Aeromoe's Version of Joe Orman's Naked-Eye 100 List

Percent complete as of 18 September 2024: 90% (90 of 100)

Most recent event: Comet Tsuchinshan ATLAS October 13, 2024.

Below is a brief "key" to the columns of my list.

-List Item Number.
-Observed Check Box. "\" means I've observed it historically; "X" means I've observed it since I created this list in Jul 2010.
-The Phenomenon. Hyperlink is to either a Wikipedia article (generic) or a specific website such as for the 2012 Transit of Venus (noted with an '#'.)
-Historical Date Observed. If I have a photo I've taken, a link is included. Not all have dates associated with them...they are common enough that I can remember observing them at least once.
-Recent Obvservation Date. If I have a photo I've taken, a link is included.
-Future U.S. Event - pretty much a self-reminder.
-Description of the Phenomenon, either direct or paraphrased from Joe Orman's list.
-My current estimate of the odds I'll observe it (0-100%).

Note: I'm not an astrophotographer so many of my older night sky photos are scans of old prints taken with a 35mm film camera (Canon A1 and Canon FD lenses)
The recent ones (2010's) were taken with a digital SLR. During the weekend of August 13-15, 2010 I rented a relatively "fast" 16-35mm f2.8 lens and took a lot of sky photos from a few different dark locations. After some initial focus issues the first two nights, the night of the 15th I managed to get some pretty decent photos. I hope to add some to the "Recent Observation" links on this page.

#	Ob?	Phenomenon	Historical Observation	Recent Observation	Future Event (for me)	Description	Odds
1	X	SUNRISE	14 Jul 10	10 Aug '10	.	Night to day...our closest star appears in the sky	100
2	X	EQUINOX SUNRISE	.	23 Sep '10	~ Mar 20th ~Sep 23rd	Twice annually on the equinox dates, sun rises due east. Look along an east/west street, etc Equinox = 20 Mar 11 16:21 MST; 23 Sep 11 02:04 MST Sunrise: 21 Mar 11 06:32 MST; 23 Sep 11 06:18 MST	100
3	X	SUNSPOTS	.	08 Jan '14	.	Occasionally sunspots get big enough to see without magnification. Use proper eye protection!! Approved solar filter or a #14 welder's glass is appropriate	100
4	X	SOLAR ECLIPSE, PARTIAL	11 Jul '91	23 Oct '14	Future event: 26 Jan 2028 (U.S.)	Moon takes a bite out of the sun	100
5	X	SOLAR ECLIPSE, TOTAL	.	21 Aug '17	Future event: 23 Aug '44 (U.S.)	Within path of totality, moon completely covers the sun revealing the sun's corona. Next U.S. events: 23 Aug '44 12 Aug '45 21 Aug 2017 event: Road trip to centerline in Glendo, Wyoming. Perfect eclipse day. YouTube vid of event. 08 Apr 2024 event: Road trip to centerline in Albion, Illinois. Perfect eclipse day.	100
6	X	BAILEY'S BEADS	.	.	Future event: 23 Aug '44 (U.S.)	Sunlight peeking between the mountains of the moon during a total solar eclipse. Next U.S. events: 23 Aug '44 12 Aug '45	100
7	X	DIAMOND RING	.	21 Aug '17	Future event: 23 Aug '44 (U.S.)	A brief flash of direct sunlight signals the beginning and end of a total solar eclipse. Next U.S. events: 23 Aug '44 12 Aug '45	100
8	X	SOLAR ECLIPSE, ANNULAR	.	14 Oct '23	Future event: 2 Oct '24 (Chile, Arg.)	Moon appears in line with the sun but does not completely cover it, leaving a so-called "ring of fire." The eclipsed sun was of course very bright and the eclipse was not "visible" to the naked eye, however it was visible through the solar filter.	100
9	X	SOLAR TRANSIT OF MERCURY #	.	11 Nov 19 Telescopic	Future event: 07 May 49 (U.S.)	Fairly rare: 13 or 14 each century. Next occurances: Nov 13, 2032 and Nov 07, 2039 (not visible in U.S.) My second Mercury transit in 3 1/2 years. Mercury was NOT visible to me naked-eye through the solar filter...only telescopically. Due to the relative rareness of this event I am going to count it for this project.	100
10	X	SOLAR TRANSIT OF VENUS #	.	5 Jun 12	.	Very rare: Groups of two 8 years apart separated by over a century between these groups. Next occurance: Dec 11, 2117 and Dec 8, 2125 Venus was easily visible to my naked eye through a solar filter	100
11	X	SUN HALO	.	23 Apr 11	.	On winter days with thin clouds look for a complete circle around the sun, 22 degrees in radius	100
12	X	SUNDOGS (PARAHELIA)	16 Aug 10	3 Oct 12	.	Appear in thin clouds as bright colored patches a minimum of 22 degrees away from the sun and to the left and right of sun	100
13	X	SUN PILLAR	.	09 Jul 12	.	Vertical column of light directly above sun's location when sun is on or near horizon. Formed by reflection off ice crystals	100
14	.	OTHER HALOS	.	.	.	Circumzenithal arc, tanget arcs, parry arc, 46-degree halo...some are subtle and rarely seen	100
15	X	CORONA	.	16 Feb 11	.	In thin clouds, colored rings a few degrees across around the sun or moon	100
16	.	AUREOLE	.	.	.	Bright glow around sun or moon, colorless and only a few degrees across	100
17	X	GLORY	.	18 Mar 14	.	Looking into fog or clouds from a plane or mountaintop, colored rings around antisolar point	100
18	\	BROCKEN SPECTRE	.	.	.	Your own shadow in the center of the glory	100
19	.	MOUNTAIN SHADOW	.	.	.	From mountain top look opposite sunset; perspective makes a cone-shaped shadow	100
20	X	RAINBOW	24 Jul 10	8 Aug 10	.	Primary rainbow appears as an arc 42-degrees in radius centered around the antisolar point	100
21	X	DOUBLE RAINBOW	20 Feb 10	22 Jul 10	.	The outer, secondary rainbow is 51 degrees in radius. Colors are reversed.	100
22	X	IRISATION (IRIDESCENT CLOUDS)	.	27 Jun 12	.	Multi-colored patch in thin clouds or on cloud edges many degrees from the sun	100
23	X	MIRAGES	.	24 Aug 13	.	Sky reflected off temperature boundaries close to the ground	100
24	X	LIGHTNING	1 Jul 95 10 Jul 10	30 Jul 11	.	Awesome sight day or night...observe with caution and from a safe distance!	100
25	X	CREPUSCULAR RAYS	11 Jul 10	24 Jul 10	.	Brilliant streaks of light radiating from clouds backlit by the sun	100
26	X	ANTICREPUSCULAR RAYS	.	23 Jul 10	.	Crepuscular rays converging on the antisolar point; often very faint and diffuse	100
27	X	SUNSET	20 Feb 10	24 Jul 10	.	Watch our closest star set but keep watching afterward for the best sky and cloud colors	100
28	X	EQUINOX SUNSET	.	23 Sep 10	~ Mar 20th ~ Sep 23rd	Twice annually on the equinox dates, sun sets straight west. Look along an east-west street Equinox = 20 Mar 11 16:21 MST; 23 Sep 11 02:04 MST Sunset: 20 Mar 11 18:41 MST; 23 Sep 11 18:25 MST	100
29	X	GREEN FLASH	.	10 Jan 14	.	Need low horizon and clear skies. Upper limb of sun flashes green just before setting	50
30	X	BELT OF VENUS	3 Feb 03	1 Sep 10	.	A band of pink above the horizon; look opposite the sun just before sunrise or after sunset	100
31	X	TWILIGHT	.	5 Aug 10	.	After sunset or before sunrise, the sky is a pastel pallette of orange, pink, purple, blue, and black	100
32	.	NOCTILUCENT CLOUDS	.	.	.	Rarely-seen clouds of ice particles at edge of space after twilight - only from high latitudes	10
33	X	ZODIACAL LIGHT	.	19 Sep 10	.	A pale cone of light along the ecliptic best seen before dawn in the fall or after a spring sunset	100
34	.	GEGENSCHEIN	.	.	.	A faint patch of light on the ecliptic; look at the antisolar point around midnight	100
35	X	AURORA BOREALIS	12 Aug 00	08 Oct 16	.	Northern Lights - colorful emissions of photons in the upper atmosphere	100
36	X	MOONRISE	25 Aug 10	23 Sep 10	.	Rising moon silhouetting a distant mountain, tree or saguaro cactus is an awe-inspiring sight	100
37	X	EQUINOX MOONRISE	.	23 Sep 10	.	Near spring and fall equinox the full moon rises due east opposite the sunset in the west Equinox = 20 Mar 11 16:21 MST; 23 Sep 11 02:04 MST Moonrise: 20 Mar 11 20:16 MST	100
38	X	OLD / YOUNG CRESCENT MOON	15 Jul 10	8 Aug 10	.	Mornings before new moon look for crescent above the twilight horizon an hour or two before sunrise Evenings after new moon look for crescent above the twilight horizon right after sunset	100
39	X	EARTHSHINE	5 Aug 10	5 Aug 10	.	Sunlight reflected off the earth and onto the dark portion of the moon; best when moon is a thin crescent	100
40	X	FULL MOON	25 Jul 10	23 Sep 10	.	Be sure to also look at the surrounding landscape bathed in the cool moonlight Moonrise at 17:23 MST; Full Moon at 18:37 MST	100
41	X	MOON HALO	.	7 Feb 12	.	Same as a sun halo but seen around the moon at night	100
42	X	HARVEST MOON	.	23 Sep 10	.	Full moon closest to fall equinox; rises soon after sunset for several days in a row Full Moon rises 12 Sep 11 18:36 MST; Equinox = 23 Sep 11 02:04 MST	100
43	X	LUNAR ECLIPSE, PARTIAL	.	4 Jun 12	Future event: 28 Aug 2026 18:23 MST (U.S.)	Earth's shadow takes a bite out of the moon 04 Jun 2012 event: 19 Nov 2021 event: 17 Sep 2024 event: Observed entire event from moonrise until just before end of penumbral phase. Photos	100
44	X	LUNAR ECLIPSE, TOTAL	21 Dec 10	31 Jan 18	Future event: 13 Mar 25 20:57 MST (U.S.)	The moon passes totally within the earth's shadow, often turning a dark reddish color 21 Dec 2010 event: mostly cloudy but observed it briefly twice at beginning of totality - unable to get any photos. 10 Dec 2011 event: Nice to watch from Arizona although totality began just as the moon was setting into some clouds in the brightening western morning sky. 15 Apr 2014 event: I was on the east coast and it was very cloudy during nearly the entire event. I did see a bit of partiality at the beginning. 08 Oct 2014 event: Totally clouded out in Arizona. 04 Apr 2015 event: Observed pre-dawn...very nice. 27 Sep 2015 event: Observed after moonrise in the evening...very nice. 31 Jan 2018 event: Observed pre-dawn until the moon set while mostly eclipsed...very nice. 20 Jan 2019 event: Observed...took a few photos. Mostly cloudy. 26 May 2021 event: No photos...I think it was mostly clouded over but just visible at times. 16 May 2022 event: Observed entire event and took photos. Eclipse just beginning at moonrise. 08 Nov 2022 event: Observed entire event and took photos. Very nice.	100
45	X	LET THE MOON FOLLOW YOU HOME	.	8 Aug 10	.	The moon seems to follow you as you drive along the road - a trick of perspective	100
46	X	MOON REFLECTED IN WATER	.	18 Sep 10	.	This sight has inspired poets and lovers for ages	100
47	X	GLITTER PATH	.	31 Aug 12	.	The sun or moon's reflection forms a column of glittering light on rippling water	100
48	X	MOONSET	20 Jul 10	11 Aug 10	.	Whether full or crescent, the last bit to dip beneath the horizon always brings a special sadness	100
49	X	EQUINOX MOONSET	.	23 Sep 10	.	Near spring and fall equinox, the full moon sets straight west, opposite the sunrise in the east. .	100
50	X	MERCURY	13 May 94	5 Aug 10	.	For a few days every month or two, Mercury rises above the glow of twilight and is easy to see	100
51	X	VENUS	11 Jul 10	Aug 10	.	Brightly visible above the morning or evening twilight for several months at a time	100
52	X	VENUS IN DAYTIME	20 Jul 10	30 Nov 10	.	Easy to see if you know where to look and can focus eyes to infinity. Helps if moon is nearby	100
53	X	MARS	.	17 Jul 10	.	Near opposition Mars is a brilliant object in the night sky	100
54	X	JUPITER	.	9 Jul 10	.	Looks like a bright star - magnification needed to see the four Galilean moons	100
55	X	SATURN	.	8 Jul 10	.	Looks like a bright star - appears golden in color. Magnification needed to see rings	100
56	.	URANUS	14 Sep 10 (scope)	.	.	At best, Uranus is near the limit of naked-eye visibility...try and observe from a dark-sky site	100
57	X	PLANETARY CONJUNCTION	2 Aug 10	10 Aug 10	.	Look for two or more planets appearing near each other Please click the thumbnail for a series of photos showing the progress during Aug/Sep 2010	100
58	X	STAR-PLANET CONJUNCTION	31 Aug 10	03 Oct 12	.	Occasionally planets appear very close to background stars	100
59	X	MOON-PLANET CONJUNCTION	8 Sep 94 14 Jul 10	12 Aug 10	.	Occasionally a planet will appear close (or very close) to the moon in the sky	100
60	X	LUNAR OCCULTATION, STELLAR	.	4 Mar 17	.	Antares, Regulus, Aldebaran and Spica lie close to ecliptic - moon occasionally passes in front of one of them	100
61	X	LUNAR OCCULTATION, PLANETARY	13 Aug 12 Telescopic	7 Dec 15	.	Occasionally the moon passes in front of one of the planets	100
62	X	ECLIPTIC	.	11 Aug 10	.	The sun, moon, and planets make a straight line across the sky - the plane of our solar system	100
63	X	ORION THE HUNTER	17 Mar 94 2 Aug 10	15 Aug 10	.	Constellation really looks like a human figure; three evenly spaced stars are his belt	100
64	X	BETELGEUSE	17 Mar 94 3 Aug 10	15 Aug 10	.	Orion the Hunter's left shoulder is a red giant star, bright and pink to the eye	100
65	X	ORION NEBULA	17 Mar 94 14 Aug 10	15 Aug 10	.	Look for diffuse patch in the middle of the sword handing from the hunter's belt	100
66	X	SIRIUS	.	8 Aug 10	.	Brightest star in the night sky rises after Orion	100
67	X	SUMMER TRIANGLE	12 Jul 10	15 Aug 10	.	Deneb, Vega, and Altair form a triangle visible in evening all summer	100
68	X	WINTER HEXAGON	.	27 Sep 10	.	Sirius, Procyon, Pollux, Capella, Aldebaran, and Rigel form a large hexagon on winter evenings	100
69	X	HYADES	5 Aug 10	15 Aug 10	.	The "V" shaped open cluster in the face of Taurus the Bull; Aldebaran is the bright star among them	100
70	X	PLEIADES	3 Aug 10	15 Aug 10	.	Tight cluster of 6 or 7 bright blue stars in the form of a miniature dipper	100
71	X	OMEGA CENTAURI	29 Jan 12	29 Jan 12	.	Globular cluster looks like a fuzzy patch to the naked eye; telescope shows individual stars	100
72	X	BIG DIPPER	17 Mar 94 11 Jul 10	15 Aug 10	.	Body and tail of Ursa Major, the big bear. Close to Polaris in the northern sky	100
73	X	ARC TO ARCTURUS	11 Jul 10	15 Aug 10	.	Follow the curve of Big Dipper's handle to a bright star: Arcturus in Bootes	100
74	X	SPEED ON TO SPICA	11 Jul 10	18 Aug 10	.	Continue to curve past Arcturus to another bright star: Spica in Virgo	100
75	X	BIG DIPPER DOUBLE STAR	17 Mar 94 12 Jul 10	15 Aug 10	.	The star where the Big Dipper's handle bends, Mizar, has a faint companion. Good test of vision	100
76	X	BIG DIPPER POINTER STARS	17 Mar 94 12 Jul 10	15 Aug 10	.	Follow the last two stars in the bucket to find Polaris, the North Star	100
77	X	POLARIS	11 Jul 10	15 Aug 10	.	The North Star, the axis of the sky as the earth turns	100
78	X	LITTLE DIPPER	4 Aug 10	15 Aug 10	.	In constellation Ursa Minor, the Little Bear. Extends from Polaris; a lot fainter than the Big Dipper	100
79	X	CASSIOPEIA	11 Jul 10	15 Aug 10	.	In the shape of a broken 'W.' Close to Polaris in the northern sky.	100
80	X	CYGNUS THE SWAN	12 Jul 10	11 Aug 10	.	This cross-shaped constellation really looks like a long-necked bird in flight.	100
81	X	LEO THE LION	11 Dec 10	04 Mar 11	.	Sickle shape forms the lion's mane; bright star Regulus is lion's heart	100
82	X	SCORPIUS	17 Mar 94 11 Jul 10	15 Aug 10	.	Constellation really looks like a scorpion; bright star Antares is the scorpion's heart	100
83	X	ANTARES, THE RIVAL OF MARS	17 Mar 94 11 Jul 10	15 Aug 10	.	The red giant star in Scorpius is sometimes close to Mars and they look the same: bright and pink 17 Aug 10: 1° below Moon: Cloudy :(	100
84	X	SAGITTARIUS	17 Mar 94 11 Jul 10	15 Aug 10	.	The teapot asterism (in Sagittarius) is distinctive in the southern sky on summer nights	100
85	X	MILKY WAY	4 Aug 10	15 Aug 10	.	Our galaxy seen edge on and from within a spiral arm; this faint band crossing the sky is the combined light of millions of stars	100
86	X	CENTER OF OUR GALAXY	4 Aug 10	15 Aug 10	.	Look at the "steam" cloud above the teapot's spout...that's the direction of the center of the Milky Way	100
87	X	ANDROMEDA GALAXY	4 Aug 10	15 Aug 10	.	Faint patch of light is one of farthest things visible to the naked eye...over two million light years away	100
88	X	PERSEID METEOR SHOWER	.	13 Aug 10	AUG 12-13	AUGUST 12-13 EACH YEAR. Between midnight and dawn lie on a blanket or lawn chair and look up	100
89	.	LEONID METEOR SHOWER	.	.	NOV 17-18	NOVEMBER 17-18 EACH YEAR. Between midnight and dawn lie on a blanket or lawn chair and look up	100
90	.	GEMINID METEOR SHOWER	.	.	DEC 13-14	DECEMBER 13-14 EACH YEAR. After 9 P.M. lie on a blanket or lawn chair and look up	100
91	X	SPORADIC METEORS	.	4 Aug 10	.	Random "shooting stars" or "falling stars" can be seen any night of the year. Make a wish!	100
92	X	BOLIDE / FIREBALL	.	3 Jul 11	.	Random high-visiblity "shooting stars" or "falling stars" makes a spectacular sight and creates just as spectacular of a memory!	100
93	.	ASTEROIDS	.	.	Future event: APRIL 13, 2029	Usually too faint to see, but on APRIL 13, 2029 Asteroid 2004 MN4 will make a close naked-eye pass for Europe, Africa, and West Asia Vesta is on the fringe of naked-eye visibility summer 2011 so I may get to glimpse it if I can get to a dark-sky site.	50
94	X	ARTIFICIAL SATELLITES	.	18 Sep 10	Photo Page	Artificial satellites look like stars moving steadily across the sky. Check heavens-above.com for visibility	100
95	X	INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION	6 Apr 10	3 Aug 10	Photo Page	At its brighter magnitudes, the ISS looks like a very bright star or even a bright planet moving steadily across the sky. Check heavens-above.com for visibility	100
96	X	IRIDIUM FLARES	12 Jul 10	12 Sep 10	Photo Page	Flash that lasts several seconds, like a slow meteor. Check heavens-above.com for visibility	100
97	X	ROCKET TRAILS	12 Jul 06	25 Sep 10	.	Launches from Vandenberg or White Sands (Western U.S.) can be seen from hundreds of miles away; likewise for Kennedy Space Center or other worldwide launch sites. Dependent on various factors such as weather, rocket fuel used, time of day, etc. among others	100
98	X	COMETS	.	12 Mar 13	.	Every year or so one reaches naked-eye visibility. Even rarer are bright "great" comets: like Hale-Bopp	100
99	X	WHOLE SKY	4 Aug 10	13/14/15 Aug 10	.	Find a wide open space and look at the dome of the sky...the sky is an infinite sphere centered on you	100
100	X	ALL-NIGHT SKY	13/14 Aug 10	14/15 Aug 10	.	Stay up all night and watch the sky change as the earth turns	100
#	Ob?	Extra Credit Phenomena	Historical Observation	Recent Observation	Future Event (for me)	Description	Odds
101	.	FALL ASLEEP WHILE SKY WATCHING	.	.	.	Make your bed under the open sky, lie back, look at the stars, close your eyes and dream of infinity	100
102	X	VAPOR TRAIL SHADOW CAUSED BY A HIGH-ALTITUDE PLANE	22 Oct 07	17 Aug 10	.	These shadows are fairly common, you just have to be looking in the right spot to see them Can either be projected against clouds or "hanging" in a blue sky	100
103	X	EARTH'S SHADOW	29 May 99 1 Sep 10	19 Sep 10	.	Twilight Wedge of shadow cast by the earth at sunrise and sunset	100
104	X	SPACE LAUNCH	28 Mar 83	29 Sep 13	.	Observe a professional launch of a satellite or space crew	100
105	X	SOUTHERN CROSS	.	24 Jul 16	.	Crux - the Southern Cross constellation. Best seen from southern latitudes...visible from lower northern latitudes	100
106	X	MAGELLANIC CLOUDS	.	27 Jul 16	.	Neighboring irregular dwarf galaxies best seen from southern latitudes...visible from far lower northern latitudes	100
107	X	COALSACK DARK NEBULA	.	27 Jul 16	.	Most dominant "dark nebula" visible in our skies. Best seen from southern latitudes...visible from lower northern latitudes	100
108	X	MIDNIGHT SUN	24 May 15	.	.	"Summer" sun never sets at high latitudes - irregardless of North or South Pole.	100
109	.	AURORA AUSTRALIS	.	.	.	Southern Lights - colorful emissions of photons in the upper atmosphere	25
110	.	.	.	.	.		.