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

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 upcoming 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 Occurance Date - 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 (2000'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. Many of those will be added 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	.	EQUINOX SUNRISE	.	.	~ Mar 20 ~ Sep 23	Twice annually on the equinox dates, sun rises due east. Look along an east/west street, etc 23 Sep 10 Sunrise = 0618 MST	100
3	.	SUNSPOTS	.	.	.	Occasionally sunspots get big enough to see without magnification. Use proper eye protection: a #14 welder's glass is appropriate	25
4	\	SOLAR ECLIPSE, PARTIAL	11 Jul 91	.	23 Oct 14 (U.S.)	Moon takes a bite out of the sun	100
5	.	SOLAR ECLIPSE, TOTAL	.	.	21 Aug 17 (U.S.)	Within path of totality, moon completely covers the sun revealing the sun's corona. Next U.S. events: 21 Aug 2017 and 8 Apr 2024	100
6	.	BAILEY'S BEADS	.	.	.	Sunlight peeking between the mountains of the moon during a total solar eclipse	100
7	.	DIAMOND RING	.	.	.	A brief flash of direct sunlight signals the beginning and end of a total solar eclipse	100
8	.	SOLAR ECLIPSE, ANNULAR	.	.	20 May 2012	Moon appears in line with the sun but does not completely cover it, leaving a "ring of fire"	25
9	.	SOLAR TRANSIT OF MERCURY #	.	.	MAY 9, 2016	Fairly rare: 13 or 14 each century. Next occurance is MAY 9, 2016. UTC: 11:12 through 18:42; Thereafter: Nov 11, 2019	10
10	.	SOLAR TRANSIT OF VENUS #	.	.	JUNE 5-6, 2012	Very rare: only twice a century. Next occurance is JUNE 5-6, 2012. UTC: 22:09 through 04:49; Thereafter: Dec 11, 2117	25
11	.	SUN HALO	.	.	.	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	.	Appear in thin clouds as bright colored patches 22 degrees apart to the left and right of sun	100
13	.	SUN PILLAR	.	.	.	Vertical column of light above sun when sun is on 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	.	CORONA	.	.	.	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	\	GLORY	.	.	.	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	\	IRISATION (IRIDESCENT CLOUDS)	.	.	.	Multi-colored patch in thin clouds or on cloud edges many degrees from the sun	100
23	\	MIRAGES	.	.	.	Sky reflected off temperature boundaries close to the ground	100
24	X	LIGHTNING	1 Jul 95 10 Jul 10	.	.	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	\	EQUINOX SUNSET	.	.	~ Mar 20 ~ Sep 23	Twice annually on the equinox dates, sun sets straight west. Look along an east-west street Equinox = 22 Sep 10 20:09 MST; Sunset 22 Sep 10 = 18:26 MST; 23 Sep 10 = 18:25 MST	100
29	.	GREEN FLASH	.	.	.	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	.	ZODIACAL LIGHT	.	.	.	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	\	AURORA BOREALIS	12 Aug 00	.	.	Northern Lights - colorful emissions of photons in the upper atmosphere	100
36	X	MOONRISE	.	25 Aug 10	August '10	Rising moon silhouetting a distant mountain, tree or saguaro cactus is an awe-inspiring sight	100
37	.	EQUINOX MOONRISE	.	.	23 Sep 10 Rise: 18:20	Near spring and fall equinox the full moon rises due east opposite the sunset in the west	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	24 Aug 10	23 Sep 10 Rise: 18:20	Be sure to also look at the surrounding landscape bathed in the cool moonlight	100
41	\	MOON HALO	.	.	.	Same as a sun halo but seen around the moon at night	100
42	.	HARVEST MOON	.	.	23 Sep 10 Rise: 18:20	Full moon closest to fall equinox; rises soon after sunset for several days in a row	100
43	\	LUNAR ECLIPSE, PARTIAL	.	.	4 Jun 2012 U.S.	Earth's shadow takes a bite out of the moon	100
44	\	LUNAR ECLIPSE, TOTAL	.	.	21 Dec 10 U.S.	The moon passes totally within the earth's shadow, often turning a dark reddish color	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	.	MOON REFLECTED IN WATER	.	.	.	This sight has inspired poets and lovers for ages	100
47	.	GLITTER PATH	.	.	.	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	.	EQUINOX MOONSET	.	.	24 Sep 10 Set: 07:31	Near spring and fall equinox, the full moon sets straight west, opposite the sunrise in the east. Full Moon = 23 Sep 10 02:19 hrs Local	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	12 Aug 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	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
57	X	STAR-PLANET CONJUNCTION	.	31 Aug 10	.	Occasionally planets appear very close to background stars	100
58	X	MOON-PLANET CONJUNCTION	14 Jul 10 11 Aug 10	12 Aug 10	.	Occasionally a planet will appear close (or very close) to the moon in the sky	100
59	.	LUNAR OCCULTATION, STELLAR	.	.	30 Jul 10 Cloudy :(	Antares, Regulus, Aldebaran and Spica lie close to ecliptic - moon occasionally passes in front of one of them	25
60	.	LUNAR OCCULTATION, PLANETARY	.	.	.	Occasionally the moon passes in front of one of the planets	25
61	X	ECLIPTIC	.	11 Aug 10	.	The sun, moon, and planets make a straight line across the sky - the plane of our solar system	100
62	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
63	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
64	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
65	X	SIRIUS	.	8 Aug 10	.	Brightest star in the night sky rises after Orion	100
66	X	SUMMER TRIANGLE	12 Jul 10	15 Aug 10	.	Deneb, Vega, and Altair form a triangle visible in evening all summer	100
67	.	WINTER HEXAGON	.	.	.	Sirius, Procyon, Pollux, Castor, Capella, Aldebaran, and Rigel form a large hexagon on winter evenings	100
68	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
69	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
70	.	OMEGA CENTAURI	.	.	Start late Jan 2011 pre-dawn	Globular cluster looks like a fuzzy patch to the naked eye; telescope shows individual stars	100
71	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
72	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
73	X	SPEED ON TO SPICA	11 Jul 10	18 Aug 10	.	Continue to curve past Arcturus to another bright star: Spica in Virgo	100
74	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
75	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
76	X	POLARIS	11 Jul 10	15 Aug 10	.	The North Star, the axis of the sky as the earth turns	100
77	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
78	X	CASSIOPEIA	11 Jul 10	15 Aug 10	.	In the shape of a broken 'W.' Close to Polaris in the northern sky.	100
79	X	CYGNUS THE SWAN	12 Jul 10	11 Aug 10	.	This cross-shaped constellation really looks like a long-necked bird in flight.	100
80	.	LEO THE LION	.	.	Start mid Sep 2010 pre-dawn	Sickle shape forms the lion's mane; bright star Regulas is lion's heart	100
81	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
82	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
83	X	SAGITTARIUS	17 Mar 94 11 Jul 10	15 Aug 10	.	The teapot asterism is distinctive in the southern sky on summer nights	100
84	X	MILKY WAY	4 Aug 10	15 Aug 10	.	Our galaxy seen edge on; this faint band crossing the sky is the combined light of millions of stars	100
85	X	CENTER OF OUR GALAXY	4 Aug 10	15 Aug 10	.	Look at the "steam" cloud abive tge teapot's spout...that's the direction of the center of the Milky Way	100
86	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
87	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
88	.	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
89	.	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
90	X	SPORADIC METEORS	.	4 Aug 10	.	Random shooting stars or falling stars can be seen any night of the year. Make a wish!	100
91	.	ASTEROIDS	.	.	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	10
92	X	ARTIFICIAL SATELLITES	3 Aug 10	11 Aug 10	.	ISS, HST, Etc look like stars moving steadily across the sky. Check heavens-above.com for visibility	100
93	X	IRIDIUM SATELLITE FLARES	12 Jul 10	01 Sep 10	.	Flash that lasts several seconds, like a slow meteor. Check heavens-above.com for visibility	100
94	\	ROCKET TRAILS	12 Jul 06	.	.	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, among others	100
95	\	COMETS	.	.	.	Every year or so one reaches naked-eye visibility. Even rarer are bright "great" comets: like Hale-Bopp	100
96	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
97	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
98	.	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
99	.	MIDNIGHT SUN	.	.	.	Summer sun never sets at high latitudes	25
100	X	VAPOR TRAIL SHADOW FROM 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
#	Ob?	Extra Credit Phenomena	Historical Observation	Recent Observation	Future Event (for me)	Description	Odds
101	\	SOUTHERN CROSS	1997?	.	.	Crux - the Southern Cross constellation	100
102	.	COALSACK DARK NEBULA	.	.	.	Most dominant "dark nebula" visible in our skies. Best seen from southern latitudes...visible from lower northern latitudes	50
103	.	LARGE MAGELLANIC CLOUD	.	.	.	Neighboring irregular dwarf galaxY best seen from southern latitudes...visible from lower northern latitudes	50
104	.	SMALL MAGELLANIC CLOUD	.	.	.	Neighboring irregular dwarf galaxY best seen from southern latitudes...visible from lower northern latitudes	50
105	.	AURORA AUSTRALIS	.	.	.	Southern Lights	25
106	X	EARTH'S SHADOW	29 May 99	1 Sep 10	.	Twilight Wedge of shadow cast by the earth at sunrise and sunset	100