Winston-Salem Astronomical League

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Winston-Salem Astronomical League

Updated: Monday, 13 October 2003 10:09 -0400

WSAL 2003 Event Calendar

Jan 

Feb 

Mar 

Apr 

May 

Jun 

Jul 

Aug 

Sep 

Oct 

Nov 

Dec

Future Events

Color Keying: Club Observations - WSAL Events - Astronomical Events - Other Events
Coding: SR - Sunrise; SS - Sunset; MR - Moonrise; MS - Moonset; AT - Astronomical Twilight
Times: all times are EST or EDT, as appropriate, and are for Bullington site

January

2nd (Thu) - WSAL Club meeting
4th (Sat) - Club Observation #1 (Fancy Gap lodge)
17th (Sat) - Club Observation #2 (Jupiter Triple Transit - Winston-Salem)
31st (Fri) - Club Observation #3

February

1st (Sat) - New Moon (0548)
1st (Sat) - Club Observation #1
4th (Tue) - Mercury at greatest western elongation
6th (Thu) - WSAL Club Meeting
8th (Sat) - Pilot Mountain Public Observation (FAS event)
16th (Sun) - Full Snow Moon
19th (Wed) - Program Meeting (FAS event)
22nd (Sat) - Club Observation #2 (SS 1810; AT 1935; MR 0057 2/23)
22nd (Sat) - Alternate Pilot Mountain Public Observation (FAS event)
28th (Fri) - Messier Marathon Practice (Fancy Gap lodge)

March

1st (Sat) - Messier Marathon Practice (Fancy Gap lodge)
2nd (Sun) - Messier Marathon Practice (Fancy Gap lodge)
2nd (Sun) - New Moon (2135)
6th (Thu) - WSAL Club Meeting
7th (Fri) - Club Observation #1 (SS 1822; AT 1947; MS 2246)
8th (Sat) - Club Observation #2 (SS 1823; AT 1948; MS 2344)
18th (Tue) - Full Worm/Sap/Sugar Moon
19th (Wed) - Program Meeting (FAS event)\
20th (Thu) - Vernal Equinox
28th (Fri) - Uranus 0.05° N of Venus just before sunrise.
28th (Fri) - Club Observation #3 (SS 1840; AT 2007; MS 1448)
29th (Sat) - Club Observation #4 (SS 1841; AT 2008; MS 1550)
30th (Sun) - Messier Marathon (Fancy Gap lodge)
31st (Mon) - Messier Marathon (Fancy Gap lodge)

April

1st (Tue) - Messier Marathon (Fancy Gap lodge)
1st (Tue) - New Moon (1419)
3rd (Thu) - WSAL Club Meeting
4th (Fri) - Club Observation #1
5th (Sat) - Club Observation #2
6th (Sun) - Daylight Saving Time begins at 0200 (UT -0400)
6th (Sun) - Mercury at greatest eastern elongation (best evening viewing of year)
12th (Sat) - Stone Mountain Public Observation (FAS event)
16th (Wed) - Full Pink/Fish Moon (largest of 2003)
16th (Wed) - Program Meeting (FAS event)
21st (Mon) - Lyrid Meteor Shower peaks
25th (Fri) - Club Observation #3
26th (Sat) - Club Observation #4
26th (Sat) - Alternate Stone Mountain Public Observation (FAS event)

May

1st (Thu) - New Moon (0715)
1st (Thu) - WSAL Club Meeting
2nd (Fri) - Club Observation #1
3rd (Sat) - Club Observation #2
5th (Mon) - Eta Aquarid Meteor Shower peaks
7th (Wed) - Mercury transits Solar disk
- transit completes shortly after sunrise
- only 13 such events per century
10th (Sat) - Pilot Mountain Public Observation (FAS event)
11th (Sun) - Luna occults nu Vir (4.0 vm)
- dark limb disappearance 2008
- bright limb reappearance 2059
15th (Thu) - Total Lunar Eclipse (Magnitude 1.133)
- Moon enters penumbra 2005.3
- Moon enters umbra 2102.7
- Moon enters totality 2213.7
- Middle of eclipse 2240.1
- Moon leaves totality 2306.4
- Moon leaves umbra 0017.4 (17 May)
- Moon leaves penumbra 0114.8 (17 May)
15th (Thu) - Full Flower Moon
21st (Wed) - Program Meeting (FAS event)
23rd (Fri) - Club Observation #3
24th (Sat) - Club Observation #4
24th (Sat) - Alternate Pilot Mountain Public Observation (FAS event)
30th (Fri) - Club Observation #5
31st (Sat) - New Moon (0020)
31st (Sat) - Club Observation #6

June

5th (Thu) - WSAL Club Meeting
6th (Fri) - Club Observation #1
7th (Sat) - Club Observation #2
7th (Sat) - Stone Mountain Public Observation (FAS event)
14th (Sat) - Full Strawberry/Rose/Hot Moon
18th (Wed) - Program Meeting (FAS event)
21st (Sat) - Summer Solstice
27th (Fri) - Club Observation #3
28th (Sat) - Club Observation #4
29th (Sun) - New Moon (1439)

July

3rd (Thu) - WSAL Club Meeting
4th (Fri) - Earth at aphelion
4th (Fri) - Club Observation #1
5th (Sat) - Club Observation #2
12th (Sat) - Stone Mountain Public Observation (tentative FAS event)
13th (Sun) - Full Buck/Thunder/Hay Moon
16th (Wed) - Program Meeting (FAS event)
17th (Thu) - Luna occults 71 Tau2 Aqr (4.0 vm)
- bright limb disappearance 0124
- dark limb reappearance 0240
17th (Thu) - Luna-Mars close approach
- < 10 arcminutes separation about 0330
25th (Fri) - Club Observation #3
26th (Sat) - Club Observation #4
27th (Sun) - Southern Delta Aquarid Meteor Shower peaks
28th (Mon) - New Moon (2253)
30th (Wed) - Alpha Capricornid Meteor Shower peaks (Perseids also beginning)

August

1st (Fri) - Club Observation #1
2nd (Sat) - Club Observation #2
2nd (Sat) - Lunar occults Porrima (2.8 vm double star)
- dark limb disappearance 1924 (during daylight)
- bright limb reappearance 2031 (nautical twilight)
2nd (Sat) - Pilot Mountain Public Observation (FAS event)
7th (Thu) - WSAL Club Meeting
8th (Fri) - Club Observation #3
9th (Sat) - Club Observation #4
9th (Sat) - Alternate Pilot Mountain Public Observation (FAS event)
12th (Tue) - Full Sturgeon Moon
12th (Tue) - Perseid Meteor Shower peaks (Full Moon)
20th (Wed) - Program Meeting (FAS event)
21st (Thu) - Luna occults 94 Tau Tau (4.3 vm)
- bright limb disappearance 0142
- dark limb reappearance 0209
22nd (Fri) - Club Observation #5
23rd (Sat) - Club Observation #6
27th (Wed) - New Moon (1326)
27th (Wed) - Mars closest approach (closest since 98,000 BCE!)
29th (Fri) - Field trip - WFU lodge at Fancy Gap
30th (Sat) - Field trip - WFU lodge at Fancy Gap

September

4th (Thu) - WSAL Club Meeting
6th (Sat) - Stone Mountain Public Observation (FAS event)
6th (Sat) - Public Mars Observation at Pilot Mountain State Park (FAS event)
10th (Wed) - Full Harvest Moon
13th (Sat) - FAS Club Picnic (FAS event)
17th (Wed) - Luna occults 69 Ups Tau (4.3 vm)
- bright limb disappearance 0239
- dark limb reappearance 0404
17th (Wed) - Program Meeting (FAS event)
19th (Sat) - Alternate Stone Mountain Public Observation (FAS event)
23rd (Tue) - Autumnal Equinox
25th (Thu) - New Moon (2309)
26th (Fri) - Mercury at greatest western elongation during morning twilight
26th (Fri) - Club Observation #1
27th (Sat) - Club Observation #2

October

2nd (Thu) - WSAL Club Meeting
10th (Fri) - Full Hunter's Moon
15th (Wed) - Program Meeting (FAS event)
21th (Tue) - Orionids Meteor Shower Peak
24th (Fri) - Field trip - National Radio Astronomy Observatory at Green Bank, WV (FAS event)
25th (Sat) - Field trip - National Radio Astronomy Observatory at Green Bank, WV (FAS event)
25th (Sat) - New Moon (0850)
26th (Sun) - Field trip - National Radio Astronomy Observatory at Green Bank, WV (FAS event)
26th (Sun) - Daylight Saving Time ends at 0200 (UT -0400)
26th (Sun) - Luna and Venus 100 arcminute separation on WSW horizon (set 1827)

November

5th (Wed) - South Taurid meteor shower peaks
6th (Thu) - WSAL Club Meeting
8th (Sat) - Club Observation #1
8th (Sat) - Total Lunar Eclipse (Magnitude 1.022)
- Moon enters penumbra 1715.1
- Moon enters umbra 1832.4
- Moon enters totality 2006.3
- Middle of eclipse 2018.5
- Moon leaves totality 2030.7
- Moon leaves umbra 2204.5
- Moon leaves penumbra 2321.9
8th (Sat) - Full Beaver/Frost Moon
12th (Wed) - North Taurid Meteor Shower peaks
12th (Wed) - Program Meeting (FAS event)
15th (Sat) - Pilot Mountain Public Observation (FAS event)
17th (Mon) - Leonid Meteor Shower peaks
17th (Mon) - Luna occults 30 Eta Leo (3.5 vm)
- bright limb disappearance 0439
- dark limb reappearance 0537
21st (Fri) - Field trip - WFU lodge at Fancy Gap
22nd (Sat) - Field trip - WFU lodge at Fancy Gap
23rd (Sun) - Field trip - WFU lodge at Fancy Gap
23rd (Sun) - New Moon (1759)

December

4th (Thu) - WSAL Club Meeting
8th (Mon) - Full Cold Moon
8th (Mon) - Mercury at greatest eastern elongation
13th (Sat) - Geminid Meteor Shower Peak
17th (Wed) - Program Meeting (FAS event)
20th (Sat) - Club Observation #1
22nd (Mon) - Winter Solstice
22nd (Mon) - Ursid Meteor Shower peaks
23rd (Tue) - New Moon (0443)
26th (Fri) - Club Observation #2

Future Events

8 June 2004 - Solar transit of Venus (very rare; last in 1631, 1639, 1761, 1769, 1874 and 1882)
9 November 2004 - Lunar occultation of Jupiter (daytime)
7 December 2004 - Lunar occultation of Jupiter
8 November 2006 - Solar transit of Mercury
6 June 2012 - Solar transit of Venus (very rare; last in 1631, 1639, 1761, 1769, 1874, 1882, and 2004)
21 August 2017 - Solar eclipse
8 April 2024 - Solar eclipse