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Celestial Events Calendar
Friday, July 1, 2005:
12 PM CDT Jupiter is at east quadrature. An Earth-Sun
lines forms a 90o angle with a Jupiter-Sun line (like a first
quarter moon). From our viewpoint, Jupiter is visible in the evening sky and is
moving away from us and heading behind the Sun.
8:00 PM CDT Bill Leach is speaking at the
Houston Astronomical Society meeting on Extreme Stars.
The Sammy Neal Site is open tonight.
Saturday, July 2, 2005:
1 PM CDT This is the midpoint of the year.
2 PM CDT Comet 21P Giacobini-Zimmer is at perihelion the
point in its orbit where it is closest to the Sun. It is just a few days before
its descending node where it plunges below the plane of the Solar System. It is
visible, unfortunately, close to the Sun.
The Sammy Neal Site is open tonight.
Sunday, July 3, 2005:
8 PM CDT Mercury is less than a degree from the Beehive
Cluster in Cancer in the evening sky.
11 PM CDT Venus is about a tenth of a degree from the
Beehive Cluster in the evening sky.
Monday, July 4, 2005:
The Mars Pathfinder Carl Sagan Memorial Station and the
Sojourner Rover landed on Mars on this date in 1997.
The Crab nebula supernova explosion was first seen on this
date in 1054 CE (common era).
Tuesday, July 5, 2005:
1 AM CDT The Earth is at aphelion, the point in its orbit
where it is the furthest from the Sun ~ 93.5 million miles. It makes northern
summers slightly milder and southern winters slightly more extreme.
3 AM CDT Comet 9P Tempel 1 is at perihelion. It will
appear to b e plunging through Virgo to the southeast. It is actually passing
by us at about the orbit of Mars.
Wednesday, July 6, 2005:
7:04 AM CDT New Moon,
the beginning of lunation cycle 1021.
The Executive Board of the
North Houston Astronomy Club will meet tonight at 7 PM in room
CLA 225 (physics lab) at Kingwood College. All members are invited to attend.
Thursday, July 7, 2005:
3 AM CDT Mercury is about a
degree and a half from Venus in the evening sky around and after sunset.
12 PM CDT Mercury is at its
descending node. It is crossing the plane of the Earths orbit and heading
south.
Friday, July 8, 2005:
1 PM CDT The Moon is at apogee,
the point in its orbit where it is the furthest from the Earth ~ 255,000 miles.
The Sammy Neal site is open
tonight.
Saturday, July 9, 2005:
The Pegasid meteor
shower active July 7 through July 13
ZHR ~ 3 meteors/hour.
10 PM CDT Mercury is at its greatest
elongation east ~ 26.3o. This is the furthest that it appears from
the Sun in the evening sky in this orbital cycle.
The Sammy Neal Site is open
tonight.
Tuesday, July 12, 2005:
6 PM CDT Mars is at west
quadrature. It is entering the night sky rising about 2 AM. It is approaching its biennial close encounter with Earth.
Wednesday, July 13, 2005:
Phoenicid meteor
shower active July 10 thru 16, ZHR ~ 3 to 10 meteors/hour
Thursday, July 14, 2005:
2 AM CDT The Moon is at its
descending node. It is passing through the plane of the Earths orbit and
heading south.
10:21 PM CDT First Quarter
Moon
On this date in 1965 Mariner 4 was
the first spacecraft to fly past Mars.
Friday, July 15, 2005:
The Neal Site is open tonight.
Saturday, July 16, 2005:
On this date in 1994 the 21 pieces
of comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 began colliding with Jupiter.
The Neal Site is open tonight.
Sunday, July 17, 2005:
9 AM CDT Mars is at perihelion ~
127 million miles
9 PM CDT Mercury is at aphelion
~ 43 million miles
The first Apollo-Soyuz link-up
occurred on this date in 1975.
Wednesday, July 20, 2005:
12 PM CDT The Sun leaves the
astronomical constellation of the Gemini Twins and enters the astronomical
constellation of Cancer the Crab.
5 PM CDT Mars is at heliocentric
conjunction with Uranus. It is between Uranus and the Sun.
On this date in 1969 Apollo 11
landed on the Moon.
Viking 1 lands on Mars on this
date in 1976.
Thursday, July 21, 2005:
6:02 AM CDT Full Moon,
thunder or hay moon.
3 PM CDT The Moon is at perigee
~ 224,000 miles
Friday, July 22, 2005:
12 AM CDT Mercury begins one of
its loop-the-loops. It appears to stop its normal eastward drift through the
stars and begins a westward retrograde drift.
1 PM CDT The Sun leaves the
astrological sign of Cancer the Crab and is enters the astrological sign of Leo
the Lion.
6:30 9:30 PM CDT 75th Meeting of the North
Houston Astronomy Club
Saturday, July 23, 2005:
11 AM CDT Saturn is in
conjunction with the Sun. It is on the other side of the Sun from Earth. It
sets and rises with the Sun. It will soon rise before the Sun in the morning
sky.
The Neal Site is open tonight.
Tuesday, July 26, 2005:
1 PM CDT the Moon is at its
ascending node.
Thursday, July 28, 2005:
Piscis Austrinid meteor
shower Active July 16 to August 10
ZHR ~ 5 meteors/hour.
Delta Aquarid meteor
shower Active July 12 to August 19
ZHR ~ 20 meteors/hour
10:20 PM CDT Last Quarter
Moon
Friday, July 29, 2005:
NASA was founded on this date in
1958.
Saturday, July 30, 2005:
Alpha Capricornid meteor
shower Active July 3 thru August 15
ZHR ~ 4 meteors/hour