Jimmy Westlake’s 2015 cosmic calendar of celestial events
JANUARY
Date Time Event
Jan. 1 04:35 Moon close to bright star Aldebaran tonight
Jan. 3 18:51 Quadrantid meteor shower before dawn (120 meteors per hour)
Jan. 4 01:59 Earth at perihelion (closest to the Sun today 0.9833 AU)
Jan. 4 21:53 Full wolf moon (21:53)
Jan. 9 11:17 Moon at apogee (farthest from Earth 405,400 km)
Jan. 10 18:00 Planets Mercury and Venus very close together tonight at dusk
Jan. 13 02:47 3rd quarter moon (02:47)
Jan. 14 12:59 Mercury at greatest elongation 19 degrees east of the sun at dusk
Jan. 16 04:52 Moon very close to planet Saturn before dawn
Jan. 20 06:14 New moon (06:14)
Jan. 21 13:06 Moon at perigee (closest to Earth 359,600 km)
Jan. 21 22:01 Moon close to planet Venus at dusk
Jan. 22 21:40 Moon close to planet Mars at dusk
Jan. 26 21:48 1st quarter moon (21:48)
Jan. 29 10:07 Moon close to bright star Aldebaran tonight
Jan. 30 06:40 Mercury at inferior conjunction (passes between Earth and Sun)
Jan. 30 — Comet Lovejoy 2014 Q2 reaches perihelion
FEBRUARY
Date Time Event
Feb. 3 16:09 Full snow moon (16:09)
Feb. 5 23:25 Moon at apogee (406,200 km)
Feb. 6 09:55 Jupiter at opposition (closest and brightest for 2015 — 4.35 AU)
Feb. 11 20:50 Third quarter moon (20:50)
Feb. 12 17:10 Moon close to planet Saturn before dawn
Feb. 16 23:20 Moon close to planet Mercury before dawn
Feb. 18 16:47 New moon (16:47)
Feb. 19 00:29 Moon at perigee (357,000 km)
*Feb. 20 17:56 Moon very close to planets Venus and Mars at dusk
Feb. 21 22:18 Venus and Mars very close together at dusk
Feb. 24 08:59 Mercury at greatest elongation 26 degrees west of the sun at dawn
Feb. 25 10:14 First quarter moon (10:14)
Feb. 25 16:02 Moon very close to bright star Aldebaran tonight
Feb. 25 21:18 Neptune in conjunction with the sun
MARCH
Date Time Event
March 5 00:35 Moon at apogee (406,400 km)
March 5 11:05 Full crow moon (11:05)
*March 6 — Dawn Spacecraft arrives at dwarf planet Ceres
March 8 02:00 Daylight Savings Time begins
March 12 01:25 Moon close to planet Saturn before dawn
March 13 10:48 Third quarter moon (10:48)
March 19 12:38 Moon at perigee (357,600 km)
March 20 02:36 New moon (02:36)
March 20 02:46 Total solar eclipse (visible the in North Atlantic)
March 20 15:45 Vernal equinox (spring begins in north hemisphere 15:45)
March 21 15:13 Moon very close to planet Mars at dusk
March 22 12:51 Moon close to planet Venus at dusk
March 24 23:55 Moon close to bright star Aldebaran tonight
March 27 00:43 Friday quarter moon (00:43)
APRIL
Date Time Event
April 1 05:59 Moon at apogee (406,000 km)
*April 4 05:01 Total eclipse of the moon before dawn (05:06)
April 4 05:06 Full egg moon (05:06)
April 06 06:48 Uranus in conjunction with the sun
April 08 06:08 Moon close to planet Saturn before dawn
April 8 07:16 Jupiter closest to Beehive star cluster (M44) tonight
April 9 20:52 Mercury at superior conjunction (passes behind the sun)
April 11 08:30 Venus closest to the Pleiades star cluster tonight
April 11 20:44 Third quarter moon (20:44)
April 16 20:53 Moon at perigee (361,000 km)
April 18 11:57 New moon (11:57)
April 21 09:35 Moon close to bright star Aldebaran and planet Venus tonight
April 22 16:21 Lyrid meteor shower before dawn (20 meteors per hour)
April 25 16:55 First quarter moon (16:55)
April 28 20:55 Moon at apogee (405,100 km)
April 30 18:29 Mercury closest to the Pleiades star cluster (M45) at dusk
MAY
Date Time Event
May 3 20:42 Full milk moon (20:42)
May 5 05:36 Eta Aquarid meteor shower before dawn (60 meteors per hour)
May 5 09:18 Moon close to planet Saturn before dawn
May 6 21:59 Mercury at greatest elongation 21 degrees east of the sun at dusk
May 11 03:36 Third quarter moon (03:36)
May 14 17:23 Moon at perigee (366,000 km)
May 17 21:13 New moon (21:13)
May 22 17:53 Saturn at opposition (closest and brightest for 2015 — 8.97 AU)
May 25 10:19 First quarter moon (10:19)
May 26 15:12 Moon at apogee (404,200 km)
May 29 10:30 Venus closest to bright star Pollux at dusk
May 30 09:53 Mercury at inferior conjunction
JUNE
Date Time Event
June 1 13:02 Moon close to planet Saturn tonight
June 2 09:19 Full flower moon (09:19)
June 6 11:59 Venus at greatest elongation 45 degrees east of the sun at dusk
June 9 08:42 Third quarter moon (08:42)
June 9 21:39 Moon at perigee (369,700 km)
*June 13 01:59 Venus very close to Beehive star cluster (M44) tonight
June 14 07:39 Mars in conjunction with the sun
June 16 07:05 New moon (07:05)
June 20 04:28 Moon close to planet Venus tonight
June 21 09:38 Summer solstice (summer begins in northern hemisphere — 09:38)
June 23 02:39 Mercury closest to bright star Aldebaran at dawn
June 23 10:01 Moon at apogee (404,100 km)
June 24 04:03 First quarter moon (04:03)
June 24 09:59 Mercury at greatest elongation 23 degrees west of the sun at dawn
June 28 18:27 Moon close to planet Saturn tonight
*June 30 19:14 Venus and Jupiter very close together at dusk (0.3 degrees apart)
JULY
Date Time Event
July 1 19:20 Full thunder moon (19:20)
July 5 11:54 Moon at perigee (367,100 km)
July 5 — Comet PanSTARRS 2014 Q1 reaches perihelion
July 6 05:59 Earth at aphelion (farthest from the sun — 1.0167 AU)
July 8 13:24 Third quarter moon (13:24)
July 12 10:55 Moon close to bright star Aldebaran before dawn
*July 14 — New Horizons Spacecraft flies by dwarf planet Pluto today
July 14 14:35 Venus closest to bright star Regulus tonight
July 15 18:24 New moon (18:24)
July 18 10:34 Moon close to planets Venus and Jupiter at dusk
July 21 04:02 Moon at apogee (404,800 km)
July 23 12:18 Mercury at superior conjunction
July 23 21:04 First quarter moon (21:04)
July 26 01:43 Moon close to planet Saturn tonight
July 28 07:23 Delta Aquarid meteor shower before dawn (20 meteors per hour)
July 31 03:43 Full blue moon (03:43)
AUGUST
Date Time Event
Aug. 2 03:11 Moon at perigee (362,100 km)
Aug. 6 19:03 Third quarter moon (19:03)
Aug. 7 10:25 Mercury close to bright star Regulus at dusk
Aug. 8 16:22 Moon close to bright star Aldebaran before dawn
*Aug. 12 23:17 Perseid meteor shower before dawn (90 meteors per hour)
Aug. 14 07:54 New moon (07:54)
Aug. 15 12:19 Venus at inferior conjunction
Aug. 16 07:34 Moon close to planet Mercury at dusk
Aug. 17 19:33 Moon at apogee (405,900 km)
Aug. 20 20:35 Mars closest to Beehive star cluster (M44) before dawn
Aug. 22 10:21 Moon close to planet Saturn tonight
Aug. 22 12:31 First quarter moon (12:31)
Aug. 26 14:04 Jupiter in conjunction with the sun
Aug. 29 11:35 Full green corn moon (11:35)
Aug. 30 08:24 Moon at perigee (358,300 km)
Aug. 31 19:12 Neptune at opposition (closest to Earth for 2015 — 28.95 AU)
SEPTEMBER
Date Time Event
Sept. 4 02:59 Mercury at greatest elongation 27 degrees east of the sun at dusk
Sept. 5 22:09 Moon close to bright star Aldebaran before dawn
Sept. 5 02:54 Third quarter moon (02:54)
Sept. 9 22:53 Moon close to the planet Venus at dawn
Sept. 12 23:41 New moon (23:41)
Sept. 12 23:55 Partial solar eclipse (visible from South Africa and Antarctica)
Sept. 14 04:28 Moon at apogee (406,500 km)
Sept. 18 19:54 Moon close to planet Saturn tonight
Sept. 21 01:59 First quarter moon (01:59)
Sept. 23 01:20 Autumnal equinox (autumn begins in the northern hemisphere 01:20)
Sept. 24 12:38 Mars close to bright star Regulus before dawn
Sept. 27 18:46 Moon at perigee (356,900 km)
*Sept. 27 19:48 Total lunar eclipse tonight
*Sept. 27 19:50 Full harvest super moon (largest full moon in 2015)
Sept. 30 07:36 Mercury at inferior conjunction
OCTOBER
Date Time Event
Oct. 2 05:51 Moon close to bright star Aldebaran tonight
Oct. 4 14:06 Third quarter moon (14:06)
Oct. 8 13:32 Moon close to planet Venus before dawn
Oct. 8 17:26 Venus closest to bright star Regulus before dawn
*Oct. 9 09:51 Moon close to planets Mercury, Venus, Mars and Jupiter before dawn
Oct. 11 06:17 Moon at apogee (406,400 km)
Oct. 11 20:14 Uranus at Opposition (closest to Earth for 2015 — 19.0 AU)
Oct. 12 17:06 New moon (17:06)
Oct. 15 19:59 Mercury at Greatest Elongation 18 degrees west of the sun at dawn
Oct. 16 06:20 Moon close to planet Saturn tonight
Oct. 17 14:01 Mars and Jupiter very close together before dawn (0.4 degrees)
Oct. 20 13:31 First quarter moon (13:31)
Oct. 21 15:35 Orionid Meteor Shower before dawn (20 meteors per hour)
Oct. 25 15:40 Venus and Jupiter very close together before dawn (1.1 degrees)
Oct. 25 23:59 Venus at greatest elongation 46 degrees west of the sun before dawn
Oct. 26 05:59 Moon at perigee (358,500 km)
Oct. 27 05:05 Full hunter’s moon (05:05)
Oct. 29 15:45 Moon close to bright star Aldebaran tonight
NOVEMBER
Date Time Event
Nov. 1 02:00 Daylight Savings Time ends
Nov. 3 00:20 Venus very close to Mars before dawn (0.7 degrees)
Nov. 3 05:24 Third quarter moon (05:24)
Nov. 5 16:04 South Taurid meteor shower before dawn (10 meteors per hour)
Nov. 6 08:49 Moon close to planet Jupiter before dawn
Nov. 7 02:56 Moon very close to planets Venus and Mars before dawn
Nov. 7 14:48 Moon at apogee (405,700 km)
Nov. 11 10:47 New moon (10:47)
Nov. 12 15:20 North Taurid meteor shower before dawn (15 meteors per hour)
Nov. 17 07:45 Mercury at superior conjunction
Nov. 17 21:38 Leonid meteor shower before dawn (15 meteors per hour)
Nov. 18 23:27 First quarter moon (23:27)
Nov. 23 13:06 Moon at perigee (362,800 km)
Nov. 25 15:44 Full long night moon (15:44)
Nov. 26 02:33 Moon close to bright star Aldebaran tonight
Nov. 29 12:20 Venus closest to bright star Spica before dawn
Nov. 29 16:31 Saturn in conjunction with the sun
DECEMBER
Date Time Event
Dec. 3 00:41 Third quarter (00:41)
Dec. 3 23:21 Moon close to planet Jupiter before dawn
Dec. 5 07:56 Moon at apogee (404,800 km)
Dec. 5 19:40 Moon close to planet Mars before dawn
Dec. 7 09:55 Moon very close to planet Venus before dawn (daytime occultation 09:30)
Dec. 11 03:29 New moon (03:29)
*Dec. 14 10:48 Geminid meteor shower before dawn (120 meteors per hour)
Dec. 17 19:32 Saturn closest to bright star Antares at dawn
Dec. 18 08:14 First quarter moon (08:14)
Dec. 21 01:53 Moon at perigee (368,400 km)
Dec. 21 21:48 Winter solstice (winter begins in northern hemisphere 21:48)
Dec. 22 19:00 Ursid meteor shower before dawn (10 meteors per hour)
Dec. 23 07:16 Mars closest to bright star Spica before dawn
Dec. 23 12:09 Moon close to bright star Aldebaran tonight
Dec. 25 04:11 Full wolf moon (04:11)
Dec. 28 19:59 Mercury at greatest elongation 20 degrees east of the sun at dusk
Dec. 29 13:30 Moon close to bright star Regulus tonight
Dec. 31 10:55 Moon close to planet Jupiter tonight
*Denotes one of Westlake’s Top 10 Celestial Events of 2015
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