You are here: Home > What's Up > Ephemerides & Astronomical Data

Phases of the Moon

• Phases of the Moon, from 2006 to 2015 (times expressed in Eastern Standard time)
• For years outside this time frame, see the web-based server from the U.S. Naval Observatory (Washington, D.C.)

The Seasons

• Solstices and equinoxes, from 2001 to 2020
• See also the web-based server from the Institut de Mécanique Céleste et de Calcul des Éphémérides (Paris)

Rising and Setting Times

• Rising and Setting times of the Sun, Moon, and planets:
  • web-based server from the U.S. Naval Observatory (Washington, D.C.)

Eclipses of the Sun and Moon

• Fred Espenak's website (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) is arguably THE reference about eclipses. Contains maps and detailed predictions.
  • Eclipses of the Sun and Moon for the upcoming years
  • All solar eclipses from -1999 to +4000
  • All lunar eclipses from -1999 to +3000
• Eclipses of the Sun and Moon on the IMCCE website, Paris (in French).

Artificial Satellites

Where and when to look to see the International Space Station (ISS), the Space Shuttle, Iridium satellite flares, Starshine, etc.?

• Heavens-Above.com, a site hosted by the German Space Agency's Space Operations Centre (DLR/GSOC), produces detailed visibility predictions for any place on Earth (text and maps):
  • Visibility of artificial satellites from Montréal, Québec City, Trois-Rivières and Ottawa.
  • Create your own personalized start page and get custom predictions for your favorite observing sites.
• NASA's predictions for passes of International Space Station (text only).

Solar Activity and Aurora Borealis

• Space Weather Canada
• Spaceweather.com provides a daily follow-up on solar activity, and issues warnings when the probability of auroral displays is high; includes beautiful photo galleries.
• Space Environment Center: real-time data about solar and geomagnetic activity.

Light Pollution

Is your favorite observing site really dark?

• Check out the map of light pollution in Québec Claude Duplessis' website Les noirceurs de la nuit (in French).

Weather

Will the stars be visible tonight?

• Weather forecast for Astronomy (Numerical simulations produced by the Canadian meteorological Centre — CMC)
  • Attila Danko's Clear Sky Clocks (synoptic graphs based on CMC's data) : Montréal, Québec City, Trois-Rivières, Saguenay, Ottawa/Gatineau
• Environment Canada's weather forecasts
• Satellite and radar images.