Steamboat Pilot & Today

January

Steamboat Springs — Jan. 1: 6 a.m. Moon 3 degrees north of Antares in Scorpius

Jan. 3: 12:59 p.m. Earth perihelion (91.4 million miles from sun)

Jan. 3: 6:14 p.m. Quadrantid Meteor Shower (120 per hour)

Jan. 4: 1:52 a.m. New moon

Jan. 4: 1:52 a.m. Partial solar eclipse (Europe, Africa, Asia)

Jan. 4: 7 p.m. Jupiter passes 0.5 degrees south of Uranus in Pisces

Jan. 8: 6 a.m. Venus’ greatest elongation 47 degrees west of sun in Libra

Jan. 9: 6:30 a.m. Mercury’s greatest elongation 23.3 degrees west of sun in Ophiuchus

Jan. 9: 7 p.m. Moon 9 degrees west of Jupiter in Pisces

Jan. 12: 4:31 a.m. First quarter moon

Jan. 15: 8 p.m. Moon 6 degrees southwest of Pleiades (M45) in Taurus

Jan. 19: 2:21 p.m. Full moon (wolf moon)

Jan. 25: 6 a.m. Moon 9 degrees south of Saturn in Virgo

Jan. 26: 5:57 a.m. Third quarter moon

Jan. 28: 6:30 a.m. Moon 6.5 degrees north of Antares in Scorpius

Jan. 29: 6:30 a.m. Moon 8 degrees west of Venus in Ophiuchus

February

Feb. 2: 7:31 p.m. New moon

Feb. 4: 9:49 a.m. Mars conjunction with sun

Feb. 6: 6:30 p.m. Moon 6.5 degrees west of Jupiter in Pisces

Feb. 11: 12:18 a.m. First quarter moon

Feb. 11: 6:30 p.m. Moon 2.5 degrees south of Pleiades (M45) in Taurus

Feb. 17: 2:15 a.m. Neptune conjunction with sun

Feb. 18: 1:36 a.m. Full moon (snow moon)

Feb. 21: 4 a.m. Moon 8 degrees south of Spica in Virgo

Feb. 24: 4:26 p.m. Third quarter moon

Feb. 25: 5:30 a.m. Moon 4 degrees east of Antares in Scorpius

Feb. 25: 1:27 a.m. Mercury superior conjunction with sun

Feb. 28: 5:30 a.m. Moon 6 degrees west of Venus in Sagittarius

March

March 4: 1:46 p.m. New moon

March 6: 7 p.m. Moon 6 degrees noth of Jupiter in Pisces

March 10: 9 p.m. Moon 2 degrees south of Pleiades (M45) in Taurus

March 12: 4:45 p.m. First quarter moon

March 13: 2 a.m. Daylight saving time begins

March 15: 8 p.m. Mercury 2 degrees north of Jupiter in Pisces

March 18: MESSENGER spacecraft orbits Mercury

March 19: 12:10 p.m. Full moon (worm moon)

March 20: 5:21 p.m. Vernal Equinox (Spring begins in Northern Hemisphere)

March 21: 11 p.m. Moon 2 degrees south of Spica, 10 degrees south of Saturn in Virgo

March 21: 5:54 a.m. Uranus conjunction with sun

March 22: 8 p.m. Mercury’s greatest elongation 18.6 degrees east of sun in Pisces

March 26: 6:07 a.m. Third quarter moon

March 31: 6 .m. Moon 6 degrees north of Venus in Aquarius

April

April 3: 8:32 a.m. New moon

April 3: 5:18 p.m. Saturn at opposition (804-million miles from Earth)

April 6: 9:06 a.m. Jupiter’s conjunction with sun

April 7: 9 p.m. Moon 8 degrees east of Pleiades (M45) in Taurus

April 9: 1:25 p.m. Mercury’s inferior conjunction with sun

April 11: 6:05 a.m. First quarter moon

April 17: 9 p.m. Moon 8 degrees south of Saturn in Virgo

April 17: 8:44 p.m. Full moon (grass moon)

April 22: 4:44 p.m. Lyrid Meteor Shower (20 per hour)

April 24: 8:47 p.m. Third quarter moon

April 30: 5:30 a.m. Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, Mars, Moon cluster in Pisces

May

May 1: 5:30 a.m. Mars 0.4 degrees north of Jupiter in Pisces

May 1: 5:30 a.m. Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, Mars and the moon gather in predawn sky

May 3: 12:51 a.m. New moon

May 5: 5:59 a.m. Eta Aquarid Meteor Shower (60 per hour)

May 7: 5:30 a.m. Mercury’s greatest Elongation 26.6 degrees west of the sun in Pisces

May 7: 5:30 a.m. Mercury 1.5 degrees south of Venus in Pisces

May 10: 2:33 p.m. First quarter moon

May 11: 5:15 a.m. Venus 0.5 degrees south of Jupiter,1.5 degrees north of Mercury, 5.5 degrees west of Mars

May 14: 10 p.a. Moon 3.5 degrees south of Spica in Virgo

May 17: 5:09 a.m. Full moon (milk moon)

May 18: 5:15 a.m. Mercury 1.4 degrees south of Venus in Aries/Cetus

May 21: 5:15 a.m. Mercury 2 degrees south of Mars in Aries

May 23: 5:15 a.m. Mars 1 degrees north of Venus in Aries

May 24: 12:52 p.m. Third quarter moon

May 29: 5 a.m. Moon 4.7 degrees north of Jupiter in Aries

May 30: 5 a.m. Moon, Mars, Venus, Mercury, Jupiter gather at dawn

June

June 1: 3:17 p.m. New moon

June 1: 13:17 p.m. Partial solar eclipse (Alaska, Canada, Greenland)

June 8: 8:11 p.m. First quarter moon

June 8: 10 p.m. Saturn 0.25 degrees from star Porrima in Virgo

June 9: 5 a.m. Venus 5 degrees south of Pleiades (M45) in Taurus

June 11: 10 p.m. Moon 11 degrees south of Saturn, 7 degrees southwest of Spica in Virgo

June 12: 5:30 p.m. Mercury superior conjunction

June 15: 2:13 p.m. Full moon (strawberry moon)

June 15: 2:13 p.m. Total lunar eclipse (Africa, Middle East, India)

June 20: 4:30 a.m. Mars 4.3 degrees south of Pleiades (M45) in Taurus

June 21: 11:16 a.m. Summer solstice (summer begins in Northern Hemisphere)

June 23: 5:48 a.m. Third quarter moon

June 26: 4:30 a.m. Moon 5.3 degrees north of Jupiter in Aries

June 28: 4:30 a.m. Moon 3.5 degrees south of Pleiades (M45) in Taurus, 3.5 degrees north of Mars

July

July 1: 2:39 a.m. New moon

July 1: 2:39 a.m. Partial solar eclipse (Indian Ocean)

July 4: 4:59 a.m. Earth at aphelion (1.0167 AU = 94.5 million miles from sun)

July 6: 9:30 p.m. Mercury in the Beehive star cluster (M44) in Cancer

July 7: 10 p.m. Moon 9 degrees south of Saturn in Virgo

July 8: 12:29 a.m. First quarter moon

July 11: 10 p.m. Moon 2.5 degrees north of Antares in Scorpius

July 15: 12:39 a.m. Full moon (thunder moon)

July 19: 10:59 p.m. Mercury’s greatest elongation 26.8 degrees east of sun in Leo

July 22: 11:02 p.m. Third quarter moon

July 25: 5 a.m. Moon 3.5 degrees south of Pleiades (M45) in Taurus

July 27: 5 a.m. Moon 2.5 degrees west of Mars in Taurus

July 28: 7:47 a.m. Delta Aquarid Meteor Shower (20 per hour)

July 30: 12:40 p.m. New moon

August

Aug. 3: 9:15 p.m. Moon 8.5 degrees south of Saturn in Virgo

Aug. 4: 9:15 p.m. Moon 3 degrees south of Spica in Virgo

Aug. 6: 5:08 a.m. First quarter moon

Aug. 6: 4:30 a.m. Mars 0.6 degrees from M35 star cluster in Gemini

Aug. 12: 11:41 p.m. Perseid Meteor Shower (90 per hour)

Aug. 13: 12:57 p.m. Full moon (fruit moon)

Aug. 14: Dawn spacecraft orbits asteroid 4 Vesta

Aug. 16: 5:41 a.m. Venus’ superior conjunction with sun

Aug. 16: 6:56 p.m. Mercury’s inferior conjunction with sun

Aug. 21: 3:55 p.m. Third quarter moon

Aug. 21: 5 a.m. Moon 6 degrees east of Pleiades (M45) in Taurus

Aug. 22: 3:46 p.m. Neptune at opposition (2711-million miles from Earth)

Aug. 25: 5 a.m. Moon 3 degrees south of Mars in Gemini

Aug. 28: 9:04 p.m. New moon

September

Sept. 2: 6 a.m. Mercury’s greatest elongation 18.1 degrees west of Sun in Leo

Sept. 4: 11:39 a.m. First quarter moon

Sept. 9: 6 a.m. Mercury 0.8 degrees north of Regulus in Leo

Sept. 12: 3:27 a.m. Full moon (corn moon)

Sept. 17: 11 p.m. Moon 3.3 degrees south of Pleiades (M45) in Taurus

Sept. 20: 7:39 a.m. Third quarter moon

Sept. 23: 6 a.m. Moon 6 degrees south of Mars in Cancer

Sept. 23: 3:05 a.m. Autumnal equinox (fall begins in Northern Hemisphere)

Sept. 25: 5:41 p.m. Uranus at opposition (1784 million miles from Earth)

Sept. 27: 5:09 a.m. New moon

Sept. 28: 2:07 p.m. Mercury’s superior conjunction with sun

October

Oct. 1: 5:30 a.m. Mars in the Beehive star cluster(M44) in Cancer

Oct. 3: 9:15 p.m. First quarter moon

Oct. 8: 10 p.m. Draconid Meteor Shower (possibly up to 700 per hour)

Oct. 11: 8:06 p.m. Full moon (harvest moon)

Oct. 13: 2:43 p.m. Saturn conjunction with sun

Oct. 15: 10 p.m. Moon 5.5 degrees south of Pleiades (M45) in Taurus

Oct. 19: 9:31 p.m. Third quarter moon

Oct. 21: 3:59 p.m. Orionid Meteor Shower (20 per hour)

Oct. 26: 1:56 p.m. New moon

Oct. 28: 7:19 p.m. Jupiter at opposition (371-million miles from Earth)

November

Nov. 1: 6:30 a.m. Mercury 2 degrees south of Venus in Libra

Nov. 2: 9:38 a.m. First quarter moon

Nov. 5: 3:27 p.m. South Taurid Meteor Shower (10 per hour)

Nov. 6: 2 a.m. Daylight saving time ends

Nov. 9: 7 p.m. Moon 6.5 degrees north of Jupiter in Aries

Nov. 10: 5 a.m. Mars 1.4 degrees north of Regulus in Leo

Nov. 10: 1:16 p.m. Full moon (hunter’s moon)

Nov. 10: 5:30 p.m. Venus 4 degrees north of Antares in Scorpius

Nov. 10: 5:30 p.m. Mercury 2 degrees north of Antares in Scorpius

Nov. 11: 5:30 a.m. Saturn 4.3 degrees north of Spica in Virgo

Nov. 11: 9 p.m. Moon 5.5 degrees east of Pleiades (M45) in Taurus

Nov. 12: 2:43 p.m. North Taurid Meteor Shower (15 per hour)

Nov. 13: 5:30 p.m. Mercury 2 degrees south of Venus in Ophiuchus/Scorpius

Nov. 14: 5:30 p.m. Mercury’s greatest elongation 22.7 degrees east of sun in Scorpius

Nov. 17: 9:01 p.m. Leonid Meteor Shower (15 per hour)

Nov. 18: 8:09 a.m. Third quarter moon

Nov. 22: 6 a.m. Moon 3 degrees south of Spica, 7 degrees south of Saturn

Nov. 24: 11:22 p.m. New moon

Nov. 24: 11:22 p.m. Partial solar eclipse (Africa, Antarctica, New Zealand)

Nov. 26: 5:30 a.m. Moon 3.3 degrees north of Venus in Sagittarius

December

Dec. 2: 2:52 a.m. First quarter moon

Dec. 4: 1:45 a.m. Mercury’s inferior conjunction with sun

Dec. 6: 6 p.m. Moon 6 degrees north of Jupiter in Aries

Dec. 8: 6:30 p.m. Moon 3.5 degrees north of Pleiades (M45) in Taurus

Dec. 10: 7:33 a.m. Full moon (long night’s moon)

Dec. 10: 7:33 a.m. Total lunar eclipse (Asia, Australia, Western North America)

Dec. 14: 10:11 a.m. Geminid Meteor Shower (120 per hour)

Dec. 17: 5:48 p.m. Third quarter moon

Dec. 20: 6 a.m. Moon 8.5 degrees south of Saturn and Spica in Virgo

Dec. 21: 10:30 p.m. Winter solstice (winter begins in Northern Hemisphere)

Dec. 22: 7:00 a.m. Ursid Meteor Shower (10 per hour)

Dec. 22: 6:30 a.m. Mercury greatest elongation 21.8 degrees west of sun in Ophiuchus

Dec. 22: 6:30 a.m. Moon 8 degrees west of Mercury in Scorpius

Dec. 24: 11:06 a.m. New moon

Dec. 26: 5:45 p.m. Moon 6.8 degrees north of Venus in Capricornus

Order Jimmy’s 2012 Cosmic Calendar from Jimmy’s website at www.jwestlake.com after Dec. 1, 2011