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Presentations in cyan.
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Astronomy in light gray.
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History in dark red.
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Western Washington University Planetarium
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Sunday
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Monday
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Tuesday
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Wednesday
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Thursday
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Friday
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Saturday
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1
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2
Orionid Meteor Shower
Isaac Asimov born 1920
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3
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4
Presentation
WWU Phonathon
6:30 PM
Earth at
perihelion
(closest to Sun)
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5
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6
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7
Asteroid 4 Vesta closest approach to Earth
(1.552 AU)
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8
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9
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10
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11
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12
Presentation
Carl Cozier
Lifeskills Class
10:30 AM
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13
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14
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15
Stardust spacecraft to land in Utah today with dust collected from Comet Wild 2
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16
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17
Presentation
Activity Days
6:30 PM
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18
Presentation
Lowell Elem
5th Grade
10:00 AM
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19
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20
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21
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22
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23
Saturn passes in front of the Beehive Star Cluster in Cancer
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24
Presentation
Boy Scout
Troop 3
7:00 PM
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25
Presentation
Sunnyland
5th grade
10:00 AM
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26
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27
Saturn at Opposition
Apollo 1 fire, 1967
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28
Space Shuttle Challenger lost, 1986
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29
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30
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31
Explorer 1, first U.S. satellite launched, 1958
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The stars of Orion are among the most recognized in the night sky.
The sword of Orion is where we find the famous Orion Nebula.
Another famous object, the Horsehead Nebula, is located near the belt of Orion
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Western Washington University Planetarium
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Sunday
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Monday
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Tuesday
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Wednesday
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Thursday
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Friday
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Saturday
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Brilliant Sirius can be located by drawing a straight line through the three belt
stars in the constellation Orion, down to the left, to the brightest star in the night sky.
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1
Space Shuttle
Columbia lost, 2003
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2
Presentation
WWC Astro 150
6:00 PM
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3
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4
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5
Apollo 14 lands on the Moon 1971
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6
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7
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8
Presentation
Building Character Co-op
1:00 PM
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9
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10
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11
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12
Moon near Saturn
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13
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14
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15
Galileo Galilei born 1564
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16
Presentation
Bellingham High
8:35 & 10:35 AM
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17
Presentation
Bellingham High
8:35 AM & 1:15 PM
Mars 2.5o south of the Pleiades
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18
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Nicholous Copernicus born 1473
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20
Moon near Jupiter
John Glenn orbits Earth 1962
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21
Presentation
Bellingham Herald
12:00 PM
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22
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23
Presentation
Bellingham
Parks & Recreation
12:30 PM
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24
Presentation
WWC Astro 150
6:00 PM
Mercury at greatest eastern elongation
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25
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26
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27
Presentation
NSTA
5:30 PM
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28
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Zodiacal light is a tilted pyramid of dim light seen in the west after evening twilight
and in the east after morning twilight. It is light scattered from the Sun by countless
micro-meteoroidal particles along the plane of the solar system. It is best viewed
away from city lights during the last two weeks of February.
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Western Washington University Planetarium
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Sunday
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Monday
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Tuesday
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Wednesday
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Thursday
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Friday
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Saturday
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Penumbral Lunar Eclipse on the 14th. The eclipse will be visible throughout most of the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia.
Total Solar Eclipse on the 29th, visible in Africa, Europe and Western Asia.
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1
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2
Presentation
Northwest
Indian
College
6:00 PM
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3
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4
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5
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6
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7
Presentation
WWU
A397
6:00 PM
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8
Presentation
Meridian
School
1st Grade
10:00 AM
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9
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10
Presentation
WWU
Foundation
7:00 PM
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11
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12
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13
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14
Presentation
Cub Scout
Pack 36
7:00 PM
Lunar Eclipse
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15
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16
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17
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18
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19
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20
Vernal Equinox
18:26 UT
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21
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22
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23
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24
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25
Venus at greatest western elongation
(morning sky)
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26
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27
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28
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29
Solar
Eclipse
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30
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31
OPEN to PUBLIC
7:00 & 8:30 PM
Call 360.650.6146
for tickets
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Leo appears high in the southeast in the evening.
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Western Washington University Planetarium
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Sunday
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Monday
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Tuesday
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Wednesday
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Thursday
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Friday
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Saturday
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The Lyrid Meteor shower peaks on the 22nd at a rate of 20 per hour.
Lyrid meteors radiate from a point in the sky near the bright star Vega.
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1
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2
Daylight Savings Time Begins
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3
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4
Presentation
Bellingham High
10:45 AM
WWU Art Dept Demo
12:00 PM
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5
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6
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7
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8
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9
Mercury at greatest western elongation
(morning sky)
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10
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11
Apollo 13 launched, 1970
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12
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13
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14
Space Shuttle lands on Earth for first time (Columbia) 1981
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15
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16
Wilbur Wright born, 1867
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17
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18
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Venus and Uranus within 0.3o of each other
(morning sky)
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20
Presentation
ACTS
1:30 PM
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21
Presentation
WWU A103
10:00 AM
AWANA
7:00 PM
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22
Lyrid Meteor Shower
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23
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24
Presentation
WWU A103
10:00 AM
Asteroid Monty Python closest approach to Earth
(1.870 AU)
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25
Presentation
WWU A103
10:00 AM
Hubble Space Telescope launched, 1990
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26
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27
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28
OPEN to PUBLIC
7:00 & 8:30 PM
Call 360.650.6146
for tickets
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29
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30
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Stretching across the southern sky from high in the southwest to low in the southeast
is the longest of all constellations, Hydra the Water Serpent. The head of Hydra lies
below Cancer. His body is easily traced by a line of stars below Leo and Virgo.
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Western Washington University Planetarium
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Sunday
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Monday
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Tuesday
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Wednesday
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Thursday
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Friday
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Saturday
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Jupiter at Opposition on the 4th
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1
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2
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3
Presentation
Alderwood Elem.
10:00 AM
Sunnyland Elem.
11:30 AM
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4
Presentation
Kid's Korner
9:00 AM
WWU Research
Art 334
7:00 to 10:00 PM
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5
Presentation
WWU
Extended Ed.
8:00 to 9:00 PM
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6
WWU College
of Science
& Technology
2:00 PM
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7
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8
Presentation
AAUW
2:30 PM
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9
Presentation
Burlington
Edison
11:50 PM
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10
Apollo 10 launched, 1969
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11
Presentation
St. Paul's Episcopal
3rd Grade
1:00 PM
WWU Research
Art 334
7:00 to 10:00 PM
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12
Presentation
Home School Group
1:30 PM
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13
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14
Moon occults bright Antares in Scorpius
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15
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16
Presentation
Burlington
Edison
11:50 PM
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17
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18
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19
WWU
Family Weekend
6:30 PM &
8:00 PM
Registration Req.
360.650.3846
New Student Services
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20
WWU
Family Weekend
1:30 PM &
3:00 PM
Registration Req.
360.650.3846
New Student Services
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21
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22
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23
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24
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25
Presentation
WCC A150
6:30 PM
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26
OPEN to PUBLIC
7:00 & 8:30 PM
Call 360.650.6146
for tickets
Skylab launched, 1973
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27
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28
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29
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30
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31
Presentation
Boy Scouts 5575
11:00 AM
Meridian Compass
2:00 PM
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The Eta Aquarids meteor shower peaks on May 5 but actully stretches from April 21 to May 12.
It is a light shower producing about 10 meteors per hour at the peak.
Best viewing is to the east after midnight.
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Western Washington University Planetarium
Western Washington University Planetarium
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Sunday
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Monday
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Tuesday
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Wednesday
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Thursday
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Friday
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Saturday
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Corona Borealis, the Northern Crown, is a semicircle of stars located between
Hercules and Bootes, high in the summer's night sky.
It represents the crown that Ariadne, the daughter of King Minos of Crete,
wore at her wedding. The crown was created by the supreme goldsmith, Hephaestus.
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1
Galileo files report that Jupiter has moons, 1610
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2
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3
Earth at
aphelion
(farthest from Sun)
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4
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5
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6
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7
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8
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9
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10
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11
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12
Presentation
Kids Camp
10:30AM
Clover Park High
7:00 PM
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13
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14
Presentation
WWU Alumni Reunion
1:30 PM
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15
Presentation
WWU Alumni Reunion
12:00 PM
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16
Apollo 11 launched, 1969
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Reserved for
WWU Adventures
in Science
July 17 through 23
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18
Reserved
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19
Reserved
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20
Reserved
First humans on the Moon, 1969
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21
Reserved
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22
Reserved
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23
Reserved
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24
Presentation
Adventures
Photography
10:00AM
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25
Presentation
Kids Center
10:00AM & 1:00PM
Galileo views Saturn with a telescope, 1610
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26
Presentation
Adventures
Photography
10:00AM
Apollo 15 launched, 1971
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27
Presentation
Kids Center
10:00AM & 1:00PM
Sliver crescent Moon below Regulus in Leo
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29
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30
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31
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AIRGLOW: Your search for the Aurora Borealis may turn up the Airglow. This
fluttering glow is a kind of permanent aurora at certain wavelengths of the spectrum.
It occurs predominately in the lowest altitude range of the aurora in the atmosphere.
The airglow is always present, forming a major component of the light of the night sky,
but on rare occasions it is brighter in localized areas of the sky, visible as patches or bands.
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Western Washington University Planetarium
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Sunday
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Monday
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Tuesday
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Wednesday
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Thursday
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Friday
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Saturday
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The Perseid Meteor Shower peaks on the 12th with a rate of 50 to 60 per hour.
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1
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2
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3
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4
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5
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6
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7
Mercury at greatest western elongation
(morning sky)
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8
Presentation
WWU Child
Development
10:15 AM
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9
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10
Neptune at Opposition
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11
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12
Perseid Meteor Shower
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13
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14
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15
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16
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17
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18
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Orville Wright born, 1871
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20
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21
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22
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23
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24
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25
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26
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27
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28
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29
Presentation
Bellingham Composite Squadron
Civil Air Patrol
8:30 PM
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30
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31
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The Perseid meteors are actually debris left by comet Swift-Tuttle.
This comet takes approximately 130 years to orbit the Sun.
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Western Washington University Planetarium
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Sunday
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Monday
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Tuesday
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Wednesday
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Thursday
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Friday
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Saturday
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Capella sparkles with intensity
like any bright star but it sweeps along the ground as
it rises, staying longer in the dense turbulent air near
the horizon.
The lunar eclipse will be visible in most of Europe, Africa, Asia, & Australia.
See the solar eclipse from Brazil, partially in South America & western Africa.
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1
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2
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3
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4
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5
Uranus at Opposition
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6
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7
Lunar Eclipse
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8
Moon occults Uranus
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9
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10
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11
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12
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13
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14
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15
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16
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17
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18
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19
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20
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21
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22
Solar
Eclipse
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23
Autumnal Equinox
04:03 UT
Neptune discovered 1846
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24
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25
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26
Presentation
WCC A150 &
SVC EaSc121
6:30 PM
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27
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28
Presentation
Bellingham High
11:00 AM
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29
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30
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Western Washington University Planetarium
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Sunday
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Monday
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Tuesday
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Wednesday
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Thursday
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Friday
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Saturday
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The Orionid Meteor Shower peaks on the 21st.
The maximum hourly rate typically reaches 20.
The Orionids are related to the eta Aquarids, a southern hemisphere meteor shower in May.
Both are created by debris along the orbital path of Halley's Comet.
Earth comes close to that path twice a year, once in May and again in October.
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1
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2
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3
Presentation
WWU A103
6:30 PM
4
Sputnik, first craft in space, launched from Russia 1957
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5
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6
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7
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8
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9
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10
Presentation
WWU A103
6:30 PM
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11
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12
Presentation
WCC A150 &
SVC EaSc121
6:30 PM
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13
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14
Chuck Yeager first to break sound barrier, 1947
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15
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16
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Mercury at greatest eastern elongation
(evening sky)
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18
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19
Presentation
Bham Parks & Rec.
1:30 PM
WWU A103
6:30 PM
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20
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21
Orionid Meteor Shower
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22
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23
Presentation
WCC A150 &
SVC EaSc121
6:30 PM
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24
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25
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26
Presentation
WWU A103
6:30 PM
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27
OPEN to PUBLIC
7:00 & 8:30 PM
Call 360.650.6146
for tickets
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28
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29
Daylight Savings Time Ends
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30
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31
Vatican admits errors in trial of Galileo, 1992
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One interesting autumn star is Mira, a variable star
in Cetus. At its brightest it is as bright as the North Star. At its dimmest it is invisible
to the naked eye. The whole cycle takes about 330 days.
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Western Washington University Planetarium
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Sunday
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Monday
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Tuesday
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Wednesday
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Thursday
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Friday
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Saturday
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In the south, the bright lonely star Fomalhaut shines in solitary splendor.
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1
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2
Presentation
WWU CDC
10:00 AM
First dog in space, 1957
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3
Western's Really
Big Weekend
7:00 & 8:30 PM
New Student Services
for tickets
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4
Western's Really
Big Weekend
11 AM & 12:30 PM
New Student Services
for tickets
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5
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6
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7
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8
Presentation
Birnam Wood
8:00 PM
Transit of Mercury across the Sun
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9
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10
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11
Tycho Brahe observes supernova in Cassiopeia, 1572
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12
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13
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14
Apollo 12 launched, 1969
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15
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First message sent to M13 by Arecibo radioscope, 1974
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17
Leonid Meteor Shower
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18
Presentation
WCC A150 &
SVC EaSc121
6:30 PM
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19
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20
Edwin Hubble born, 1889
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22
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23
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24
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25
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26
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27
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28
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29
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30
OPEN to PUBLIC
7:00 & 8:30 PM
Call 360.650.6146
for tickets
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The Leonid Meteor Shower peaks on the 17th.
Maximum hourly rate typically reaches 10 to 15.
This shower is notable for greatly enhanced activity every 33 years.
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Western Washington University Planetarium
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Sunday
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Monday
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Tuesday
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Wednesday
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Thursday
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Friday
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Saturday
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The Geminid Meteor Shower peaks on the 14th.
The maximum hourly rate typically reaches 80.
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1
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2
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3
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4
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5
Presentation
MOMS Club
11:00 AM
WWU A.L.L.
3:00 to 5:00 PM
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6
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7
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8
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9
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10
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11
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12
Presentation
WWU A.L.L.
3:00 to 5:00 PM
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13
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14
Presentation
St. Paul's
Grade 3
1:30 PM
Geminid Meteor Shower
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15
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16
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17
First sustained powered flight at Kitty Hawk, NC, 1903
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18
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19
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20
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21
Presentation
Cub Scouts
Pack 44
6:00 PM
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Winter Solstice
00:22 UT
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23
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24
Apollo 8 sends Christmas message from lunar orbit, 1968
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Isaac Newton born 1642
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Johannes Kepler born 1571
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28
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29
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30
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31
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The winter Milky Way can be traced from Cassiopeia in the north, through Auriga high
overhead, then south past Orion.
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