Selected events for the Earth and the Moon are listed below. The lunation number refers to the Brown Lunation Number which is numbered from the first New Moon of 1923. Nodal crossings are with respect to the ecliptic. The occultation of the open cluster M45 (Pleiades) refers to the occultation of the brightest star in the group, η Tau (Alcyone). All times and dates are in UT. Positions are geocentric apparent places, referred to the true equator and equinox of date.
| January | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Moon | apogee | |
| 3 | Earth | perihelion: 0.983 au | |
| 4 | Moon | LAST QUARTER MOON | |
| Moon | descending node | ||
| 8 | Moon | lunar occultation: 0.8° north of α Sco (Antares) | |
| 11 | Moon | NEW MOON: lunation 1250 | |
| 13 | Moon | perigee | |
| 15 | Moon | lunar occultation: 0.9° south of Neptune (visible from the southern Atlantic Ocean) | |
| 17 | Moon | ascending node | |
| 18 | Moon | FIRST QUARTER MOON | |
| 20 | Moon | lunar occultation: 0.9° south of the open cluster M45 (Pleiades) | |
| 25 | Moon | FULL MOON | |
| 29 | Moon | apogee | |
| 31 | Moon | descending node | |
| February | |||
| 2 | Moon | LAST QUARTER MOON | |
| 5 | Moon | lunar occultation: 0.6° north of α Sco (Antares) | |
| 9 | Moon | NEW MOON: lunation 1251 | |
| 10 | Moon | perigee | |
| 12 | Moon | lunar occultation: 0.7° south of Neptune (visible from Melanesia, including Papua New Guinea, the Soloman Islands and New Caledonia) | |
| 13 | Moon | ascending node | |
| 16 | Moon | FIRST QUARTER MOON | |
| Moon | lunar occultation: 0.6° south of the open cluster M45 (Pleiades) | ||
| 24 | Moon | FULL MOON: Micro Moon (smallest angular diameter of the year) | |
| 25 | Moon | apogee | |
| 27 | Moon | descending node | |
| March | |||
| 3 | Moon | lunar occultation: 0.4° north of α Sco (Antares) | |
| Moon | LAST QUARTER MOON | ||
| 10 | Moon | NEW MOON: lunation 1252 | |
| Moon | lunar occultation: 0.5° south of Neptune (daytime event) | ||
| Moon | perigee: nearest (356,895 km) | ||
| 11 | Moon | lunar occultation: 1.0° south of Mercury (daytime event) | |
| 12 | Moon | ascending node | |
| 15 | Moon | lunar occultation: 0.4° south of the open cluster M45 (Pleiades) | |
| 17 | Moon | FIRST QUARTER MOON | |
| 20 | Earth | equinox: spring in northern hemisphere, autumn in southern hemisphere | |
| 23 | Moon | apogee | |
| 25 | Earth | Moon | penumbral lunar eclipse |
| Moon | FULL MOON | ||
| 26 | Moon | descending node | |
| 30 | Moon | lunar occultation: 0.3° north of α Sco (Antares) | |
| April | |||
| 2 | Moon | LAST QUARTER MOON | |
| 7 | Moon | lunar occultation: 0.4° south of Neptune (daytime event) | |
| Moon | lunar occultation: 0.4° north of Venus (daytime event) | ||
| Moon | perigee | ||
| 8 | Earth | Moon | total solar eclipse |
| Moon | ascending node | ||
| Moon | NEW MOON: lunation 1253 | ||
| 11 | Moon | lunar occultation: 0.4° south of the open cluster M45 (Pleiades) | |
| 15 | Moon | FIRST QUARTER MOON | |
| 20 | Moon | apogee | |
| 22 | Moon | descending node | |
| 23 | Moon | FULL MOON | |
| 26 | Moon | lunar occultation: 0.3° north of α Sco (Antares) | |
| May | |||
| 1 | Moon | LAST QUARTER MOON | |
| 3 | Moon | lunar occultation: 0.8° south of Saturn (visible from Antarctica) | |
| 4 | Moon | lunar occultation: 0.3° south of Neptune (visible from southeastern Australia and New Zealand) | |
| 5 | Moon | lunar occultation: 0.2° north of Mars (visible from Madagascar and the islands of the western Indian Ocean) | |
| Moon | ascending node | ||
| Moon | perigee | ||
| 8 | Moon | NEW MOON: lunation 1254 | |
| Moon | lunar occultation: 0.4° south of the open cluster M45 (Pleiades) | ||
| 15 | Moon | FIRST QUARTER MOON | |
| 17 | Moon | apogee | |
| 19 | Moon | descending node | |
| 23 | Moon | FULL MOON | |
| 24 | Moon | lunar occultation: 0.4° north of α Sco (Antares) | |
| 30 | Moon | LAST QUARTER MOON | |
| 31 | Moon | lunar occultation: 0.4° south of Saturn (visible from Chile, Argentina and Uruguay) | |
| June | |||
| 1 | Moon | lunar occultation: 0.02° south of Neptune (visible from southern Africa and Madagascar) | |
| 2 | Moon | ascending node | |
| Moon | perigee | ||
| 5 | Moon | lunar occultation: 0.3° south of the open cluster M45 (Pleiades) | |
| 6 | Moon | NEW MOON: lunation 1255 | |
| 14 | Moon | FIRST QUARTER MOON | |
| Moon | apogee: nearest (404,078 km) | ||
| 15 | Moon | descending node | |
| 16 | Moon | lunar occultation: 1.2° north of α Vir (Spica) | |
| 20 | Moon | lunar occultation: 0.3° north of α Sco (Antares) | |
| Earth | solstice: summer in northern hemisphere, winter in southern hemisphere | ||
| 22 | Moon | FULL MOON | |
| 27 | Moon | perigee: farthest (369,292 km) | |
| Moon | lunar occultation: 0.1° north of Saturn (visible from eastern Australia, northern New Zealand, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji and other nearby islands) | ||
| 28 | Moon | lunar occultation: 0.3° north of Neptune (visible from Costa Rica, Panama and northern South America) | |
| Moon | LAST QUARTER MOON | ||
| 29 | Moon | ascending node | |
| July | |||
| 2 | Moon | lunar occultation: 0.3° south of the open cluster M45 (Pleiades) | |
| 5 | Earth | aphelion: 1.017 au | |
| Moon | NEW MOON: lunation 1256 | ||
| 12 | Moon | apogee | |
| Moon | descending node | ||
| 13 | Moon | FIRST QUARTER MOON | |
| 14 | Moon | lunar occultation: 0.9° north of α Vir (Spica) | |
| 17 | Moon | lunar occultation: 0.2° north of α Sco (Antares) | |
| 21 | Moon | FULL MOON | |
| 24 | Moon | perigee | |
| Moon | lunar occultation: 0.4° north of Saturn (visible from China, eastern Mongolia, North and South Korea, Japan and southeastern Russia) | ||
| 25 | Moon | lunar occultation: 0.6° north of Neptune (visible from Melanesia, including Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, and the central Pacific Ocean) | |
| 26 | Moon | ascending node | |
| 28 | Moon | LAST QUARTER MOON | |
| 29 | Moon | lunar occultation: 0.1° south of the open cluster M45 (Pleiades) | |
| August | |||
| 4 | Moon | NEW MOON: lunation 1257 | |
| 9 | Moon | descending node | |
| Moon | apogee | ||
| 10 | Moon | lunar occultation: 0.7° north of α Vir (Spica) | |
| 12 | Moon | FIRST QUARTER MOON | |
| 14 | Moon | lunar occultation: 0.0° north of α Sco (Antares) | |
| 19 | Moon | FULL MOON: Blue Moon (third Full Moon of four in an astronomical season) | |
| 21 | Moon | lunar occultation: 0.5° north of Saturn (visible from Central America, northern South America, northwestern Africa and western Europe) | |
| Moon | perigee | ||
| Moon | lunar occultation: 0.7° north of Neptune (visible from northern Africa, the eastern Mediterranean Sea, the Middle East, eastern Europe, central Asia and Russia) | ||
| 22 | Moon | ascending node | |
| 26 | Moon | lunar occultation: 0.1° north of the open cluster M45 (Pleiades) | |
| Moon | LAST QUARTER MOON | ||
| September | |||
| 3 | Moon | NEW MOON: lunation 1258 | |
| 5 | Moon | descending node | |
| Moon | lunar occultation: 1.2° south of Venus (visible from Antarctica) | ||
| Moon | apogee | ||
| 6 | Moon | lunar occultation: 0.6° north of α Vir (Spica) | |
| 10 | Moon | lunar occultation: 0.1° south of α Sco (Antares) | |
| 11 | Moon | FIRST QUARTER MOON | |
| 17 | Moon | lunar occultation: 0.3° north of Saturn (visible from northeastern Austrlia, Melanesia, Hawaii and western North America) | |
| 18 | Earth | Moon | partial lunar eclipse |
| Moon | FULL MOON: Harvest Moon | ||
| Moon | lunar occultation: 0.7° north of Neptune (visible from Hawaii and most of North America) | ||
| Moon | perigee | ||
| Moon | ascending node | ||
| 22 | Moon | lunar occultation: 0.2° north of the open cluster M45 (Pleiades) | |
| Earth | equinox: spring in southern hemisphere, autumn in northern hemisphere | ||
| 24 | Moon | LAST QUARTER MOON | |
| October | |||
| 2 | Moon | descending node | |
| Earth | Moon | annular solar eclipse | |
| Moon | NEW MOON: lunation 1259 | ||
| Moon | apogee: farthest (406,517 km) | ||
| 3 | Moon | lunar occultation: 0.5° north of α Vir (Spica) | |
| 7 | Moon | lunar occultation: 0.2° south of α Sco (Antares) | |
| 10 | Moon | FIRST QUARTER MOON | |
| 14 | Moon | lunar occultation: 0.1° north of Saturn (visible from southern Africa, Madagascar, southern Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, United Arab Emirates and southern Asia) | |
| 15 | Moon | lunar occultation: 0.6° north of Neptune (visible from central Africa, the Middle East, India and central Asia) | |
| 16 | Moon | ascending node | |
| 17 | Moon | perigee | |
| Moon | FULL MOON: Super Moon (largest angular diameter of the year) | ||
| 19 | Moon | lunar occultation: 0.1° north of the open cluster M45 (Pleiades) | |
| 24 | Moon | LAST QUARTER MOON | |
| 29 | Moon | descending node | |
| Moon | apogee | ||
| 31 | Moon | lunar occultation: 0.5° north of α Vir (Spica) | |
| November | |||
| 1 | Moon | NEW MOON: lunation 1260 | |
| 4 | Moon | lunar occultation: 0.1° south of α Sco (Antares) | |
| 9 | Moon | FIRST QUARTER MOON | |
| 11 | Moon | lunar occultation: 0.1° north of Saturn (visible from Central America and northwestern South America) | |
| 12 | Moon | lunar occultation: 0.6° north of Neptune (visible from most of North America except the northwest) | |
| Moon | ascending node | ||
| 14 | Moon | perigee | |
| 15 | Moon | FULL MOON | |
| 16 | Moon | lunar occultation: 0.1° north of the open cluster M45 (Pleiades) | |
| 23 | Moon | LAST QUARTER MOON | |
| 25 | Moon | descending node | |
| 26 | Moon | apogee | |
| 27 | Moon | lunar occultation: 0.4° north of α Vir (Spica) | |
| December | |||
| 1 | Moon | NEW MOON: lunation 1261 | |
| Moon | lunar occultation: 0.0° south of α Sco (Antares) | ||
| 8 | Moon | lunar occultation: 0.3° north of Saturn (visible from Japan) | |
| Moon | FIRST QUARTER MOON | ||
| 9 | Moon | lunar occultation: 0.8° north of Neptune (visible from northeastern China, Mongolia, northeastern Russia, Japan and western Alaska) | |
| Moon | ascending node | ||
| 12 | Moon | perigee | |
| 13 | Moon | lunar occultation: 0.1° north of the open cluster M45 (Pleiades) | |
| 15 | Moon | FULL MOON | |
| 18 | Moon | lunar occultation: 0.9° north of Mars (visible from the Arctic, including Alaska, Canada, Greenland, northern Russia and northern Europe) | |
| 21 | Earth | solstice: summer in southern hemisphere, winter in northern hemisphere | |
| 22 | Moon | LAST QUARTER MOON | |
| Moon | descending node | ||
| 24 | Moon | apogee | |
| Moon | lunar occultation: 0.2° north of α Vir (Spica) | ||
| 28 | Moon | lunar occultation: 0.1° south of α Sco (Antares) | |
| 30 | Moon | NEW MOON: lunation 1262, Black Moon (second New Moon in a calendar month) | |
Copyright © 2024 by L.M. Stockman and David Harper