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Astronomy
   
Welcome to the Boston Astronomy website!


This website has been created by and is supported by John Sheff, a Boston, MA - area amateur astronomer and informal astronomy educator. You can contact me at jsheff@bostonastronomy.net.  My intention in creating this site is to provide a convenient resource for access to news and information about astronomy and space-related activities of interest to the community and the public.
     














   


            

                                                                     

Upcoming Astronomy-Related Events in the Boston Area  

                                                           

     

Thursday, Oct.10, 2024, 8:00 PM - 10 PM

Amateur Telescope Makers of Boston (ATMoB) Monthly Meeting

Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

60 Garden St.

Cambridge, MA 02138

http://www.atmob.org

Speaker and Topic: TBA

        

 

                      

                

The sky as seen from Boston on October 15, 2024, at 8:00 PM EDT 

     


       
                   

Major Astronomical Events

    

October 2024

    
 
Oct. 2 Wed. 2:49 PM EDT New Moon
Oct. 2 Wed. 3:39 PM EDT Moon @ apogee (406,515 km / 252,597 mi / 63.81 Earth radii)
Oct. 2 Wed. 11:44 PM  EDT - 5:46 PM EDT Annular solar eclipse (E. Pacific, Patagonia, S. Atlantic) *
Oct. 5 Sat. 4:00 PM EDT Moon 3° S of Venus, 33° from Sun in evening sky
 
Oct. 7 Mon. 10:52 EDT ESA Hera mission launched to asteroid Didymos/Dimorphos
Oct. 8 Tue. 9:08 AM EDT Draconid meteors peak (fair)
Oct. 10 Thur. 2:55 PM EDT First Quarter Moon
Oct. 12 Sat. 11:37 AM EDT Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) @ closest approach (0.472 AU / 70,669,000 km / 43,912,000 mi)
 
Oct. 13 Sun. 8:00 AM EDT Starship 5 launch
Oct. 14 Mon. 12:08 PM EDT Europa Clipper launch to Jupiter
Oct. 14 Mon. 2:00 PM EDT Moon 0.1° N of Saturn, 142° from Sun in evening sky
Oct. 15 Tue. 2:00 PM EDT Moon 0.6° N of Neptune, 155° from Sun in evening sky
Oct. 16 Wed. 8:51 PM EDT Moon @ perigee (357,175 km / 221,938 mi / 56.06 Earth radii)
Oct. 17 Thur. 7:26 AM EDT Full Moon ("Full Hunter's Moon")
Oct. 19 Sat. 12:00 PM EDT Moon 4° N of Uranus, 150° from Sun in morning sky
 
Oct. 21 Mon. 2:00 AM EDT Orionid meteors peak (poor)
Oct. 21 Mon. 4:00 AM EDT Moon 6° N of Jupiter,127° from Sun in morning sky
Oct. 23 Wed.    Juno perijove # 66
Oct. 23 Wed. 4:00 PM EDT Moon 4° N of Mars, 95° from Sun in morning sky
Oct. 24 Thur. 4:03 AM EDT Last Quarter Moon
 
Oct. 29 Tue. 6:50 PM EDT Moon @ apogee (406,161 km / 252,377 mi / 63.75 Earth radii)
Oct. 30 Wed. 4:00 PM EDT Sun enters Libra

Bold = cool or important
* = not visible from Boston

   


             


An Overview of Major Astronomical Events in 2024

Jan. 2 Tue. 7:38 PM EST Earth @ perihelion (0.9833 AU / 147,093,163 km / 91,399,454 mi)
Jan. 3 Tue. 7:13:46 AM EST Latest sunrise of the year (7:13:46 AM EST)
Jan. 4 Thur. 5:00 AM EST Quadrantid meteors peak (fair)
Jan. 8 Mon. 2:18 AM EST Astrobotic Peregrine launched to Moon on ULA Vulcan
Jan. 8 Mon.   Autumn begins in Northern Hemisphere of Mars
Jan. 8 Mon. 9:46 AM EST - AM 10:55 EST Moon occults Antares (daylight)
Jan. 12 Fri. 2:18 PM EST Mercury @ greatest western elongation (25° W of Sun)
Jan. 19 Fri. 5:20 AM EDT Japanese SLIM mission lands near Shioli crater
Feb. 3 Sat.   Juno perijove # 58; Io flyby (1,500 km / 930 mi)
Feb. 15 Thur.   Intuitive Machiine's NOVA--C launched to Maalpert A
Feb. 28 Wed. 4:16 PM EST Saturn @ solar conjunction
Mar. 7 Thur.   Juno perijove # 59

Mar. 10

Sun.

2:00 AM EST / 3:00 AM EDT

Daylight Saving Time begins

Mar. 17

Thur.

6:53 AM EDT - 6:53 PM EDT

Equilux (day and night of equal length)

Mar. 17 Sun. 7:13 AM EDT Neptune @ solar conjunction
Mar. 19 Tue. 8:21 PM EDT - 10:16 PM EDT China launches Queqiao 2 lunar farside relay satellite

Mar. 19

Tue.

11:01 PM EDT

March (Spring) Equinox

Mar. 24 Sun. 1:55 PM EDT Mercury @ greatest eastern elongation (19.5° E of Sun)
Mar. 25 Mon. 12:53 AM EDT - 5:32 AM EDT Penumbral lunar eclipse (max. @ 3:13 AM EDT)
Mar. 30 Sat.     Parker Solar Probe perihelion # 19
Apr. 7 Sun. 12:44 PM EDT - 1:57 PM EDT Moon occults Venus (daylight)
Apr. 8 Mon.   Total solar eclipse
Apr. 9 Sat.     Juno perijove # 60
Apr. 22 Mon. 2:55 AM EDT Lyrid meteors peak (poor)
May 3 Fri. 5:27 AM EDT Chang'e 6 farside sample return launches
May 6 Mon. 10:34 PM EDT Boeing Starliner launches to ISS
May 9 Thur. 3:44 AM EDT Mercury @ greatest western elongation (26° W of Sun)
May 12 Sun.       Juno perijove # 61
May 13 Mon. 5:04 AM EDT Uranus @ solar conjunction
May 18 Sat. 2:343 PM EDT Jupiter @ solar conjunction
Jun. 4 Tue. 12:03 PM EDT Venus @ superior conjunction
Jun. 7 Fri.   Winter solstice in Northern Hemisphere of Mars
Jun. 14 Fri. 5:07 AM EDT Earliest sunrise of year (5:07:00 AM EDT)
Jun. 20 Thur. 4:49 PM EDT June (Summer) Solstice
Jun. 22 Sat.   Juno perijove # 62
Jun. 27 Thur. 8:25 PM EDT Latest sunset of year (8:25:23 PM)
Jun. 30 Sun.   Parker Solar Probe perihelion # 20

Jul. 5

Fri. 1:06 AM EDT Earth @ aphelion (1.017 AU / 152.1 milion km / 94,510,886 miles)
Jul. 6 Sat. 8:00 AM EDT  Starship 5 launch
Jul. 13 Sat./Sun. 11:22 PM EDT - 12:11 PM EDT Moon occults Spica
Jul. 17 Wed. 4:06 AM EDT Juno perijove # 63
Jul. 21 Sun. 11:37 PM EDT Mercury @ greatest eastern elongation (26°  E of Sun)
Aug. 12 Mon. 10:00 AM EDT Perseid meteors peak (good)
Aug. 18 Sun.   Juno perijove # 6
Aug. 23 Fri.   JUICE Mission Moon (750 km / 466 mi)-Earth (6,800 km / 4,225 mi) flyby
Sept. 4 Wed. 10:24 PM EDT Mercury @ greatest western elongation (18° W of Sun)
Sept. 5 Thur.         Bepi-Comobo Mercury flyby # 4
Sept. 6 Fri. 11:31 AM EDT - 12:44 PM EDT Moon occults Spica (daytime)
Sept. 8 Sun. 12:27 AM EDT Saturn @ opposition
Sept. 17 Tue. 8:41 PM EDT - 12:47 AM EDT Partial lunar eclipse
Sept. 18 Wed. 4:10 AM EDT - 4:35 AM EDT Moon occults Neptune
Sept. 20 Fri.   Juno perijove # 65 
Sept. 20 Fri. 8:08 PM EDT Neptune @ opposition
Sept. 22 Sun. 8:43 AM EDT September (Fall) Equinox
Sept. 27 Fri.    Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) @ perihelion
Sept. 30 Mon.    Parker Solar Probe perihelion # 21
Oct. 2 Wed. 11:44 PM  EDT - 5:46 PM EDT Annular solar eclipse (E. Pacific, Patagonia, S. Atlantic)
Oct. 8 Tue. 9:08 AM EDT Draconid meteors peak (fair)
Oct. 10 Thur.   Europa Clipper launch to Jupiter
Oct. 12 Sat.   Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) @ closest approach
Oct. 23 Wed.    Juno perijove # 66
Oct. 21 Sat. 8:00 PM EDT Orionid meteors peak (excellent)

Nov. 3

Sun.

1:00 AM EST / 2:00 AM EDT

Daylight Saving Time ends

Nov. 6 Wed.   Parker Solar Probe Venus flyby # 7
Nov. 11 Mon. 9:19 PM EDT - 10:28 PM EDT Moon occults Neptune
Nov. 12 Tue.   Spring begins in Northern Hemisphere of Mars
Nov. 16 Sat. 4:18 AM EST Mercury @ greatest eastern elongation (22° E of Sun)
Nov. 16 Sat. 9:37 PM EST Uranus @ opposition

Nov. 17

Sun.

7:00 PM EST

Leonid meteors peak. (poor)

Nov. 25 Mon.    Juno perijove # 67
Nov. 27 Wed. 5:39 AM EST - 6:55 AM EST Moon occults Spica
Dec. 1 Sun.   BepiColombo Mercury flyby # 5
Dec. 7 Sat. 3:51 PM EST Jupiter @ opposition

Dec. 8

Sun.

4:11 PM EST

Earliest sunset of year (4:11:40 PM EST)

Dec. 13 Fri.   Lucy Earth flyby # 2

Dec. 14

Thur.

2:00 PM EST

Geminid meteors peak. (poor)

Dec. 21

Sat.

4:20 AM EST

December (Winter) Solstice

Dec. 22

Thur. 5:00 AM EST Ursid meteors peak (fair)
Dec. 24 Tue.    Parker Solar Probe perihelion # 22 (6.1 million km / 3.8 million mi / .04 AU
Dec. 25 Wed. 2:10 AM EST Mercury @ greatest western elongation (22° W of Sun)
Dec. 28 Sat.    Juno perijove # 68
Dec. 30 Mon.   Rocket Labs Venus Life Finder launch
   
Dates to be announced:
   
3Q - 4Q     Firefly's Blue Ghost lunar lander launched to Mare Crisium

Bold = cool or important
* = not visible from Boston