© 2019 by Guy Ottewell ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR 2020 1

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The left column gives Julian Dates For meteor showers: ZHR (zenithal
(number of days from 4713 B.C. Jan. 1 hourly rate) is an estimate of the
noon), useful for finding time spans number to be seen under ideal condi-
between events by subtraction. The tions at the peak time if the radiant
first 3 digits of the Julian date were overhead; actual rates may be
(245) are omitted. very different. Peak times (predicted
Hours and minutes, where given, from where the center of the stream
are in Universal Time. (Sometimes seems to cross Earth’s orbit) are
the hour appears as “24” or the uncertain; best to start watching the
minute as “60,” because the instant night before. Meteor are usually
was shortly before the end of the UT most abundant in the morning hours.
day.) Tell me of errors you notice.
Occasions such as “Moon 1.25° NNE It’s hard to check the accuracy of
of Venus” are appulses: closest appar- every detail, but errors are more
ent approaches. They are slightly easily corrected here than in the
different from conjunctions, when one former printed Astronomical Calendars!
passes north of the other as measured universalworkshop.com/contact
in right ascension or in ecliptic This calendar may be subject to
longitude. A quasi-conjunction is an improvement. Come back to it!
appulse without a conjunction, and
typically happens when a planet is Explanation of terms can be found in
near its stationary moment. our glossary book Albedo to Zodiac.
Occasions when three bodies are There is more about each topic in The
within a circle of small size are Astronomical Companion. And events in
“trios.” Like this list can be traced in the large
appulses, they are Zodiac Wavy Charts for the year. For
most interesting all these, see
when the bodies universalworkshop.com
are bright and are
not at small
elongation from
the Sun.

2020
8850.565 Jan 2 Thu 2 Moon at apogee; distance 63.43 Earth-radii
8851.006 Jan 2 Thu 12 Mercury at southernmost declination, -24.66°
8851.146 Jan 2 Thu 16 Mercury 1.50° S of Jupiter; 5° from the Sun in the
morning sky; magnitudes -0.9 and -1.8
8851.698 Jan 3 Fri 4:46 First Quarter Moon
8852.019 Jan 3 Fri 12 Mars and Uranus at heliocentric opposition; longi-
tudes 215.3° and 35.3°
8852.5 Jan 4 SAT Quadrantid meteors; ZHR 110; peak Jan 4 2h; 1 day
after First Quarter
© 2019 by Guy Ottewell ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR 2020 2
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8853.438 Jan 4 SAT 23 Moon 4.3° SE of Uranus; 109° from the Sun in the
evening sky
8853.807 Jan 5 SUN 7:22 Latest sunrise, at latitude 40° north
8853.840 Jan 5 SUN 8 Earth at perihelion; V”þS AU from the Sun
8855.667 Jan 7 Tue 4 Moon 7.3° SE of the Pleiades; 135° and 134° from the
Sun in the evening sky
8856.375 Jan 7 Tue 21 Moon 2.96° N of Aldebaran; 143° from the Sun in the
evening sky
8858.063 Jan 9 Thu 14 Moon 1.50° SE of M35 cluster; 164° from the Sun in
the evening sky
8858.479 Jan 9 Thu 23 Moon at ascending node; longitude 98.4°
8859.126 Jan 10 Fri 15 Mercury at superior conjunction with the Sun; 1.430
AU from Earth; latitude -6.15°
8859.307 Jan 10 Fri 19:22 Full Moon. Penumbral eclipse of the Moon
8859.417 Jan 10 Fri 22 Moon 9.0° S of Castor; 178° and 170° from the Sun in
the morning sky
8859.510 Jan 11 SAT 0 Uranus stationary in longitude; resumes direct motion
8859.604 Jan 11 SAT 3 Moon 5.3° S of Pollux; 176° and 173° from the Sun in
the midnight sky
8859.736 Jan 11 SAT 6 Uranus stationary in right ascension; resumes direct
motion
8860.563 Jan 12 SUN 2 Moon 1.33° NNE of Beehive Cluster; 163° and 164° from
the Sun in the morning sky
8860.896 Jan 12 SUN 10 Mercury 2.04° S of Saturn; 2° and 1° from the Sun in
the evening sky; magnitudes -1.2 and 0.5
8861.782 Jan 13 Mon 7 Pluto at conjunction with the Sun; 34.942 AU from
Earth; latitude -0.69°
8862.104 Jan 13 Mon 15 Moon 3.7° NNE of Regulus; 142° and 143° from the Sun
in the morning sky
8862.141 Jan 13 Mon 15 Saturn at conjunction with the Sun; 11.017 AU from
Earth; latitude 0.04°
8862.349 Jan 13 Mon 20:23 Moon at perigee; distance 57.38 Earth-radii
8865.875 Jan 17 Fri 9 Moon 7.1° NNE of Spica; 92° and 93° from the Sun in
the morning sky
8866.041 Jan 17 Fri 12:59 Last Quarter Moon
8866.875 Jan 18 SAT 9 Mars 4.7° N of Antares; 48° from the Sun in the
morning sky; magnitudes 1.5 and 1.0
8867.987 Jan 19 SUN 12 Mercury at southernmost latitude from the ecliptic
plane, -7.0°
8868.856 Jan 20 Mon 9 Sun enters Capricornus, at longitude 299.73° on the
ecliptic
8869.124 Jan 20 Mon 15 Sun enters the astrological sign Aquarius, i.e. its
longitude is 300°
8869.250 Jan 20 Mon 18 Moon 7.0° NNE of Antares; 49° and 50° from the Sun
in the morning sky
8869.354 Jan 20 Mon 21 Moon 2.21° NNE of Mars; 48° from the Sun in the
morning sky
8871.357 Jan 22 Wed 21 Moon at descending node; longitude 278.4°
8871.625 Jan 23 Thu 3 Moon 0.39° SE of Jupiter; 21° from the Sun in the
morning sky
© 2019 by Guy Ottewell ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR 2020 3
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8871.786 Jan 23 Thu 7 Uranus at east quadrature, 90° from the Sun
8872.604 Jan 24 Fri 3 Moon 1.47° SE of Saturn; 9° from the Sun in the
morning sky
8873.405 Jan 24 Fri 21:43 New Moon; beginning of lunation 1201
8874.313 Jan 25 SAT 20 Moon 1.33° SE of Mercury; 11° and 10° from the Sun
in the evening sky
8876.354 Jan 27 Mon 21 Venus 0.07° SE of Neptune; 40° from the Sun in the
evening sky; magnitudes -4.1 and 7.9
8876.900 Jan 28 Tue 10 Moon, Venus, and Neptune within circle of diameter
3.86°; about 39° from the Sun in the evening sky;
magnitudes -7, -4, 8
8876.917 Jan 28 Tue 10 Moon 3.8° SE of Neptune; 39° from the Sun in the
evening sky
8876.958 Jan 28 Tue 11 Moon 3.8° SE of Venus; 40° from the Sun in the
evening sky
8878.391 Jan 29 Wed 21 Moon at apogee; distance 63.56 Earth-radii
________________________________________
8880.792 Feb 1 SAT 7 Moon 4.2° SE of Uranus; 81° from the Sun in the
evening sky
8881.252 Feb 1 SAT 18 Mars at descending node through the ecliptic plane
8881.5 Feb 2 SUN Ground Hog Day
8881.571 Feb 2 SUN 1:42 First Quarter Moon
8883.063 Feb 3 Mon 14 Moon 7.2° SE of the Pleiades; 107° and 106° from the
Sun in the evening sky
8883.771 Feb 4 Tue 7 Moon 3.0° N of Aldebaran; 115° from the Sun in the
evening sky
8885.5 Feb 6 Thu 0 Moon 1.45° SE of M35 cluster; 136° from the Sun in
the evening sky
8885.875 Feb 6 Thu 9 Moon at ascending node; longitude 97.9°
8886.854 Feb 7 Fri 9 Moon 8.9° S of Castor; 153° and 151° from the Sun in
the evening sky
8887.042 Feb 7 Fri 13 Moon 5.3° S of Pollux; 156° and 154° from the Sun in
the evening sky
8887.043 Feb 7 Fri 13 Mercury at ascending node through the ecliptic plane
8887.5 Feb 8 SAT Alpha Centaurid meteors; ZHR 6; peak Feb 8 13h; 1 day
before Full
8887.979 Feb 8 SAT 12 Moon 1.28° NNE of Beehive Cluster; 168° from the Sun
in the evening sky
8888.815 Feb 9 SUN 7:33 Full Moon
8889.5 Feb 10 Mon 0 Moon 3.6° NNE of Regulus; 170° and 171° from the Sun
in the morning sky
8890.074 Feb 10 Mon 14 Mercury at easternmost elongation; 18.2° from Sun in
evening sky
8890.355 Feb 10 Mon 20:31 Moon at perigee; distance 56.52 Earth-radii
8891.398 Feb 11 Tue 22 The equation of time is at a minimum of -14.24 min-
utes.
8891.713 Feb 12 Wed 5 Mercury at perihelion, 0.3075 AU from the Sun
8892.610 Feb 13 Thu 3 Saturn at descending node through the ecliptic plane
8893.146 Feb 13 Thu 16 Moon 7.0° NNE of Spica; 120° from the Sun in the
morning sky
© 2019 by Guy Ottewell ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR 2020 4
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8893.5 Feb 14 Fri St. Valentine’s Day

8894.732 Feb 15 SAT 6 Venus at ascending node through the ecliptic plane
8895.354 Feb 15 SAT 21 Mercury 5.8° W of Neptune; 16° and 21° from the Sun
in the evening sky; magnitudes 0.5 and 8.0; quasi-
conjunction
8895.429 Feb 15 SAT 22:18 Last Quarter Moon
8895.922 Feb 16 SUN 10 Mercury stationary in right ascension; starts retro-
grade motion
8896.479 Feb 16 SUN 24 Moon 6.9° NNE of Antares; 77° and 78° from the Sun
in the morning sky
8896.533 Feb 17 Mon 1 Mercury stationary in longitude; starts retrograde
motion
8896.631 Feb 17 Mon 3 Sun enters Aquarius, at longitude 327.90° on the
ecliptic
8898.083 Feb 18 Tue 14 Moon 0.80° NNE of Mars; 58° from the Sun in the
morning sky
8898.509 Feb 19 Wed 0 Moon at descending node; longitude 277.3°
8898.709 Feb 19 Wed 5 Sun enters the astrological sign Pisces, i.e. its
longitude is 330°
8899.333 Feb 19 Wed 20 Moon 0.94° SE of Jupiter; 43° from the Sun in the
morning sky
8900.104 Feb 20 Thu 15 Moon 1.75° SE of Saturn; 34° from the Sun in the
morning sky
8900.166 Feb 20 Thu 16 Mars at southernmost declination, -23.67°
8901.923 Feb 22 SAT 10 Mercury at northernmost latitude from the ecliptic
plane, 7.0°
8903.148 Feb 23 SUN 15:33 New Moon; beginning of lunation 1202
8903.521 Feb 24 Mon 1 Moon 8.1° SE of Mercury; 6° from the Sun in the
evening sky
8904.292 Feb 24 Mon 19 Moon 3.8° SE of Neptune; 13° and 12° from the Sun in
the evening sky
8905.5 Feb 26 Wed Ash Wednesday
8905.568 Feb 26 Wed 2 Mercury at inferior conjunction with the Sun; 0.637
AU from Earth; latitude 6.65°
8905.630 Feb 26 Wed 3 Jupiter at descending node through the ecliptic plane
8905.975 Feb 26 Wed 11 Moon at apogee; distance 63.70 Earth-radii
8907.250 Feb 27 Thu 18 Moon 5.8° SE of Venus; 45° and 44° from the Sun in
the evening sky
8908.146 Feb 28 Fri 16 Moon 4.0° SE of Uranus; 55° and 54° from the Sun in
the evening sky
________________________________________
8910.396 Mar 1 SUN 22 Moon 7.0° SE of the Pleiades; 79° from the Sun in
the evening sky
8911.125 Mar 2 Mon 15 Moon 3.3° N of Aldebaran; 88° from the Sun in the
evening sky
8911.332 Mar 2 Mon 19:57 First Quarter Moon
8912.896 Mar 4 Wed 10 Moon 1.27° SE of M35 cluster; 109° and 108° from the
Sun in the evening sky
8913.125 Mar 4 Wed 15 Moon at ascending node; longitude 95.8°
© 2019 by Guy Ottewell ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR 2020 5
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8914.292 Mar 5 Thu 19 Moon 8.8° S of Castor; 126° and 124° from the Sun in
the evening sky
8914.479 Mar 5 Thu 24 Moon 5.1° S of Pollux; 128° and 127° from the Sun in
the evening sky
8915.438 Mar 6 Fri 23 Moon 1.39° NNE of Beehive Cluster; 141° from the Sun
in the evening sky
8916.5 Mar 8 SUN Clocks forward 1 hour (America)
8916.958 Mar 8 SUN 11 Moon 3.6° NNE of Regulus; 161° and 162° from the Sun
in the evening sky
8917.021 Mar 8 SUN 13 Neptune at conjunction with the Sun; 30.924 AU from
Earth; latitude -1.05°
8917.167 Mar 8 SUN 16 Venus 2.20° NNW of Uranus; 45° from the Sun in the
evening sky; magnitudes -4.3 and 5.9
8917.832 Mar 9 Mon 8 Mercury stationary in right ascension; resumes direct
motion
8918.241 Mar 9 Mon 17:47 Full Moon
8918.654 Mar 10 Tue 4 Mercury stationary in longitude; resumes direct
motion
8918.767 Mar 10 Tue 6:24 Moon at perigee; distance 56.00 Earth-radii
8918.767 Mar 10 Tue 6:24 Perigee only 12.6 hours after Full Moon
8920.216 Mar 11 Wed 17 Sun enters Pisces, at longitude 351.59° on the eclip-
tic
8920.542 Mar 12 Thu 1 Moon 6.8° NNE of Spica; 147° and 148° from the Sun
in the morning sky
8922.5 Mar 14 SAT Gamma Normid meteors; ZHR 6; peak Mar 14 3h; 2 days
before Last Quarter
8923.750 Mar 15 SUN 6 Moon 6.7° NNE of Antares; 104° and 105° from the Sun
in the morning sky
8924.899 Mar 16 Mon 9:35 Last Quarter Moon
8925.327 Mar 16 Mon 20 Mercury at descending node through the ecliptic plane
8925.5 Mar 17 Tue St. Patrick’s Day
8925.542 Mar 17 Tue 1 Moon at descending node; longitude 274.6°
8926.875 Mar 18 Wed 9 Moon 0.79° SE of Mars; 67° from the Sun in the morn-
ing sky
8926.900 Mar 18 Wed 10 Moon, Mars, and Jupiter within circle of diameter
1.59°; about 66° from the Sun in the morning sky;
magnitudes -9, 1, -2
8926.958 Mar 18 Wed 11 Moon 1.52° SE of Jupiter; 66° from the Sun in the
morning sky
8927.542 Mar 19 Thu 1 Moon 2.11° SE of Saturn; 59° from the Sun in the
morning sky
8928.612 Mar 20 Fri 3 Venus at perihelion, 0.7184 AU from the Sun
8928.662 Mar 20 Fri 3:54 March or spring or vernal equinox
8928.662 Mar 20 Fri 3:54 Sun enters the astrological sign Aries, i.e. its lon-
gitude is 0°
8928.958 Mar 20 Fri 11 Mars 0.71° S of Jupiter; 67° from the Sun in the
morning sky; magnitudes 0.9 and -2.1
8930.375 Mar 21 SAT 21 Moon 3.4° SE of Mercury; 28° from the Sun in the
morning sky
© 2019 by Guy Ottewell ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR 2020 6
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8931.625 Mar 23 Mon 3 Moon 3.8° SE of Neptune; 15° and 14° from the Sun in
the morning sky
8932.581 Mar 24 Tue 2 Mercury at westernmost elongation; 27.8° from Sun in
morning sky
8932.895 Mar 24 Tue 9:28 New Moon; beginning of lunation 1203
8933.145 Mar 24 Tue 15 Moon at apogee; distance 63.76 Earth-radii; farthest
in year
8933.415 Mar 24 Tue 22 Venus at easternmost elongation; 46.1° from Sun in
evening sky
8935.521 Mar 27 Fri 1 Moon 3.8° SE of Uranus; 29° and 28° from the Sun in
the evening sky
8935.529 Mar 27 Fri 1 Venus dichotomy (D-shape)
8935.697 Mar 27 Fri 5 Mercury at aphelion, 0.4667 AU from the Sun
8937.167 Mar 28 SAT 16 Moon 6.5° SE of Venus; 47° and 46° from the Sun in
the evening sky
8937.5 Mar 29 SUN Clocks forward 1 hour (Europe)
8937.646 Mar 29 SUN 4 Moon 6.7° SE of the Pleiades; 52° and 51° from the
Sun in the evening sky
8938.396 Mar 29 SUN 22 Moon 3.5° N of Aldebaran; 60° and 61° from the Sun
in the evening sky
8940.188 Mar 31 Tue 17 Moon 0.96° SE of M35 cluster; 81° from the Sun in
the evening sky
8940.203 Mar 31 Tue 17 Moon at ascending node; longitude 92.7°
8940.250 Mar 31 Tue 18 Mars 0.91° SE of Saturn; 71° from the Sun in the
morning sky; magnitudes 0.8 and 0.7
________________________________________
8940.5 Apr 1 Wed All Fools’ Day
8940.931 Apr 1 Wed 10:21 First Quarter Moon
8941.646 Apr 2 Thu 4 Moon 8.5° S of Castor; 99° and 98° from the Sun in
the evening sky
8941.833 Apr 2 Thu 8 Moon 4.9° S of Pollux; 101° and 100° from the Sun in
the evening sky
8942.833 Apr 3 Fri 8 Moon 1.61° NNE of Beehive Cluster; 114° from the Sun
in the evening sky
8943.542 Apr 4 SAT 1 Mercury 1.33° SE of Neptune; 25° from the Sun in the
morning sky; magnitudes 0.0 and 8.0
8943.563 Apr 4 SAT 2 Venus 0.25° SE of Alcyone; 46° from the Sun in the
evening sky; magnitudes -4.4 and 2.9
8944.396 Apr 4 SAT 22 Moon 3.8° NNE of Regulus; 134° and 135° from the Sun
in the evening sky
8944.5 Apr 5 SUN Palm Sunday.
8947.249 Apr 7 Tue 17:59 Perigee only 8.6 hours before Full Moon
8947.249 Apr 7 Tue 17:59 Moon at perigee; distance 55.96 Earth-radii; nearest
in year
8947.559 Apr 8 Wed 1 Autumn equinox on Mars
8947.559 Apr 8 Wed 1 Autumn equinox on Mars
8947.607 Apr 8 Wed 2:34 Full Moon
8948.000 Apr 8 Wed 12 Moon 6.7° NNE of Spica; 173° and 175° from the Sun
in the midnight sky
8949.5 Apr 10 Fri Good Friday
© 2019 by Guy Ottewell ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR 2020 7
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8950.209 Apr 10 Fri 17 Autumn equinox on Mars

8950.209 Apr 10 Fri 17 Autumn equinox on Mars
8950.237 Apr 10 Fri 18 Venus at northernmost latitude from the ecliptic
plane, 3.4°
8951.125 Apr 11 SAT 15 Moon 6.4° NNE of Antares; 131° and 132° from the Sun
in the morning sky
8951.5 Apr 12 SUN Easter
8952.626 Apr 13 Mon 3 Moon at descending node; longitude 271.6°
8954.455 Apr 14 Tue 22:56 Last Quarter Moon
8954.5 Apr 15 Wed 0 Moon 2.00° SE of Jupiter; 89° and 90° from the Sun
in the morning sky
8954.563 Apr 15 Wed 2 Venus 9.9° NNW of Aldebaran; 44° and 45° from the Sun
in the evening sky; magnitudes -4.5 and 0.9
8954.644 Apr 15 Wed 3 The equation of time is 0.
8954.800 Apr 15 Wed 7 Moon, Jupiter, and Saturn within circle of diameter
5.50°; about 87° from the Sun in the morning sky;
magnitudes -10, -2, 1
8954.938 Apr 15 Wed 11 Moon 2.45° SE of Saturn; 84° from the Sun in the
morning sky
8954.958 Apr 15 Wed 11 Jupiter at west quadrature, 90° from the Sun
8955.750 Apr 16 Thu 6 Moon 1.97° SE of Mars; 75° from the Sun in the morn-
ing sky
8955.956 Apr 16 Thu 11 Mercury at southernmost latitude from the ecliptic
plane, -7.0°
8958.198 Apr 18 SAT 17 Sun enters Aries, at longitude 29.10° on the ecliptic
8958.958 Apr 19 SUN 11 Moon 3.9° SE of Neptune; 40° from the Sun in the
morning sky
8959.117 Apr 19 SUN 15 Sun enters the astrological sign Taurus, i.e. its
longitude is 30°
8960.283 Apr 20 Mon 19 Moon at apogee; distance 63.73 Earth-radii
8960.5 Apr 21 Tue Lyrid meteors; ZHR 18; peak Apr 21 24h; 1 day before
New
8960.791 Apr 21 Tue 7 Saturn at west quadrature, 90° from the Sun
8961.375 Apr 21 Tue 21 Moon 2.87° SE of Mercury; 14° from the Sun in the
morning sky
8962.5 Apr 23 Thu Pi Puppid meteors; ZHR 10; peak Apr 23 5h; near New
8962.601 Apr 23 Thu 2:26 New Moon; beginning of lunation 1204
8962.896 Apr 23 Thu 10 Moon 3.7° SE of Uranus; 5° and 3° from the Sun in
the evening sky
8963.5 Apr 24 Fri 1st day of Ramadan (1441 A.H.)
8964.706 Apr 25 SAT 5 Pluto stationary in longitude; starts retrograde
motion
8964.896 Apr 25 SAT 10 Moon 6.6° SE of the Pleiades; 26° and 25° from the
Sun in the evening sky
8965.524 Apr 26 SUN 1 Pluto stationary in right ascension; starts retro-
grade motion
8965.625 Apr 26 SUN 3 Moon 3.7° N of Aldebaran; 34° from the Sun in the
evening sky
8965.879 Apr 26 SUN 9 Uranus at conjunction with the Sun; 20.811 AU from
Earth; latitude -0.47°
© 2019 by Guy Ottewell ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR 2020 8
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8966.250 Apr 26 SUN 18 Moon 5.9° SE of Venus; 41° and 40° from the Sun in
the evening sky
8967.248 Apr 27 Mon 18 Moon at ascending node; longitude 90.3°
8967.438 Apr 27 Mon 23 Moon 0.78° SE of M35 cluster; 55° and 54° from the
Sun in the evening sky
8967.549 Apr 28 Tue 1 Venus shows greatest illuminated extent, 48.3 square
seconds
8968.104 Apr 28 Tue 15 Venus brightest; magnitude -4.52°
8968.896 Apr 29 Wed 10 Moon 8.3° S of Castor; 72° and 71° from the Sun in
the evening sky
8969.104 Apr 29 Wed 15 Moon 4.6° S of Pollux; 74° from the Sun in the
evening sky
8970.125 Apr 30 Thu 15 Moon 1.84° NNE of Beehive Cluster; 87° from the Sun
in the evening sky
8970.359 Apr 30 Thu 20:38 First Quarter Moon
________________________________________
8970.688 May 1 Fri 5 Mercury 0.30° SE of Uranus; 4° from the Sun in the
morning sky; magnitudes -1.7 and 5.9
8971.750 May 2 SAT 6 Moon 4.0° NNE of Regulus; 108° from the Sun in the
evening sky
8973.501 May 4 Mon 0 Venus at northernmost declination, 27.82°
8974.395 May 4 Mon 21 Mercury at superior conjunction with the Sun; 1.325
AU from Earth; latitude -0.45°
8974.5 May 5 Tue Eta Aquarid meteors; ZHR 50; peak May 5 13h; 2 days
before Full
8975.013 May 5 Tue 12 Mercury at ascending node through the ecliptic plane
8975.438 May 5 Tue 23 Moon 6.7° NNE of Spica; 158° from the Sun in the
evening sky
8975.622 May 6 Wed 2:56 Moon at perigee; distance 56.39 Earth-radii
8976.948 May 7 Thu 10:44 Full Moon
8977.5 May 8 Fri Eta Lyrid meteors; ZHR 3; peak May 8 3h; 1 day after
Full
8978.542 May 9 SAT 1 Moon 6.3° NNE of Antares; 158° from the Sun in the
morning sky
8979.682 May 10 SUN 4 Mercury at perihelion, 0.3075 AU from the Sun
8979.877 May 10 SUN 9 Moon at descending node; longitude 269.7°
8980.597 May 11 Mon 2 Saturn stationary in longitude; starts retrograde
motion
8980.818 May 11 Mon 8 Saturn stationary in right ascension; starts retro-
grade motion
8981.667 May 12 Tue 4 Mercury 2.93° SE of Alcyone; 9° from the Sun in the
evening sky; magnitudes -1.5 and 2.9
8981.938 May 12 Tue 11 Moon 2.24° S of Jupiter; 115° from the Sun in the
morning sky
8982.100 May 12 Tue 14 Moon, Jupiter, and Saturn within circle of diameter
4.72°; about 113° from the Sun in the morning sky;
magnitudes -11, -2, 1
8982.313 May 12 Tue 20 Moon 2.66° SE of Saturn; 110° and 111° from the Sun
in the morning sky
© 2019 by Guy Ottewell ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR 2020 9
www.universalworkshop.com

8982.778 May 13 Wed 7 Venus stationary in longitude; starts retrograde

motion
8982.925 May 13 Wed 10 Venus stationary in right ascension; starts retro-
grade motion
8983.115 May 13 Wed 15 The equation of time is at a maximum of 3.65 minutes.
8983.315 May 13 Wed 20 Sun enters Taurus, at longitude 53.48° on the eclip-
tic
8984.082 May 14 Thu 14 Jupiter stationary in longitude; starts retrograde
motion
8984.085 May 14 Thu 14:02 Last Quarter Moon
8984.246 May 14 Thu 18 Jupiter stationary in right ascension; starts retro-
grade motion
8984.688 May 15 Fri 5 Moon 2.63° SE of Mars; 83° from the Sun in the morn-
ing sky
8986.142 May 16 SAT 15 Mars and Jupiter at heliocentric conjunction; longi-
tude 287.4°
8986.146 May 16 SAT 16 Mercury 7.2° N of Aldebaran; 14° and 15° from the Sun
in the evening sky; magnitudes -1.1 and 0.9
8986.292 May 16 SAT 19 Moon 4.1° SE of Neptune; 66° from the Sun in the
morning sky
8987.729 May 18 Mon 6 Jupiter 4.7° WSW of Saturn; 121° and 116° from the
Sun in the morning sky; magnitudes -2.5 and 0.6;
quasi-conjunction
8987.818 May 18 Mon 8 Moon at apogee; distance 63.59 Earth-radii
8989.892 May 20 Wed 9 Mercury at northernmost latitude from the ecliptic
plane, 7.0°
8990.077 May 20 Wed 14 Sun enters the astrological sign Gemini, i.e. its
longitude is 60°
8990.292 May 20 Wed 19 Moon 3.6° SE of Uranus; 22° from the Sun in the
morning sky
8991.917 May 22 Fri 10 Mercury 0.88° SE of Venus; 19° from the Sun in the
evening sky; magnitudes -0.6 and -4.2
8992.146 May 22 Fri 16 Moon 6.6° SE of the Pleiades; 3° and 4° from the Sun
in the morning sky
8992.235 May 22 Fri 17:39 New Moon; beginning of lunation 1205
8992.875 May 23 SAT 9 Moon 3.7° N of Aldebaran; 7° and 9° from the Sun in
the evening sky
8993.688 May 24 SUN 5 Moon 3.6° SE of Venus; 17° and 16° from the Sun in
the evening sky
8993.758 May 24 SUN 6 Moon, Mercury, and Venus within circle of diameter
4.44°; about 18° from the Sun in the evening sky;
magnitudes -6, 0, -4
8994.021 May 24 SUN 13 Moon 2.76° SE of Mercury; 21° and 20° from the Sun
in the evening sky
8994.401 May 24 SUN 22 Moon at ascending node; longitude 89.2°
8994.667 May 25 Mon 4 Moon 0.66° SE of M35 cluster; 28° from the Sun in
the evening sky
8996.125 May 26 Tue 15 Moon 8.2° S of Castor; 46° from the Sun in the
evening sky
© 2019 by Guy Ottewell ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR 2020 10
www.universalworkshop.com

8996.333 May 26 Tue 20 Moon 4.5° S of Pollux; 48° from the Sun in the
evening sky
8996.693 May 27 Wed 5 Mercury at northernmost declination, 25.66°
8997.354 May 27 Wed 21 Moon 1.98° NNE of Beehive Cluster; 61° from the Sun
in the evening sky
8999.000 May 29 Fri 12 Moon 4.1° NNE of Regulus; 82° from the Sun in the
evening sky
8999.645 May 30 SAT 3:29 First Quarter Moon
9000.063 May 30 SAT 14 Mercury 1.18° N of M35 cluster; 23° from the Sun in
the evening sky; magnitudes 0.1 and 5.3
9000.5 May 31 SUN Whit Sunday
________________________________________
9002.260 Jun 1 Mon 18 Mars and Saturn at heliocentric conjunction; longi-
tude 297.1°
9002.813 Jun 2 Tue 8 Moon 6.8° NNE of Spica; 132° from the Sun in the
evening sky
9003.649 Jun 3 Wed 3:35 Moon at perigee; distance 57.13 Earth-radii
9004.234 Jun 3 Wed 18 Venus at inferior conjunction with the Sun; 0.289 AU
from Earth; latitude 0.19°
9005.040 Jun 4 Thu 13 Mercury at easternmost elongation; 23.6° from Sun in
evening sky
9005.979 Jun 5 Fri 12 Moon 6.3° NNE of Antares; 175° and 173° from the Sun
in the midnight sky
9006.291 Jun 5 Fri 19 Venus at descending node through the ecliptic plane
9006.300 Jun 5 Fri 19:12 Full Moon. Penumbral eclipse of the Moon
9006.5 Jun 6 SAT Daytime Arietid meteors; ZHR 30; peak Jun 6 21h; 1
day after Full
9007.257 Jun 6 SAT 18 Moon at descending node; longitude 269.1°
9007.294 Jun 6 SAT 19 Mars at west quadrature, 90° from the Sun
9009.271 Jun 8 Mon 19 Moon 2.21° SE of Jupiter; 142° from the Sun in the
morning sky
9009.400 Jun 8 Mon 22 Moon, Jupiter, and Saturn within circle of diameter
5.06°; about 140° from the Sun in the morning sky;
magnitudes -12, -3, 0
9009.646 Jun 9 Tue 4 Moon 2.66° SE of Saturn; 137° from the Sun in the
morning sky
9013.131 Jun 12 Fri 15 The equation of time is 0.
9013.296 Jun 12 Fri 19 Mercury at descending node through the ecliptic plane
9013.375 Jun 12 Fri 21 Venus 4.2° NNW of Aldebaran; 14° and 13° from the Sun
in the morning sky; magnitudes -4.1 and 0.9
9013.600 Jun 13 SAT 2 Moon, Mars, and Neptune within circle of diameter
4.16°; about 92° from the Sun in the morning sky;
magnitudes -10, 0, 8
9013.604 Jun 13 SAT 3 Moon 2.54° SE of Mars; 92° from the Sun in the morn-
ing sky
9013.646 Jun 13 SAT 4 Moon 4.2° SE of Neptune; 91° and 92° from the Sun in
the morning sky
9013.767 Jun 13 SAT 6:24 Last Quarter Moon
9014.021 Jun 13 SAT 13 Mars 1.63° SE of Neptune; 92° from the Sun in the
morning sky; magnitudes -0.2 and 7.9
© 2019 by Guy Ottewell ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR 2020 11
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9014.688 Jun 14 SUN 4:31 Earliest sunrise, at latitude 40° north

9015.542 Jun 15 Mon 1 Moon at apogee; distance 63.44 Earth-radii
9017.708 Jun 17 Wed 5 Moon 3.6° SE of Uranus; 47° from the Sun in the
morning sky
9018.310 Jun 17 Wed 19 Mercury stationary in right ascension; starts retro-
grade motion
9018.705 Jun 18 Thu 5 Mercury stationary in longitude; starts retrograde
motion
9019.458 Jun 18 Thu 23 Moon 6.6° SE of the Pleiades; 27° and 28° from the
Sun in the morning sky
9019.875 Jun 19 Fri 9 Moon 0.75° N of Venus; 22° and 23° from the Sun in
the morning sky
9019.958 Jun 19 Fri 11 Moon, Venus, and Aldebar within circle of diameter
4.85°; about 21° from the Sun in the morning sky;
magnitudes -6, -4, 1
9020.188 Jun 19 Fri 17 Moon 3.7° N of Aldebaran; 19° and 20° from the Sun
in the morning sky
9020.542 Jun 20 SAT 1 Middle of eclipse season: Sun is at same longitude as
Moon’s ascending node, 89.2°
9020.979 Jun 20 SAT 12 Venus 8.9° SE of the Pleiades; 24° and 30° from the
Sun in the morning sky; magnitudes -4.3 and 2.9;
quasi-conjunction
9021.406 Jun 20 SAT 21:45 June or summer solstice
9021.406 Jun 20 SAT 21:45 Sun enters the astrological sign Cancer, i.e. its
longitude is 90°
9021.685 Jun 21 SUN 4 Moon at ascending node; longitude 89.1°
9021.779 Jun 21 SUN 6:41 New Moon; beginning of lunation 1206. Annular-total
eclipse of the Sun
9021.873 Jun 21 SUN 9 Sun enters Gemini, at longitude 90.44° on the eclip-
tic
9021.958 Jun 21 SUN 11 Moon 0.70° SE of M35 cluster; 2° from the Sun in the
evening sky
9022.833 Jun 22 Mon 8 Moon 3.9° N of Mercury; 13° from the Sun in the
evening sky
9023.396 Jun 22 Mon 22 Moon 8.1° S of Castor; 20° and 21° from the Sun in
the evening sky
9023.453 Jun 22 Mon 23 Neptune stationary in longitude; starts retrograde
motion
9023.5 Jun 23 Tue June Boötid meteors; ZHR 5; peak Jun 23 0h; 2 days
after New
9023.583 Jun 23 Tue 2 Moon 4.5° S of Pollux; 22° from the Sun in the
evening sky
9023.666 Jun 23 Tue 4 Mercury at aphelion, 0.4667 AU from the Sun
9024.041 Jun 23 Tue 13 Neptune stationary in right ascension; starts retro-
grade motion
9024.604 Jun 24 Wed 3 Moon 2.03° NNE of Beehive Cluster; 35° from the Sun
in the evening sky
9025.254 Jun 24 Wed 18 Venus stationary in right ascension; resumes direct
motion
9025.782 Jun 25 Thu 7 Venus stationary in longitude; resumes direct motion
© 2019 by Guy Ottewell ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR 2020 12
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9026.229 Jun 25 Thu 18 Moon 4.2° NNE of Regulus; 56° from the Sun in the
evening sky
9028.315 Jun 27 SAT 19:33 Latest sunset, at latitude 40° north
9028.844 Jun 28 SUN 8:15 First Quarter Moon
9030.083 Jun 29 Mon 14 Moon 6.8° NNE of Spica; 106° from the Sun in the
evening sky
9030.588 Jun 30 Tue 2:07 Moon at perigee; distance 57.85 Earth-radii
________________________________________
9031.615 Jul 1 Wed 3 Mercury at inferior conjunction with the Sun; 0.563
AU from Earth; latitude -5.47°
9033.333 Jul 2 Thu 20 Moon 6.3° NNE of Antares; 150° and 148° from the Sun
in the evening sky
9034.638 Jul 4 SAT 3 Moon at descending node; longitude 269.1°
9034.940 Jul 4 SAT 11 Earth at aphelion; V”þS AU from the Sun
9035.697 Jul 5 SUN 4:44 Full Moon. Penumbral eclipse of the Moon
9036.438 Jul 5 SUN 23 Moon 1.88° SE of Jupiter; 171° from the Sun in the
midnight sky
9036.896 Jul 6 Mon 10 Moon 2.47° S of Saturn; 165° from the Sun in the
morning sky
9038.547 Jul 8 Wed 1 Mars at southernmost latitude from the ecliptic
plane, -1.8°
9038.993 Jul 8 Wed 12 Venus brightest; magnitude -4.48°
9040.816 Jul 10 Fri 8 Venus shows greatest illuminated extent, 47.4 square
seconds
9040.979 Jul 10 Fri 12 Moon 4.1° SE of Neptune; 117° and 118° from the Sun
in the morning sky
9041.098 Jul 10 Fri 14 Venus at aphelion, 0.7282 AU from the Sun
9041.999 Jul 11 SAT 12 Mars crosses equator northward
9042.417 Jul 11 SAT 22 Moon 1.81° SE of Mars; 102° from the Sun in the
morning sky
9042.563 Jul 12 SUN 2 Venus 0.95° N of Aldebaran; 40° from the Sun in the
morning sky; magnitudes -4.5 and 0.9
9042.786 Jul 12 SUN 7 Mercury stationary in right ascension; resumes direct
motion
9042.848 Jul 12 SUN 8 Mercury stationary in longitude; resumes direct
motion
9043.309 Jul 12 SUN 19 Moon at apogee; distance 63.37 Earth-radii
9043.479 Jul 12 SUN 23:30 Last Quarter Moon
9043.925 Jul 13 Mon 10 Mercury at southernmost latitude from the ecliptic
plane, -7.0°
9044.826 Jul 14 Tue 8 Jupiter at opposition; magnitude -2.8
9045.125 Jul 14 Tue 15 Moon 3.5° SE of Uranus; 72° from the Sun in the
morning sky
9045.625 Jul 15 Wed 3 Mercury 6.0° SE of M35 cluster; 18° and 21° from the
Sun in the morning sky; magnitudes 1.6 and 5.3
9045.988 Jul 15 Wed 12 Pluto at opposition; magnitude 14.3
9046.813 Jul 16 Thu 8 Moon 6.6° SE of the Pleiades; 53° and 54° from the
Sun in the morning sky
9047.521 Jul 17 Fri 1 Moon 3.7° N of Aldebaran; 45° from the Sun in the
morning sky
© 2019 by Guy Ottewell ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR 2020 13
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9047.600 Jul 17 Fri 2 Moon, Venus, and Aldebar within circle of diameter
4.13°; about 44° from the Sun in the morning sky;
magnitudes -8, -4, 1
9047.771 Jul 17 Fri 7 Moon 3.1° N of Venus; 42° from the Sun in the morn-
ing sky
9049.024 Jul 18 SAT 13 Moon at ascending node; longitude 89.0°
9049.292 Jul 18 SAT 19 Moon 0.62° SE of M35 cluster; 24° from the Sun in
the morning sky
9049.688 Jul 19 SUN 5 Moon 3.9° N of Mercury; 19° and 20° from the Sun in
the morning sky
9050.729 Jul 20 Mon 6 Moon 8.2° S of Castor; 7° and 13° from the Sun in
the morning sky
9050.917 Jul 20 Mon 10 Moon 4.5° S of Pollux; 5° and 8° from the Sun in the
morning sky
9051.051 Jul 20 Mon 13 Sun enters Cancer, at longitude 118.27° on the eclip-
tic
9051.231 Jul 20 Mon 17:32 New Moon; beginning of lunation 1207
9051.429 Jul 20 Mon 22 Saturn at opposition; magnitude 0.1
9051.917 Jul 21 Tue 10 Moon 2.00° NNE of Beehive Cluster; 9° from the Sun in
the evening sky
9052.860 Jul 22 Wed 9 Sun enters the astrological sign Leo, i.e. its longi-
tude is 120°
9053.127 Jul 22 Wed 15 Mercury at westernmost elongation; 20.1° from Sun in
morning sky
9053.5 Jul 23 Thu 0 Moon 4.1° NNE of Regulus; 30° from the Sun in the
evening sky
9055.712 Jul 25 SAT 5:05 Moon at perigee; distance 57.75 Earth-radii
9056.234 Jul 25 SAT 18 The equation of time is at a minimum of -6.55 min-
utes.
9057.292 Jul 26 SUN 19 Moon 6.7° NNE of Spica; 80° from the Sun in the
evening sky
9057.5 Jul 27 Mon Piscid Austrinid meteors; ZHR 5; peak Jul 27 14h;
near First Quarter
9058.023 Jul 27 Mon 12:33 First Quarter Moon
9059.5 Jul 29 Wed Southern Delta Aquarid meteors; ZHR 25; peak Jul 29
16h; 2 days after First Quarter
9059.5 Jul 29 Wed Alpha Capricornid meteors; ZHR 5; peak Jul 29 16h; 2
days after First Quarter
9060.604 Jul 30 Thu 3 Moon 6.2° NNE of Antares; 124° and 123° from the Sun
in the evening sky
9061.897 Jul 31 Fri 10 Moon at descending node; longitude 268.6°
________________________________________
9062.982 Aug 1 SAT 12 Mercury at ascending node through the ecliptic plane
9063.142 Aug 1 SAT 15 Venus at southernmost latitude from the ecliptic
plane, -3.4°
9063.5 Aug 2 SUN 0 Moon 1.52° S of Jupiter; 160° from the Sun in the
evening sky
9063.521 Aug 2 SUN 1 Mercury 6.6° S of Pollux; 16° and 18° from the Sun
in the morning sky; magnitudes -0.9 and 1.2
9063.968 Aug 2 SUN 11 Uranus at west quadrature, 90° from the Sun
© 2019 by Guy Ottewell ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR 2020 14
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9064.083 Aug 2 SUN 14 Moon 2.26° SE of Saturn; 167° from the Sun in the
evening sky
9064.881 Aug 3 Mon 9 Mars at perihelion, 1.3814 AU from the Sun
9065.166 Aug 3 Mon 15:58 Full Moon
9067.651 Aug 6 Thu 4 Mercury at perihelion, 0.3075 AU from the Sun
9068.271 Aug 6 Thu 19 Moon 4.0° SE of Neptune; 144° from the Sun in the
morning sky
9070.542 Aug 9 SUN 1 Mercury 0.06° SE of Beehive Cluster; 9° from the Sun
in the morning sky; magnitudes -1.5 and 3.7
9070.875 Aug 9 SUN 9 Moon 0.71° SE of Mars; 115° from the Sun in the
morning sky
9071.074 Aug 9 SUN 14 Moon at apogee; distance 63.45 Earth-radii
9071.882 Aug 10 Mon 9 Sun enters Leo, at longitude 138.20° on the ecliptic
9071.938 Aug 10 Mon 11 Venus 4.4° S of M35 cluster; 46° from the Sun in the
morning sky; magnitudes -4.3 and 5.3
9072.5 Aug 11 Tue 0 Moon 3.3° SE of Uranus; 98° from the Sun in the
morning sky
9073.199 Aug 11 Tue 16:47 Last Quarter Moon
9073.5 Aug 12 Wed Perseid meteors; ZHR 110; peak Aug 12 6h; 1 day after
Last Quarter
9074.167 Aug 12 Wed 16 Moon 6.4° SE of the Pleiades; 79° and 80° from the
Sun in the morning sky
9074.364 Aug 12 Wed 21 Venus dichotomy (D-shape)
9074.497 Aug 12 Wed 24 Venus at westernmost elongation; 45.8° from Sun in
morning sky
9074.896 Aug 13 Thu 10 Moon 3.9° N of Aldebaran; 71° from the Sun in the
morning sky
9076.309 Aug 14 Fri 19 Moon at ascending node; longitude 87.8°
9076.688 Aug 15 SAT 5 Moon 0.59° SE of M35 cluster; 50° and 51° from the
Sun in the morning sky
9076.958 Aug 15 SAT 11 Uranus stationary in longitude; starts retrograde
motion
9077.063 Aug 15 SAT 14 Moon 4.0° N of Venus; 46° from the Sun in the morn-
ing sky
9077.063 Aug 15 SAT 14 Uranus stationary in right ascension; starts retro-
grade motion
9077.861 Aug 16 SUN 9 Mercury at northernmost latitude from the ecliptic
plane, 7.0°
9078.104 Aug 16 SUN 15 Moon 8.1° S of Castor; 33° and 35° from the Sun in
the morning sky
9078.313 Aug 16 SUN 20 Moon 4.5° S of Pollux; 30° and 32° from the Sun in
the morning sky
9078.5 Aug 17 Mon Kappa Cygnid meteors; ZHR 3; peak Aug 17 11h; 2 days
before New
9079.121 Aug 17 Mon 15 Mercury at superior conjunction with the Sun; 1.354
AU from Earth; latitude 6.96°
9079.292 Aug 17 Mon 19 Moon 1.99° NNE of Beehive Cluster; 18° from the Sun
in the morning sky
9080.612 Aug 19 Wed 2:41 New Moon; beginning of lunation 1208
© 2019 by Guy Ottewell ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR 2020 15
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9080.750 Aug 19 Wed 6 Moon 2.70° NNE of Mercury; 5° and 2° from the Sun in
the evening sky
9080.842 Aug 19 Wed 8 Moon, Mercury, and Regulus within circle of diameter
4.04°; only about 4° from the Sun; magnitudes -5, -2,
1
9080.875 Aug 19 Wed 9 Moon 4.1° NNE of Regulus; 6° and 3° from the Sun in
the evening sky
9081.5 Aug 20 Thu 1st day of Muslim year (1442 A.H.)
9081.646 Aug 20 Thu 4 Mercury 1.27° NNE of Regulus; 3° from the Sun in the
evening sky; magnitudes -1.7 and 1.4
9082.957 Aug 21 Fri 10:58 Moon at perigee; distance 57.00 Earth-radii
9084.158 Aug 22 SAT 16 Sun enters the astrological sign Virgo, i.e. its lon-
gitude is 150°
9084.563 Aug 23 SUN 2 Moon 6.6° NNE of Spica; 54° from the Sun in the
evening sky
9085.433 Aug 23 SUN 22 Mars and Neptune at heliocentric conjunction; longi-
tude 349.4°
9087.249 Aug 25 Tue 17:58 First Quarter Moon
9087.813 Aug 26 Wed 8 Moon 6.0° NNE of Antares; 97° and 96° from the Sun
in the evening sky
9088.995 Aug 27 Thu 12 Moon at descending node; longitude 266.8°
9090.583 Aug 29 SAT 2 Moon 1.41° S of Jupiter; 132° from the Sun in the
evening sky
9091.229 Aug 29 SAT 18 Moon 2.21° SE of Saturn; 139° from the Sun in the
evening sky
9092.5 Aug 31 Mon Aurigid meteors; ZHR 5; peak Aug 31 14h; 2 days
before Full
9093.354 Aug 31 Mon 21 Venus 8.6° S of Pollux; 45° and 46° from the Sun in
the morning sky; magnitudes -4.2 and 1.2
________________________________________
9093.581 Sep 1 Tue 2 The equation of time is 0.
9094.724 Sep 2 Wed 5:22 Full Moon
9095.521 Sep 3 Thu 1 Moon 3.9° SE of Neptune; 170° and 171° from the Sun
in the morning sky
9096.656 Sep 4 Fri 4 Winter solstice on Mars
9096.656 Sep 4 Fri 4 Winter solstice on Mars
9098.729 Sep 6 SUN 6 Moon 0.36° ENE of Mars; 136° from the Sun in the
morning sky
9098.779 Sep 6 SUN 7 Moon at apogee; distance 63.59 Earth-radii
9099.792 Sep 7 Mon 7 Moon 3.1° SE of Uranus; 124° and 125° from the Sun
in the morning sky
9100.5 Sep 8 Tue September Epsilon Perseid meteors; ZHR 10; peak Sep 8
22h; 1 day before Last Quarter
9101.265 Sep 8 Tue 18 Mercury at descending node through the ecliptic plane
9101.479 Sep 8 Tue 24 Moon 6.2° SE of the Pleiades; 106° from the Sun in
the morning sky
9102.229 Sep 9 Wed 18 Moon 4.1° N of Aldebaran; 97° from the Sun in the
morning sky
9102.243 Sep 9 Wed 18 Mars stationary in right ascension; starts retrograde
motion
© 2019 by Guy Ottewell ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR 2020 16
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9102.432 Sep 9 Wed 22 Mars stationary in longitude; starts retrograde

motion
9102.894 Sep 10 Thu 9:27 Last Quarter Moon
9103.463 Sep 10 Thu 23 Moon at ascending node; longitude 85.2°
9104.063 Sep 11 Fri 14 Moon 0.47° ESE of M35 cluster; 77° from the Sun in
the morning sky
9104.343 Sep 11 Fri 20 Neptune at opposition; magnitude 7.8
9105.477 Sep 12 SAT 23 Jupiter stationary in right ascension; resumes direct
motion
9105.5 Sep 13 SUN 0 Moon 7.9° S of Castor; 59° and 61° from the Sun in
the morning sky
9105.509 Sep 13 SUN 0 Jupiter stationary in longitude; resumes direct
motion
9105.708 Sep 13 SUN 5 Moon 4.3° S of Pollux; 57° and 58° from the Sun in
the morning sky
9105.896 Sep 13 SUN 10 Venus 2.27° S of Beehive Cluster; 43° from the Sun in
the morning sky; magnitudes -4.1 and 3.7
9106.708 Sep 14 Mon 5 Moon 2.11° NNE of Beehive Cluster; 44° from the Sun
in the morning sky
9106.758 Sep 14 Mon 6 Moon, Venus, and Beehive within circle of diameter
4.36°; about 44° from the Sun in the morning sky;
magnitudes -8, -4, 4
9106.792 Sep 14 Mon 7 Moon 4.4° NNE of Venus; 43° from the Sun in the
morning sky
9107.316 Sep 14 Mon 20 Jupiter at southernmost declination, -22.72°
9108.292 Sep 15 Tue 19 Moon 4.1° NNE of Regulus; 24° and 23° from the Sun
in the morning sky
9109.100 Sep 16 Wed 14 Sun enters Virgo, at longitude 174.17° on the eclip-
tic
9109.958 Sep 17 Thu 10:60 New Moon; beginning of lunation 1209
9110.5 Sep 18 Fri Rosh Hashanah, 1st say of Hebrew year 5781 A.M.
9111.080 Sep 18 Fri 13:55 Moon at perigee; distance 56.30 Earth-radii
9111.625 Sep 19 SAT 3 Moon 5.9° NNE of Mercury; 24° and 23° from the Sun
in the evening sky
9111.636 Sep 19 SAT 3 Mercury at aphelion, 0.4667 AU from the Sun
9111.917 Sep 19 SAT 10 Moon 6.4° NNE of Spica; 28° and 27° from the Sun in
the evening sky
9115.000 Sep 22 Tue 12 Mercury 0.27° NE of Spica; 24° from the Sun in the
evening sky; magnitudes -0.0 and 1.0
9115.064 Sep 22 Tue 13:32 Sun enters the astrological sign Libra, i.e. its lon-
gitude is 180°
9115.064 Sep 22 Tue 13:32 September of fall or autumn equinox
9115.083 Sep 22 Tue 14 Moon 5.8° NNE of Antares; 71° and 70° from the Sun
in the evening sky
9116.023 Sep 23 Wed 13 Moon at descending node; longitude 263.9°
9116.580 Sep 24 Thu 1:55 First Quarter Moon
9117.813 Sep 25 Fri 8 Moon 1.62° SE of Jupiter; 105° from the Sun in the
evening sky
9118.396 Sep 25 Fri 22 Moon 2.32° S of Saturn; 112° from the Sun in the
evening sky
© 2019 by Guy Ottewell ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR 2020 17
www.universalworkshop.com

9119.435 Sep 26 SAT 22 Venus at ascending node through the ecliptic plane
9121.547 Sep 29 Tue 1 Saturn stationary in right ascension; resumes direct
motion
9121.642 Sep 29 Tue 3 Saturn stationary in longitude; resumes direct motion
9122.729 Sep 30 Wed 6 Moon 3.9° SE of Neptune; 161° and 162° from the Sun
in the evening sky
________________________________________
9124.163 Oct 1 Thu 16 Mercury at easternmost elongation; 25.8° from Sun in
evening sky
9124.379 Oct 1 Thu 21:06 Full Moon
9125.479 Oct 2 Fri 24 Venus 0.09° S of Regulus; 40° from the Sun in the
morning sky; magnitudes -4.1 and 1.4
9125.688 Oct 3 SAT 5 Moon 0.70° SE of Mars; 165° and 166° from the Sun in
the morning sky
9126.187 Oct 3 SAT 16 Pluto stationary in right ascension; resumes direct
motion
9126.233 Oct 3 SAT 18 Moon at apogee; distance 63.70 Earth-radii
9126.602 Oct 4 SUN 2 Pluto stationary in longitude; resumes direct motion
9127.000 Oct 4 SUN 12 Moon 2.96° SE of Uranus; 151° and 152° from the Sun
in the morning sky
9127.5 Oct 5 Mon October Camelopardalid meteors; ZHR 5; peak Oct 5 7h;
3 days after Full
9128.750 Oct 6 Tue 6 Moon 5.9° SE of the Pleiades; 132° and 133° from the
Sun in the morning sky
9129.099 Oct 6 Tue 14 Mars nearest to Earth, 0.415 AU
9129.5 Oct 7 Wed 0 Moon 4.4° N of Aldebaran; 124° from the Sun in the
morning sky
9130.5 Oct 8 Thu Draconid meteors; ZHR 20; peak Oct 8 6h; 2 days
before Last Quarter
9130.521 Oct 8 Thu 1 Moon at ascending node; longitude 82.2°
9131.354 Oct 8 Thu 21 Moon 0.15° E of M35 cluster; 104° from the Sun in
the morning sky
9131.5 Oct 9 Fri Southern Taurid meteors; ZHR 5; peak Oct 9 21h; near
Last Quarter
9131.894 Oct 9 Fri 9 Mercury at southernmost latitude from the ecliptic
plane, -7.0°
9132.5 Oct 10 SAT Delta Aurigid meteors; ZHR 2; peak Oct 10 21h; 1 day
after Last Quarter
9132.528 Oct 10 SAT 0:40 Last Quarter Moon
9132.854 Oct 10 SAT 9 Moon 7.7° S of Castor; 86° and 87° from the Sun in
the morning sky
9133.063 Oct 10 SAT 14 Moon 4.0° S of Pollux; 84° from the Sun in the morn-
ing sky
9134.063 Oct 11 SUN 14 Jupiter at east quadrature, 90° from the Sun
9134.104 Oct 11 SUN 15 Moon 2.35° NNE of Beehive Cluster; 71° from the Sun
in the morning sky
9135.729 Oct 13 Tue 6 Moon 4.3° NNE of Regulus; 50° from the Sun in the
morning sky
9136.472 Oct 13 Tue 23 Mars at opposition; magnitude -2.6
© 2019 by Guy Ottewell ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR 2020 18
www.universalworkshop.com

9136.542 Oct 14 Wed 1 Mercury stationary in longitude; starts retrograde

motion
9136.646 Oct 14 Wed 4 Moon 4.1° NNE of Venus; 38° from the Sun in the
morning sky
9136.685 Oct 14 Wed 4 Mercury stationary in right ascension; starts retro-
grade motion
9138.099 Oct 15 Thu 14 Pluto at southernmost declination, -22.65°
9139.313 Oct 16 Fri 19:31 New Moon; beginning of lunation 1210
9139.375 Oct 16 Fri 21 Moon 6.3° NNE of Spica; 4° and 2° from the Sun in
the evening sky
9139.498 Oct 16 Fri 23:57 Moon at perigee; distance 55.96 Earth-radii; nearest
in year
9139.498 Oct 16 Fri 23:57 Perigee only 4.4 hours after New Moon
9139.5 Oct 17 SAT Epsilon Geminid meteors; ZHR 3; peak Oct 17 22h; 1
day after New
9140.458 Oct 17 SAT 23 Moon 6.3° NNE of Mercury; 17° and 16° from the Sun
in the evening sky
9141.079 Oct 18 SUN 14 Saturn at east quadrature, 90° from the Sun
9142.438 Oct 19 Mon 23 Moon 5.6° NNE of Antares; 44° and 43° from the Sun
in the evening sky
9142.5 Oct 20 Tue Orionid meteors; ZHR 25; peak Oct 20 23h; 3 days
before First Quarter
9143.162 Oct 20 Tue 16 Moon at descending node; longitude 261.3°
9145.250 Oct 22 Thu 18 Moon 2.03° SE of Jupiter; 80° from the Sun in the
evening sky
9145.457 Oct 22 Thu 23 Sun enters the astrological sign Scorpius, i.e. its
longitude is 210°
9145.5 Oct 23 Fri Leo Minorid meteors; ZHR 2; peak Oct 23 23h; near
First Quarter
9145.600 Oct 23 Fri 2 Moon, Jupiter, and Saturn within circle of diameter
5.92°; about 83° from the Sun in the evening sky;
magnitudes -10, -2, 1
9145.708 Oct 23 Fri 5 Moon 2.61° SE of Saturn; 86° from the Sun in the
evening sky
9146.058 Oct 23 Fri 13:23 First Quarter Moon
9147.5 Oct 25 SUN Clocks back 1 hour (Europe)
9148.262 Oct 25 SUN 18 Mercury at inferior conjunction with the Sun; 0.671
AU from Earth; latitude -1.91°
9149.917 Oct 27 Tue 10 Moon 4.0° SE of Neptune; 134° from the Sun in the
evening sky
9150.951 Oct 28 Wed 11 Mercury at ascending node through the ecliptic plane
9152.292 Oct 29 Thu 19 Moon 2.72° SE of Mars; 160° from the Sun in the
evening sky
9153.280 Oct 30 Fri 19 Moon at apogee; distance 63.72 Earth-radii
9153.293 Oct 30 Fri 19 Sun enters Libra, at longitude 217.82° on the eclip-
tic
9153.476 Oct 30 Fri 23 Venus at perihelion, 0.7184 AU from the Sun
9154.118 Oct 31 SAT 14:50 Full Moon
9154.152 Oct 31 SAT 16 Uranus at opposition; magnitude 5.7
© 2019 by Guy Ottewell ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR 2020 19
www.universalworkshop.com

9154.167 Oct 31 SAT 16 Moon 2.98° SE of Uranus; 177° and 180° from the Sun
in the midnight sky
________________________________________
9154.5 Nov 1 SUN Clocks back 1 hour (America)
9155.313 Nov 1 SUN 20 Mercury 4.0° NE of Spica; 14° and 16° from the Sun
in the morning sky; magnitudes 1.2 and 1.0; quasi-
conjunction
9155.621 Nov 2 Mon 3 Mercury at perihelion, 0.3075 AU from the Sun
9156.000 Nov 2 Mon 12 Moon 5.8° SE of the Pleiades; 159° and 160° from the
Sun in the morning sky
9156.272 Nov 2 Mon 19 Jupiter and Saturn at heliocentric conjunction; lon-
gitude 301.8°
9156.371 Nov 2 Mon 21 The equation of time is at a maximum of 16.49 min-
utes.
9156.750 Nov 3 Tue 6 Moon 4.5° N of Aldebaran; 151° from the Sun in the
morning sky
9156.844 Nov 3 Tue 8 Mercury stationary in right ascension; resumes direct
motion
9157.239 Nov 3 Tue 18 Mercury stationary in longitude; resumes direct
motion
9157.611 Nov 4 Wed 3 Moon at ascending node; longitude 80.3°
9158.604 Nov 5 Thu 3 Moon 0.23° NE of M35 cluster; 131° from the Sun in
the morning sky
9160.125 Nov 6 Fri 15 Moon 7.5° S of Castor; 113° and 114° from the Sun in
the morning sky
9160.333 Nov 6 Fri 20 Moon 3.8° S of Pollux; 111° from the Sun in the
morning sky
9161.396 Nov 7 SAT 22 Moon 2.54° NNE of Beehive Cluster; 98° from the Sun
in the morning sky
9162.074 Nov 8 SUN 13:46 Last Quarter Moon
9163.083 Nov 9 Mon 14 Moon 4.4° NNE of Regulus; 77° and 78° from the Sun
in the morning sky
9164.205 Nov 10 Tue 17 Mercury at westernmost elongation; 19.1° from Sun in
morning sky
9164.5 Nov 11 Wed Armistice Day
9164.5 Nov 11 Wed Northern Taurid meteors; ZHR 5; peak Nov 11 23h; 3
days before New
9165.830 Nov 12 Thu 8 Mercury at northernmost latitude from the ecliptic
plane, 7.0°
9166.483 Nov 12 Thu 24 Mars and Uranus at heliocentric conjunction; longi-
tude 38.8°
9166.521 Nov 13 Fri 1 Moon 2.81° NNE of Venus; 31° and 32° from the Sun in
the morning sky
9166.833 Nov 13 Fri 8 Moon 6.4° NNE of Spica; 27° from the Sun in the
morning sky
9167.438 Nov 13 Fri 23 Moon 1.61° NE of Mercury; 18° and 19° from the Sun
in the morning sky
9167.519 Nov 14 SAT 0 Mars stationary in longitude; resumes direct motion
9167.993 Nov 14 SAT 11:49 Perigee only 17.3 hours before New Moon
9167.993 Nov 14 SAT 11:49 Moon at perigee; distance 56.11 Earth-radii
© 2019 by Guy Ottewell ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR 2020 20
www.universalworkshop.com

9168.714 Nov 15 SUN 5:08 New Moon; beginning of lunation 1211

9169.309 Nov 15 SUN 19 Mars stationary in right ascension; resumes direct
motion
9169.875 Nov 16 Mon 9 Moon 5.5° NNE of Antares; 16° from the Sun in the
evening sky
9170.313 Nov 16 Mon 20 Venus 3.8° NNE of Spica; 31° from the Sun in the
morning sky; magnitudes -4.0 and 1.0
9170.5 Nov 17 Tue Leonid meteors; ZHR 15; peak Nov 17 4h; 2 days after
New
9170.506 Nov 17 Tue 0 Moon at descending node; longitude 260.1°
9172.917 Nov 19 Thu 10 Moon 2.50° SE of Jupiter; 57° and 56° from the Sun
in the evening sky
9173.042 Nov 19 Thu 13 Moon, Jupiter, and Saturn within circle of diameter
3.78°; about 58° from the Sun in the evening sky;
magnitudes -9, -2, 1
9173.167 Nov 19 Thu 16 Moon 2.85° SE of Saturn; 60° from the Sun in the
evening sky
9174.5 Nov 21 SAT Alpha Monocerotid meteors; ZHR 5; peak Nov 21 4h; 1
day before First Quarter
9174.937 Nov 21 SAT 10 Venus at northernmost latitude from the ecliptic
plane, 3.4°
9175.333 Nov 21 SAT 20 Moon shows maximum libration for the year, 9.44°
9175.360 Nov 21 SAT 21 Sun enters the astrological sign Sagittarius, i.e.
its longitude is 240°
9175.698 Nov 22 SUN 4:45 First Quarter Moon
9176.503 Nov 23 Mon 0 Sun enters Scorpius, at longitude 241.15° on the
ecliptic
9177.167 Nov 23 Mon 16 Moon 4.2° SE of Neptune; 107° and 106° from the Sun
in the evening sky
9179.521 Nov 26 Thu 1 Moon 4.5° SE of Mars; 132° from the Sun in the
evening sky
9180.528 Nov 27 Fri 1 Moon at apogee; distance 63.64 Earth-radii
9181.333 Nov 27 Fri 20 Moon 3.1° SE of Uranus; 152° from the Sun in the
evening sky
9181.5 Nov 28 SAT November Orionid meteors; ZHR 3; peak Nov 28 0h; 2
days before Full
9182.368 Nov 28 SAT 21 Neptune stationary in longitude; resumes direct
motion
9182.725 Nov 29 SUN 5 Neptune stationary in right ascension; resumes direct
motion
9183.271 Nov 29 SUN 19 Moon 5.8° SE of the Pleiades; 173° and 171° from the
Sun in the midnight sky
9183.321 Nov 29 SUN 20 Sun enters Ophiuchus, at longitude 248.05° on the
ecliptic
9183.896 Nov 30 Mon 9:31 Full Moon. Penumbral eclipse of the Moon
9184.000 Nov 30 Mon 12 Moon 4.5° N of Aldebaran; 179° and 174° from the Sun
in the midnight sky
________________________________________
9184.5 Dec 1 Tue Phoenicid meteors; ZHR 5; peak Dec 1 18h; 1 day after
Full
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9184.823 Dec 1 Tue 8 Moon at ascending node; longitude 79.9°

9185.639 Dec 2 Wed 3 Mars at ascending node through the ecliptic plane
9185.854 Dec 2 Wed 9 Moon 0.37° NE of M35 cluster; 158° from the Sun in
the morning sky
9186.542 Dec 3 Thu 1 Moon at norhernmost declination in year, 24.88°
9187.354 Dec 3 Thu 21 Moon 7.4° S of Castor; 141° from the Sun in the
morning sky
9187.563 Dec 4 Fri 2 Moon 3.7° S of Pollux; 138° from the Sun in the
morning sky
9188.646 Dec 5 SAT 4 Moon 2.65° NNE of Beehive Cluster; 126° from the Sun
in the morning sky
9189.234 Dec 5 SAT 18 Mercury at descending node through the ecliptic plane
9190.333 Dec 6 SUN 20 Moon 4.5° NNE of Regulus; 105° from the Sun in the
morning sky
9190.5 Dec 7 Mon Puppid-Velid meteors; ZHR 10; peak Dec 7 0h; 1 day
before Last Quarter
9191.191 Dec 7 Mon 16:35 Earliest sunset, at latitude 40° north
9191.5 Dec 8 Tue Monocerotid meteors; ZHR 3; peak Dec 8 15h; 1 day
after Last Quarter
9191.526 Dec 8 Tue 0:37 Last Quarter Moon
9191.958 Dec 8 Tue 11 Mercury 4.3° NNE of Antares; 6° and 8° from the Sun
in the morning sky; magnitudes -0.9 and 1.0
9194.229 Dec 10 Thu 18 Moon 6.4° NNE of Spica; 54° and 55° from the Sun in
the morning sky
9194.5 Dec 11 Fri Sigma Hydrid meteors; ZHR 3; peak Dec 11 14h; 3 days
before New
9195.029 Dec 11 Fri 13 Middle of eclipse season: Sun is at same longitude as
Moon’s descending node, 259.9°
9196.363 Dec 12 SAT 20:43 Moon at perigee; distance 56.72 Earth-radii
9196.396 Dec 12 SAT 22 Moon 0.78° NNE of Venus; 25° from the Sun in the
morning sky
9196.5 Dec 13 SUN Geminid meteors; ZHR 120; peak Dec 13 18h; 1 day
before New
9197.000 Dec 13 SUN 12 Moon shows minimum libration for the year, 2.41°
9197.333 Dec 13 SUN 20 Moon 5.5° NNE of Antares; 12° and 13° from the Sun
in the morning sky
9197.961 Dec 14 Mon 11 Moon at descending node; longitude 260.0°
9197.979 Dec 14 Mon 12 Moon 1.01° NNE of Mercury; 3° from the Sun in the
morning sky
9198.179 Dec 14 Mon 16:18 New Moon; beginning of lunation 1212. Total eclipse
of the Sun
9198.5 Dec 15 Tue Coma Berenicid meteors; ZHR 3; peak Dec 15 13h; 1 day
after New
9199.417 Dec 15 Tue 22 Moon at southernmost declination in year, -24.88°
9199.606 Dec 16 Wed 3 Mercury at aphelion, 0.4667 AU from the Sun
9200.729 Dec 17 Thu 6 Moon 2.90° S of Jupiter; 34° from the Sun in the
evening sky
9200.758 Dec 17 Thu 6 Moon, Jupiter, and Saturn within circle of diameter
3.03°; about 34° from the Sun in the evening sky;
magnitudes -7, -2, 1
© 2019 by Guy Ottewell ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR 2020 22
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9200.771 Dec 17 Thu 7 Moon 3.0° SE of Saturn; 34° from the Sun in the
evening sky
9201.598 Dec 18 Fri 2 Sun enters Sagittarius, at longitude 266.62° on the
ecliptic
9202.5 Dec 19 SAT December Leo Minorid meteors; ZHR 5; peak Dec 19 11h;
3 days before First Quarter
9203.631 Dec 20 SUN 3 Mercury at superior conjunction with the Sun; 1.447
AU from Earth; latitude -4.53°
9204.5 Dec 21 Mon 0 Moon 4.2° SE of Neptune; 79° from the Sun in the
evening sky
9204.917 Dec 21 Mon 10:01 Sun enters the astrological sign Capricornus, i.e.
its longitude is 270°
9204.917 Dec 21 Mon 10:01 December or winter solstice
9205.271 Dec 21 Mon 19 Jupiter 0.10° SE of Saturn; 30° from the Sun in the
evening sky; magnitudes -2.0 and 0.7
9205.487 Dec 21 Mon 23:41 First Quarter Moon
9205.5 Dec 22 Tue Ursid meteors; ZHR 15; peak Dec 22 3h; near First
Quarter
9207.354 Dec 23 Wed 21 Venus 5.6° N of Antares; 22° and 23° from the Sun in
the morning sky; magnitudes -3.9 and 1.0
9207.5 Dec 24 Thu 0 Moon 5.1° SE of Mars; 112° and 111° from the Sun in
the evening sky
9207.772 Dec 24 Thu 7 Mercury at southernmost declination, -25.08°
9208.195 Dec 24 Thu 17 Moon at apogee; distance 63.50 Earth-radii
9208.398 Dec 24 Thu 22 The equation of time is 0.
9208.5 Dec 25 Fri Christmas
9208.583 Dec 25 Fri 2 Moon 3.2° SE of Uranus; 124° and 123° from the Sun
in the evening sky
9210.563 Dec 27 SUN 2 Moon 5.8° SE of the Pleiades; 145° and 144° from the
Sun in the evening sky
9211.313 Dec 27 SUN 20 Moon 4.6° N of Aldebaran; 153° from the Sun in the
evening sky
9212.127 Dec 28 Mon 15 Moon at ascending node; longitude 80.0°
9213.146 Dec 29 Tue 16 Moon 0.42° NE of M35 cluster; 174° from the Sun in
the midnight sky
9213.645 Dec 30 Wed 3:29 Full Moon
9214.625 Dec 31 Thu 3 Moon 7.4° S of Castor; 168° and 165° from the Sun in
the morning sky
9214.833 Dec 31 Thu 8 Moon 3.8° S of Pollux; 166° and 165° from the Sun in
the morning sky