Moondark for January: Moon Phase Calendar for 2003

Is this the year of the planets? Along with the Sun and the Moon, each of the five bright planets takes the stage in the drama above. As 2003 opens, Saturn, Jupiter and brilliant Venus arc west to east across the sky before morning twilight. Mars draws near, and in late August reaches its closest point in 15 years. There are four eclipses, two each of the solar and lunar varieties. Rarest of all, on 7 May 2003, Mercury will transit the Sun for the first time of only 13 this century. Observer in northeast North America will see the closing acts of this event shortly after sunrise.

The calendar at right shows the Moon’s phase, relative apparent size, and position angle of the bright limb for each night at 0 h UT on the date indicated. Total lunar eclipses are shown in red (on 16 May and 8-9 November), and solar eclipses are depicted as annular (ring symbol, 31 May) or total (white disk, 23 November). This year, full moons advance from the middle of the months through the second week by year’s end. Messier marathoners must work around the bright, waning gibbous Moon of March.

For us on this planet: Perihelion, 4 January; Equinox, 21 March; Solstice, 21 June; Aphelion, 4 July; Equinox, 23 September, Solstice; 22 December 2003. All times are UT. Eastern Standard Time is 5 hours behind Universal Time; Daylight Saving Time, between 6 April and 26 October 2003, is 4 hours behind.

For everything about time zones and daylight saving time in other corners of the world, surf to www.timeanddate.com. Time is exact at the US Naval Observatory Master Clock: tycho.usno.navy.mil/what.html. For rises, sets and twilights, try the USNO's Data Services page, aa.usno.navy.mil/data/. Visit NASA's Eclipse Home Page (sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/eclipse.html) or ask Mr. Eclipse (www.mreclipse.com/MrEclipse.html). Be sure to check out  the 2003 Transit of Mercury page at sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/OH/transit03.html.

Moondark is written by Doug Miller and published on the web and in the Delmarva Star Gazers'Star Gazer News. This document was last revised on 14 December '02. All text and images copyright © 2002 Douglas C. Miller, All Rights Reserved. This material may not be reproduced in any form without prior permission.