The most exciting events for the hobbyist amateur astronomer for the year 2010 can be found here. Everyone should mark their calendars for these not-to-be-missed opportunities!
Planets for 2010
Mercury is best seen in the evening after sunset in the west from late March to mid-April, mid-July to mid-August, and mid-November to mid-December. On April 3, 2010, Mercury and Venus will lie just three degrees apart.
Venus returns as the evening star in February and spends most of the year dominating the west after sunset until October. Besides the above conjunction, Venus also meets up with a few other planets in close pairings. Note especially August 7, 2010, when Venus and Saturn are 2.8 degrees apart in the west-southwest at nightfall and August 18, 2010, when Venus is 1.9 degrees from Mars in the same region of sky.
Mars will be visible in the evening sky almost all year long, from mid-January to mid-December in 2010. Mars reaches opposition on January 29. Around opposition the planet is at its biggest and brightest (magnitude -1.3) as seen from Earth.
Jupiter reaches opposition on September 21, 2010. It is up in the evening sky in the beginning of the year, January to mid-February, and again at the end of the year, from September into 2011. At the beginning of the year, find Jupiter in the west, and at the end it will be in the south. See Uranus, below, for more.
Saturn reaches its opposition on March 21, 2010. It moves into the evening sky in March and remains there until September, spending all spring and summer as an observing target. It continues to show a limited view of its rings. See above for conjunctions with other planets.
Uranus requires binoculars or a telescope to see, but its location close to Jupiter makes it easier to find this year. Note especially June 8, when Uranus is 0.4 degrees from the King of the Planets, and September 18, when they lie 0.8 degrees apart. In December 2009, Jupiter passed near Neptune, helping to locate the farthest planet from the sun.
Eclipses in 2010
Two solar eclipses and two lunar eclipses are on the calendar for 2010. The first is an annular solar eclipse on January 15. Annular eclipses are not total eclipses; the moon is a bit too far away to complete cover the sun's disk. This eclipse can be seen in Africa, India, and China.
A partial lunar eclipse is visible on June 26, 2010, for people in the western US, Pacific Ocean regions, and Australia and New Zealand.
A total solar eclipse occurs on July 11, 2010 in the South Pacific Ocean, crossing near the Cook Islands, French Polynesia, and the southernmost regions of South America.
The best eclipse observing opportunity in 2010 is the total lunar eclipse on December 20-21, 2010. All of North America will be able to view this event.
Meteor Showers in 2010
The best meteor showers are those that occur close to a new moon, which allows for darker skies and seeing fainter streaks. One shower in 2010 fits that bill. The Perseid meteor shower peaks August 12, three days after a new moon. Perseid meteors can fall at a rate of 80 an hour.
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Kelly Whitt - I have been a professional writer for more than a decade, covering many topics from science-based articles to do-it-yourself home ...
