcoming Quadrantids will be a treat. The Americans will be treated to a shadow play by the moon. Well, they say Sky Is The Limit!

Amateur Astronomer's List of Messier Objects

Below is a list of the 110 messier objects which are a set of astronomical objects catalogued by the French astronomer Charles Messier in his "Catalogue des Nébuleuses et des Amas d'Étoiles" ("Catalogue of Nebulae and Star Clusters"), originally published in 1771. The original motivation of the catalogue was that Messier was a comet hunter, and was frustrated by objects which resembled but were not comets.

The first edition covered 45 objects numbered M1 to M45. The total list published by Messier finally contained 103 objects, but the list "got an independent life" by successive additions by other astronomers. All of the Messier objects are visible with binoculars or small telescopes (under favorable conditions); therefore they are popular viewing objects for amateur astronomers. In early spring, astronomers sometimes gather for "Messier Marathons", when all of the objects can be viewed over a single night.

THE TABLE:

Messier No.	NGC No.	Common Name	Constellation	Apparent Magnitude	Object type
M1	NGC 1952	Crab Nebula	Taurus	9.0	Supernova remnant
M2	NGC 7089		Aquarius	7.5	Globular cluster
M3	NGC 5272		Canes Venatici	7.0	Globular cluster
M4	NGC 6121		Scorpius	7.5	Globular cluster
M5	NGC 5904		Serpens	7.0	Globular cluster
M6	NGC 6405	Butterfly Cluster	Scorpius	4.5	Open cluster
M7	NGC 6475	Ptolemy Cluster	Scorpius	3.5	Open cluster
M8	NGC 6523	Lagoon Nebula	Sagittarius	6.0	Cluster with nebula
M9	NGC 6333		Ophiuchus	9.0	Globular cluster
M10	NGC 6254		Ophiuchus	7.5	Globular cluster
M11	NGC 6705	Wild Duck Cluster	Scutum	7.0	Open cluster
M12	NGC 6218		Ophiuchus	8.0	Globular cluster
M13	NGC 6205	Great Globular Cluster in Hercules	Hercules	5.8	Globular cluster
M14	NGC 6402		Ophiuchus	9.5	Globular cluster
M15	NGC 7078	Cúmulo de Pegaso	Pegasus	7.5	Globular cluster
M16	NGC 6611	Eagle Nebula	Serpens	6.5	Cluster with H II region
M17	NGC 6618	Horseshoe Nebula	Sagittarius	6.0	Cluster with H II region
M18	NGC 6613		Sagittarius	8.0	Open cluster
M19	NGC 6273		Ophiuchus	8.5	Globular cluster
M20	NGC 6514	Trifid Nebula	Sagittarius	6.3	Cluster with H II region
M21	NGC 6531		Sagittarius	7.0	Open cluster
M22	NGC 6656	Sagittarius Cluster	Sagittarius	5.1	Globular cluster
M23	NGC 6494		Sagittarius	6.0	Open cluster
M24	NGC 6603	Sagittarius Star Cloud	Sagittarius	4.6	Milky Way star cloud
M25	IC 4725		Sagittarius	4.9	Open cluster
M26	NGC 6694		Scutum	9.5	Open cluster
M27	NGC 6853	Dumbbell Nebula	Vulpecula	7.5	Planetary nebula
M28	NGC 6626		Sagittarius	8.5	Globular cluster
M29	NGC 6913		Cygnus	9.0	Open cluster
M30	NGC 7099		Capricornus	8.5	Globular cluster
M31	NGC 224	Andromeda Galaxy	Andromeda	3.4	Spiral galaxy
M32	NGC 221		Andromeda	10.0	Dwarf elliptical galaxy
M33	NGC 598	Triangulum Galaxy	Triangulum	5.7	Spiral galaxy
M34	NGC 1039		Perseus	6.0	Open cluster
M35	NGC 2168		Gemini	5.5	Open cluster
M36	NGC 1960		Auriga	6.5	Open cluster
M37	NGC 2099		Auriga	6.0	Open cluster
M38	NGC 1912		Auriga	7.0	Open cluster
M39	NGC 7092		Cygnus	5.5	Open cluster
M40		Winnecke 4	Ursa Major	9.0	Double star WNC4
M41	NGC 2287		Canis Major	4.5	Open cluster
M42	NGC 1976	Orion Nebula	Orion	4.0	H II region
M43	NGC 1982	De Mairan's Nebula	Orion	7.0	H II region
M44	NGC 2632	Beehive Cluster	Cancer	3.7	Open cluster
M45		Pleiades	Taurus	1.6	Open cluster
M46	NGC 2437		Puppis	6.5	Open cluster
M47	NGC 2422		Puppis	4.5	Open cluster
M48	NGC 2548		Hydra	5.5	Open cluster
M49	NGC 4472		Virgo	10.0	Elliptical galaxy
M50	NGC 2323		Monoceros	7.0	Open cluster
M51	NGC 5194, 5195	Whirlpool Galaxy	Canes Venatici	8.4	Spiral galaxy
M52	NGC 7654		Cassiopeia	8.0	Open cluster
M53	NGC 5024		Coma Berenices	8.5	Globular cluster
M54	NGC 6715		Sagittarius	8.5	Globular cluster
M55	NGC 6809		Sagittarius	7.0	Globular cluster
M56	NGC 6779		Lyra	9.5	Globular cluster
M57	NGC 6720	Ring Nebula	Lyra	8.8	Planetary nebula
M58	NGC 4579		Virgo	11.0	Barred spiral galaxy
M59	NGC 4621		Virgo	11.5	Elliptical galaxy
M60	NGC 4649		Virgo	10.5	Elliptical galaxy
M61	NGC 4303		Virgo	10.5	Spiral galaxy
M62	NGC 6266		Ophiuchus	8.0	Globular cluster
M63	NGC 5055	Sunflower Galaxy	Canes Venatici	8.5	Spiral galaxy
M64	NGC 4826	Black Eye Galaxy	Coma Berenices	9.0	Spiral galaxy
M65	NGC 3623		Leo	10.5	Barred spiral galaxy
M66	NGC 3627		Leo	10.0	Barred spiral galaxy
M67	NGC 2682		Cancer	7.5	Open cluster
M68	NGC 4590		Hydra	9.0	Globular cluster
M69	NGC 6637		Sagittarius	9.0	Globular cluster
M70	NGC 6681		Sagittarius	9.0	Globular cluster
M71	NGC 6838		Sagitta	8.5	Globular cluster
M72	NGC 6981		Aquarius	10.0	Globular cluster
M73	NGC 6994		Aquarius	9.0	Asterism
M74	NGC 628		Pisces	10.5	Spiral galaxy
M75	NGC 6864		Sagittarius	9.5	Globular cluster
M76	NGC 650, 651	Little Dumbbell Nebula	Perseus	10.1	Planetary nebula
M77	NGC 1068		Cetus	10.5	Spiral galaxy
M78	NGC 2068		Orion	8.0	Diffuse nebula
M79	NGC 1904		Lepus	8.5	Globular cluster
M80	NGC 6093		Scorpius	8.5	Globular cluster
M81	NGC 3031	Bode's Galaxy	Ursa Major	6.9	Spiral galaxy
M82	NGC 3034	Cigar Galaxy	Ursa Major	9.5	Barred spiral galaxy
M83	NGC 5236	Southern Pinwheel Galaxy	Hydra	8.5	Barred spiral galaxy
M84	NGC 4374		Virgo	11.0	Lenticular galaxy
M85	NGC 4382		Coma Berenices	10.5	Lenticular galaxy
M86	NGC 4406		Virgo	11.0	Lenticular galaxy
M87	NGC 4486		Virgo	11.0	Elliptical galaxy
M88	NGC 4501		Coma Berenices	11.0	Spiral galaxy
M89	NGC 4552		Virgo	11.5	Elliptical galaxy
M90	NGC 4569		Virgo	11.0	Spiral galaxy
M91	NGC 4548		Coma Berenices	11.0	Barred Spiral galaxy
M92	NGC 6341		Hercules	7.5	Globular cluster
M93	NGC 2447		Puppis	6.5	Open cluster
M94	NGC 4736		Canes Venatici	9.5	Spiral galaxy
M95	NGC 3351		Leo	11.0	Barred Spiral galaxy
M96	NGC 3368		Leo	10.5	Spiral galaxy
M97	NGC 3587	Owl Nebula	Ursa Major	9.9	Planetary nebula
M98	NGC 4192		Coma Berenices	11.0	Spiral galaxy
M99	NGC 4254		Coma Berenices	10.5	Spiral galaxy
M100	NGC 4321		Coma Berenices	10.5	Spiral galaxy
M101	NGC 5457	Pinwheel Galaxy	Ursa Major	7.9	Spiral galaxy
M102	--------------
M103	NGC 581		Cassiopeia	7.0	Open cluster
M104	NGC 4594	Sombrero Galaxy	Virgo	9.5	Spiral galaxy
M105	NGC 3379		Leo	11.0	Elliptical galaxy
M106	NGC 4258		Canes Venatici	9.5	Spiral galaxy
M107	NGC 6171		Ophiuchus	10.0	Globular cluster
M108	NGC 3556		Ursa Major	11.0	Spiral galaxy
M109	NGC 3992		Ursa Major	11.0	Barred Spiral galaxy
M110	NGC 205		Andromeda	10.0	Dwarf elliptical galaxy