Preseli Astronomical Group 2024 Calendar
Meetings are held at 7pm at Letterston Memorial Hall on the first Tuesday of every month with the exception of August.
2024 Meetings:
Tuesday 7th May.
Tuesday 7th May.
What to see in the night sky this month...
The Definitions of astronomical terms:
Elongation - Elongation is the angle between the an Inferior Planet (Mercury and Venus) and the Sun with Earth as the reference point. The Greatest Elongation is the greatest angle of which an Inferior Planet is still visible. Eastern Elongations occur right after sun set and the Western Elongation occurs right before sun rise.
Equinox - The Equinox occurs when the sun crosses the equator which results in day and night becoming almost equal in length.
Full Moon - A full moon occurs when the whole lunar disc is illuminated.
Lunar Eclipse - A lunar Eclipse occurs when the moon enters the Earth's umbra (shadow), this can only occur if the Sun, Moon and Earth are exactly or very closely aligned.
Meteor Shower - A meteor shower occurs when the earth encounters many meteors in a short period of time.
New Moon - A new moon is a phase of the moon in which the moon appears as a slim crescent, shortly after it's conjunction with the Sun.
Opposition - An opposition occurs when the Earth is directly between a Superior Planet (Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune) and the Sun resulting in the Superior Planet appearing larger and brighter.
Solar Eclipse - A Solar Eclipse is when the sun is obscured by the moon, this can be partial where only part of the sun is obscured or total, where the moon passes directly between Earth and the Sun.
Solstice - The Solstice is the time or date where the sun reaches it's maximum or minimum declination, which is marked by the longest and shortest days.
Supermoon - A supermoon is a phenomenon which occurs when the Moon is at it's closest to Earth and in a full moon.
Elongation - Elongation is the angle between the an Inferior Planet (Mercury and Venus) and the Sun with Earth as the reference point. The Greatest Elongation is the greatest angle of which an Inferior Planet is still visible. Eastern Elongations occur right after sun set and the Western Elongation occurs right before sun rise.
Equinox - The Equinox occurs when the sun crosses the equator which results in day and night becoming almost equal in length.
Full Moon - A full moon occurs when the whole lunar disc is illuminated.
Lunar Eclipse - A lunar Eclipse occurs when the moon enters the Earth's umbra (shadow), this can only occur if the Sun, Moon and Earth are exactly or very closely aligned.
Meteor Shower - A meteor shower occurs when the earth encounters many meteors in a short period of time.
New Moon - A new moon is a phase of the moon in which the moon appears as a slim crescent, shortly after it's conjunction with the Sun.
Opposition - An opposition occurs when the Earth is directly between a Superior Planet (Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune) and the Sun resulting in the Superior Planet appearing larger and brighter.
Solar Eclipse - A Solar Eclipse is when the sun is obscured by the moon, this can be partial where only part of the sun is obscured or total, where the moon passes directly between Earth and the Sun.
Solstice - The Solstice is the time or date where the sun reaches it's maximum or minimum declination, which is marked by the longest and shortest days.
Supermoon - A supermoon is a phenomenon which occurs when the Moon is at it's closest to Earth and in a full moon.