* Mon., Feb. 2 - Traditional Astronomical Cross-Quarter Day Imbolc, and also Candlemas, better known as Groundhog Day. (First traditional Astronomical Cross-Quarter Day of year; approximate mid-way point in Winter season: Feb. 1 Eve - Feb. 2).
(Groundhog Day at Gobler's Knob, Punxsutawney PA 15767, home of Punxsutawney Phil: - Sunrise: 7:26 a.m. EST / 12:26 UTC) .
Actual Cross-Quarter Day.

* Fri., Feb. 3, 5:36 p.m. EST / 22:36 UTC - Actual Astronomical Cross-Quarter Day (First actual Astronomical Cross-Quarter Day of year; mid-way point in Winter season: ~Feb. 4).
Traditional Cross-Quarter Day.

* Mon., March 20, 6:29 a.m. EDT / 10:29 UTC - Vernal Equinox - Season of Spring begins in Earth's Northern Hemisphere: beginning of New Year (solar calendar) in Afghanistan and Iran. (~March 20)

* Mon., May 1 - Traditional Astronomical Cross-Quarter Day Beltaine, better known as May Day - Second traditional Astronomical Cross-Quarter Day of year; approximate mid-way point in Spring season (May 1).
Actual Cross-Quarter Day.

* Fri., May 5, 3:26 p.m. EDT / 19:26 UTC - Actual Astronomical Cross-Quarter Day Beltaine, better known as May Day - Second traditional Astronomical Cross-Quarter Day of year; mid-way point in Spring season (~May 5-6).
Traditional Cross-Quarter Day.

* Wed., June 21, 12:24 a.m. EDT / 4:24 UTC - Summer Solstice - Season of Summer begins in Earth's Northern Hemisphere (~June 21).
Also see 1985-1991: Summer "Solstice Day," Annual Free Day at Buhl Planetarium.

* Sat., Aug. 1 - Astronomical Mid-Point of Summer - Traditional Astronomical Cross-Quarter Day, also known as “Lammas” (in the United Kingdom) and “Lughnassad” (in Ireland). Considered approximate date of First Harvest (third traditional cross-quarter day of the year), approximately between the Midsummer Solstice and the Autumnal Equinox (July 31 Eve - Aug. 1).
Actual Cross-Quarter Day.

* Sun., Aug. 6, 8:13 p.m. EDT / Aug. 7, 0:13 UTC - Astronomical Mid-Point of Summer - Actual Astronomical Cross-Quarter Day (halfway between the June Solstice and September Equinox: ~Aug. 6 to 7).
Traditional Cross-Quarter Day.

* Fri., Sept. 22 - Falls Prevention Awareness Day (First day of Fall: ~Sept. 22-23).

* Fri., Sept. 22, 4:02 p.m. EDT / 20:02 UTC - Autumnal Equinox - Season of Autumn begins in Earth's Northern Hemisphere. (~Sept. 22)
Also see: Harvest Moon.

* Sat., Oct. 31 / Sun., Nov. 1 / Mon., Nov. 2 - Traditional Astronomical Cross-Quarter Day Samhain or "All-Hallowsmas", better known as Halloween (Oct. 31 - "All Hallows Eve"), All-Saints Day (Nov. 1), All-Souls Day (Nov. 2) (fourth and last traditional cross-quarter day of year).

* Mon., Nov. 6, 1:15 p.m. EST / 17:15 UTC - Actual Astronomical Cross-Quarter Day (fourth and last actual cross-quarter day of the year: ~Nov. 6-7).
Traditional Cross-Quarter Day.

* Thur., Dec. 21 - Homeless Persons' Memorial Day. (First day of Winter; longest night of the year: ~Dec. 21)

* Thur., Dec. 21, 11:28 a.m. EST / 16:28 UTC - Winter Solstice - Season of Winter begins in Earth's Northern Hemisphere. (~Dec. 21-22)
Also see: "The Stars of Winter" and "The Star of Bethlehem" Planetarium Sky Dramas (web sites include entire planetarium show scripts), performed each Winter in the Theater of the Stars of Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science.

Byzantine Year 7526 Begins Sept. 14.
Jewish Year (A.M.) 5778 Begins at Sunset, Sept. 20.
Chinese Year of the Rooster 4715 Begins Jan. 28.
Roman A.U.C. (Dates from the founding of the City of Rome) Year 2770 Begins Jan. 14.
Nabonassar Year 2766 Begins April 23.
Japanese (Heisei) Year 2677 - Period or Era 29 Begins January 1.
Grecian Year (Selucidae) 2329 Begins Sept. 14 (or Oct. 14).
Indian Year (Saka) 1939 Begins March 22.
Diocletian Era (Era of the Martyrs) Year 1734 Begins Sept. 11.
Islamic (Hegira) Year 1439 Begins at first viewing of lunar crescent (New Moon) on evening of Sept. 20.

* Sat., 2016 Dec. 31 - Make Up Your Mind Day. (Dec. 31)

* Sat., 2016 Dec. 31 - Eve of New Year's Day (Traditional). (Dec. 31)

* Sat., 2016 Dec. 31, 6:59:60 p.m. EST / 23:59:60 UTC - Positive 'Leap Second' added to the civil time scale, to help keep clocks synchronized with the slowing rotation rate of the Earth. (Periodically: last additional second of last minute of June 30 and / or December 31)

* Sat., 2016 Dec. 31, 7:00:00 p.m. EST / 2017 Jan. 1, 00:00:00 UTC - Marks the beginning of the New Year by the Coordinated Universal Time scale, the time scale used by many scientists. (Dec. 31)

* Sun., Jan. 1 - Feast of the Circumcision of Christ - Eighth day of the 12 days of Christmas: Dec. 25 to Jan. 5. During the Gregorian Calendar reform, Pope Gregory XIII, chose the Feast of the Circumcision of Christ as the beginning of the New Year in the Roman Catholic Church's Liturgical Year; previously, the Feast of the Annunciation on March 25 (also the Vernal Equinox in the "original" Julian Calendar adopted by the second king of Rome, Numa Pompilius, in the 7th century B.C.) had been considered the beginning of the New Year. (Jan. 1)

* Sun., Jan. 1 - Last day of Kwanzaa - Week-long holiday observance honoring African-American heritage. (Dec. 26 to Jan. 1)

* Sun., Jan. 1 (1863) - Anniversary: Emancipation Proclamation issued by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln during the American Civil War, which decreed that slaves in the rebellious states are free forever. (Jan. 1)

* Sun., Jan. 1 - First Day Hikes in America’s State Parks. (Jan. 1)

* Sun., Jan. 1, 12:00:00 Midnight (00:00:00) Prevailing Local Time - For Eastern Standard Time (EST) Zone in North America: 12:00:00 Midnight EST / 5:00:00 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) which correlates with 12:00:00 Midnight EST - New Year's Day: New Calendar Year begins. (Jan. 1)

* Sun., Jan. 1, 2:00 a.m. EST / 7:00 UTC - Mars 0.02 degree south of Neptune.

* Mon., Jan. 2 - New Year's Day - Observed (Federal Holiday observed on Monday, as New Year's Day falls on Sunday). (Jan. 2)

* Mon., Jan. 2, 4:00 a.m. EST / 9:00 UTC - Venus 1.9 degrees south of the Moon.

* Mon., Jan. 2, 11:00 p.m. EST / Jan. 3, 4:00 UTC - Neptune 0.4 degree south of the Moon; occultation: majority of Southeast Asia, Micronesia, Hawaii, West Coast of North America.

* Tue., Jan. 3, 2:00 a.m. EST / 7:00 UTC - Mars 0.2 degree south of the Moon; occultation: southern tip of India, majority of Southeast Asia, Micronesia.

* Tue., Jan. 3, 10:00 a.m. EST / 15:00 UTC - (Best viewing: Midnight to Dawn) - Peak of Quadrantid Meteor Shower. (Jan. 3 to 4)

* Wed., Jan. 4, 9:00 a.m. EST / 14:00 UTC - Earth at perihelion (closest Earth approach to the Sun in New Year): 91,404,322.506562 miles / 147,100,998 kilometers. (Jan. 2 to 4)

* Wed., Jan. 4, 10:56 a.m. EST / 15:56 UTC - Double-shadow (shadows of 2 Galilean Moons) transit on Jupiter; visible, with difficulty, through telescope after sunset or before sunrise.

* Thur., Jan. 5 - National Bird Day. (Jan. 5)

* Thur., Jan. 5, 2:47 p.m. EST / 19:47 UTC - Moon Phase: First Quarter.

* Thur., Jan. 5, Evening - "12th Night" of Christmas; end of the 12 days of Christmas, which began on Christmas Day. (Jan. 5)

* Fri., Jan. 6 - Feast of the Epiphany; the day after the "12th Night" of Christmas. Tradition celebrates Epiphany as day the Magi arrived in Bethlehem to present gifts to the Christ child. (Jan. 6)

* Sat., Jan. 7 - Orthodox Christmas - As determined by Julian Calendar. (Jan. 7)

* Jan. 8 to 14 - Winter Driving Awareness Week.

* Sun., Jan. 8 (1851), 2:00 a.m. Paris Time - Earth's Rotation Day - Anniversary: French physicist Jean Leon Foucault develops a simple device to finally demonstrate and prove that the Earth rotates on its axis: Foucault Pendulum. He demonstrated the Foucault Pendulum, before scientists at the Paris Observatory, on 1851 February 3.
Near the end of his life, Jean Leon Foucault also developed the Siderostat-type Refractor Telescope. (Jan. 8)

* Mon., Jan. 9 - National Clean Off Your Desk Day. (2nd Monday of January)

* Mon., Jan. 9 (1793) - First balloon flight in America. (Jan. 9)

* Mon., Jan. 9, 10:00 a.m. EST / 15:00 UTC - Star Aldebaran 0.4 degree south of the Moon; occultation: northeastern portion of Africa, Middle East, India, China, Japan.

* Tue., Jan. 10 (1920) - Founding of the League of Nations. (Jan. 10)

* Tue., Jan. 10, 1:00 a.m. EST / 6:00 UTC - Moon at perigee: 225,705.6291 miles / 363,238 kilometers.

* Wed., Jan. 11 - National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. (Jan. 11)

* Wed., Jan. 11, 1:58 p.m. EST / 18:58 UTC - Double-shadow (shadows of 2 Galilean Moons) transit on Jupiter; visible, with difficulty, through telescope after sunset or before sunrise.

* Thur., Jan. 12, 6:34 a.m. EST / 11:34 UTC - Moon Phase: Full Moon (Wolf Moon).

* Thur., Jan. 12, 8:00 p.m. EST / Jan. 13, 1:00 UTC - Venus 0.4 degree north of Neptune.

* Fri., Jan. 13 - "Friday the 13th" superstition; debunking this superstition, purpose of character King Friday the 13th on popular PBS children's television series, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood (originated at WQED-TV channel 13 in Pittsburgh). (Friday the 13th)

* Fri., Jan. 13 - New Year's Eve, according to the Julian Calendar. (Jan. 13)

* Sat., Jan. 14 - Beginning of the New Year, according to the Julian Calendar. (Jan. 14)

* Sun., Jan. 15 (1929) - Anniversary of the Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. (Observed - USA: Third Monday in January): Birth of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.. (Jan. 15)

* Sun., Jan. 15 (2001) - Anniversary of launch of Wikipedia, free-of-charge, on-line encyclopedia. (Jan. 15)

* Sun., Jan. 15, 12:00 Midnight EST / 5:00 UTC - Star Regulus 0.8 degree north of the Moon; occultation: southern half of South America, Antarctic Peninsula.

* Mon., Jan. 16 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (Observed - USA: Third Monday in January): Birth of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: 1929 Jan. 15. (Third Monday in January)

* Tue., Jan. 17 - Kid Inventors’ Day (K.I.D.), on January 17 in honor of the birth of famous inventor Benjamin Franklin, who invented the first swim flippers at the age of 12. (Jan. 17)

* Tue., Jan. 17, 8:00 p.m. EST / Jan. 18, 1:00 UTC - Asteroid Vesta at opposition (Vesta visible approx. local sunset to local sunrise).

* Jan. 19 to 28 - CITIZEN SCIENCE: Monthly Globe at Night campaign, to raise public awareness of the impact of light pollution by encouraging everyone everywhere to measure local levels of night sky brightness and contribute observations on-line to a world map.

* Thur., Jan. 19, 12:00 Midnight EST / 5:00 UTC - Jupiter 3 degrees south of the Moon.

* Thur., Jan. 19, 5:13 p.m. EST / 22:13 UTC - Moon Phase: Last Quarter.

* Sat., Jan. 21 - Squirrel Appreciation Day. (Jan. 21)

* Sat., Jan. 21, 7:00 p.m. EST / Jan. 22, 0:00 UTC - Moon at apogee: 251,601.8949 miles / 404,914 kilometers.

* Jan. 23 to 29 - National Drug & Alcohol Facts Week. (4th week of January)

* Tue., Jan. 24 - National Compliment Day. (Jan. 24)

* Tue., Jan. 24, 5:00 a.m. EST / 10:00 UTC - Saturn 4 degrees south of the Moon.

* Wed., Jan. 25 (1915) - First transcontinental telephone call. (Jan. 25)

* Wed., Jan. 25, 8:00 p.m. EST / Jan. 26, 1:00 UTC - Mercury 4 degrees south of the Moon.

* Thur., Jan. 26 - Australia Day, commemorating the first landing in Australia by Captain Arthur Phillip. (Jan. 26)

* Fri., Jan. 27 - Holocaust Remembrance Day (UN). (Jan. 27)

* Fri., Jan. 27 (1967) - 50th Anniversary of Apollo 1 fire; three astronauts perished: Gus Grissom, Ed White, Roger Chaffee. (Jan. 27)

* Fri., Jan. 27 (1926) - First public demonstration, in London, of a black-and-white, mechanical television system. (Jan. 27)

* Fri., Jan. 27, 7:07 p.m. EST / Jan. 28, 0:07 UTC - Moon Phase: New Moon - Lunation # 1164.

* Sat., Jan. 28 (1986) - Anniversary of STS Space Shuttle Challenger explosion; seven astronauts perished: Francis Scobee, Michael Smith, Elison Onizuka, Judith Resnik, Ronald McNair, Gregory Jarvis, Christa McAuliffe (Teacher-in-Space). (Jan. 28)
Viewed at Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science (a.k.a. Buhl Science Center).

* Sat., Jan. 28 - Chinese New Year, based on a lunisolar calendar of which dates indicate both the moon phase and the time of the solar year. This marks the beginning of the Chinese Year of the Rooster.

* Sat., Jan. 28 - Data Privacy Day. (Jan. 28)

* Jan. 29 to Feb. 4 - National Catholic Schools Week. (End of January / Beginning of February)

* Sun., Jan. 29 - Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Awareness Day. (Jan. 29)

* Mon., Jan. 30 - National Bubble-Wrap Appreciation Day, first used by IBM to safely ship computers in 1961. (Last Monday of January)

* Mon., Jan. 30, 6:00 a.m. EST / 11:00 UTC - Neptune 0.2 degree south of the Moon; occultation: South Atlantic Ocean including Ascension Island, central portion of Africa, Saudi Arabia, India, western portion of China.

* Tue., Jan. 31 (1958) - Anniversary of the first successful launch, by the USA, of an artificial satellite: Explorer 1. (Jan. 31)

* Tue., Jan. 31, 10:00 a.m. EST / 15:00 UTC - Venus 4 degrees north of the Moon.

* Tue., Jan. 31, 8:00 p.m. EST / Feb. 1, 1:00 UTC - Mars 2 degrees north of the Moon.

* Jan. 29 to Feb. 4 - National Catholic Schools Week. (End of January / Beginning of February)

* Tue., Jan. 31, 8:00 p.m. EST / Feb. 1, 1:00 UTC - Mars 2 degrees north of the Moon.

* Wed., Feb. 1 (2003) - Anniversary of STS Space Shuttle Columbia disintegration during re-entry; seven astronauts perished: Rick Husband, William McCool, David Brown, Kalpana Chawla, Michael Anderson, Laurel Clark, Ilan Ramon. (Feb. 1)

* Wed., Feb. 1 (1865) - National Freedom Day -Date in 1865 when U.S. President Abraham Lincoln signed a resolution proposing the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibiting slavery. (Feb. 1)

* Wed., Feb. 1 - National Change Your Password Day!. (Feb. 1)

* Wed., Feb. 1, 8:08 a.m. EST / 13:08 UTC - Jupiter near bright Star Spica.

* Thur., Feb. 2 - Traditional Astronomical Cross-Quarter Day Imbolc, and also Candlemas, better known as Groundhog Day. (First traditional Astronomical Cross-Quarter Day of year; approximate mid-way point in Winter season: Feb. 1 Eve - Feb. 2).
(Groundhog Day at Gobler's Knob, Punxsutawney PA 15767, home of Punxsutawney Phil: - Sunrise: 7:25 a.m. EST / 12:25 UTC) .
Actual Cross-Quarter Day.

* Thur., Feb. 2, 6:31 a.m. EST / 11:31 UTC - Mars near Venus.

* Thur., Feb. 2, 9:00 p.m. EST / Feb. 3, 2:00 UTC - Asteroid & Dwarf Planet Ceres 1.0 degree south of the Moon; occultation: Alaska, northern Canada, Greenland, eastern portion of Siberia in Russia.

* Fri., Feb. 3 (1851) - Anniversary: Jean Leon Foucault first demonstrates, before scientists in the Meridian Room of the Paris Observatory, the Foucault Pendulum, which is a proof that the Earth rotates on its axis. He had invented the device on 1851 January 8.
Near the end of his life, Jean Leon Foucault also developed the Siderostat-type Refractor Telescope. (Feb. 3)

* Fri., Feb. 3 - National Wear Red Day - Go Red for Women movement to heart disease in women (American Heart Association). (First Friday in Feb.)

* Fri., Feb. 3, 5:36 p.m. EST / 22:36 UTC - Actual Astronomical Cross-Quarter Day. (First actual Astronomical Cross-Quarter Day of year; mid-way point in Winter season: ~Feb. 4)
Traditional Cross-Quarter Day.

* Fri., Feb. 3, 11:19 p.m. EST / Feb. 4, 4:19 UTC - Moon Phase: First Quarter.

* Sat., Feb. 4 - World Cancer Day (WCD). (Feb. 4)

* Sat., Feb. 4 - Thank A Mailman Day. (Feb. 4)

* Sat., Feb. 4 - Lichun - Beginning of first Solar term (of 24 Solar terms in one year) of traditional East Asia calendars (begins when the Sun reaches the celestial longitude of 315° and ends when it reaches the longitude of 330°); also known as the start of Spring (Occurs each year around Feb. 4)

* Sun., Feb. 5 - National Weatherperson's Day - Birth of one of America's first weather observers, John Jeffries (picture): 1744 February 5. (Feb. 5)

* Sun., Feb. 5, 5:00 p.m. EST / 22:00 UTC - Star Aldebaran 0.2 degree south of the Moon; occultation: Central America, northern portion of South America, Caribbean Sea, southern portion of Europe, northern portion of Africa, western portion of the Middle East.

* Mon., Feb. 6, 9:00 a.m. EST / 14:00 UTC - Moon at perigee: 229,171.6376 miles / 368,816 kilometers.

* Tue., Feb. 7 - African American Coaches Day about the benefits of working with a personal or business coach. (First Tuesday in February)

* Tue., Feb. 7 - Mercury at aphelion.

* Wed., Feb. 8 (1910) - Anniversary of founding of the Boy Scouts of America. (Feb. 8)

* Thur., Feb. 9, 5:59 p.m. EST / 22:59 UTC - Praesepe (M44): The Beehive Cluster near the nearly-Full Moon.

* Fri., Feb. 10, 7:33 p.m. EST / Feb. 11, 0:33 UTC - Moon Phase: Full Moon (Snow Moon).

* Fri., Feb. 10, 7:43:52.9 p.m. EST / Feb. 11, 0:43:52.9 UTC - Time of greatest eclipse for Penumbral Lunar Eclipse, dimly visible through most of the world except extreme western Alaska, extreme eastern Asia, Australia, New Zealand and most of the Pacific Ocean.

* Sat., Feb. 11 (1732) - Anniversary of birth of first American President, George Washington, according to Julian Calendar (also known as "Old Style Calendar"), at use at that time; according to Gregorian Calendar, which we use today, George Washington's birthday occurred on Feb. 22. (Feb. 11)
See also: Washington's Birthday Observed / Presidents' Day * Washington's Birthday Actual (Julian Calendar) * Washington's Birthday Actual (Gregorian Calendar) * Lincoln's Birthday.

* Sat., Feb. 11 - National Inventors' Day, anniversary of the birth of the inventor Thomas Alva Edison. (Feb. 11)

* Sat., Feb. 11, 9:00 a.m. EST / 14:00 UTC - Star Regulus 0.8 degree north of the Moon; occultation: Australia, New Zealand, Wilkes Land section of Antarctica.

* Sun., Feb. 12 (1809) - Anniversary of birth of 16th American President, Abraham Lincoln. (Feb. 12)
See also: Washington's Birthday Observed / Presidents' Day * Washington's Birthday Actual (Julian Calendar) * Washington's Birthday Actual (Gregorian Calendar) * Lincoln's Birthday.

* Sun., Feb. 12 (1809) - Anniversary of birth of English naturalist, Charles Darwin; Darwin Day. (Feb. 12)

* Sun., Feb. 12 - Autism Sunday / International Day of Prayer for Autism and Asperger Syndrome. (Second Sunday of February)

* Mon., Feb. 13 - World Radio Day (WRD).

* Mon., Feb. 13 - National Clean Out Your Computer Day. (Second Monday in February)

* Mon., Feb. 13 - Zodiacal Light visible, with difficulty after evening twilight (visible for up to an hour after dusk) in the western sky of the Northern Hemisphere, for the next two weeks. (February, March)

* Tue., Feb. 14 - St. Valentine's Day. (Feb. 14)

* Tue., Feb. 14 - Library Lovers Day. (Feb. 14)

* Tue., Feb. 14 - International Book Giving Day. (Feb. 14)

* Tue., Feb. 14 - National Have a Heart Day to promote awareness of our food choices so as to get or maintain a healthy heart. (Feb. 14)

* Tue., Feb. 14 - National Organ Donor Day. (Feb. 14)

* Wed., Feb. 15 (1564) - Anniversary of the birth of Italian Astronomer Galileo Galilei. (Feb. 15)

* Wed., Feb. 15 (1820) - Susan B. Anthony Day - Anniversary of the birth of Susan B. Anthony and commemoration of women's suffrage in the United States. (Feb. 15)

* Wed., Feb. 15, 10:00 a.m. EST / 15:00 UTC - Jupiter 3 degrees south of the Moon.

* Thur., Feb. 16 - World Read Aloud Day.

* Fri. through Mon., Feb. 17, 18, 19, 20 - CITIZEN SCIENCE: The Great Backyard Bird Count. (Presidents' Day holiday weekend, starting on Friday)

* Fri., Feb. 17 - Random Acts Of Kindness Day. (Feb. 17)

* Fri., Feb. 17, 3:02 a.m. EST / 8:02 UTC - Jupiter at aphelion.

* Fri., Feb. 17, 2:00 a.m. EST / 7:00 UTC - Venus brightest for the first half of 2017: Visual Magnitude -4.8.

* Feb. 18 to 27, 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. Prevailing Local Time - CITIZEN SCIENCE: Globe at Night campaign, to raise public awareness of the impact of light pollution by encouraging everyone everywhere to measure local levels of night sky brightness and contribute observations on-line to a world map.

* Sat., Feb. 18 (1930) - Anniversary date of discovery of Planet Pluto (now designated Dwarf Planet 134340 Pluto) discovered by Clyde Tombaugh working at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona. (Feb. 18)

* Sat., Feb. 18, 2:33 p.m. EST / 19:33 UTC - Moon Phase: Last Quarter.

* Sat., Feb. 18, 4:00 p.m. EST / 21:00 UTC - Moon at apogee: 251,267.5972 miles / 404,376 kilometers.

* Feb. 19 to 25 - National Engineers Week. (Third or fourth week in February, which includes George Washington's actual birthday of February 22)

* Sun., Feb. 19 (1473) - Anniversary of the birth of famous Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus. (Feb. 19)
A portrait of Nicolaus Copernicus, donated to Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science by the Polish Arts League of Pittsburgh, hung on the Mezzanine of Buhl Planetarium.
Also see photograph of the inscription of the name "Copernicus," just under the outer planetarium dome of Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science.

* Feb. 20 to 24 - Fair Use / Fair Dealing Week, commissioned by the Association of Research Libraries. (Last full business week of February)

* Mon., Feb. 20 (1491) - Anniversary of the "Comet of 1491" which, until 2002, was considered the closest comet to ever approach the Earth. Today, this comet is not considered the closest comet to ever approach the Earth, due to the unreliability of data. (Feb. 20)
More information.

* Mon., Feb. 20 - Washington's Birthday Observed / Presidents' Day. (USA Federal Holiday: Third Monday in Feb.)
See also: Washington's Birthday Observed / Presidents' Day * Washington's Birthday Actual (Julian Calendar) * Washington's Birthday Actual (Gregorian Calendar) * Lincoln's Birthday.
Also see: The Astronomy President.

* Mon., Feb. 20 - Venus at perihelion.

* Mon., Feb. 20, 6:53 p.m. EST / 23:53 UTC - Saturn 4 degrees south of the Moon.

* Tue., Feb. 21 - International Mother Language Day. (Feb. 21)

* Wed., Feb. 22 (1732) - Anniversary of birth of first American President, George Washington, according to Gregorian Calendar, which we use today; according to Julian Calendar (also known as "Old Style Calendar") at use at that time, George Washington's birthday occurred on Feb. 11. (Feb. 22)
See also: Washington's Birthday Observed / Presidents' Day * Washington's Birthday Actual (Julian Calendar) * Washington's Birthday Actual (Gregorian Calendar) * Lincoln's Birthday.

* Wed., Feb. 22, 2:56 p.m. EST / 19:56 UTC - Dwarf Planet Pluto very close to the Moon (visible with difficulty, when using a telescope).

* Thur., Feb. 23 - Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day. (Thursday of National Engineering Week)

* Thur., Feb. 23 - Digital Learning Day.

* Feb. 24, 25, 26 - National Girl Scout Cookie Weekend. (Last weekend of February / first weekend of March)

* Fri., Feb. 24 (1914) - Anniversary of the concept of the Projection Planetarium. (Feb. 24)

* Sat., Feb. 25 - Equilux when considering Civil Twilight (Dawn before sunrise and Dusk after sunset) - When considering Civil Twilight, the day when daylight and darkness, both, have the same length of hours and minutes. Occurs twice each year, approximately 23 days before the Vernal Equinox and 23 days after the Autumnal Equinox. (Feb. 25-26, Oct. 15)

* Feb. 26 to March 4 - Montessori Education Week. (Last week of February / first week of March)

* Sun., Feb. 26, 9:53:24.3 a.m. EST / 14:53:24.3 UTC - Time of greatest eclipse for Annular Solar Eclipse visible in a narrow path from the South Pacific Ocean through Chile, Argentina, South Atlantic Ocean, Angola, Zambia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. A Partial Solar Eclipse will be visible over a wider area of the eastern portion of the South Pacific Ocean, southern two-thirds of South America, South Atlantic Ocean, southern two-thirds of Africa, and a small portion of Antarctica.
NEVER look directly at a Solar Eclipse or Eclipse of the Sun unless you have the training and proper equipment to do so safely.
SOLAR ECLIPSE / ECLIPSE OF THE SUN: TIPS FOR SAFE VIEWING

* Sun., Feb. 26, 9:58 a.m. EST / 14:58 UTC - Moon Phase: New Moon - Lunation # 1165.

* Feb. 27 to March 4 - America Saves Week. (Last week of Feb.)

* Feb. 27 to March 4 - Military Saves Week.

* Mon., Feb. 27 - International Polar Bear Day. (Feb. 27)

* Mon., Feb. 27, 3:00 a.m. EST / 8:00 UTC - Mars 0.6 degree north of Uranus.

* Mon., Feb. 27, 4:44 p.m. EST / 21:44 UTC - Mercury at farthest point from the Earth.

* Tue., Feb. 28 - World Spay Day. (Last Tuesday of every February)

* Tue., Feb. 28 - Shrove Tuesday / Fat Tuesday. (Day before Ash Wednesday)

* Tue., Feb. 28 - Rare Disease Day. (Last day of February: Feb. 28 or 29)

* Wed., March 1 (1504 Feb. 29 to March 1) - Anniversary of total lunar eclipse used by Christopher Columbus, to scare the natives of Jamaica into providing food and other provisions for his sailors. (Feb. 29 to March 1)
Also see first recorded lunar eclipse in continental North America.

* Feb. 26 to March 4 - Montessori Education Week. (Last week of February / first week of March)

* Feb. 27 to March 4 - America Saves Week. (Last week of Feb.)

* Feb. 27 to March 4 - Military Saves Week.

* Wed. March 1 (1504 Feb. 29 to March 1) - Anniversary of total lunar eclipse used by Christopher Columbus, to scare the natives of Jamaica into providing food and other provisions for his sailors. (Feb. 29 to March 1)
Also see first recorded lunar eclipse in continental North America.

* Wed., March 1 - Beginning of Meteorological Spring Season in Northern Hemisphere. (March 1)

* Wed., March 1 - Beginning of Autumn Season in Australia. (March 1)

* Wed., March 1 - St. David's Day. (March 1)

* Wed., March 1 - World Compliment Day. (March 1)

* Wed., March 1 - Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. (First Wednesday in Lent, 46 days before Easter Sunday)
Will Christians Agree to Fix the Date of Easter?

* Wed., March 1, 2:00 p.m. EST / 19:00 UTC - Mars 4 degrees north of the Moon (closest approach: 4:21 p.m. EST / 21:21 UTC).

* Wed., March 1, 10:00 p.m. EST / March 2, 3:00 UTC - Neptune in conjunction with the Sun (Neptune not visible, even with a telescope).

* Thur., March 2 - Read Across America sponsored by the National Education Association to motivate children to read, in addition to helping them master basic skills. (Annual--on or near March 2, birthday of Dr. Seuss)

* Thur., March 2, 4:00 p.m. EST / 21:00 UTC - Asteroid & Dwarf Planet Ceres 0.8 degree north of the Moon; occultation: southern half of South America, Antarctic Peninsula, British territory of South Georgia Island.

* Fri., March 3 - World Wildlife Day. (March 3)

* Fri., March 3 - Employee Appreciation Day. (First Friday of March)

* Fri., March 3, 3:00 a.m. EST / 8:00 UTC - Moon at perigee: 229,324.4949 miles / 369,062 kilometers.

* Sat., March 4 (1681) - Pennsylvania Charter Day - William Penn received charter, for what became the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, from Great Britain's King Charles II on 1681 March 4. (March 4)

* Sat., March 4 - National Grammar Day. (March 4)

* Sat., March 4, 10:00 p.m. EST / March 5, 3:00 UTC - Star Aldebaran 0.2 degree south of the Moon; occultation: Soloman Islands, Micronesia, Hawaii, North America, Central America, western portion of the Caribbean Sea.

* March 5 to 11 - Teen Tech Week.

* March 5 to 11 - National Consumer Protection Week. (First full week of March)

* March 5 to 12 - Sleep Awareness Week®. (Last day of week coincides, each year, with conversion to Daylight Saving Time)

* Sun., March 5 (1868) - Anniversary: Railway Air Brake patented by George Westinghouse. (March 5)

* Sun., March 5, 6:32 a.m. EST / 11:32 UTC - Primary Moon Phase: First Quarter.

* Mon., March 6, 7:00 p.m. EST / March 7, 0:00 UTC - Mercury in superior conjunction with the Sun (Mercury not visible, even with a telescope).

* Wed., March 8 - International Women's Day. (March 8)

* Thur., March 9, 1:24 a.m. EST / 6:24 UTC - Close approach: Moon and Praesepe / Beehive Open Star Cluster.

* Fri., March 10 (1982) - 1982 date of first alignment of our Solar System's nine planets (including Pluto, which at that time was still considered a planet) since A.D. 1128. A 1974 book, The Jupiter Effect, had erroneously predicted several catastrophes to occur on this date in 1982, including a major earthquake on the San Andreas Fault in California. (March 10)

* Fri., March 10 (1876) - Anniversary: First successful telephone transmission of clear speech - when Alexander Graham Bell transmitted, "Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you." Three days earlier, on March 7, Alexander Graham Bell received a U.S. patent for the telephone. (March 10)

* Fri., March 10, 6:00 p.m. EST / 23:00 UTC - Star Regulus 0.8 degree north of the Moon; occultation: southeastern portion of South America, British territory of South Georgia Island, Norwegian territory of Queen Maud Land on Antarctica, southern tip of South Africa.

* Sat., March 11, Sunset (Pittsburgh - Sunset: 6:23 p.m. EST / 23:23 UTC) - Purim - Jewish holiday that commemorates the saving of the Jewish people from Haman, in the ancient Persian Empire, who was planning to kill all the Jews.

* March 12 to 18 - Wildfire Prevention Week. [Pennsylvania: Spring (Second week of March), Autumn]

* Sun., March 12 - Day of Planetaria. (Sunday in mid-March)

* Sun., March 12 (1912) - Anniversary of the founding of the Girl Scouts of the United States of America. (March 12)

* Sun., March 12 (1989) - Anniversary of the original proposal founding the World Wide Web on the Internet. (March 12)

* Sun., March 12, 2:00 a.m. Prevailing Local Time (Standard Time) - DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME BEGINS - Beginning in 2007, EARLY DUE TO NEW FEDERAL LAW. Civil Time changes from 2:00 a.m. Standard Time to 3:00 a.m. Daylight Saving Time (Second Sunday in March, 2:00 a.m. Prevailing Local Time).
Some States to Abandon Daylight Saving Time ?
Science of Daylight Saving Time.

* Sun., March 12, 10:54 a.m. EDT / 14:54 UTC - Primary Moon Phase: Full Moon (Worm Moon).

* March 13 to 19 - Brain Awareness Week. (Second full week of March)

* Mon., March 13 (1781) - Anniversary of the Planet Uranus discovery announced by Sir Frederick William Herschel. (March 13)

* Mon., March 13 (1938), 8:00 a.m. Prevailing Time - Anniversary of beginning of the radio news program CBS World News Roundup, the longest-running, network news broadcast in America. (March 13)

* Tue., March 14 - Zodiacal Light visible, with difficulty, after evening twilight in the western sky of the Northern Hemisphere, for the next two weeks. (February, March)

* Tue., March 14 - Pi Day, a holiday commemorating the mathematical constant π (pi). (March 14: 3.14)

* Tue., March 14, 4:00 p.m. EDT / 20:00 UTC - Jupiter 2 degrees south of the Moon (closest approach: 5:35 p.m. EDT / 21:35 UTC).

* Tue., March 14, 11:00 p.m. EDT / March 15, 3:00 UTC - Asteroid Pallas in conjunction with the Sun (Pallas not visible, even with a telescope).

* March 15 to April 16 - Annual National Cherry Blossom Festival, Washington DC. (~ Vernal Equinox to early April)

* Wed., March 15 - Ides of March. (March 15)
Also see: Ides of March article on StarDate.

* Wed., March 15 - Buzzards return to Hinckley, Ohio (Cleveland suburb). (March 15)

* Wed., March 15 (1892) - First patent granted for the invention of the escalator, which resulted in production of the first escalator installed on the Old Iron Pier at Coney Island in New York City in 1896. (March 15)

* Thur., March 16 - Equilux - The actual day with equal hours and minutes of the Sun above the horizon, and equal hours and minutes of the Sun below the horizon. Occurs twice each year, approximately 3-to-4 days before the Vernal Equinox and 3-to-4 days after the Autumnal Equinox. (March 16, September 25)

* Thur., March 16 - Freedom of Information Day, the birthday of James Madison, who is widely regarded as the Father of the Constitution and as the foremost advocate for openness in government. (March 16)

* Fri., March 17 - St. Patrick's Day. (March 17)

* Sat., March 18, 1:00 p.m. EDT / 17:00 UTC - Moon at apogee: 251,437.853 miles / 404,650 kilometers.

* March 19 to 31 - Tsunami Preparedness Weeks.

* Sun., March 19 - St. Joseph's Day - Swallows return to Mission San Juan Capistrano, California. (March 19)

* March 20 to 26 - Pennsylvania Medicine Cabinet Clean-up Week. (Week Beginning with the Vernal Equinox)

* March 20 to 26 - Fix-a-Leak Week. (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: March)

* March 20 to 29 - CITIZEN SCIENCE - Annual Globe at Night campaign, to raise public awareness of the impact of light pollution by encouraging everyone everywhere to measure local levels of night sky brightness and contribute observations on-line to a world map.

* Mon., March 20 - Sun - Earth Day. (NASA: Day of, or near, the Vernal Equinox, the first day of Spring)

* Mon., March 20, 6:00 a.m. EDT / 10:00 UTC - Saturn 3 degrees south of the Moon.

* Mon., March 20, 6:29 a.m. EDT / 10:29 UTC - Vernal Equinox - Spring Season begins in Northern Hemisphere of Earth. (~March 20)
Beginning of New Year (Solar Calendar) in Afghanistan and Iran / Persia (Nowruz), including being a holy day for the Zoroastrian Religion, and Bahá'í Naw-Rúz, one of nine holy days of the Bahá'í Faith. (~ March 19, 20, 21)

* Mon., March 20, 11:58 a.m. EDT / 15:58 UTC - Primary Moon Phase: Last Quarter.

* Tue., March 21 - World Poetry Day. (March 21)

* Tue., March 21 (1617) - 400th Anniversary of the Funeral of Native American Pocahontas (a.k.a. Rebecca Rolfe) at age ~ 21. (March 21)

* Wed., March 22 - World Water Day. (March 22)

* Wed., March 22, 1:53 a.m. EDT / 5:53 UTC - Very close approach: Moon and Dwarf Planet Pluto.

* Thur., March 23 (1989) - Apollo Asteroid 1989FC, with a diameter of 300 meters, comes within 690,000 kilometers of the Earth in 1989. (March 23)

* Thur., March 23 - Mercury at perihelion.

* Sat., March 25 - Feast of the Annunciation observed nine full months before Christmas Day. The Feast of the Annunciation on March 25 (also the Vernal Equinox in the "original" Julian Calendar adopted by the second king of Rome, Numa Pompilius, in the 7th century B.C.) had been considered the beginning of the New Year, until the Gregorian Calendar reform, when Pope Gregory XIII chose the Feast of the Circumcision of Christ (Jan. 1) as the beginning of the New Year in the Roman Catholic Church's Liturgical Year. (March 25)

* Sat., March 25 - Lady Day in England, the first of the four traditional English quarter days, was New Year's Day up to 1752 when, following the move from the Julian Calendar to the Gregorian Calendar, January 1 became the start of the year. Lady Day (for the Virgin Mary) is the traditional name of the Feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin (March 25) in some English-speaking countries. (March 25)

* Sat., March 25, 6:00 a.m. EDT / 10:00 UTC - Venus in inferior conjunction with the Sun (Venus not visible, even with a telescope).

* Sat., March 25, 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. Prevailing Local Time - Earth Hour annual environmental observance. (Saturday Late in March, 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. Prevailing Local Time)

* March 26 to April 1 - National Week of the Ocean.

* Sun., March 26, 4:00 a.m. EDT / 8:00 UTC - Neptune 0.005 degree north of the Moon; occultation: British territory of Ascension Island, South Africa, northern portion of Madagascar, Yemen, Oman, southwestern portion of Asia.

* March 27 to 31 - Solar Week. (Mid-to-Late March, Mid-to-Late October)

* March 27 to 31 - Flood Safety Awareness Week. (Pennsylvania: March).

* March 27 to 31 - Open Education Week. (Last week of March)

* Mon., March 27, 2:00 a.m. EDT / 6:00 UTC - Mercury 2 degrees north of Uranus.

* Mon., March 27, 10:57 p.m. EDT / March 28, 2:57 UTC - Primary Moon Phase: New Moon - Lunation # 1166.

* Tue., March 28 - Diabetes Alert Day. (Fourth Tuesday of March)

* Wed., March 29 (1848) - Anniversary: Ice jam stops flow of Niagara Falls for about 30 hours. (March 29)

* Wed., March 29, 12:56 a.m. EDT / 4:56 UTC - Close approach: Moon and Uranus.

* Thur., March 30 - Pennsylvania Female Veterans' Day. (March 30)

* Thur., March 30 - National Doctors' Day. (March 30)

* Thur., March 30 - World Bi-Polar Day, International Society for Bi-Polar Disorders, Pittsburgh. (March 30)

* Thur., March 30, 9:00 a.m. EDT / 13:00 UTC - Moon at perigee: 226,087.7724 miles / 363,853 kilometers.

* Thur., March 30, 11:33 a.m. EDT / 15:33 UTC - Close approach: Moon and Mars.

* Fri., March 31 - World Back-Up Day. (March 31)

* Fri., March 31 (1851) - Anniversary: Jean Leon Foucault first demonstrates, to the general public, in the Pantheon in Paris, the Foucault Pendulum, which is a proof that the Earth rotates on its axis. He had invented the device on 1851 January 8 and first demonstrated it to scientists on 1851 February 3.
Near the end of his life, Jean Leon Foucault also developed the Siderostat-type Refractor Telescope. (March 31)

* Fri., March 31 - Last day of Calendar Year First Quarter. (March 31)

* March 15 to April 16 - Annual National Cherry Blossom Festival, Washington DC. (~ Vernal Equinox to mid-April)

* March 19 to April 30, September 24 through November 5 - Tsunami Preparedness Weeks. (mid-March through April, mid-September through early November)

* March 26 to April 1 - National Week of the Ocean.

* April 1 to 30 - National Kite Month. (April; plus in some years: some days in March and May)

* Mid-April - Big Night for Spring Peepers - First night (or first several nights), after the ground has thawed, with temperatures ~ +40 to +50 degrees Fahrenheit (F), and it rains, when there is a massive migration of frogs and salamanders in New Hampshire and other New England states. (Mid-April)

* Sat., April 1 - First day of calendar year Second Quarter. (April 1)

* Sat., April 1 - April Fools' Day - The end of a week-long (March 25 to April 1) New Year's festival in France during the Middle Ages, until January 1 was declared New Year's Day in 1564. After 1564, people in France who celebrated New Year's on April 1 were considered "April Fools." (April 1)

* Sat., April 1 (1960) - Anniversary of launch of first successful weather satellite, TIROS-1. (April 1)
Also see: Space Race To Create Quantum Satellite.

* Sat., April 1 (1954) - Anniversary of first broadcast of educational television station WQED-TV 13 in Pittsburgh, the nation's first community-supported television station. (April 1)

* Sat., April 1 - Park Day - Annual hands-on preservation event to help Civil War — and now Revolutionary War — battlefields and historic sites take on maintenance projects large and small. (First Saturday of April)

* Sat., April 1, 5:00 a.m. EDT / 9:00 UTC - Star Aldebaran 0.3 degree south of the Moon; occultation: northeastern section of Africa, Arabia, India, Mongolia, China, Japan.

* April 2 to 8 - National Crime Victims' Rights Week. (Early to mid-April)

* Sun., April 2 - Light It Up Blue, in North America, is dedicated to raising awareness of autism (April 2) / World Autism Awareness Day. (April 2)

* Sun., April 2 - Good Deeds Day. (Sunday in late March or early to mid-April)

* Sun., April 2 - Reconciliation Day. (April 2)

* Sun., April 2, 2:00 a.m. Prevailing Local Time (Daylight Saving Time) - DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME CONTINUES - Change in Federal law, thus that change from Standard Time to Daylight Saving Time occured the second Sunday in March: 2:00 a.m. Standard Time then became 3:00 a.m. Daylight Saving Time on the second Sunday in March. (Previously, first Sunday of April)
Some States to Abandon Daylight Saving Time ?
Science of Daylight Saving Time.

* April 3 to 7 - National Retirement Planning Week®. (Early to mid-April)

* April 3 to 7 - National Work Zone Awareness Week. (Early to mid-April)

* April 3 to 9 - National Public Health Week. (First week of April)

* Mon., April 3 (1513) - Anniversary of the Discovery of Florida by Ponce de Leon. (April 3)

* Mon., April 3, 2:39 p.m. EDT / 18:39 UTC - Primary Moon Phase: First Quarter.

* Tue., April 4 - Equal Pay Day - This date symbolizes how far into the year women must work to earn what men earned in the previous year. (Early to mid-April)

* Wed., April 5 - Global Day of the Engineer. (Early April)

* Wed., April 5 - National Walking Day / Move More in April. (First Wednesday of April)

* Wed., April 5, 7:59 a.m. EDT / 11:59 UTC - Moon nears Beehive Open Cluster of stars.

* Thur., April 6 (1917) - Centennial Anniversary of United States entry into World War I. (April 6)

* Thur., April 6 - Tartan Day - Celebration of Scottish heritage. (April 6)

* Fri., April 7 - National Alcohol Screening Day (Early April)

* Fri., April 7 - No Housework Day. (April 7)

* Fri., April 7, 12:34 a.m. EDT / 4:34 UTC - Star Regulus 0.7 degree north of the Moon; occultation: South Polynesia, Antarctic Peninsula, southern tip of South America.

* Fri., April 7, 6:00 p.m. EDT / 22:00 UTC - Jupiter at opposition (Jupiter visible approx. local sunset to local sunrise).

* April 8 to 16 - National Robotics Week. (Early to mid-April)

* April 9 to 15 - National Library Week. (Second week of April)

* April 9 to 15 - Pan American Week. (Week of April 14, Pan American Day)

* April 9 to 17 - Holy Week. (Week of Palm Sunday through Holy Saturday; Traditionally, also including Easter Sunday, and possibly including Easter Monday)
Will Christians Agree to Fix the Date of Easter?

* Sun., April 9 - Palm Sunday. (Sunday before Easter Sunday)
Will Christians Agree to Fix the Date of Easter?

* Sun., April 9 (1865) - American Civil War ended with the surrender by Confederate General Robert E. Lee. (April 9)
Also see the Civil War Museum of the Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall in Carnegie, Pennsylvania.

* April 10 to 16 - U.S. CFTC’s SmartCheck Week - To Emphasize Continual Background Checks of Financial Professionals. (Second week of April)

* Mon., April 10 (1996) - World record fastest wind gust on the Earth's surface (not related to a tornado) recorded by automated, unstaffed weather instrument station on Australia's Barrow Island during Tropical Cyclone Olivia: 253 miles per hour. (April 10)
Also see: Western and Northern Hemispheres' record fastest wind gust on the Earth's surface.

* Mon., April 10 - Siblings Day. (April 10)

* Mon., April 10, 5:00 p.m. EDT / 21:00 UTC - Jupiter 2 degrees south of the Moon.

* April 10, local sunset to April 18, local sunset (Sunset in Pittsburgh - April 10: 7:54 p.m. EDT / 23:54 UTC; April 18: 8:02 p.m. EDT / April 19, 0:02 UTC) - Jewish festival of Passover.

* Tue., April 11 - National Library Workers Day. (Tuesday of National Library Week)

* Tue., April 11, 2:08 a.m. EDT / 6:08 UTC - Primary Moon Phase: Full Moon. (Pink Moon)

* Wed., April 12 (1961) - International Day of Human Space Flight - Anniversary of when Russia launched the first human into space and orbit of the Earth, Yuri Gagarin. (April 12)

* Wed., April 12 (1981) - First launch of an American Space Shuttle (STS), Columbia. (April 12)

* Wed., April 12 (1934) - World record fastest wind gust on the Earth's surface (not related to a tornado), until 1996 April 10, recorded at Mount Washington Weather Observatory, New Hampshire: 231 miles per hour. This is still the fastest wind gust on the Earth's surface (not related to a tornado) recorded in the Western Hemisphere and in the Northern Hemisphere, and the fastest wind gust on the Earth's surface (not related to a tornado) observed by humans. (April 12)
Also see: World record fastest wind gust on the Earth's surface.

* Wed., April 12 (1861) - The American Civil War began. (April 12)
Also see the Civil War Museum of the Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall in Carnegie, Pennsylvania.

* Wed., April 12 - Holy Wednesday. (Wednesday before Easter Sunday)
Will Christians Agree to Fix the Date of Easter?

* Wed., April 12 - National Bookmobile Day. (Wednesday of National Library Week)

* Thur., April 13 - Maundy Thursday / Holy Thursday. (Thursday before Easter Sunday)
Will Christians Agree to Fix the Date of Easter?

* Thur., April 13 - Teen Literature Day. (Thursday of National Library Week)

* Thur., April 13 - Scrabble Day. (April 13)

* Thur., April 13 - FND International Awareness Day - Regarding Functional neurological symptom disorder (FNsD). (April 13)

* Thur., April 13 (1970), 10:07:53 p.m. EST / April 14, 3:07:53 UTC (Note: In 1970, Daylight Saving Time did not begin until April 26) - Apollo 13 aborted mission to land on the Moon after an oxygen tank explosion severely crippled the spacecraft. After a 1970 April 11 launch, the three astronauts, James A. Lovell, John A. "Jack" Swigert, and Fred W. Haise, returned safely to Earth on 1970 April 17. Due to the plan to return Apollo 13 to Earth, after going around the Moon, the Apollo 13 astronauts flew farther from Earth than any other humans, to-date. (April 13)

* April 14 to 15 (1865) - Assassination of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln. (April 14 to 15)
Also see the Civil War Museum of the Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall in Carnegie, Pennsylvania.

* Fri., April 14 - Good Friday. (Friday before Easter Sunday)
Will Christians Agree to Fix the Date of Easter?

* Fri., April 14 - Pan American Day. (April 14)

* Fri., April 14 (1912), 11:40 p.m. (Ship Time) Anniversary of the sinking of the RMS Titanic on the ship's maiden voyage. (April 14)
Also see: Titanic Sunk by the Moon?

* Fri., April 14 (1970), 7:21 p.m. EST / April 15, 0:21 UTC (Note: In 1970, Daylight Saving Time did not begin until April 26) - Due to the Moon being nearly at apogee (farthest point in lunar orbit from the Earth, for month of 1970 April), the Apollo 13 astronauts became the first humans to travel farther from the Earth than any other humans, which is still true to-date; distance from Earth: 248,655 mile / 400,171 kilometers. This record was necessary, due to the abort of the lunar landing mission of Apollo 13. (April 14)

* Fri., April 14, 2:00 a.m. EDT / 6:00 UTC - Uranus in conjunction with the Sun (Uranus not visible, even with a telescope).

* April 15 to 23 - National Park Week. (Third week of April, including both weekends)

* Sat., April 15 - Holy Saturday. (Saturday before Easter Sunday)
Will Christians Agree to Fix the Date of Easter?

* Sat., April 15, 6:00 a.m. EDT / 10:00 UTC - Moon at apogee: 251,950.4842 miles / 405,475 kilometers.

* April 16 to 22 - Earth Week. (Week leading to and including Earth Day, April 22: April 16 to 22)

* April 16 to 22 - National Minority Cancer Awareness Week. (Third week of April)

* Sun., April 16 (Sunrise in Pittsburgh: 6:40 a.m. EDT / 10:40 UTC) - Easter Sunday. [46 days after Ash Wednesday; the first Sunday after the full moon (the Paschal Full Moon) following the March equinox (ecclesiastically, the equinox is reckoned to be on March 21, even though the equinox occurs, astronomically speaking, on March 20 in most years)]
Will Christians Agree to Fix the Date of Easter?

* Sun., April 16 (Sunrise in Pittsburgh: 6:40 a.m. EDT / 10:40 UTC) - Orthodox Easter Sunday. [46 days after Orthodox Ash Wednesday; the first Sunday after the full moon (the Paschal Full Moon) following the March equinox (ecclesiastically, the equinox is reckoned to be on March 21, even though the equinox occurs, astronomically speaking, on March 20 in most years)]
Will Christians Agree to Fix the Date of Easter?

* Sun., April 16 - National Healthcare Decisions Day. (April 16)

* Sun., April 16 - National Stress Awareness Day. (April 16)

* Sun., April 16 - World Voice Day. (April 16)

* Sun., April 16, 2:00 p.m. EDT / 18:00 UTC - Saturn 3 degrees south of the Moon.

* Mon., April 17 - Easter Monday. (Monday after Easter Sunday)
Will Christians Agree to Fix the Date of Easter?

* Mon., April 17 - Patriots' Day. (Third Monday of April)

* Mon., April 17 - World Hemophilia Day. (April 17)

* Mon., April 17 - Blah, Blah, Blah Day. (April 17)

* April 18 to 27, 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. Prevailing Local Time - CITIZEN SCIENCE - Annual Globe at Night campaign, to raise public awareness of the impact of light pollution by encouraging everyone everywhere to measure local levels of night sky brightness and contribute observations on-line to a world map.

* Tue., April 18 - Tax Day (USA) - Individual Federal tax returns due or postmarked by end of day. (April 15, unless delayed by a holiday)

* Tue., April 18, 10:18 a.m. EDT / 14:18 UTC - Very close approach of Moon to Pluto.

* Wed., April 19, 5:57 a.m. EDT / 9:57 UTC - Primary Moon Phase: Last Quarter.

* Thur., April 20 (1946) - Dissolution of the League of Nations; succeeded by the United Nations (UN), which was formed on 1945 October 24. (April 20)

* Thur., April 20, 2:00 a.m. EDT / 6:00 UTC - Mercury at inferior conjunction with the Sun (Mercury not visible, even with a telescope).

* Thur., April 20, Evening - World Night in Defence of the Starlight. (April 20, Evening)

* April 22 to 28 - International Dark-Sky Week. (Week of the New Moon in April)

* April 22 to 29 - National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW). (Mid-to-late April)

* April 22 to 29 - Money Smart Week®. (Last week of April)

* Sat., April 22 - Earth Day. (April 22)

* Sat., April 22 - March for Science including marches in Washington and Pittsburgh.

* Sat., April 22 - National Junior Ranger Day. (Saturday in National Park Week)

Sat., April 22 - Record Store Day. (Second or third Saturday in April)

* Sat., April 22, 8:00 a.m. EDT / 12:00 UTC (Best viewing: Midnight to Dawn) - Peak of Lyrid Meteor Shower. (April 22)

* Sat., April 22, 3:55 p.m. EDT / 19:55 UTC - Neptune 0.2 degree north of the Moon; occultation: majority of the continent of Australia, New Zealand, southeastern portion of Melanesia, and a portion of Polynesia.

* April 23 to 29 - National Sky Awareness Week (SAW), a week set-aside to “look up” and to see the myriad of cloud patterns and formations that grace the sky. (Last full week of April)

* April 23 to 29 - National Environmental Education Week. (EE Week - Week near Earth Day: April 22)

* April 23 to 29 - Preservation Week for library and archive materials. (Last week of April)

* April 23 to 29 - Sleep Awareness Week®.

* April 23 to 29 - National Volunteer Week. (April)

* April 23 to 29 - Administrative Professionals Week. (Last full week of April)

* April 23 to 29 - National Re-entry Week. (Last week of April)

* Sun., April 23 - World Laboratory Day. (April 23)

* Sun., April 23 - World Book and Copyright Day / World Book Night. (April 23)

* Sun., April 23, 5:01 p.m. EDT / 21:01 UTC - Venus 5 degrees north of the Moon.

* April 24 to 28 - The Week of the Young Child™. (April)

* April 24 to 28 - Severe Weather Awareness Week. (Pennsylvania: April)

* April 24 to 30 - International Astronomy Week. (Begins on the Monday preceding the Saturday designated as Astronomy Day)

* Mon., April 24 (1800) - Library of Congress established by an act of the U.S. Congress. (April 24)

* Mon., April 24, 12:00 Noon EDT / 16:00 UTC - Asteroid 2 Pallas 0.8 degree south of the Moon; occultation: majority of North America, Greenland, Iceland, Ireland.

* Tue., April 25 (1953) - DNA Day - Commemorates the day in 1953 when James Watson, Francis Crick, Maurice Wilkins, Rosalind Franklin, and colleagues published papers in the journal Nature on the structure of DNA. (April 25)

* Tue., April 25 - World Malaria Day. (April 25)

* Wed., April 26 - World Intellectual Property Day. (April 26)

* Wed., April 26 - Help a Horse Day. (April 26)

* Wed., April 26 - Administrative Professionals Day. (Wednesday of Administrative Professionals' Week, last full week of April)

* Wed., April 26, 8:16 a.m. EDT / 12:16 UTC - Primary Moon Phase: New Moon - Lunation # 1167.

* Thur., April 27 - National Take Our Daughters and Sons To Work Day. (Fourth Thursday of April)

* Thur., April 27, 12:07 p.m. EDT / 16:07 UTC - Moon at perigee: 223,275.4464 miles / 359,327 kilometers.

* April 28 to May 6 (2001) - First Outer Space Tourist: Dennis Tito. (April 28 to May 6)

* April 28, 29 - Holocaust Remembrance Days (USA). (April 28, 29)

* Fri., April 28 - Arbor Day - National Arbor Day Foundation. (Last Friday of April)

* Fri., April 28 - Teach Children to Save Day. (Last Friday of April)

* Fri., April 28 - Workers' Memorial Day. (April 28)

* Fri., April 28, 2:00 p.m. EDT / 18:00 UTC - Star Aldebaran 0.5 degree south of the Moon; occultation: United States, eastern section of Canada, Cuba, southern tip of Greenland, Europe, North Africa.

* Saturday - April 29, Sept. 30 - Astronomy Day. [Saturday closest to First Quarter Primary Phase of the Moon, in April or May (Spring - Saturday of Astronomy Week) and in September or October (Autumn)]: Link 1 *** Link 2 *** Link 3

* Sat., April 29 - Save the Frogs Day. (Last Saturday in April)
Also see news article.

* Sat., April 29, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Prevailing Local Time - National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day sponsored by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. (Last Saturday in April)

* Sat., April 29, 12:00 Midnight EDT / April 30, 4:00 UTC - Venus brightest for 2017 - Visual Magnitude: -4.7.

* April 30, Sept. 30 - National PrepareAthon ! Day - Day to emphasize preparation for disasters and emergencies. (April 30, Sept. 30)

* Mon., May 1 - Traditional Astronomical Cross-Quarter Day Beltaine, better known as May Day - Second traditional Astronomical Cross-Quarter Day of year; approximate mid-way point in Spring season. (May 1)
Actual Cross-Quarter Day.

* Fri., May 5, 3:26 p.m. EDT / 19:26 UTC - Actual Astronomical Cross-Quarter Day Beltaine, better known as May Day - Second traditional Astronomical Cross-Quarter Day of year; mid-way point in Spring season (~May 5-6).
Traditional Cross-Quarter Day.

* April 30 to May 6 - National Small Business Week. (End of April, beginning of May)

* May 1 to 5 - NASA: Small Worlds Week. (First school-week of May)

* May 1 to 7 - Children's Book Week (First week of May, beginning on Monday; Moved from 2007 Nov. 12 to 18).

* May 1 to 7 - Choose Privacy Week. (May 1 to 7)

* Mon., May 1 - Traditional Astronomical Cross-Quarter Day Beltaine, better known as May Day - Second traditional Astronomical Cross-Quarter Day of year; approximate mid-way point in Spring season. (May 1)
Actual Cross-Quarter Day.

* Mon., May 1 - Law Day. (May 1)

* Mon., May 1 - Loyalty Day. (May 1)

* Tue., May 2 - World Asthma Day. (First Tuesday in May)

* Tue., May 2 - Give Local America Day to raise money for local non-profit organizations. (First Tuesday of May)

* Tue., May 2, 10:47 p.m. EDT / May 3, 2:47 UTC - Primary Moon Phase: First Quarter.

* Wed., May 3 - World Press Freedom Day (May 3).

* Wed., May 3 (1971) - Anniversary of the National Public Radio (NPR) news program, "All Things Considered" (ATC). (May 3)

* Wed., May 3 - Bike to School Day. (First Wed. in May)

* Thur., May 4 - The Martian New Year (the time of the Vernal Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere of Mars, beginning Mars Year 34) begins on May 4. NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory are co-sponsoring a STEAM celebration in the Mars business district--that is, Mars, Pennsylvania (about 25 miles / 40 kilometers north of Pittsburgh). The New Year on Mars occurs every 686.98 Earth days; the next Martian New Years will occur on 2019 March 23 and 2021 February 7. (Once every 686.98 days): Link 1 *** Link 2

* Thur., May 4 - "Star Wars" Day - "May the Fourth Be With You." (May 4)

* Thur., May 4 - Bird Day - Created in 1894 in the Western Pennsylvania community of Oil City. (May 4)

* Thur., May 4, 6:00 a.m. EDT / 10:00 UTC - Star Regulus 0.5 degree north of the Moon; occultation: Indonesia, Malaysia, southern portion of New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand.

* Thur., May 4, 9:00 p.m. EDT / May 5, 1:00 UTC (Best viewing: Midnight to Dawn) - Peak of n-Aquarid (Eta Aquarid) Meteor Shower - remnants from Halley's Comet. (May 4 to 7)

* Fri., May 5 - Space Day. (First Friday in May)

* Fri., May 5 - Cinco de Mayo. (Mexico: May 5)

* Fri., May 5, 3:26 p.m. EDT / 19:26 UTC - Actual Astronomical Cross-Quarter Day Beltaine, better known as May Day - Second traditional Astronomical Cross-Quarter Day of year; mid-way point in Spring season (~May 5-6).
Traditional Cross-Quarter Day.

* May 6 to 12 - National Nurses Week (from May 6, also known as National Nurses Day, through May 12, the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing).

* Sat., May 6 - National Nurses Day / National RN Recognition Day (May 6).

* Sat., May 6 - National Tourist Appreciation Day. (May 6)

* Sat., May 6 - National Scrapbooking Day. (First Saturday in May)

* Sat., May 6 - Read Your Farmers’ Almanac In The Bathroom Day. (May 6)

* Sat., May 6 - National Comic Book Day. (First Saturday in May)

* Sat., May 6 - National Wildfire Community Preparedness Day. (First Saturday in May)

* Sat., May 6, 9:37 a.m. EDT / 13:37 UTC - Mercury at aphelion.

* May 7 to 13 - Arson Awareness Week. (First full week of May)

* May 7 to 13 - Hurricane Preparedness Week. (Mid-May)

* May 7 to 13 - National Travel and Tourism Week. (First full week of May)

* May 7 to 13 - Bicycle Week / Bike-to-Work Week. (Second week of May)

* May 7 to 13 - National Hospital Week: Link 1 *** Link 2. (Second week of May)

* May 7 to 13 - Public Service Recognition Week (PSRW). (First full week of May)

* Sun., May 7 - World Password Day. (May 7)

* Sun., May 7, 5:00 p.m. EDT / 21:00 UTC - Jupiter 2 degrees south of the Moon.

* Sun., May 7, 7:00 p.m. EDT / 23:00 UTC - Mercury 2 degrees south of the Uranus.

* May 8 to 12 - National PTA Teacher Appreciation Week. (First full school-week of May)

* Mon., May 8 (1828) - World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day. (May 8)

* Mon., May 8 (1945) - Victory in Europe Day. (May 8)

* Tue., May 9 - National Teacher Day. (Tuesday of Teacher Appreciation Week)

* Wed., May 10 - National School Nurse Day. (Wednesday Of National Nurses Week)

* Wed., May 10 - National Student Nurses Day. (Wednesday Of National Nurses Week - originally May 8)

* Wed., May 10, 5:42 p.m. EDT / 21:42 UTC - Primary Moon Phase: Full Moon (Flower Moon).

* Thur., May 11, 9:59 p.m. EDT / May 12, 1:59 UTC - Double-shadow (shadows of 2 Galilean Moons) transit on Jupiter; visible, with difficulty, through telescope after sunset or before sunrise.

* Fri., May 12 - National Lab Day. (May 12)

* Fri., May 12 - International Nurses Day, the birth date of pioneering nurse Florence Nightingale, and the end of the annual Nurses Week. (May 12)

* Fri., May 12 - Limerick Day. (May 12)

* Fri., May 12, 4;00 p.m. EDT / 20:00 UTC - Moon at apogee: 252,407.192 miles / 406,210 kilometers.

* May 13 to 21 - Armed Forces Week. (USA: Second Saturday to Sunday of following week in May)

* Sat., May 13 (1611) - “Galileo Confirmation Day,” anniversary of the day Jesuit priests held a banquet in honor of Galileo Galilei, for his discovery of four moons orbiting the planet Jupiter. (May 13)

* Sat., May 13 - National Train Day. (Celebrated on the Saturday closest to the anniversary of the driving of the Golden Spike for the completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad in the United States of America: 1869 May 10)

* Sat., May 13 - International Migratory Bird Day. (Second Saturday in May)

* Sat., May 13 - Stamp-Out Hunger Food Drive. (Second Saturday of May)

* Sat., May 13 - World Fair Trade Day. (Second Saturday of May)

* Sat., May 13, 7:00 p.m. EDT / 23:00 UTC - Saturn 3 degrees south of the Moon.

* May 14 to 20 - Food Allergy Awareness Week (FAAW).

* May 14 to 20 - Women's Health Week. (Week that begins on Mothers' Day)

* May 14 to 20 - National Police Week. [Week including National Peace Officers' Memorial Day (May 15)]

* Sun., May 14 - Mothers' Day. (Second Sunday in May)

* May 15 to 19 - National Transportation Week / National Defense Transportation Week. [Week in which National Defense Transportation Day falls (Friday)]

* May 15 to 22 - Infrastructure Week. (MId-May)

* Mon., May 15 - Women's Checkup Day. (Monday after Mothers' Day - Monday of Women's Health Week)

* Mon., May 15 - National Peace Officers' Memorial Day. (May 15)

* Mon., May 15 - International Day of Families. (May 15)

* Mon., May 15, 10:56 a.m. EDT / 14:56 UTC - Double-shadow (shadows of 2 Galilean Moons) transit on Jupiter; visible, with difficulty, through telescope after sunset or before sunrise.

* Mon., May 15, 4:43 p.m. EDT / 20:43 UTC - Moon approaches close to Dwarf Planet Pluto.

* Tue., May 16, 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. EDT / 11:00 UTC to May 21, 0:00 UTC - Primary Election Day: Pennsylvania (Third Tuesday in May except during Presidential Election Years when it is held on the Fourth Tuesday in April).

* May 17 to 26, 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. Prevailing Local Time - CITIZEN SCIENCE - Annual Globe at Night campaign, to raise public awareness of the impact of light pollution by encouraging everyone everywhere to measure local levels of night sky brightness and contribute observations on-line to a world map.

* Wed., May 17 - Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) Day. [Wednesday of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Week]

* Thur., May 18 - International Museum Day. (May 18)

* Thur., May 18 - Visit Your Relatives Day. (May 18)

* Thur., May 18, 8:33 p.m. EDT / May 19, 0:33 UTC - Primary Moon Phase: Last Quarter.

* Thur., May 18, 11:54 p.m. EDT / May 19, 3:54 UTC - Double-shadow (shadows of 2 Galilean Moons) transit on Jupiter; visible, with difficulty, through telescope after sunset or before sunrise.

* Fri., May 19 - National May Ray Day This is a day to be outside, enjoying the sunshine and soaking up some rays from our nearest star. (May 19)

* Fri., May 19 - National Defense Transportation Day. (Third Friday in May - Friday of National Defense Transportation Week)

* Fri., May. 19 - Wear Your Life-Jacket to Work Day. (Friday before the beginning of Safe Boating Week)

* Fri., May 19 - Bike-to-Work Day. (Third Friday in May)

* Fri., May. 19 - Hepatitis Testing Day. (May 19)

* May 20 to 26 - National Safe Boating Week marks the beginning of the Recreational Boating Season. (First full week before Memorial Day Weekend)

* Sat., May 20 - Weights and Measures Day. (May 20)

* Sat., May 20 - Endangered Species Day. (May 20)

* Sat., May 20 - Food Revolution Day. (May 20)

* Sat., May 20 - Armed Forces Day. (USA: Third Saturday in May)

* Sat., May 20, 2:00 a.m. EDT / 6:00 UTC - Neptune 0.5 degree north of the Moon; occultation: Falkland Islands in Atlantic Ocean off of Argentina, southern portion of Africa, Madagascar, Republic of Maldives in the Indian Ocean.

* May 21 to 27 - Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Week. (Third full week of May)

* Sun., May 21 (1881) - Founding of the American Red Cross. (May 21)

* Sun., May 21 (1927) - Charles Lindbergh completes first solo trans-Atlantic flight and first non-stop flight between the Americas and main-land Europe, when landing in Paris in his Spirit of St. Louis airplane. (May 21)

* Mon., May 22 - National Maritime Day. (May 22)
Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science displayed the largest Mercator's Projection Map of the World, originally produced by the U.S. Maritime Commission for display at the 1939 World's Fair in New York City.

* Mon., May 22 - Victoria Day - In Canada, informally considered the beginning of the Summer season. (Last Monday before May 25)

* Mon., May 22, 9:00 a.m. EDT / 13:00 UTC - Venus 2 degrees north of the Moon.

* Mon., May 22, 12:50 p.m. EDT / 16:50 UTC - Double-shadow (shadows of 2 Galilean Moons) transit on Jupiter; visible, with difficulty, through telescope after sunset or before sunrise.

* Tue., May 23 - World Turtle Day. (May 23)

* Tue., May 23, 9:00 p.m. EDT / May 24, 1:00 UTC - Mercury 1.6 degrees north of the Moon.

* Thur., May 25 (1961) - Anniversary of when U.S. President John F. Kennedy, in a special speech before a joint session of the U.S. Congress, proposes a new national goal: "First, I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth." (May 25)

* Thur., May 25 - National Missing Children's Day. (May 25)

* Thur., May 25 - Christian Feast of the Ascension. (Thursday: 40th day of Easter)

* Thur., May 25, 3:44 p.m. EDT / 19:44 UTC - Primary Moon Phase: New Moon - Lunation # 1168.

* Thur., May 25, 9:00 p.m. EDT / May 26, 1:00 UTC - Moon at perigee: 221,958.1395 miles / 357,207 kilometers.
Very High Tides Along Ocean Coast-Lines Predicted.

* Thur., May 25, 9:00 p.m. EDT / May 26, 1:00 UTC - NBC-TV - Red Nose Day / Comedy Day. (Last Thursday in May)

* May 26, Sunset to June 25, Sunset (In Pittsburgh - May 26 Sunset: 8:40 p.m. EDT / May 27, 0:40 UTC; June 25 Sunset: 8:54 p.m. EDT / June 26, 0:54 UTC) - Month of observance of Ramadan in the Islamic religion. The month lasts 29 to 30 days, dependent on visual sightings of the New Crescent Moon.

* Fri., May 26 - Don't Fry Day - The National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention Encourages Sun Safety Awareness. (Friday before Memorial Day).

* Fri., May 26, 1:47 a.m. EDT / 5:47 UTC - Double-shadow (shadows of 2 Galilean Moons) transit on Jupiter; visible, with difficulty, through telescope after sunset or before sunrise.

* Fri., May 26, 10:42 p.m. EDT / May 27, 2:42 UTC - Moon approaches close to Mars.

* Sat., May 27, 8:16 p.m. EDT / May 28, 0:16 UTC - Double-shadow (shadows of 2 Galilean Moons) transit on Jupiter; visible, with difficulty, through telescope after sunset or before sunrise.

* May 28 to June 3 - National Tire Safety Week.

* Mon., May 29 - Memorial Day. (USA: Last Monday in May)
Originally observed as Decoration Day. (USA: May 30)

* Mon., May 29 - 529 College Savings Programs Day. (May 29)

* Mon., May 29, 2:45 p.m. EDT / 18:45 UTC - Double-shadow (shadows of 2 Galilean Moons) transit on Jupiter; visible, with difficulty, through telescope after sunset or before sunrise.

* Mon., May 29, 9:14 p.m. EDT / May 30, 1:14 UTC - Moon approaches close to the Beehive Open Star Cluster (M44).

* May 30, Sunset to June 1, Sunset (In Pittsburgh - May 30 Sunset: 8:43 p.m. EDT / May 31, 0:43 UTC; June 1 Sunset: 8:44 p.m. EDT / June 2, 0:44 UTC) - Observance of Shavuot in the Hebrew religion. The observance begins and ends at Sunset.

* Tue., May 30 - Decoration Day. (USA: May 30)
Now observed as Memorial Day. (USA: Last Monday in May)

* Wed., May 31 - World No Tobacco Day (WNTD). (May 31)

* Wed., May 31 - National Senior Health & Fitness Day. (Last Wednesday in May)

* Wed., May 31, 1:00 p.m. EDT / 17:00 UTC - Star Regulus 0.3 degree north of the Moon; occultation: eastern portion of Brazil, Cape Verde Islands, central and southern portions of Africa except southern tip of continent, Mauritius.

.

* May 26, local sunset (Pittsburgh - May 25, 8:39 p.m. EDT / May 26, 0:39 UTC) to June 24, local sunset (Pittsburgh - June 24, 8:54 p.m. EDT / June 25, 0:54 UTC) - In Islam, the month of Ramadan, calculated by using the Islamic lunar calendar, begins at astronomical New Moon.

* May 28 to June 3 - National Tire Safety Week.

* June 1 to 7 - National CPR and AED Awareness Week. (June 1 to 7)

* Thur., June 1 - Beginning of Meteorological Season of Summer in Northern Hemisphere / Meteorological Season of Winter in Southern Hemisphere. (June 1)

* Thur., June 1 - Beginning of Hurricane Season in the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea. (June 1)

* Thur., June 1 - International Children's Day. (June 1)

* Thur., June 1 - Global Day of Parents. (June 1)

* Thur., June 1, 8:42 a.m. EDT / 12:42 UTC - Primary Moon Phase: First Quarter.

* Fri., June 2 - National Gun Violence Awareness Day. (June 2)

* Fri., June 2, 3:42 a.m. EDT / 7:42 UTC - Double-shadow (shadows of 2 Galilean Moons) transit on Jupiter; visible, with difficulty, through telescope after sunset or before sunrise.

* Fri., June 2, 10:00 a.m. EDT / 14:00 UTC - Venus 1.8 degrees south of Uranus.

* Fri., June 2, 4:42 p.m. EDT / 20:42 UTC - Mercury enters Constellation of Taurus the Bull.

* Sat., June 3 - National Trails Day®. (First Saturday in June)

* Sat., June 3 - Name Tag Day. (First Saturday in June)
Pittsburgh Name Tag Day Event.

* Sat., June 3 - Close approach of Venus and Uranus.

* Sat., June 3, 8:00 p.m. EDT / June 4, 0:00 UTC - Jupiter 2 degrees south of the Moon; closest approach June 3, 9:28 p.m. EDT / June 4, 1:28 UTC.

* Sat., June 3, 10:21 p.m. EDT / June 4, 2:21 UTC - Double-shadow (shadows of 2 Galilean Moons) transit on Jupiter; visible, with difficulty, through telescope after sunset or before sunrise.

* Sun., June 4 (1784) - French woman is first woman ride in a free-floating balloon. (June 4)

* Sun., June 4 - National Cancer Survivors Day®. (First Sunday in June)

* Mon., June 5 - Reset the Net Day for privacy on the Internet. (June 5)

* Mon., June 5 - United Nations World Environment Day. (June 5)
( For 2010 United Nations World Environment Day Host City for North America: Pittsburgh.)

* Mon., June 5, 4:49 p.m. EDT / 20:49 UTC - Double-shadow (shadows of 2 Galilean Moons) transit on Jupiter; visible, with difficulty, through telescope after sunset or before sunrise.

* Mon., June 5, 8:00 p.m. EDT / June 6, 0:00 UTC - Asteroid & Dwarf Planet Ceres in conjunction with the Sun (Ceres not visible, even with a telescope.

* Tue., June 6 (1944) - Anniversary of the D-Day Allied invasion of Normandy during World War II. (June 6)

* Thur., June 8 - World Oceans Day. (June 8)

* Thur., June 8 (Best viewing: Midnight to Dawn) - Peak of Arietid Meteor Shower. (June 7 to 9)

* Thur., June 8, 6:00 p.m. EDT / 22:00 UTC - Moon at apogee: 252,525.8739 statute miles / 406,401 kilometers.

* Fri., June 9 - Venus enters Constellation of Cetus the Sea Monster.

* Fri., June 9, 6:09 a.m. EDT / 10:09 UTC - Double-shadow (shadows of 2 Galilean Moons) transit on Jupiter; visible, with difficulty, through telescope after sunset or before sunrise.

* Fri., June 9, 9:10 a.m. EDT / 13:10 UTC - Primary Moon Phase: Full Moon - Strawberry Moon.
Smallest Full Moon of 2017 due to Lunar Apogee previous day.

* Fri., June 9, 9:00 p.m. EDT / June 10, 1:00 UTC - Saturn 3 degrees south of the Moon.

* Sat., June 10 - National Get Outdoors Day. (Second Saturday in June)

* Sat., June 10 - Venus enters Constellation of Aries the Ram.

* Sun., June 11 (1638; originally recorded as June 1 O.S. of the Julian Calendar) - First earthquake recorded in North America: New England / St. Lawrence Valley region. (June 11)

* Sun., June 11 - National Children's Day. (Second Sunday in June)

* Sun., June 11, 9:42 p.m. EDT / June 12, 1:42 UTC - Moon approaches very close to Dwarf Planet Pluto.

* June 12 to 18 - Men's Health Week. (Week leading to and including Father's Day)

* Mon., June 12 - Venus at aphelion.

* Mon., June 12, 7:27 p.m. EDT / 23:27 UTC - Double-shadow (shadows of 2 Galilean Moons) transit on Jupiter; visible, with difficulty, through telescope after sunset or before sunrise.

* Wed., June 14 (1777) - Flag Day - USA. Anniversary of date U.S. Congress adopted 13 stars and 13 stripes as the American flag; now flag includes 50 stars for each of the 50 states in the Union. (June 14)

* Wed., June 14 - At mid-northern latitudes (~40 degrees North Latitude, which is the latitude of Pittsburgh), earliest sunrise of the year (Pittsburgh - earliest sunrise: 5:49 a.m. EDT / 9:49 UTC). (June 14)

* Thur., June 15 (1215) - Anniversary of the Magna Carta, also known as The Great Charter of the Liberties of England, originally issued. (June 15)

* Thur., June 15 - "Dump the Pump" Day, sponsored by the American Public Transportation Association and local public transit agencies nationwide, including Pittsburgh's Port Authority of Allegheny County. (Third Thursday in June)

* Thur., June 15 - Recess at Work Day. (Third Thursday in June)

* Thur., June 15, 6:00 a.m. EDT / 10:00 UTC - Saturn at opposition (Saturn visible ~ local sunset to ~ local sunrise).

* June 16 to 23 - Cephalopod Week highlighting sea creatures including squids and octopi. (Third week of June, dating Friday to Friday)

* Fri., June 16 - Wear Blue (Friday) Day to show their concern for the health and wellbeing of boys and men. (Friday of Men's Health Week / Friday before Fathers' Day)

* June 16 to 25, 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. Prevailing Local Time - CITIZEN SCIENCE - Annual Globe at Night campaign, to raise public awareness of the impact of light pollution by encouraging everyone everywhere to measure local levels of night sky brightness and contribute observations on-line to a world map. (Monthly)

* Fri., June 16, 8:46 a.m. EDT / 12:46 UTC - Double-shadow (shadows of 2 Galilean Moons) transit on Jupiter; visible, with difficulty, through telescope after sunset or before sunrise.

* Fri., June 16, 9:00 a.m. EDT / 13:00 UTC - Neptune 0.7 degree north of the Moon; occultation: western portion of Antarctica, southern half of South America.

* Sat., June 17, 7:33 a.m. EDT / 11:33 UTC - Primary Moon Phase: Last Quarter.

* June 18 to 24 - Lightning Safety Awareness Week; see also Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article. (June)

* Sun., June 18 - International Sun-Day, a celebration of Astronomy and our planet's very important star, the Sun. (Sunday near the Summer Solstice)

* Sun., June 18 - Phi Day. (June 18)

* Sun., June 18 - Autistic Pride Day about shifting views of autism from "disease" to "difference." (June 18)

* Sun., June 18 (1812) - Anniversary of the day the United States of America declared war on the British Empire, beginning the War of 1812. (June 18)

* Sun., June 18 - Fathers' Day. (Third Sunday in June)

* June 19 to 25 - National Pollinator Week. (June)

* Mon., June 19 (1865) - Juneteenth Independence Day commemorating the day in 1865 when the State of Texas abolished slavery, and more generally the end of slavery in the former Confederate States of America. (June 19)

* Mon., June 19, 1:49 p.m. EDT / 17:49 UTC - Moon closely approaches Uranus.

* Mon., June 19, 10:04 p.m. EDT / June 20, 2:04 UTC - Double-shadow (shadows of 2 Galilean Moons) transit on Jupiter; visible, with difficulty, through telescope after sunset or before sunrise.

* Tue., June 20 - World Refugee Day. (June 20)

* Tue., June 20, 12:00 Noon Mountain Daylight Saving Time (MDT) / 2:00 p.m. EDT / 18:00 UTC - Summer Solstice Annual Event - Single beam of sunlight shines on a silver dollar embedded in the floor of the Art Museum at the University of Wyoming in Laramie, Wyoming. (June 20)

* Tue., June 20, 1:30 p.m. Mountain Daylight Saving Time (MDT) / 3:30 p.m. EDT / 19:30 UTC - U.S. Postal Service unveils special and unique postage stamp (Forever Stamp) marking the Great American Solar Eclipse (which will cross the continental United States from Oregon to South Carolina) at the Art Museum of the University of Wyoming. A first-of-a-kind stamp, the heat from the touch of a finger transforms the eclipsed Moon into the image of the Moon!
Also see: Safe Public Viewing of the Great American Solar Eclipse in South Suburban Pittsburgh.

* Tue., June 20, 5:00 p.m. EDT / 21:00 UTC - Venus 2 degrees north of the Moon; closest approach: 6:20 p.m. EDT / 22:20 UTC.

* Wed., June 21 - National Selfie Day. (June 21)

* Wed., June 21 - Make Music Day music festivals around the world on or near the day of the Summer Solstice. (June 21)

* Wed., June 21 - International Day of Yoga. (June 21)

* Wed., June 21 - National Aboriginal Day - Canada. (June 21)

* Wed., June 21, 12:24 a.m. EDT / 4:24 UTC - Summer Solstice; Season of Summer begins in Earth's Northern Hemisphere / Season of Winter begins in Earth's Southern Hemisphere. (June 20 to 22)
Also see ---
* Solstice 2017 special one-hour celebration (5:00 to 6:00 p.m. / 17:00 to 18:00 local time) for each of the Earth's 24 time zones.
* 1985 to1991: Summer "Solstice Day" Annual Free Day at Buhl Planetarium.

* Wed., June 21, 10:00 a.m. EDT / 14:00 UTC - Mercury in superior conjunction (Mercury not visible, even with a telescope).

* Thur., June 22, 11:00 a.m. EDT / 15:00 UTC - Star Aldebaran 0.5 degree south of the Moon; occultation: most of North America, southern portion of Greenland, Azore Islands of Portugal, most of Europe, northwestern portion of Africa.

* Fri., June 23, 7:00 a.m. EDT / 11:00 UTC - Moon at perigee: 222,411.7404 statute miles / 357,937 kilometers.

* Fri., June 23, 11:24 a.m. EDT / 15:24 UTC - Double-shadow (shadows of 2 Galilean Moons) transit on Jupiter; visible, with difficulty, through telescope after sunset or before sunrise.

* Fri., June 23, 10:31 p.m. EDT / June 24, 2:31 UTC - Primary Moon Phase: New Moon - Lunation # 1169.

* June 24 to 25 - Ham Radio Field Day - When amateur radio operators test emergency radio operations. (Always the fourth full weekend In June)

* Sat., June 24 - Midsummer Day (Date of Summer Solstice in Roman times)
and St. Jean Baptiste Day / Quebec National Holiday. (June 24)

* Sat., June 24, 4:48 a.m. EDT / 8:48 UTC - Moon closely approaches Mercury.

* June 24 (1947) & July 2 (1947) - Both dates are celebrated as World UFO Day for the first two well-publicized sightings / events regarding what has come to be known as Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) ---
1947 June 24: Sighting of 9 UFOs near Mount Rainier, Washington by businessman and private aircraft pilot Kenneth Arnold.
July 2: Alleged crash, on the evening of 1947 July 4, of a UFO about 30-to-40 miles northwest of Roswell, New Mexico. (June 24 & July 2)

* Sat., June 24 - Annual Pennsylvania Firefly Festival in the Allegheny National Forest near Tionesta, Pennsylvania, highlighting Synchronous Fireflies. (Fourth Saturday of June)

* Sun., June 25, late evening (1638) - The first astronomical event recorded by native Europeans in continental North America was a total lunar eclipse on 1638 June 25 to 26. (June 25)
Also see information on the total lunar eclipse used by Christopher Columbus to scare natives into providing food and other provisions for his sailors: Link 1 *** Link 2.

* Mon., June 26, 6:47 a.m. EDT / 10:47 UTC - Moon closely approaches Beehive Open Star Cluster.

* Tue., June 27 - At mid-northern latitudes (~40 degrees North Latitude, which is the latitude of Pittsburgh), latest sunset of the year (Pittsburgh - latest sunset: 8:54 p.m. EDT / June 28, 0:54 UTC). (June 27)

* Tue., June 27 - National HIV Testing Day (NHTD). (June 27)

* Tue., June 27, 9:00 p.m. EDT / June 28, 1:00 UTC - Star Regulus 0.03 degree north of the Moon; occultation: Islands of Micronesia, Hawaii, Ecuador including the Galapagos Islands, Peru.

* Wed., June 28 - Tau Day - Day celebrating the value of 2Pi (~6.28), designated Tau, the ratio of a circle's circumference to its radius. (June 28)
More on Tau Day.

* Wed., June 28 - Venus enters Constellation of Taurus the Bull.

* Wed., June 28, 3:24 p.m. EDT / 19:24 UTC - Very close approach between Mercury and Mars.

* Fri., June 30 [June 17 O.S. (Old Calendar System / Julian Calendar) used in Russia at the time] (1908) - Anniversary of the Tunguska Blast caused by an air blast of large meteoroid or comet fragment. (June 30)

* Fri., June 30 - Asteroid Day - Annual global awareness movement that brings people from around the world together to learn about asteroids and what we can do to protect our planet, our families, communities, and future generations. Asteroid Day is held on the anniversary of the 1908 June 30 Siberian Tunguska event, the largest asteroid impact on Earth in recent history. (June 30)

* Fri., June 30 - Last day of calendar year Second Quarter. (June 30)

* Fri., June 30 - Last day of Fiscal Year - Pennsylvania. (June 30)

* Fri., June 30, 8:51 p.m. EDT / July 1, 0:51 UTC - Primary Moon Phase: First Quarter.

* June 5, Local Sunset (Pittsburgh - June 5, 8:47 p.m. EDT / June 6, 0:47 UTC) to July 4, local sunset (Pittsburgh - July 4, 8:53 p.m. EDT / July 5, 0:53 UTC) - In Islam, the month of Ramadan, calculated by using the Islamic lunar calendar, begins at astronomical New Moon.

* Fri., June 30, 8:51 p.m. EDT / July 1, 0:51 UTC - Primary Moon Phase: First Quarter.

* July 1 to 3 (1863) - Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania of the American Civil War: Link 1 *** Link 2. (July 1 to 3)

* Sat., July 1 (1867) - 150th Anniversary: Dominion Day / Canada Day. (Canada: July 1).

* Sat., July 1 - First day of Fiscal Year - Pennsylvania. (July 1)

* Sat., July 1 - First day of calendar year. Third Quarter (July 1)

* Sat., July 1, 3:00 a.m. EDT / 7:00 UTC - Jupiter 3 degrees south of the Moon.

* Sun., July 2 - Mid-point of year 2017. (July 2)

* June 24 (1947) & July 2 (1947) - Both dates are celebrated as World UFO Day for the first two well-publicized sightings / events regarding what has come to be known as Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) ---
** 1947 June 24: Sighting of 9 UFOs near Mount Rainier, Washington by businessman and private aircraft pilot Kenneth Arnold.
** 1947 July 2: Alleged crash, on the evening of 1947 July 4, of a UFO about 30-to-40 miles northwest of Roswell, New Mexico.
(June 24 & July 2)

* Sun., July 2, 9:00 a.m. EDT / 13:00 UTC - Asteroid Juno at opposition (Juno visible in a telescope ~ local sunset to local sunrise, weather-permitting).

* Sun., July 2, 7:30 p.m. EDT / 23:30 UTC - Expected launch of SpaceX Falcon 9 Intelsat 35e at Kennedy Space Center FL.

* July 3 to Aug. 11 (approx.) - "The Dog Days of Summer": Link 1 *** Link 2. (July 3 to Aug. 11)

* Mon., July 3, 4:00 p.m. EDT / 20:00 UTC - Earth at aphelion, furthest point in orbit from the Sun:94,505,900.540841 statute miles / 152,092,504 kilometers. (Beginning of July)

* Tue., July 4 (1776) - USA Independence Day, traditionally celebrated with fireworks. Link 1 *** Link 2. (U.S.A.: July 4)

* Tue., July 4 (1054) - Anniversary of observation of a "Guest Star" (i.e. supernova), which created what today is known as the Crab Nebula. Supernova SN 1054 was observed in China, Japan, Baghdad, and by the Anasazi Pueblo Peoples in New Mexico. This was the first recorded observation of a major astronomical event in North America. (July 4)

* Tue., July 4, 1:50 p.m. EDT / 17:50 UTC - Mercury enters Constellation Cancer the Crab

* Wed., July 5 (1687) - Publication of Sir Isaac Newton's Principia, regarding gravitation. (July 5)

* Thur., July 6, 12:00 Midnight EDT / 4:00 UTC - Moon at apogee: 252,235.6935 statute miles / 405,934 kilometers.

* Thur., July 6, 11:50 p.m. EDT / July 7, 3:50 UTC - Moon passes close to Saturn.

* Fri., July 7 - Beginning of the Japanese Star Festivals of Tanabata, which celebrates the meeting of the deities Orihime and Hikoboshi (represented by th e stars Vega and Altair respectively), which, according to legend, are kept separate by the Milky Way except once a year, on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month of the lunisolar calendar. (July 7)

* Fri., July 7, 10:05 p.m. EDT / July 8, 2:05 UTC - Dwarf Planet Pluto closest to Earth in 2017.

* Sun., July 9 - Moon passes close to Dwarf Planet Pluto.

* Sun., July 9, 12:07 a.m. EDT / 4:07 UTC - Primary Moon Phase: Full Moon - Buck Moon.

* Mon., July 10 (1856) - Anniversary of birth of physicist and electrical engineer Nikola Tesla, who helped George Westinghouse in Pittsburgh perfect the Alternating Current form of Electricity: Link 1 *** Link 2. (July 10)
Also see: Tesla Coil.

* Mon., July 10 - Dwarf Planet Pluto at opposition (Pluto visible in telescope ~ local sunset to local sunrise, weather-permitting).

* Mon., July 10, 6:33 a.m. EDT / 10:33 UTC - Mars passes close to Star Pollux.

* Tue., July 11 (1767) - Anniversary of birth of 6th U.S. President John Quincy Adams, America's Astronomy President. (July 11)

* Tue., July 11 - World Population Day. (United Nations: July 11)

* Wed., July 12, 8:20 p.m. EDT / July 13, 0:20 UTC - Manhattan-Henge - View of Full Sun on the Manhattan, New York City, east--west street grid: Link 1 *** Link 2. (July 12)

* Thur., July 13, 2:00 p.m. EDT / 18:00 UTC - Neptune 0.9 degree north of the Moon; occultation: majority of Antarctica, New Zealand (including Chatham Island).

* Thur., July 13, 8:21 p.m. EDT / July 14, 0:21 UTC - Manhattan-Henge - View of Half Sun on the Manhattan, New York City, east--west street grid: Link 1 *** Link 2. (July 13)

* Fri., July 14 (1965) - First close-up photographs taken of another planet: NASA fly-by spacecraft Mariner 4, which flew-by Mars. (July 14)

* Fri., July 14 (1789) - Bastille Day / French National Day, which celebrates the Storming of the Bastille in Paris at the beginning of the French Revolution. (July 14)

* Fri., July 14 - Expected launch of Russian crowd-funded satellite Mayak, to test how to brake satellites and de-orbit such satellites. However, astronomers are complaining that this satellite will contribute to light pollution in the night sky, as it is expected to be as bright as the third or fourth brightest object in the sky.

* July 15 to 24, 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. Prevailing Local Time - CITIZEN SCIENCE - Annual Globe at Night campaign, to raise public awareness of the impact of light pollution by encouraging everyone everywhere to measure local levels of night sky brightness and contribute observations on-line to a world map. (Monthly)

* Sat., July 15 - St. Swithun's Day - According to tradition, the weather occurring on St. Swithun's Day will continue for forty days. This legend does have a scientific basis. At this time of year, for most years, the jet stream settles into a reasonably steady pattern until the end of August. (July 15)

* Sun., July 16 (1945), 5:29:21 a.m. Mountain War Time (MWT) / 11:29:21 UTC (+ 2 seconds or - 2 seconds) - Anniversary: First test, at the Trinity Site in New Mexico, of the first atomic bomb. (July 16)

* Sun., July 16 - National Ice Cream Day. (3rd Sunday in July)

* Sun., July 16 - Mars enters Constellation Cancer the Crab

* Sun., July 16 - Mercury enters Constellation Leo the Lion

* Sun., July 16, 3:26 p.m. EDT / 19:26 UTC - Primary Moon Phase: Last Quarter.

* Mon., July 17 - World Emoji Day for computer / electronic communication. (July 17)

* Wed., July 19, 8:00 p.m. EDT / July 20, 0:00 UTC - Star Aldebaran 0.4 degree south of the Moon; occultation: much of Asia including northeastern and central sections and India, Aleutian Islands of Alaska, Hawaii.

* Thur., July 20 (1969), 10:56:20 p.m. EDT / July 21, 2:56:20 UTC - "Moon Day" - Anniversary of the moment the first human (Neil Armstrong) set foot on the Earth's Moon, during the NASA mission of Apollo 11: Link 1 *** Link 2. (July 20)
Special Note: Neil Armstrong was originally scheduled to first step on the Moon during the early morning hours of Monday ("Moonday"), July 21. Although this historic moment actually occurred earlier than scheduled, during the July 20 television prime-time in America, it actually did occur on "Moonday," July 21 at 2:56:20 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), the time-scale used by many scientists.
Also see: Personal remembrance of Apollo 11 mission.

* Thur., July 20 (1976) - Anniversary of the landing of the NASA space probe, Viking 1, on the surface of Mars, the first U.S. spacecraft to safely land on the Red Planet: Link 1 *** Link 2. (July 20)
Also see: Special NASA radio reports to the public, regarding the Viking Mission to Mars.

* Thur., July 20, 7:49 a.m. EDT / 11:49 UTC - Moon passes very close to Venus.

* Fri., July 21, 1:00 p.m. EDT / 17:00 UTC - Moon at perigee: 224,461.644 statute miles / 361,236 kilometers.

* July 22 to 30 - National Moth Week - CITIZEN SCIENCE project where citizen scientists can help map moth distribution and provide needed information on other life history aspects around the globe. (Last full week of July)

* Sat., July 22 - Pi Approximation Day, a holiday commemorating the mathematical constant π (pi). (July 22: 22/7)

* Sun., July 23 - Hot Enough For Ya Day. (July 23)

* Sun., July 23 - Parents' Day. (Fourth Sunday of July)

* Sun., July 23, 5:46 a.m. EDT / 9:46 UTC - Primary Moon Phase: New Moon - Lunation # 1170.

* Tue., July 25, 5:00 a.m. EDT / 9:00 UTC - Mercury 0.9 degree south of the Moon; occultation: northern Europe including the United Kingdom, majority of Greenland, northern half of Asia.

* Tue., July 25, 7:00 a.m. EDT / 11:00 UTC - Star Regulus 0.07 degree south of the Moon; occultation: northern half of Africa, Middle East, southern portion of India, Indonesia.

* Wed., July 26 (1990) - Anniversary: The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) signed into law by U.S. President George H.W. Bush: Link 1 *** Link 2 *** Link 3. (July 26)

* Wed., July 26, 5:00 a.m. EDT / 9:00 UTC - Mercury 1.1 degrees south of Star Regulus.

* Wed., July 26, 9:00 p.m. EDT / July 27, 1:00 UTC - Mars in conjunction with the Sun (Mars not visible, even with a telescope).

* Thur., July 27, 11:00 p.m. EDT / July 28, 3:00 UTC (Best viewing: Midnight to Dawn) - Peak of S. Delta-Aquarid Meteor Shower. (July 27 to 29)

* Fri., July 28 - Computer System Administrator Appreciation Day. (Last Friday in July)

* Fri., July 28 - World Hepatitis Day. (July 28)

* Fri., July 28 (1914) - Commencement of World War I: Link 1 *** Link 2. (July 28)

* Fri., July 28 - Expected launch of astronauts, part of Expedition 52 to the International Space Station.

* Fri., July 28, 6:15 p.m. EDT / 22:15 UTC - Moon passes very close to Jupiter.

* Sat., July 29 - Annual Rain Day in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania. (July 29)

* Sat., July 29 (1958) - National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) established, absorbing the former National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA: established 1915 March 3) with its Special Committee on Space Technology (established 1958 January 12): Link 1 *** Link 2. (July 29)

* Sat., July 29 - Venus enters Constellation Orion the Hunter.

* Sun., July 30, 11:23 a.m. EDT / 15:23 UTC - Primary Moon Phase: First Quarter.

* Mon., July 31 - Dog Days of Summer: Rising of Sirius (the "Dog Star") ahead of the Sun (however, Sirius not visible until, at least, Aug. 7, due to glare of the Sun). (July 31)

* Mon., July 31 - Venus enters Constellation Gemini the Twins.

* Mon., July 31, 9:37 p.m. EDT / Aug. 1, 1:37 UTC - Mars passes close to the Beehive Star Cluster.

* Tue., Aug. 1 - Astronomical Mid-Point of Summer - Traditional Astronomical Cross-Quarter Day, also known as “Lammas” (in the United Kingdom) and “Lughnassad” (in Ireland). Considered approximate date of First Harvest (third traditional cross-quarter day of the year), approximately between the Midsummer Solstice and the Autumnal Equinox (July 31 Eve to Aug. 1).
Actual Cross-Quarter Day.

* Sun., Aug. 6, 8:13 p.m. EDT / Aug. 7, 0:13 UTC - Astronomical Mid-Point of Summer - Actual Astronomical Cross-Quarter Day (halfway between the June Solstice and September Equinox: ~Aug. 6 to 7).
Traditional Cross-Quarter Day.

* July 3 to Aug. 11 (approx.) - "The Dog Days of Summer": Link 1 *** Link 2. (July 3 to Aug. 11).

* Mon., July 31, 9:37 p.m. EDT / Aug. 1, 1:37 UTC - Mars passes close to the Beehive Star Cluster.

* Aug. 1 to 7 - World Breastfeeding Week (WBW). (Aug. 1 to 7)

* Aug. 1 to 7 - National Minority Donor Awareness Week. (Aug. 1 to 7)

* Tue., Aug. 1 (1818) - Anniversary of the birth of America's first professional woman astronomer, Maria Mitchell, who won a gold medal prize presented by the King of Denmark, for her discovery of a comet named in her honor: Miss Mitchell's Comet. (Aug. 1)

* Tue., Aug. 1 - Astronomical Mid-Point of Summer - Traditional Astronomical Cross-Quarter Day, also known as “Lammas” (in the United Kingdom) and “Lughnassad” (in Ireland). Considered approximate date of First Harvest (third traditional cross-quarter day of the year), approximately between the Midsummer Solstice and the Autumnal Equinox. (July 31 Eve to Aug. 1)
Actual Cross-Quarter Day.

* Tue., Aug. 1, Evening - National Night Out. (First Tuesday in August)

* Wed., Aug. 2 - Mercury at aphelion.

* Wed., Aug. 2, 2:00 p.m. EDT / 18:00 UTC - Moon at apogee: 251,670.8671 statute miles / 405,025 kilometers.

* Thur., Aug. 3 - National Watermelon Day. (Aug. 3)

* Thur., Aug. 3, 3:00 a.m. EDT / 7:00 UTC - Saturn 3 degrees south of the Moon.

* Aug. 5 to 12, after Sunset - International Starlight Week. (Week coinciding with annual Perseid Meteor Shower)

* Sat., Aug. 5, 7:59 a.m. EDT / 11:59 UTC - Moon passes very close to Dwarf Planet Pluto, as viewed in the sky.

* Aug. 6 to 12 - National Farmers Market Week. (First full week of August)

* Aug. 6 to 12 - National Stop on Red Week. (First full week of August)

* Sun, Aug. 6 (1945), 8:15:43 a.m. Hiroshima Time (Japan Standard Time) / Aug. 5, 7:15:43 p.m. Eastern War Time / Aug. 5, 23:15:43 UTC - Anniversary of the first war-time use of an Atomic Bomb over Hiroshima, Japan. (Aug. 6)

* Sun., Aug. 6 - Friendship Day. (First Sunday in August)

* Sun., Aug. 6, 8:13 p.m. EDT / Aug. 7, 0:13 UTC - Astronomical Mid-Point of Summer - Actual Astronomical Cross-Quarter Day (halfway between the June Solstice and September Equinox: ~Aug. 6 to 7).
Traditional Cross-Quarter Day.

* Mon., Aug. 7 - Dog Days of Summer: First visible (Sirius rises ahead of Sun at 7 degrees altitude) Heliacal rising of Sirius. (~ Aug. 7)

* Mon., Aug. 7 - National Lighthouse Day. (Aug. 7)

* Mon., Aug. 7 - Civic Holiday in certain Canadian provinces. (First Monday in August)

* Mon., Aug.7, 2:11 p.m. EDT / 18:11 UTC - Primary Moon Phase: Full Moon - Sturgeon Moon.

* Mon., Aug.7, 2:20:27.7 p.m. EDT / 18:20:27.7 UTC - Time of greatest eclipse for shallow Partial Eclipse of the Moon, visible in Eastern Hemisphere of Earth, weather-permitting:
Link 1 *** Link 2.

* Tue., Aug. 8 - International Cat Day. (Aug. 8)

* Wed., Aug. 9 (1945) - Anniversary of the second and last war-time use of an Atomic Bomb over Nagasaki, Japan. (Aug. 9)

* Wed., Aug. 9 (1974) - Anniversary of the first resignation of an American President. As a consequence of the Watergate Scandal, and prior to the U.S. House of Representatives approving three Articles of Impeachment of the President, the resignation of U.S. President Richard M. Nixon took effect at 12:00 Noon, after announcing his resignation on a nationally broadcast address the previous evening; recently appointed Vice President Gerald R. Ford, Jr. (who had been approved by the U.S. Senate for the appointment as Vice President after the resignation of Vice President Spiro T. Agnew) assumed the U.S. Presidency.
President Nixon's signature appears on the historic plaque left on the Moon at the site of the landing of the Lunar Excursion Module (LEM) of the Apollo 11 mission, where the first two humans set-foot on the Moon. President Nixon also spoke with NASA Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, while they were on the Moon, in a conversation President Nixon called "the most historic phone call ever made from the White House."

* Wed., Aug. 9, 7:00 p.m. EDT / 23:00 UTC - Neptune 0.9 degree north of the Moon; occultation: west tip of Australia, majority of Antarctic Continent, Kerguelen Islands (southern Indian Ocean) of France.

* Thur., Aug. 10 (1846) - Founding of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC, originally from the bequest of British chemist James Smithson. The founding was spearheaded by Massachusetts Congressman and former U.S. President John Quincy Adams. (Aug. 10)
Samuel Pierpont Langley, second Director of Pittsburgh's Allegheny Observatory, became the third Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, then considered the greatest scientific appointment in the nation.

* Aug. 11, 12, 13 weekend and September 8, 9, 10 weekend, 30 minutes before sunset - A Swift Night-Out - CITIZEN SCIENCE PROJECT to observe bird roosts of Chimney Swifts and Vaux's Swifts.
More on Citizen Science & Chimey Swifts. (Second Weekend August and September: Friday, Saturday, Sunday)

* Fri., Aug. 11 - For +40 degrees North Latitude (Latitude of Pittsburgh), annual Heliacal Rising of the Star Sirius (Dog Star), the brightest star in the night sky, the first time Sirius can be seen in the morning sky for the year. In ancient times, the Heliacal Rising of Sirius coincided with the flooding of the Nile River, which was and still is Egypt's life-line; the Heliacal Rising of Procyon (Little Dog Star), which annually occurred a little ahead of the Heliacal Rising of Sirius, gave the ancients extra warning for the soon-Heliacal Rising of Sirius. At that time, it was thought that the heat from the brightest star (Sirius), rising near the same time as the rising of the Sun, contributed to the great heat of the Summer Season.

* Sat., Aug. 12 - World Elephant Day. (Aug. 12)

* Sat., Aug. 12 - International Youth Day. (Aug. 12)

* Sat., Aug. 12 - Middle Child's Day. (Aug. 12)

* Sat., Aug. 12, 3:00 p.m. EDT / 19:00 UTC (Best viewing: Aug. 11 & Aug. 12, Midnight to Dawn) - Peak of Perseid Meteor Shower, considered one of the best of the year! (Aug. 11 to 13).
Also see: NASA: Perseid Meteor Shower Has Most Fireballs.

* Sat., Aug. 12, after Sunset - International Starry Night. (During Starlight Week & week of annual Perseid Meteor Shower, often a Saturday, coinciding with annual Perseid Meteor Shower)

* Aug. 13 to 19 - National Health Center Week. (Second full week of August)

* Sun., Aug. 13 - International Lefthanders Day. (Aug. 13)

* Sun., Aug. 13, 3:44 a.m. EDT / 7:44 UTC - Moon passes very close to Uranus, as viewed in sky.

* Aug. 14 to 23, 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. Prevailing Local Time - CITIZEN SCIENCE - Annual Globe at Night campaign, to raise public awareness of the impact of light pollution by encouraging everyone everywhere to measure local levels of night sky brightness and contribute observations on-line to a world map.

* Mon., Aug. 14, 9:15 p.m. EDT / Aug. 15, 1:15 UTC - Primary Moon Phase: Last Quarter.

* Tue., Aug. 15 (1877) - 140th Anniversary of Establishment of Telephone Greeting "Hello" - In preparation for introduction of the telephone in the city of Pittsburgh, in an unpublished letter from Thomas A. Edison to T.B.A. David, President of Pittsburgh's Central District and Printing Telegraph Company, Mr. Edison suggested "I don't think we shall need a call bell as Hello! can be heard 10 to 20 feet away."

* Tue., Aug. 15 (1945) - Anniversary of the announcement of the surrender of Japan and end of World War II (Aug. 15).
Victory Over Japan Day (United Kingdom) - Day of initial announcement of Japan surrender ending World War II. (Aug. 15)
Celebrated on September 2 in USA, for formal surrender on Battleship USS Missouri.

* Tue., Aug. 15 - Public Housing Health Centers Day. (Tuesday of National Health Center Week)

* Tue., Aug. 15 - Relaxation Day. (Aug. 15)

* Wed., Aug. 16 - Health Care for the Homeless Day. (Wednesday of National Health Center Week)

* Wed., Aug. 16 - Rollercoaster Day. (Aug. 16)

* Wed., Aug. 16, 3:00 a.m. EDT / 7:00 UTC - Star Aldebaran 0.4 degree south of the Moon; occultation: north tip of South America, Caribbean Sea, northern section of Africa, Europe, Middle East, western portion of Asia.

* Aug. 17 to 20 - Pledge to Fledge ! campaign for birders to share their love and information about the birding hobby with others. (Third weekend in August)

* Thur., Aug. 17 - Black Cat Appreciation Day. (Aug. 17)

* Thur., Aug. 17 - Farmworker Health Day. (Thursday of National Health Center Week)

* Thur., Aug. 17 - National Thriftshop Day. (Aug. 17)

* Fri., Aug.18 - Serendipity Day. (Aug. 18)

* Fri., Aug.18, 9:00 a.m. EDT / 13:00 UTC - Moon at perigee: 227,497.0423 statute miles / 366,121 kilometers.

* Sat., Aug. 19 (1871) - National Aviation Day, anniversary of the 1871 birth of Orville Wright, who with brother Wilbur, is credited with the first powered flight of a man. (Aug. 19)

* Sat., Aug. 19 (1839) - World Photography Day - Anniversary of the release of the first practical photographic process patent. (Aug. 19)

* Sat., Aug. 19 - World Humanitarian Day. (Aug. 19)

* Sat., Aug. 19, 1:00 a.m. EDT / 5:00 UTC - Venus 2 degrees north of the Moon.

* Aug. 20 to 26 - National Book Week Australia. (Last week of August)

* Sun., Aug. 20 (1920) - National Radio Day. (Aug. 20)
This was the day, in 1920, when The Detroit News-owned amateur radio station 8MK began regular broadcasting; today, this station is all-news WWJ-AM 950.

* Sun., Aug. 20, 2:46 a.m. EDT / 6:46 UTC - Moon passes close to Beehive Open Star Cluster, as viewed in the sky.

* Mon., Aug. 21, 2:25:31.5 p.m. EDT / 18:25:31.5 UTC - Time of greatest eclipse for the Great American Solar Eclipse, which will be visible throughout the United States. A Total Eclipse of the Sun will be visible in a narrow band (approx. 70.8 statute miles / 114 kilometers in width) across the country from Oregon to South Carolina:
Link 1 *** Link 2.
SOLAR ECLIPSE / ECLIPSE OF THE SUN: TIPS FOR SAFE VIEWING
Solar Pinhole Viewing Box
2017 August 21 - Public observing session for the Great American Solar Eclipse, co-sponsored by Friends of the Zeiss and the Mount Lebanon Public Library. The Mount Lebanon Public Library estimated public attendance at 300. Members of Friends of the Zeiss participating in this event were Glenn A. Walsh, Lynne S. Walsh, James McKee, and Josie Dougherty (eighth-grade student who had just attended NASA's Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama).

* Mon., Aug. 21, 2:30 p.m. EDT / 18:30 UTC - Primary Moon Phase: New Moon - Lunation # 1171.

* Tue., Aug. 22, 4:52 a.m. EDT / 8:52 UTC - Moon passes close to Mercury, as viewed in the sky.

* Wed., Aug. 23 (1991) - Internaut Day - Anniversary, in 1991, of the Internet's World Wide Web (www). (Aug. 23)

* Wed., Aug. 23 - Health Unit Coordinator Day. (Aug. 23)

* Wed., Aug. 23 - International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition. (Aug. 23)

* Thur., Aug. 24 (A.D. 79) - Historic eruption of Mount Vesuvius, in what is now Italy, which resulted in the destruction and burying of Pompeii and Herculaneum, among other settlements. (Aug. 24)

* Thur., Aug. 24 - Venus enters Constellation Cancer the Crab.

* Fri., Aug. 25 - World Doctorates Day. (Aug. 25)

* Fri., Aug. 25 (1916) - Anniversary (1916: Centennial): Establishment of the United States Department of the Interior's National Park Service. (Aug. 25)

* Fri., Aug. 25 - National Kiss and Make-Up Day. (Aug. 25)

* Fri., Aug. 25, 9:00 a.m. EDT / 13:00 UTC - Jupiter 3 degrees south of the Moon.

* Sat., Aug. 26 (1920) - Women's Equality Day - Anniversary: Certification of 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, granting women the right to vote. (Aug. 26)

* Sat., Aug. 26 - National Dog Day. (Aug. 26)

* Sat., Aug. 26, 5:00 p.m. EDT / 21:00 UTC - Mercury in inferior conjunction with the Sun (Mercury not visible, even with a telescope).

* Sun., Aug. 27 (1883) - Historic eruption of the Krakatoa Volcano in the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia). (Aug. 27)
Loudest sound heard by man, in recorded history.

* Sun., Aug. 27, 2:44 a.m. EDT / 6:44 UTC - Mercury enters Constellation Leo the Lion.

* Mon., Aug. 28 (1912) - Anniversary: New Allegheny Observatory building dedicated. (Aug. 28)

* Tue., Aug. 29, 4:13 a.m. EDT / 8:13 UTC - Primary Moon Phase: First Quarter.

* Wed., Aug. 30 - Grief Awareness Day. (Aug. 30)

* Wed., Aug. 30, 7:00 a.m. EDT / 11:00 UTC - Moon at apogee: 251,225.344 statute miles / 404,308 kilometers.

* Wed., Aug. 30, 10:00 a.m. EDT / 14:00 UTC - Saturn 4 degrees south of the Moon.

* Thur., Aug. 31 - International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD). (Aug. 31)

* Thur., Aug. 31 (1991), 5:00 p.m. EDT / 21:00 UTC - Anniversary of the closing of The Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science as a public museum in Pittsburgh, which was dedicated as America's fifth major planetarium on 1939 October 24. (Aug. 31)

* Fri., Sept. 1 (Best viewing: Midnight to Dawn) - Peak of Aurigid Meteor Shower. (Sept. 1)

* Sept. 1 to 30, Each Evening - Vaux’s Swifts Watch at Chapman School, Portland, Oregon - Public can view a spectacular display of Vaux’s Swift birds as they gather to roost in the school’s chimney. Volunteers from Portland Audubon will be present each night with information about the swifts, binoculars and a spotting scope for viewing. (Sept. 1 to 30)

* Fri., Sept. 1 - Beginning of Meteorological Season of Autumn in the Northern Hemisphere (Sept. 1).

* Fri., Sept. 1 - Beginning of Spring Season in Australia. (Sept. 1)

* Fri., Sept. 1 - . Mid-point in Atlantic Ocean Hurricane Season. (Sept. 1)

* Fri., Sept. 1 (1914) - Anniversary of the passing of Martha in the Cincinnati Zoo, the last Passenger Pigeon, marking the extinction of the species, due to hunting and habitat destruction. Also see Project Passenger Pigeon. (Sept. 1)

* Fri., Sept. 1 (1939) - Anniversary of the beginning of World War II. (Sept. 1)

* Fri., Sept. 1 (Best viewing: Midnight to Dawn) - Peak of Aurigid Meteor Shower. (Sept. 1)

* Fri., Sept. 1 - Asteroid 3122 Florence passes within 4.4 million miles / 7 million kilometers of Earth (18 times the distance between the Earth and the Moon). The largest asteroid to pass Earth since NASA started tracking asteroids, this asteroid measures 2.7 miles in diameter.

* Fri., Sept. 1, 2:51 p.m. EDT / 18:51 UTC - Moon passes very close to Dwarf Planet Pluto.

* Sept. 2 to 14 (1752) - Anniversary of adoption, by the British Empire including the American Colonies, of the Gregorian Calendar Reform: the Julian Calendar day of Wednesday, 1752 September 2 O.S. (Old System) was followed by the first day of the Gregorian Calendar, Thursday, 1752 September 14 N.S. (New System). The original Gregorian Calendar Reform occurred when Thursday,1582 October 4 O.S. was followed by Friday, 1582 October 15 N.S.. Gregorian Calendar enacted by the Roman Catholic Church to bring the calendar back into synchronization with the seasons. (Sept. 2 to 14)

* Sat., Sept. 2 - Return to Earth by three crew of the International Space Station: NASA Astronauts Peggy Whitson and Jack Fischer, and Russian Cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin.

* Sat., Sept. 2 (1945) - Anniversary: Victory Over Japan Day / V-J Day (USA) - Day Japan formally surrendered, on Battleship USS Missouri, ending World War II. (Sept. 2)
Celebrated on August 15 in the United Kingdom, for initial announcement of Japan's surrender. (Sept. 2)

* Sat., Sept. 2 - International Vulture Awareness Day - Highlights an ecologically vital group of birds that face a range of threats, including possible extinction for certain species. (First Saturday in September)

* Sun., Sept. 3 (1783) - Anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Paris, which formally ended St. Augustine, Floridathe American Revolutionary War. (Sept. 3)

* Sun., Sept. 3 - Very close passing of Mercury and Mars.

* Sept. 4 to 8 - National Payroll Week. (First week of September)

* Mon., Sept. 4 - Labor Day. (Federal Holiday: U.S.A. - First Monday in September)

* Mon., Sept. 4 (1882) - First practical, outdoor electric lighting: Thomas Elva Edison's Direct Current (DC) system in New York City. (Sept. 4)

* Mon., Sept. 4, 8:04 p.m. EDT / Sept. 5, 0:04 UTC - Close passage of Mercury and Mars.

* Tue., Sept. 5, 1:00 a.m. EDT / 5:00 UTC - Neptune at opposition (Neptune rises approx. local sunset and sets approx. local sunrise)

* Tue., Sept. 5, 8:05 a.m. EDT / 12:05 UTC - Very close passage of Mars and Star Regulus.

* Wed., Sept. 6, 1:00 a.m. EDT / 5:00 UTC - Neptune 0.8 degree north of the Moon; occultation: southeastern section of South America, South Georgia Island (U.K.), majority of Antarctic Continent.

* Wed., Sept. 6, 3:03 a.m. EDT / 7:03 UTC - Primary Moon Phase: Full Moon - Corn Moon
(This year, the Harvest Moon is in October, as the Full Moon in October is closer to the Autumnal Equinox than is the September Full Moon; hence, the Hunter's Moon is the Full Moon of November this year.)

* Wed., Sept. 6 (1966), 7:30 p.m. EDT / 23:30 UTC - Anniversary of world premiere [U.S. premiere on Sept. 8 (1966)] of influential, science-fiction television series, Star Trek, on the CTV television network in Canada. (Sept. 6)

* Thur., Sept. 7 - SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch U.S. Air Force experimental Orbital Test Vehicle X-37B Space-Plane, on the program's mission five (OTV-5).

* Fri., Sept. 8 - International Literacy Day. (Sept. 8)

* Fri., Sept. 8 (1565) - Founding of the oldest, continuously-occupied settlement in the continental United States: St. Augustine, Florida. (Sept. 8)

* Fri., Sept. 8 (1966), 8:30 p.m. EDT / Sept. 9 (1966), 0:30 UTC - Anniversary of U.S. premiere [world premiere on Sept. 6 (1966)] of influential, science-fiction television series, Star Trek, on the NBC television network. (Sept. 8)

* Aug. 11, 12, 13 weekend and September 8, 9, 10 weekend, 30 minutes before sunset - A Swift Night-Out - CITIZEN SCIENCE PROJECT to observe bird roosts of Chimney Swifts and Vaux's Swifts.
More on Citizen Science & Chimey Swifts. (Second Weekend August and September: Friday, Saturday, Sunday)

* Sat., Sept. 9 - Venus enters Constellation Leo the Lion.

* Sat., Sept. 9 - World First Aid Day. (Second Saturday in September)

* Sat., Sept. 9, 8:37 a.m. EDT / 12:37 UTC - Moon passes close to Uranus.

* Sun., Sept. 10 - Traditional peak in Atlantic Ocean Hurricane Season. (Sept. 10)

* Sun., Sept. 10 - Swap Ideas Day. (Sept. 10)

* Sun., Sept. 10 - World Suicide Prevention Day. (Sept. 10)

* Sun., Sept. 10 - Grandparents Day. (First Sunday after Labor Day)

* Sun., Sept. 10 - National TV Dinner Day. (Sept. 10)

* Sun., Sept. 10, 8:09 a.m. EDT / 12:09 UTC - Mercury 0.6 degree south of Star Regulus.

* Mon., Sept. 11 (2001) - Patriot Day - In commemoration of the 9/11 attacks in New York, Washington, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania (79 miles southeast of Pittsburgh) in 2001. (Sept. 11)
Also 9 / 11 National Day of Service. (Sept. 11)

* Mon., Sept. 11, 10:44 p.m. EDT / Sept. 12, 2:44 UTC - Close passage of Jupiter and Star Spica.

* Sept. 12 to 21, 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. Prevailing Local Time - CITIZEN SCIENCE - Annual Globe at Night campaign, to raise public awareness of the impact of light pollution by encouraging everyone everywhere to measure local levels of night sky brightness and contribute observations on-line to a world map.

* Tue., Sept. 12 - NASA Astronaut Mark Vande Hei and Russian Cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin will launch on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft for a mission to the International Space Station.

* Tue., Sept. 12 (1962) - U.S. President John F. Kennedy addressed 35,000 people in a football stadium at Rice University in Houston, saying in part:
"We choose to go to the Moon! ...We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard; because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one we intend to win ..." (Sept. 12)

* Tue., Sept. 12, 9:00 a.m. EDT / 13:00 UTC - Star Aldebaran 0.4 degree south of the Moon; occultation: Hawaii, North America, Central America, Azore Islands (Portugal).

* Wed., Sept. 13, 2:25 a.m. EDT / 6:25 UTC - Primary Moon Phase: Last Quarter.

* Wed., Sept. 13, 12:00 Noon EDT / 16:00 UTC - Moon at perigee: 229,820.349 statute miles / 369,860 kilometers.

* Thur., Sept. 14 (1814) - Anniversary of the song, The Star Spangled Banner, which became America's National Anthem in 1931. (Sept.14)

* Fri., Sept. 15 - NASA's Cassini spacecraft, orbiting the Planet Saturn, ends its nearly 20-year mission by diving into Saturn's atmosphere: Link 1 *** Link 2

* Fri., Sept. 15 - Mercury at perihelion.

* Fri., Sept. 15 - National Tell a Police Officer "Thank You!" Day. (Sept. 15)

* Fri., Sept. 15 - National POW / MIA Recognition Day. (Third Friday in September)

* Fri., Sept. 15 - Park(ing) Day is an annual worldwide event where artists, designers and citizens transform metered parking spots into temporary public parks. (Third Friday in September)

* Sat., Sept. 16, 2:42 p.m. EDT / 18:42 UTC - Mercury 0.06 degree north of Mars.

* Sept. 17 to 23 - International Book Week. (Third week of September)

* Sept. 17 to 23 - Constitution Week promotes study and education about the U.S. Constitution which was originally adopted by the American Congress of the Confederation on September 17, 1787. (Sept. 17 to 23)

* Sept. 17 to 23 - Child Passenger Safety Week. (Third week of September)

* Sept. 17 to 23 - National Heroin and Opioid Awareness Week. (Third week of September)

* Sun., Sept. 17 - Constitution Day / Citizenship Day - Commemorates the day of signing of the U.S. Constitution at the Constitutional Convention in 1787. (Sept. 17)

* Sun., Sept. 17 - Solar Sidewalk Sun-Day - Annual Sidewalk Astronomers public solar observing event, scheduled each year on the Sunday closest to John Dobson's birthday: Sept. 14. (Sunday closest to Sept. 14)

* Sun., Sept. 17 - Software Freedom Day. (Third Saturday in September)

* Sun., Sept. 17, 9:00 p.m. EDT / Sept. 18, 1:00 UTC - Venus 0.5 degree north of the Moon; occultation: Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand.

* Sept. 18 to 24 - Anniversary of the enactment of the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 - Pollution Prevention Week. (Third full week of September, beginning on Monday)

* Mon., Sept. 18 (1947) - Formation of the United States Air Force, as part of the National Security Act of 1947, which also included formation of the Department of Defense (DOD), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), National Security Council, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. (Sept. 18)

* Mon., Sept. 18 - Zodiacal Light dimly visible in northern lattitudes in eastern sky, before morning twilight, for next two weeks. (September, October)

* Mon., Sept. 18, 1:00 a.m. EDT / 5:00 UTC - Star Regulus 0.1 degree south of the Moon; occultation: Middle East, northeastern portion of Africa, Southeast Asia, northern section of Australia.

* Mon., Sept. 18, 4:00 p.m. EDT / 20:00 UTC - Mars 0.1 degree south of the Moon; occultation: Hawaii, northeastern portion of the Micronesia Islands, northwestern section of South America, Galapagos Islands (Ecuador).

* Mon., Sept. 18, 7:00 p.m. EDT / 23:00 UTC - Mercury 0.03 degree north of the Moon; occultation: Micronesia, northern section of Polynesia, extreme eastern section of Asia.

* Sept. 19, 20, 21 - National Postal Customer Council Week. (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday of third week of September)

* Tue., Sept. 19 - 'No Text on Board' Pledge Day (TXTNG & DRIVNG...IT CAN WAIT). (Sept. 19)

* Tue., Sept. 19, 7:00 p.m. EDT / 23:00 UTC - Venus 0.5 degree north of Star Regulus.

* Wed., Sept. 20, 1:30 a.m. EDT / 5:30 UTC - Primary Moon Phase: New Moon - Lunation # 1172.

* Wed., Sept. 20, Sunset (Sunset in Pittsburgh: 7:20 p.m. EDT / 23:20 UTC) - Rosh Hashanah - Jewish New Year: Link 1 *** Link 2.
Days in the Hebrew calendar begin at sunset. Although the Jewish calendar is based on the Lunar Cycle, so that the first day of each month originally began with the first sighting of a New Moon, since the Fourth Century it has been arranged so that Rosh Hashanah never falls on a Sunday, Wednesday, or Friday (although, by the Gregorian Calendar, it may look like the holiday begins on a Sunday, Wednesday, or Friday, by the Hebrew Calendar the next day actually begins at sunset).

* Thur., Sept. 21 - World Alzheimer's Day. (Sept. 21)

* Thur., Sept. 21 - International Day of Peace. (Sept. 21)

* Thur., Sept. 21 - World Gratitude Day. (Sept. 21)

* Thur., Sept. 21, Sunset (Sunset in Pittsburgh: 7:18 p.m. EDT / 23:18 UTC) - Islamic New Year ( Muharram): Based on lunar calendar, but the New Moon must be observable ( astronomical considerations).

* Fri., Sept. 22 - World Car-Free Day. (Sept. 22)

* Fri., Sept. 22, 4:00 a.m. EDT / 8:00 UTC - Jupiter 4 degrees south of the Moon.

* Fri., Sept. 22 - Falls Prevention Awareness Day. (First day of Fall: ~Sept. 22-23)

* Fri., Sept. 22, 4:02 p.m. EDT / 20:02 UTC - Autumnal Equinox; beginning of Season of Autumn in the Northern Hemisphere.
Also see: Harvest Moon.

* Sat., Sept. 23 (1846) - Neptune first planet discovered by mathematical prediction. (Sept. 23)

* Sat., Sept. 23 - Museum Day Live! - Free admission to participating museums, with Museum Day ticket from the Smithsonian Magazine web site. (Fourth Saturday in September)

* Sat., Sept. 23 - National Seat Check Saturday. (Saturday of Child Passenger Safety Week)

* Sept. 24 to 30 - Banned Books Week (BBW) - An annual event celebrating the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment. (Last week of September)

* Sept. 24 to 30 - Sea Otter Awareness Week. (Last full week in September)

* March 19 to April 30, September 24 through November 5 - Tsunami Preparedness Weeks. (mid-March through April, mid-September through early November)

* Sun., Sept. 24 - World Heart Day. (Last Sunday in September)

* Sun., Sept. 24 - Gold Star Mother's Day. (Last Sunday in September)

* Sun., Sept. 24, 8:30 p.m. EDT / Sept. 25, 0:30 UTC (approx. time, depending on length of televised National Football League game earlier) - Premiere (immediately following weekly broadcast of news-magazine program, "60 Minutes") of science-fiction television series, Star Trek: Discovery, on the CBS-TV network, with all future episodes being transmitted on the new CBS-TV All Access subscription, Internet-streaming service.

* Sept. 25 to Oct. 1 - Diaper Need Awareness Week. (Last week of September)

* Mon., Sept. 25 - Moon passes close to Star Antares.

* Mon., Sept. 25 (1676) - Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), forerunner of today's Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), first established. (Sept. 25)

* Mon., Sept. 25 - Equilux - The actual day with equal hours and minutes of the Sun above the horizon, and equal hours and minutes of the Sun below the horizon. Occurs twice each year, approximately 3-to-4 days before the Vernal Equinox and 3-to-4 days after the Autumnal Equinox. (March 16, September 25)

* Mon., Sept. 25 - National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims. (Sept. 25)

* Tue., Sept. 26 - Mercury enters Constellation Virgo the Virgin.

* Tue., Sept. 26, 8:34 p.m. EDT / Sept. 27, 0:34 UTC - Moon passes very close to Saturn.

* Tue., Sept. 26 (1774) - Birth of pioneer nurseryman and conservationist Johnny Appleseed, who in his early years lived on Grant's Hill (near the present-day site of the 64-story U.S. Steel Building) in Downtown Pittsburgh. (Sept. 26)

* Tue., Sept. 26, 8:00 p.m. EDT / Sept. 27, 0:00 UTC - Saturn 3 degrees south of the Moon.

* Tue., Sept. 26 - National Voter Registration Day. (Third or fourth Tuesday in September)

* Wed., Sept. 27, 3:00 a.m. EDT / 7:00 UTC - Moon at apogee: 251,250.1988 statute miles / 404,348 kilometer.

* Wed., Sept. 27, 10:00 a.m. EDT / 14:00 UTC - Asteroid 4 Vesta in conjunction with the Sun (Vesta not visible, even with a telescope).

* Wed., Sept. 27, 10:54 p.m. EDT / Sept. 28, 2:54 UTC - Primary Moon Phase: First Quarter.

* Thur., Sept. 28, 10:48 p.m. EDT / Sept. 28, 2:48 UTC - Moon passes very close to Dwarf Planet Pluto.

* Thur., Sept. 28 - World Maritime Day. (Last Thursday in September)
Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science displayed the largest Mercator's Projection Map of the World, originally produced by the U.S. Maritime Commission for display at the 1939 World's Fair in New York City.

* Thur., Sept. 28 - The Right to Know Day. (Sept. 28)

* Thur., Sept. 28 - World Rabies Day, marked on the anniversary of the death of Louis Pasteur. (Sept. 28)

* Fri., Sept. 29 (1915) - First transcontinental radio-telephone demonstration, with U.S. Navy radio stations at Arlington, Virginia, Mare Island in San Francisco, and Honolulu.

* Fri., Sept. 29, Sunset (Sunset in Pittsburgh: 7:05 p.m. EDT / 23:05 UTC) - Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is the holiest day of the Hebrew faith. It occurs each year on the 10th day of the Jewish month of Tishrei, which is 9 days after the first day of Rosh Hashanah. The Jewish calendar is based on the Lunar Cycle, so that the first day of each month originally began with the first sighting of a New Moon.

* Saturday - April 29, Sept. 30 - Astronomy Day. [Saturday closest to First Quarter Primary Phase of the Moon, in April or May (Spring) and in September or October (Autumn)]

* May 15 to September 30 - Recreational Boating Season. (May 15 to Sept. 30)

* April 30, Sept. 30 - National PrepareAthon ! Day - Day to emphasize preparation for disasters and emergencies. (April 30, Sept. 30)

* Sat., Sept. 30 - National Public Lands Day. (Last Saturday in September)

* Sat., Sept. 30 - Last day of U.S.A. Federal Fiscal Year. (Sept. 30)

* Sat., Sept. 30 - Last day of calendar year Third Quarter. (Sept. 30)

* Sat., Sept. 30 (1452) - Anniversary of the first publication of the Gutenberg Bible, the first major book published using movable type in the Western World. (Sept. 30)

* Sept. 25 to Oct. 1 - Diaper Need Awareness Week. (Last week of September)

* October through December - The Rut, White-Tailed Deer Mating Season - Vehicle drivers should be on the look-out for deer running across streets and highways. (Oct. through Dec.)

* Sun., Oct. 1 (1847), 10:30 p.m. (Massachusetts time) - America's first professional woman astronomer, Maria Mitchell, discovered Miss Mitchell's Comet. (Oct. 1)

* Sun., Oct. 1 - Median date for first Fall frost for locations in the Allegheny Mountains of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Maryland, as well as northern counties in Pennsylvania. (Oct. 1)

* Sun., Oct. 1 - First day of U.S.A. Federal Fiscal Year. (Oct. 1)

* Sun., Oct. 1 - First day of calendar year Fourth Quarter. (Oct. 1)

* Oct. 1 to 7 - National Employ the Physically Handicapped Week. (First week of October)

* Oct. 1 to 7 - Mental Illness Awareness Week (MIAW) / Mental Health Awareness Week. (First Full Week of October)

* Oct. 2 to 16 - Great World Wide Star Count.

* Mon., Oct. 2 (1925) - First test of a working Television receiver. (Oct. 2)

* Mon., Oct. 2 - U.S. Supreme Court begins new term. (First Monday in October)

* Tue., Oct. 3 - News Engagement Day. (First Tuesday in October)

* Tue., Oct. 3 - Venus at perihelion.

* Tue., Oct. 3, 8:00 a.m. EDT / 12:00 UTC - Neptune 0.7 degree north of the Moon; occultation: Kerguelen Islands (French possession in Indian Ocean), majority of Antarctica, southeastern tip of Australia, New Zealand, southwestern portion of Polynesia.

* Oct. 4 to 10 - World Space Week. (Oct. 4 to 10)

* Oct. 4 to 15 (1582) - Anniversary of original Gregorian Calendar Reform: the Julian Calendar day Thursday,1582 October 4 O.S. (Old System) was followed by the first day of the Gregorian Calendar, Friday, 1582 October 15 N.S. (New System). The British Empire, including the American Colonies, adopted the Gregorian Calendar when Wednesday, 1752 September 2 O.S. was followed by Thursday, 1752 September 14. N.S. Gregorian Calendar enacted by Roman Catholic Church to bring the calendar back into synchronization with the seasons. (Oct. 4 to 15)

* Wed., Oct. 4 (1957) - Anniversary of the beginning of the Space Age with the first successful launch and orbit of an artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (the country today known by their traditional name, Russia). (Oct. 4)

* Wed., Oct. 4 - International Walk-to-School Day. (First Wednesday in October)

* Oct. 4, Sunset (Sunset in Pittsburgh: 6:57 p.m. EDT / 22:57 UTC) to Oct. 11, Sunset (Sunset in Pittsburgh: 6:46 p.m. EDT / 22:46 UTC) - Sukkot - Feast of Tabernacles of the Jewish faith.
Days in the Hebrew calendar begin at sunset. The Jewish calendar is based on the Lunar Cycle, so that the first day of each month originally began with the first sighting of a New Moon.

* Thur., Oct. 5 - World Teachers' Day. (Oct. 5)

* Thur., Oct. 5, 9:00 a.m. EDT / 13:00 UTC - Venus 0.2 degree north of Mars.

* Thur., Oct. 5, 2:40 p.m. EDT / 18:40 UTC - Primary Moon Phase: Full Moon - Harvest Moon.
(This year, the Harvest Moon is in October, as the Full Moon in October is closer to the Autumnal Equinox than is the September Full Moon; hence, the Hunter's Moon is the Full Moon of November this year.)

* Thur., Oct. 5, Evening - Mid-Autumn Festival / Moon Festival - A popular harvest festival celebrated by Chinese and Vietnamese people, dating back over 3,000 years to Moon worship in China's Shang Dynasty. It is celebrated on the date close to the Autumnal Equinox of the Solar Calendar, as well as close to the Harvest Moon. (Within 15 days of the Autumnal Equinox, on the night of the Full Moon between early September to early October of the Gregorian Calendar)

* Thur., Oct. 5 - National Depression Screening Day® (NDSD) . (Thursday of Mental Illness Awareness Week)

* Fri., Oct. 6 - Manufacturing Day℠. (Friday in first week of October)

* Fri., Oct. 6, 2:43 p.m. EDT / 18:43 UTC - Moon passes close to Uranus, as viewed from Earth.

* Oct. 7 to 15 - Biology Week.

* Sat., Oct. 7 - Cassette Store Day. (First Saturday in October)

* Sat., Oct. 7 - Mars at aphelion.

* Oct. 8 to 14 - Earth Science Week. (Second full week of October)

* Oct. 8 to 14 - National Metric Week. [Week containing Oct. 10 (10-10)]

* Oct. 8 to 14 - Teen Read Week. (Second or Third week of October)

* Oct. 8 to 14 - Fire Prevention Week. (Week, from Sunday to Saturday, which includes October 9)

* Sun., Oct. 8 - Clergy Appreciation National Day of Honoring. (Second Sunday in October)

* Sun., Oct. 8, 5:00 a.m. EDT / 9:00 UTC (Best viewing: Midnight to Dawn) - Peak of October Draconid Meteor Shower. (Oct. 7 to 8)

* Sun., Oct. 8, 4:54 p.m. EDT / 20:54 UTC - Mercury in superior conjunction with the Sun (Mercury not visible, even with a telescope).

* Mon., Oct. 9 - Chistopher Columbus Day Observed: Federal Holiday in U.S.A. (Second Monday in October).
* Mon., Oct. 9 - Indigenous Peoples' Day - Observed by some communities as an alternative to Christopher Columbus Day. (Second Monday in October)

* Mon., Oct. 9 - Thanksgiving Day: Federal Holiday in Canada. (Second Monday in October)

* Mon., Oct. 9 - Leif Erikson Day honors the Norse explorer who brought the first Europeans known to have set foot in North America. (Oct. 9)

* Mon., Oct. 9 - Fire Prevention Day. (Oct. 9)

* Mon., Oct. 9 - Venus enters Constellation Virgo the Virgin.

* Mon., Oct. 9, 2:00 a.m. EDT / 6:00 UTC - Moon at perigee: 227,953.1287 statute miles / 366,855 kilometers.

* Mon., Oct. 9, 3:00 p.m. EDT / 19:00 UTC - Star Aldebaran 0.6 degree south of the Moon; occultation: Alaska, northwestern portion of Canada, central and northeastern sections of Asia.

* Tue., Oct. 10 - National Metric Day. (10-10)

* Tue., Oct. 10 - World Mental Health Day. (Oct. 10)

* Tue., Oct. 10, 9:20 a.m. EDT / 13:20 UTC - Jupiter enters Constellation Scorpius the Scorpion.

* Wed., Oct. 11 - International Day of the Girl. (Oct. 11)

* Thur., Oct. 12 - 525th Anniversary of Chistopher Columbus Day. (Oct. 12)

* Thur., Oct. 12 - Mars enters Constellation Virgo the Virgin.

* Thur., Oct. 12, 8:25 a.m. EDT / 12:25 UTC - Primary Moon Phase: Last Quarter.

* Fri., Oct. 13 - "Friday the 13th" superstition; debunking this superstition, purpose of character King Friday the 13th on popular PBS children's television series, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood (originated at WQED-TV channel 13 in Pittsburgh). (Friday the 13th)

* Fri., Oct. 13 (1775) - Anniversary of the establishment of the U.S. Navy, originally the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War. (Oct. 13)

* Fri., Oct. 13 - World Egg Day. (Second Friday in October)
Also see: Embryology "Chick Hatching" Exhibit at Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science.

* Fri., Oct. 13, 4:31 p.m. EDT / 20:31 UTC - Mercury moves very close to Star Spica, as viewed from Earth.

* Oct. 14 and 15 - Celebration at Mason-Dixon Historical Park in Core, West Virginia of the 250th Anniversary of the completion of the Mason-Dixon Line Survey, America's most famous boundary line [separating Pennsylvania from Maryland & Virginia (now West Virginia)], produced with the assistance of Astronomy.

* Sat., Oct. 14 (1947) - Chuck Yeager officially broke the sound barrier. (Oct. 14)
In 2012, At Age 89, Chuck Yeager AGAIN Breaks Sound Barrier.

* Sat., Oct. 14 - World Standards Day. (Oct. 14)

* Sat., Oct. 14 - National Fossil Day. (Oct. 14)

* Sat., Oct. 14 - Indie Author Day.

* Sat., Oct. 14, 6:11 a.m. EDT / 10:11 UTC - Venus enters Constellation Libra the Scales.

* Sat., Oct 14, 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. (EDT) / 18:00 to 22:00 UTC (time of annual television broadcast) - American Graduate Day. (Sept. or Oct.)

* Oct. 15 to 21 - National Friends of Libraries Week.

* Oct. 15 to 21 - Male Breast Cancer Awareness Week. (3rd full week of October)

* Oct. 15 to 21 - National School Bus Safety Week. (3rd Week in October)

* Oct. 15 to 21 - National Teen Driver Safety Week. (3rd full week of October)

* Oct. 15 to 23 - Week of Non-Violence.

* Sun., Oct. 15 - Equilux when considering Civil Twilight (Dawn before sunrise and Dusk after sunset) - When considering Civil Twilight, the day when daylight and darkness, both, have the same length of hours and minutes. Occurs twice each year, approximately 23 days before the Vernal Equinox and 23 days after the Autumnal Equinox. (Feb. 25-26, Oct. 15)

* Sun., Oct. 15 (1582) - Roman Catholic Church instituted the Gregorian Calendar Reform. As part of the Reform, 10 days in October (October 5 through 14) were deleted for the year A.D. 1582, due to the 13 centuries of accumulated error causing a calendar drift of holidays (particularly Easter). In 1582, the date of October 4 (Julian Calendar) was followed the next day by October 15 (Gregorian Calendar). Great Britain and the American Colonies did not adopt the Gregorian Calendar Reform until September of 1752. (Oct. 15)

* Sun., Oct. 15 - Global Handwashing Day. (Oct. 15)

* Sun., Oct. 15, 7:00 a.m. EDT / 11:00 UTC - Star Regulus 0.2 degree south of the Moon; occultation: all of North America except Canada, most areas of the Caribbean Sea, Cape Verde Islands, western portion of Africa.

* Oct. 16 to 22 - National Estate Planning Awareness Week. (Sept. or Oct.)

* Mon., Oct. 16 - National Dictionary Day. (Oct. 16)

* Mon., Oct. 16 - World Food Day / Food Engineer Day. (Oct. 16)

* Mon., Oct. 16 - National Boss Day. (Oct. 16, unless date falls on weekend, then closest working day to Oct. 16)

* Tue., Oct. 17 (1919) - Amateur radio station 8XK in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, indirect predecessor to KDKA-AM Pittsburgh (world's first commercial radio station in 1920), started broadcasting in Pittsburgh region, after World War I restrictions on amateur radio were lifted by the Federal Government. (Oct. 17)

* Tue., Oct. 17, Before Morning Twilight - Zodiacal Light dimly visible in northern latitudes in eastern sky, before morning twilight, for next two weeks. (September, October)

* Tue., Oct. 17, 6:00 a.m. EDT / 10:00 UTC - Mars 1.8 degrees south of the Moon.

* Tue., Oct. 17, 8:00 p.m. EDT / Oct. 18, 0:00 UTC - Venus 2.0 degrees south of the Moon.

* Tue., Oct. 17, 9:40 p.m. EDT / Oct. 18, 1:40 UTC - Moon moves very close to Venus, as viewed from Earth.

* Wed., Oct. 18 - 250th Anniversary of the completion of the Mason-Dixon Line Survey, America's most famous boundary line [separating Pennsylvania from Maryland & Virginia (now West Virginia)], produced with the assistance of Astronomy. The Survey ended, prematurely, about 70 miles south of Pittsburgh, when the Native American guides of Astronomers Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon refused to enter their Indian enemy's territory. Philadelphia clock-maker and Astronomer David Rittenhouse, with Surveyor Andrew Ellicott, completed surveying the last 23 miles (to the southwest corner of Pennsylvania) in 1784.
October 14 to 15 celebration of Mason-Dixon Line Survey 250th Anniversary at Mason-Dixon Historical Park in Core, West Virginia.

* Wed., Oct. 18 - Feast Day of Saint Luke / brief period around October 18 known as Saint Luke's Little Summer, when there is often a short time of calm, dry weather, with mild temperatures. (Oct. 18)
Also see: Stage performance of "Saint Luke," during the historic Star of Bethlehem planetarium drama, at the time of the Christmas holidays at Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science.

* Wed., Oct. 18 - Global Ethics Day announced by the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs. (3rd Wednesday in October)

* Wed., Oct. 18, 3:38 a.m. EDT / 7:38 UTC - Mercury and Jupiter appear very close, as viewed from Earth.

* Thur., Oct. 19 - Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drills. (Oct. 19)

* Thur., Oct. 19 - Get Smart About Credit Day. (3rd Thursday in October)

* Thur., Oct. 19, 2:00 p.m. EDT / 18:00 UTC - Uranus at opposition (Uranus visible, weather-permitting, approx. local sunset to local sunrise, best with a telescope).

* Thur., Oct. 19, 3:12 p.m. EDT / 19:12 UTC - Primary Moon Phase: New Moon - Lunation # 1173.

* Fri., Oct. 20 - Average end of the Growing Season for the Pittsburgh Quad-State Region (Western Pennsylvania, Eastern Ohio, Northern West Virginia, and Western Maryland, except at the higher elevations in the Allegheny Mountains). (Oct. 20)

* Fri., Oct. 20, 6:57 a.m. EDT / 10:57 UTC - Moon moves close to Mercury, as viewed from Earth.

* Sat., Oct. 21, 8:00 a.m. EDT / 12:00 UTC (Best viewing: Midnight to Dawn) - Peak of Orionid Meteor Shower - remnants from Halley's Comet. (Oct. 21)
"Two-Timers," visitors to Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium who saw Halley's Comet in both 1910 and in 1985 to 1986 (in 1985 to 1986 with a Buhl Planetarium telescope, including the historic 10-Inch Siderostat-Type Refractor Telescope).

* Sat., Oct. 21 - Sweetest Day. (Third Saturday in October)

* Oct. 22 to 28 - National Chemistry Week (NCW).

* Oct. 22 to 28 - Open Access Week. (Last full week of October)

* Oct. 22 to 28 - National Legal Pro-Bono Celebration Week. (Last week of October)

* Sun., Oct. 22 - Mother-in-Law Day. (4th Sunday in October)

* Sun., Oct. 22 - Mercury (2:29 a.m. EDT / 6:29 UTC) & Mars enter Constellation Libra the Scales.

* Sun., Oct. 22, 2:00 a.m. Prevailing Local Time (Daylight Saving Time) - DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME CONTINUES - Change in Federal law, thus that return to Standard Time occurs 2:00 a.m. Daylight Saving Time (which becomes 1:00 a.m. Standard Time) on the first Sunday in November (previously, last Sunday in October, 2:00 a.m. Prevailing Local Time).
Also see:
Some States to Abandon Daylight Saving Time ?
Science of Daylight Saving Time.

* Oct. 23 to 27 - Solar Week. (Mid-to-Late March, Mid-to-Late October)

* Mon., Oct. 23 - Day of San Juan - Swallows leave Mission San Juan Capistano, California. (Oct. 23)

* Mon., Oct. 23 (2001) - IPOD Day. (Oct. 23)

* Oct. 24 to 31 - National Bat Week. (Week that includes Halloween Day: Oct. 24 to 31)

* Tue., Oct. 24 - World Polio Day (Oct. 24)

* Tue., Oct. 24 (1945) - Anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. (Oct. 24)

* Tue., Oct. 24 (1851) - Astronomer William Lassell discovered Uranus moons Ariel and Umbriel. (Oct. 24)

* Tue., Oct. 24, 8:13 a.m. EDT / 12:13 UTC - Saturn 3 degrees south of the Moon.

* Tue., Oct. 24 (1939), 8:30 p.m. EST / Oct. 25, 1:30 UTC (Daylight Saving Time not observed in 1939) - Anniversary of the dedication of Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science. (Oct. 24)
The original Buhl Planetarium included two historic astronomical instruments:
1) Zeiss II Planetarium Projector, the oldest operable major planetarium projector in the world ! (presently on display as a non-working exhibit).
2) Rather unique 10-inch Siderostat-type Refractor Telescope, which marked its 75th anniversary on 2016 November 19.

* Tue., Oct. 24, 10:00 p.m. EDT / Oct. 25, 2:00 UTC - Moon at apogee: 251,751.024 statute miles / 405,154 kilometers.

* Wed., Oct. 25 (1939), 10:00 a.m. EST / 15:00 UTC (Daylight Saving Time not observed in 1939) - Anniversary of the public opening of Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science. (Oct. 25)
The original Buhl Planetarium included two historic astronomical instruments:
1) Zeiss II Planetarium Projector, the oldest operable major planetarium projector in the world ! (presently on display as a non-working exhibit).
2) Rather unique 10-inch Siderostat-type Refractor Telescope, which marked its 75th anniversary on 2016 November 19.

* Thur., Oct. 26, 7:09 a.m. EDT / 11:09 UTC - Moon moves very close to Dwarf Planet Pluto, as viewed from the Earth.

* Thur., Oct. 26, 2:00 p.m. EDT / 18:00 UTC - Jupiter in conjunction with the Sun (Jupiter not visible, even with a telescope).

* Fri., Oct. 27 - Navy Day, the date of the birthday of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, who served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy (1897 to 1898), wrote the book, The Naval War of 1812 (1882), and as President built-up the U.S. Navy as a world-class fighting fleet. (Oct. 27 is recognized as Navy Day in the U.S. Flag Code, for the display of the U.S. flag.). (Oct. 27)

* Fri., Oct. 27, 6:22 p.m. EDT / 22:22 UTC - Primary Moon Phase: First Quarter.

* Oct. 28 & 29 (1929) - Black Monday (Oct. 28) & Black Tuesday (Oct. 29) Wall Street Stock Market Crash of 1929. (Oct. 28 & 29)

* Sat., Oct. 28, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Prevailing Local Time - National Prescription Drug Take-Back Days sponsored by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. (Last Saturday in September or October, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Prevailing Local Time)

* Sat., Oct. 28, 8:00 p.m. EDT / Oct. 29, 0:00 UTC - Asteroid 2 Pallas at opposition (visible, weather-permitting, approx. local sunset to local sunrise, best with a telescope).

* Sat., Oct. 28, Evening - International Observe the Moon Night (InOMN).
More info.

* Sun., Oct. 29 (1969) - Anniversary of the connection of the first two nodes of the ARPANET, which led to the formation of the Internet. (Oct. 29)

* Sun., Oct. 29 - National Cat Day. (Oct. 29)

* Sun., Oct. 29 - Mercury at aphelion.

* Mon., Oct. 30 5:00 p.m. EDT / 21:00 UTC - Neptune 0.9 degree north of the Moon; occultation: majority of Antarctic Continent, southern tip of Africa.

* Mon., Oct. 30 (1938), 8:00 p.m. EST / Oct. 31, 1:00 UTC (Daylight Saving Time not observed in 1938) - Anniversary of the CBS Radio Network broadcast of Orson Welles' radio adaptation of the H.G. Wells science-fiction novel, The War of the Worlds, which caused a panic among some American listeners who thought the Earth was actually being invaded by beings from the Planet Mars. (Oct. 30)

* Oct. 31 / Nov. 1 / Nov. 2 - Traditional Astronomical Cross-Quarter Day Samhain or "All-Hallowsmas", better known as Halloween (Oct. 31 - "All Hallows Eve"), All-Saints Day (Nov. 1), All-Souls Day (Nov. 2) (fourth and last traditional cross-quarter day of year).

* Tue., Oct. 31 - Dark Matter Day.

* Tue., Oct. 31 - 500th Anniversary of Reformation Day. (Oct. 31)

* Sun., Nov. 5, 2:00 a.m. Prevailing Local Time (Daylight Saving Time) - DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME ENDS - Change in Federal law thus that return to Standard Time occurs 2:00 a.m. Daylight Saving Time (which becomes 1:00 a.m. Standard Time). (First Sunday in November, 2:00 a.m. Prevailing Local Time)
Some States to Abandon Daylight Saving Time ?
Science of Daylight Saving Time.

* Mon., Nov. 6, 1:15 p.m. EST / 17:15 UTC - Actual Astronomical Cross-Quarter Day (fourth and last actual cross-quarter day of the year: ~Nov. 6-7).
Traditional Cross-Quarter Day.
[Dates & times of Equinoxes, Solstices, and Cross-Quarter Days - Source: Eric G. Canali, former Floor Operations Manager of Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science (a.k.a. Buhl Science Center) and Founder of the South Hills Backyard Astronomers amateur astronomy club.]

* October through December - The Rut, White-Tailed Deer Mating Season - Vehicle drivers should be on the look-out for deer running across streets and highways.

* Oct. 31 / Nov. 1 / Nov. 2 - Traditional Astronomical Cross-Quarter Day Samhain or "All-Hallowsmas", better known as Halloween (Oct. 31 - "All Hallows Eve"), All-Saints Day (Nov. 1), All-Souls Day (Nov. 2) (fourth and last traditional cross-quarter day of year).

* Nov. 1 to April 30 - Use of life jackets by every person on a small boat (less than 16 feet in length), during cold-weather months, is mandatory.

* Thur., Nov. 2 (1920), 6:00 p.m. EST / 23:00 UTC (Daylight Saving Time not observed in 1920) - Anniversary - First broadcast of the world's first commercial radio broadcast station: KDKA-AM, Pittsburgh (Nov. 2).
Also see KDKA Historic Firsts (scroll-down page for Historic Firsts).

* Thur., Nov. 2, 10:48 p.m. EDT / Nov. 3, 2:48 UTC - The Moon passes very close to Uranus, as viewed from Earth.

* Fri., Nov. 3 - Centennial Anniversary [late-evening November 2 / early-morning November 3 (~3:00 a.m. PST / 11:00 UTC)]: First Light of 100-inch Hooker Reflector Telescope (world's largest telescope: 1917 to 1949) at Mount Wilson Observatory, Los Angeles County, California. (Nov. 3)

* Fri., Nov. 3, 1:00 p.m. EST (Note: Daylight Saving Time was not observed in November until 2007, long after Buhl Planetarium closed as public museum in 1991) / 18:00 UTC - First Friday in November was annual opening of very popular Miniature Railroad and Village (beginning of "Railroad Season") exhibit at Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science. (First Friday in November)

* Sat., Nov. 4 - National Stress Awareness Day. (Nov. 4)

* Sat., Nov. 4, 1:23 a.m. EDT / 5:23 UTC - Primary Moon Phase: Full Moon - Hunter's Moon.
(This year, the Harvest Moon is in October, as the Full Moon in October is closer to the Autumnal Equinox than is the September Full Moon; hence, the Hunter's Moon is the Full Moon of November this year.)

* Sun., Nov. 5 (1605) - Guy Fawkes Day is celebrated in England for the failed plot to blow-up Britain's Houses of Parliament and kill King James I (originally James VI of Scotland) in 1605. Industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie considered this event so important, that several of the public libraries he constructed were dedicated on November 5 ! (Nov. 5).

* Sun., Nov. 5 - United Nations World Tsunami Awareness Day. (Nov. 5).

* Sun., Nov. 5, 2:00 a.m. Prevailing Local Time (Daylight Saving Time) - DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME ENDS - Change in Federal law thus that return to Standard Time occurs 2:00 a.m. Daylight Saving Time (which becomes 1:00 a.m. Standard Time). (First Sunday in November, 2:00 a.m. Prevailing Local Time)
Science of Daylight Saving Time.

* Sun., Nov. 5, 7:00 a.m. EST / 12:00 UTC (Best viewing: Midnight to Dawn) - Peak of South Taurid Meteor Shower. (Nov. 5)

* Sun., Nov. 5, 7:00 p.m. EST / Nov. 6, 0:00 UTC - Moon at perigee: 224,587.161 statute miles / 361,438 kilometers.

* Sun., Nov. 5, 10:00 p.m. EST / Nov. 6, 3:00 UTC - Star Aldebaran 0.8 degree south of the Moon; occultation: most of North America except western potion, northern Europe, northwestern Asia.

* Nov. 6 to 10 - Winter Hazard Awareness Week. (Mid-November)

* Mon., Nov. 6 (1572) - Anniversary: Discovery of what is known as Tycho's Supernova in the Constellation Cassiopeia the Seated Queen, although Supernova SN 1572 was discovered by several people. (Nov. 6)

* Mon., Nov. 6 (1854) - Birth date of famous American composer John Philip Sousa, who composed the Transit of Venus March, in anticipation of the rare Transit of Venus on 1882 December 6. (Nov. 6)

* Mon., Nov. 6, 1:15 p.m. EST / 17:15 UTC - Actual Astronomical Cross-Quarter Day (fourth and last actual cross-quarter day of the year: ~Nov. 6-7).
Traditional Cross-Quarter Day.

* Tue., Nov. 7 (1867) - Birth date of Polish chemist Madame Maria Sklodowska Curie who, with her husband Pierre, pioneered research in radio-activity and discovered radio-active elements radium and polonium. (Nov. 7)

* Tue., Nov. 7 - Christmas Mailing Deadline for U.S. Post Office Retail Ground Mail Service to overseas U.S. Military destinations. (Nov. 7)

* Tue., Nov. 7 - General Election Day - Federal Offices including President and Vice President - Pennsylvania Election Hours: 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. EST / 12:00 UTC to Nov. 4, 1:00 UTC. (First Tuesday after the first Monday of November)

* Wed., Nov. 8 (1656 - O.S. 1656 Oct. 29) - Birth date of English Astronomer Edmond Halley, best known for computing the orbit of Halley's Comet. (Nov. 8)

* Wed., Nov. 8 - International Day of Radiology: X-Rays discovered in 1895. Although several scientists, including Nikola Tesla, observed and studied this unusual radiation in the last part of the nineteenth century, credit for discovery is usually given to German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen because he was the first to systematically study the phenomenon. Madame Maria Sklodowska Curie, along with husband Pierre, discovered radio-active elements Radium and Polonium in 1898. (Nov. 8)

* Thur., Nov. 9 (1989) - Fall of the Berlin Wall, the beginning of the permanent fall of Communist governments in Eastern Europe. (Nov. 9)

* Thur., Nov. 9, 8:35 p.m. EST / Nov. 10, 1:35 UTC - Moon passes close to Beehive Open Star Cluster In Constellation Cancer the Crab.

* Thur., Nov. 9 - Conjunction of the Moon and Star Procyon, brightest star in the Constellation Canis Minor the Small Dog.

* Nov. 10 to 12 - National Donor Sabbath - Three-day observance, to increase awareness of life-saving donations, seeks to include the days of worship for major religions practiced in the United States. (Friday through Sunday, two weekends before Thanksgiving Day)

* Fri., Nov. 10 - Veterans' Day Observed Government Holiday (Weekday before or after Nov. 11).

* Fri., Nov. 10 (1775) - United States Marine Corps (USMC) established. (Nov. 10)

* Fri., Nov. 10, 3:36 p.m. EST / 20:36 UTC - Primary Moon Phase: Last Quarter.

* Sat., Nov. 11 - Veterans' Day / Armistice Day. (Nov. 11 - U.S.A.; also, when Nov. 11 falls on Saturday or Sunday, the Observed Government Holiday falls on the weekday before or after Nov. 11)

* Sat., Nov. 11 - Remembrance Day. (Nov. 11 - Canada)

* Sat., Nov. 11 - Carl Sagan Day. (Saturday closest to Nov. 9, birthday of Carl Sagan)

* Sat., Nov. 11 - Beginning of Project FeederWatch, annual Citizen Science Project: Winter-long survey of birds that visit feeders at backyards, nature centers, community areas, and other locales in North America. Allows the general public to help scientists track broadscale movements of Winter bird populations and long-term trends in bird distribution and abundance. (Second Saturday in November)

* Sat., Nov. 11, 1:00 p.m. EST / 17:00 UTC - Star Regulus 0.4 degree south of the Moon; occultation: Japan, eastern Asia, southwestern portion of North America, Central America.

* Nov. 12 to 18 - National Rural Health Week. (Mid-November)

* Nov. 12 to 18 - Winter Safety Awareness Week: Ohio. (Mid-November)

* Sun., Nov. 12, 6:00 a.m. EST / 11:00 UTC (Best viewing: Midnight to Dawn) - Peak of North Taurid Meteor Shower. (Nov. 12)

* Sun., Nov. 12, 10:00 a.m. EST / 15:00 UTC - Mercury 2 degrees north of Star Antares.

* Nov. 13 to 17 - American Education Week. (Mid-November)

* Nov. 13 to 17 - National Career Development Week. (Mid-November)

* Nov. 13 to 19 - Alcohol Awareness Week. (Mid-November)

* Mon., Nov. 13 - World Kindness Day. (Nov. 13)

* Mon., Nov. 13 - Jupiter and Venus enter Constellation Libra the Weighing Scales.

* Mon., Nov. 13, 1:00 a.m. EST / 6:00 UTC - Venus 0.3 degree north of Jupiter.

* Tue., Nov. 14 - Parents Day of American Education Week. (Tuesday of American Education Week)

* Tue., Nov. 14 - World Diabetes Day. (Nov.14)

* Tue., Nov. 14 - Mercury enters Constellation Scorpius the Scorpion.

* Tue., Nov. 14, 8:00 p.m. EST / Nov. 15, 1:00 UTC - Mars 3 degrees south of the Moon.

* Wed., Nov. 15 - GIS Day, a day to showcase the benefits of Geographic Information Systems (GIS). (Third Wednesday of November)

* Wed., Nov. 15 - Education Support Professionals Day of American Education Week. (Wednesday of American Education Week)

* Wed., Nov. 15 - Beginning of Orthodox Advent - Orthodox churches use the Julian Calendar and celebrate Advent for 40 days. (Nov. 15)

* Wed., Nov. 15 - National Philanthropy Day®. (Nov. 15)

* Wed., Nov. 15 - National Career Development Day. (Wednesday of National Career Development Week)

* Wed., Nov. 15 - America Recycles Day. (Nov. 15)

* Wed., Nov. 15 - World Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Day. (Third Wednesday in November)

* Thur., Nov. 16 - Children's Grief Awareness Day. (Thursday in mid-November: Nov. 17 to 19)

* Thur., Nov. 16 - International Day for Tolerance. (Nov. 16)

* Thur., Nov. 16 - National Rural Health Day. (Thursday of National Rural Health Week)

* Thur., Nov. 16 - "Great American Smokeout," to assist people to quit smoking. (Third Thursday in November)

* Thur., Nov. 16 - Saturn enters Constellation Sagittarius the Archer.

* Thur., Nov. 16, 4:00 a.m. EST / 9:00 UTC - Asteroid 4 Vesta 0.4 degree north of the Moon; occultation: eastern portion of Brazil, southwestern portion of Africa, Kerguelen Islands (French possession in southern Indian Ocean).

* Thur., Nov. 16, 4:00 p.m. EST / 21:00 UTC - Jupiter 4 degrees south of the Moon.

* Fri., Nov. 17 - Substitute Educators Day of American Education Week. (Friday of American Education Week)

* Fri., Nov. 17 - LUNG FORCE Giving Day. (Nov. 17)

* Fri., Nov. 17 - World Vasectomy Day. (Friday in Mid-November)

* Fri., Nov. 17, 1:00 a.m. EST / 6:00 UTC - Venus 4 degrees south of the Moon.

* Fri., Nov. 17, 1:00 p.m. EST / 18:00 UTC (Best viewing: Midnight to Dawn) - Peak of Leonid Meteor Shower. (Nov. 17 to 18)

* Fri., Nov. 17, Evening - Pittsburgh Golden Triangle Light-Up Night, beginning of holiday shopping season; includes evening of downtown buildings lit-up and fireworks. (Friday evening before Thanksgiving Day)

* Sat., Nov. 18 (1963) - Anniversary: First introduction of commercial, touch-tone (i.e. push-button) telephone service in America, in the Pittsburgh suburbs of Carnegie and Greensburg, Pennsylvania, by the Bell Telephone Company of Pennsylvania. (Nov. 18)

* Sat., Nov. 18 - African Statistics Day (ASD). (Nov. 18)

* Sat., Nov. 18 - National Adoption Day. (Traditionally, Saturday before Thanksgiving Day)

* Sat., Nov. 18, 6:42 a.m. EST / 11:42 UTC - Primary Moon Phase: New Moon - Lunation # 1174.

* Sat., Nov. 18, 12:00 Noon Local Standard Time (1883) - Anniversary of the establishment of standard time zones by American and Canadian railroads, when Pittsburgh's Allegheny Observatory sent a time-signal over the telegraph, to coordinate all railroad station clocks. (Nov. 18)
Also see history of new Allegheny Observatory building.

* Sat., Nov. 18 - International Games Day @ Your Library. (Third Saturday in November)

* Nov. 19 to 25 - Financial Planning Week. (Last week of November)

* Sun., Nov. 19 (1941) - Anniversary: Dedication of The People's Observatory on the third floor of Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science, with the rather unique 10-inch Siderostat-type Refractor Telescope. (Nov. 19)

* Sun., Nov. 19 (1958) - Anniversary: Federal formation of the National Radio Quiet Zone, providing for radio research at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Green Bank, West Virginia. (Nov. 19)

* Sun., Nov. 19 (1919) - Anniversary: Pittsburgh experimental radio station 8ZAE, which became KQV-AM 1410, now Pittsburgh's all-news radio station - History:
Link 1 *** Link 2. (Nov. 19)

* Sun., Nov. 19 (1863) - Anniversary: Gettysburg Address presented by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln for the Consecration of the National Cemetery at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, during the American Civil War. (Nov. 19)
See also Civil War Museum of the Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall.

* Mon., Nov. 20 - Universal Children's Day. (Nov. 20)

* Mon., Nov. 20, 4:00 a.m. EST / 9:00 UTC - Mercury 7 degrees south of the Moon.

* Mon., Nov. 20, 7:00 p.m. EST / Nov. 21, 0:00 UTC - Saturn 3 degrees south of the Moon.

* Tue., Nov. 21, 2:00 p.m. EST / 19:00 UTC - Moon at apogee: 252,358.725 statute miles / 406,132 kilometers.

* Wed., Nov. 22 (1963), 12:30 p.m. CST (1:30 p.m. EST) / 18:30 UTC - Anniversary of the Assassination of John F. Kennedy, 35th President of the United States of America, in Dallas' Dealey Plaza, the man who sent us to the Moon. (Nov. 22)

* Wed., Nov. 22, 2:19 p.m. EST / 19:19 UTC - Moon passes very close to Dwarf Planet Pluto, as viewed from Earth.

* Nov. 23 to 27 - Thanksgiving Holiday Weekend. (Thanksgiving Day through following Monday)
Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science scheduled expanded public hours during this holiday weekend --
Thursday, Friday, Saturday: 9:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. (Friday - Observatory to 10:30 p.m.) EST
Sunday: 12:00 Noon to 9:30 p.m. EST
Monday: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST
Thanksgiving Day (in earlier years, December 1) was the beginning of the classic, "Star of Bethlehem" planetarium sky drama at Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science. This traditional, holiday sky show, which provides possible, astronomical explanations for the star that guided the Three Wisemen to the Christ child, has been shown at Buhl Planetarium every Christmas season since 1939, and it is being shown Thanksgiving week through the beginning of the New Year at the Henry Buhl, Jr. Planetarium and Observatory at The Carnegie Science Center under the title, "The Christmas Star." This graphic was used to promote the show in Buhl's monthly, public newsletter, during Buhl Planetarium's 50th anniversary in 1989. More on this historic sky show, including a complete copy of the 1979 show script.

* Thur., Nov. 23 - Thanksgiving Day: Link 1 *** Link 2. (Fourth Thursday in November - U.S.A.)

* Fri., Nov. 24 - "Black Friday" - Was one of the busiest days of the year (sometimes the busiest !) at Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science. (Day after Thanksgiving Day, U.S.A.)

* Sat., Nov. 25 - Shopping Reminder Day (Yes, a specially-designated day!). (Nov. 24 to 26)

* Sat., Nov. 25 - Small Business Saturday. (Saturday after Black Friday)

* Sat., Nov. 25 - Anniversary: Dr. Albert Einstein's General Theory of Relativity. (Nov. 25)

* Sat., Nov. 25 (1835) - Industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie born in Dunfermline, Scotland; immigrated to Pittsburgh in 1848. (Nov. 25)

* Sat., Nov. 25 - Christmas Mailing Deadline for U.S. Post Office Space Available Mail (SAM) Service to overseas U.S. Military destinations. (Nov. 25)

* Sun., Nov. 26 - First Sunday in Advent (Traditional). (First of four Sundays in Advent prior to Christmas Day)

* Sun., Nov. 26 (1758) - Anniversary: Founding of Pittsburgh by British General John Forbes, who originally named the town "Pittsborough," named in honor of British Secretary of State William Pitt the Elder. (Nov. 26)

* Sun., Nov. 26 - Mercury enters Constellation Sagittarius the Archer.

* Sun., Nov. 26, 12:03 p.m. EST / 17:03 UTC - Primary Moon Phase: First Quarter.

* Mon., Nov. 27 (1861) - First light for 13-inch Fitz (later Fitz-Clark) Refractor Telescope (then, third largest telescope in the world !), at original Allegheny Observatory in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania (which was annexed to Pittsburgh in 1907 and is now Pittsburgh's North Side), which was located just up the hill from the site where Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science was built in 1939. (Nov. 27)
Also see history of new Allegheny Observatory building.

* Mon., Nov. 27 - Cyber Monday. (Monday after Black Friday)

* Mon., Nov. 27 - Pennsylvania: First day of Deer (Antlered and Antlerless) Hunting Season by Rifle. (Monday after Thanksgiving Day)
[Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science scheduled expanded public hours on this day (9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST), as some school districts were closed this day.]

* Mon., Nov. 27, 12:00 Midnight EST / 5:00 UTC - Neptune 1.2 degrees north of the Moon; occultation: much of Antarctica (central and western portions).

* Tue., Nov. 28 (1660) - Founding of the Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, possibly the oldest such society still in existence. (Nov. 28)

* Tue., Nov. 28 - Giving Tuesday - Day for people to donate time and/or money to needy charities, following the Thanksgiving Weekend beginning of the holiday shopping season (Tuesday after Black Friday).

* Tue., Nov. 28, 4:00 a.m. EST / 9:00 UTC - Mercury 3 degrees south of Saturn.

* Wed., Nov. 29, 6:47 p.m. EST / 23:47 UTC - Moon passes close to Star Spica, as viewed from Earth.

* Thur., Nov. 30 - Computer Security Day. (Nov. 30)

* Thur., Nov. 30 - St Andrew's Day. (Nov. 30)

* Thur., Nov. 30 - Last day of Hurricane Season. (Nov. 30)

* Thur., Nov. 30, 7:02 a.m. EST / 12:02 UTC - Moon passes close to Star Spica, as viewed from Earth.

* Nov. 1 to April 30 - Use of life jackets by every person on a small boat (less than 16 feet in length), during cold-weather months, is mandatory. (Nov. 1 to April 30)

* Fri., Dec. 1 - First day of Meteorological Winter. (Dec. 1)

* Fri., Dec. 1 - Beginning of Summer Season in Australia. (Dec. 1)

* Fri., Dec. 1 (1964) - Anniversary of the Tripoli Rocket Club, now known as the Tripoli Rocketry Association , was founded in Rillton, Pennsylvania near Irwin, Pennsylvania, in the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area. Francis G. Graham, today Professor Emeritus of Physics at Kent State University, was one of the key founders. (Dec. 1)

* Fri., Dec. 1 - World AIDS Day. (Dec. 1)

* Fri., Dec. 1 - Venus enters Constellation Sagittarius the Archer.

* Sat., Dec. 2, 11:46 a.m. EST / 16:46 UTC - As viewed in the sky, the Moon moves close to Dwarf Planet Pluto.

* Dec. 3 to 9 - National Handwashing Awareness Week. (First full week of December)

* Dec. 3 to 9 - National Influenza Vaccination Week.

* Sun., Dec. 3 - International Day of Persons with Disabilities. (Dec. 3)

* Sun., Dec. 3 - Venus enters Constellation Scorpius the Scorpion.

* Sun., Dec. 3, 6:10 a.m. EST / 11:10 UTC - As viewed in the sky, the Moon moves close to Venus.

* Sun., Dec. 3, 8:00 a.m. EST / 13:00 UTC - Star Aldebaran 0.8 degree south of the Moon; occultation: north and central sections of Asia, northern portion of Greenland, northwestern part of North America.

* Sun., Dec. 3, 10:47 a.m. EST / 15:47 UTC - Primary Moon Phase: Full Moon (Cold Moon or Long-Nights Moon).
Largest & Closest Full Moon of 2017, what some people call a "Super-Moon."

* Dec. 4 to 10 - Computer Science Education Week, including Hour of Code events. (First or second week of December)

* Mon., Dec. 4, 4:00 a.m. EST / 9:00 UTC - Moon at perigee: 222135 statute miles / 357,492 kilometers.
Large Tides Along Ocean Coast-Lines Predicted, due to closest Full Moon of 2017 previous day.

* Tue., Dec. 5 - International Volunteer Day (IVD). (Dec. 5)

* Tue., Dec. 5, 4:20 a.m. EST / 9:20 UTC - As viewed in the sky, the Moon moves close to Mars.

* Tue., Dec. 5, Evening - Krampus Night - Krampus is a horned, anthropomorphic figure described as "half-goat, half-demon", who, during the Christmas season (particularly the evening before the Feast of Saint Nicholas), punishes children who have misbehaved, in contrast with Saint Nicholas, who rewards the well-behaved with gifts. (Dec. 5, Evening)

* Wed., Dec. 6 - Feast of Saint Nicholas (Traditional: Gregorian Calendar). (Dec. 6)

* Wed., Dec. 6 (2013), 10:00 a.m. EST / 15:00 UTC - Anniversary of the dedication of the Southwestern Pennsylvania World War II Memorial located near other memorials, remembering veterans of the Korea and Vietnam conflicts, in the Roberto Clemente North Shore Riverfront Park, a few blocks southwest of Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science. (Dec. 6)

* Wed., Dec. 6 - As viewed in the sky, the Moon moves close to stars Castor and Pollux.

* Thur., Dec. 7 (1941), 7:48 a.m. Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time / 17:48 UTC - 75th Anniversary of Japanese surprise attack on American Naval Fleet, leading to American entry into World War II: Pearl Harbor Day. (Dec. 7)
Just two and one-half weeks earlier, during the activities surrounding the dedication of a unique 10-inch Siderostat-Type Refractor Telescope at Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science, a new Buhl Planetarium gallery exhibit also opened with the-then intriguing title, "Can America Be Bombed?"

* Thur., Dec. 7 - International Civil Aviation Day. (Dec. 7)

* Fri., Dec. 8, 6:00 p.m. EST / 23:00 UTC - Star Regulus 0.7 degree south of the Moon; occultation: northeastern and central sections of Europe, northern portion of Greenland, northern portion of Asia, northern portion of Micronesia.

* Sat., Dec. 9 (1965), 4:44 p.m. EST / 21:44 UTC - Anniversary of "UFO" Incident in Pittsburgh suburb of Kecksburg, Pennsylvania. (Dec. 9)

* Sat., Dec. 9 - Mars enters Constellation Scorpius the Scorpion.

* Sat., Dec. 9 - U.S. Mail-by Date, International Service, for Delivery by Christmas Day: Priority Mail International. (Dec. 9 to 10)

* Sat., Dec. 9, 4:06 p.m. EST / 21:06 UTC - As viewed in the sky, the Moon moves close to Uranus.

* Sun., Dec. 10 - Human Rights Day. (Dec. 10)

* Sun., Dec. 10 - Annual Nobel Prize Awards Ceremony (occurs on the date of death of Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel, who established annual awards), except awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize. (Dec. 10)

* Sun., Dec. 10, 2:51 a.m. EST / 7:51 UTC - Primary Moon Phase: Last Quarter.

* Mon., Dec. 11 - Green Monday, described by E-Bay as the best on-line sales day in December. (Second Monday in December)

* Mon., Dec. 11 - Busiest Mailing Day of the Year. (Second Monday before Christmas Day)

* Tue., Dec. 12 - Mercury at perihelion.

* Dec. 12, local Sunset (Sunset for Pittsburgh: 4:54 p.m. EST / 21:54 UTC) to Dec. 20, local Sunset (Sunset for Pittsburgh: 4:56 p.m. EST / 21:56 UTC) - Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.

* Tue., Dec. 12, 9:00 p.m. EST / Dec. 13, 2:00 UTC - Mercury at inferior conjunction with the Sun (Mercury not visible, even with a telescope.)

* Wed., Dec. 13 - Feast of Saint Lucy. Celebrated on the longest night of the year of the Juilian Calendar, prior to Gregorian calendar reform. (Dec. 13)

* Wed., Dec. 13, 11:00 a.m. EST / 16:00 UTC - Mars 4 degrees south of the Moon.

* Dec. 14 to Jan. 5 - CITIZEN SCIENCE: Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count. (Dec. 14 to Jan. 5)

* Thur., Dec. 14 (1807) - First recorded meteorite in the New World fell in Weston, Connecticut. (Dec. 14)

* Thur., Dec. 14 - Beginning of two-week period, centering on the Winter Solstice: Halcyon Days of December, when it is believed the seas would be calm and winds light. (Dec. 14)

* Thur., Dec. 14 - U.S. Mail-by Date, International Service, for Delivery by Christmas Day: Priority Mail Express International. (Dec. 14 to 15)

* Thur., Dec. 14, 2:00 a.m. EST / 7:00 UTC (Best viewing: Midnight to Dawn) - Peak of Geminid Meteor Shower. (Dec. 13 to 14)

* Thur., Dec. 14, 9:00 a.m. EST / 14:00 UTC - Jupiter 4 degrees south of the Moon.

* Thur., Dec. 14, 2:00 p.m. EST / 19:00 UTC - Asteroid 4 Vesta 0.2 degree north of the Moon; occultation: central portion of Polynesia, southern portion of South America.

* Fri., Dec. 15 (1965) - First rendezvous of two spacecraft (NASA Gemini 6 & 7), both containing astronauts, although there was no docking of the spacecraft. (Dec. 14)

* Fri., Dec. 15 (1791) - Anniversary of the ratification of the Bill of Rights amendments to the Constitution of the United States of America. (Dec. 15)

* Fri., Dec. 15 - U.S. Mail-by Date, Domestic Service, for Delivery by Christmas Day: Packages & Non-First Class Mail. (Dec. 15)

* Fri., Dec. 15 - Free Shipping Day by Internet merchants for delivery of Christmas gifts by Christmas Eve. (Third week in December)

* Fri., Dec. 15, 7:00 a.m. EST / 12:00 UTC - As viewed in the sky, Mercury and Venus appear very close.

* Sun., Dec. 17 - Beginning of ancient, week-long Roman festival of Saturnalia, which marked the end of the Autumn harvest and beginning of Winter planting; known for gift giving and feasting. (Dec. 17)

* Sun., Dec. 17 (1790) - Aztec Calendar Stone found. (Dec. 17)

* Sun., Dec. 17 (1903) - Wright Brothers Day, commemorating the first powered flight of a man in 1903, credited to the Wright Brothers. (Dec. 17)

* Sun., Dec. 17, 4:07 a.m. EST / 9:07 UTC - As viewed in the sky, the Moon moves very close to Mercury.

* Mon., Dec. 18 - Busiest package delivery day of the year. (Monday before Christmas Day)

* Mon., Dec. 18, 1:30 a.m. EST / 6:30 UTC - Primary Moon Phase: New Moon - Lunation # 1175.

* Mon., Dec. 18, 8:00 p.m. EST / Dec. 19, 1:00 UTC - Moon at apogee: 252651 statute miles / 406,603 kilometers.

* Tue., Dec. 19 (1958) - First radio broadcast transmitted from Outer Space - President Dwight D. Einsenhower, in a pre-recorded message, transmitted wishes for peace on Earth, via a short-wave radio frequency from the US Army's Project SCORE (Signal Communications by Orbiting Relay Equipment) communications satellite, which was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida on 1958 December 18. (Dec. 19)

* Tue., Dec. 19 - Saturn enters Constellation Capricornus the Horned Goat.

* Tue., Dec. 19 - Feast of Saint Nicholas (Orthodox: Julian Calendar). (Dec. 19)

* Tue., Dec. 19 - U.S. Mail-by Date, International Service, for Delivery by Christmas Day: Global Express Guaranteed. (Dec. 19 to 20)

* Tue., Dec. 19, 10:12 p.m. EST / Dec. 20, 3:12 UTC - As viewed in the sky, the Moon moves very close to Dwarf Planet Pluto.

* Wed., Dec. 20 - U.S. Mail-by Date, Domestic Service, for Delivery by Christmas Day: First Class Mail - Packages. (Dec. 19 to 20)

* Wed., Dec. 20 - U.S. Mail-by Date, Domestic Service, for Delivery by Christmas Day: Priority Mail. (Dec. 20 to 21)

* Thur., Dec. 21 (1898) - The radioactive element Radium was discovered by Polish scientist Maria Sklodowska-Curie and her husband Pierre Curie. (Dec. 21)

* Thur., Dec. 21 - Mars enters Constellation Libra the Weighing Scales.

* Thur., Dec. 21 - Homeless Persons' Memorial Day - The first day of winter. The longest night of the year (Dec. 21).

* Thur., Dec. 21, 11:28 a.m. EST / 16:28 UTC - Winter Solstice: beginning of Winter season in Earth's Northern Hemisphere (~Dec. 21 to 22).
Also see: "The Stars of Winter" and "The Star of Bethlehem" Planetarium Sky Dramas (web sites include entire planetarium show scripts), performed each Winter in the Theater of the Stars of Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science.

* Thur., Dec. 21, 4:00 p.m. EST / 21:00 UTC - Saturn in conjunction with the Sun (Saturn not visible, even with a telescope).

* Fri., Dec. 22 - U.S. Mail-by Date, Domestic Service, for Delivery by Christmas Day: Priority Mail Express. (Dec. 22 to 23)

* Fri., Dec. 22, 10:00 a.m. EST / 15:00 UTC (Best viewing: Midnight to Dawn) - Peak of the Ursid Meteor Shower. (Dec. 22)

* Sat., Dec. 23 (1672) - Second largest moon of Saturn, Rhea, discovered by noted Astronomer Giovanni Domenico Cassini. (Dec. 23)

* Sat., Dec. 23 (1947) - Anniversary of the unveiling of the Transistor by Bell Labs (then owned by the American Telephone and Telegraph Corporation). (Dec. 23)

* Sat., Dec. 23 - Super Saturday - Last major shopping day of the Christmas shopping season; Black Friday is considered the first major shopping day. (Day before Christmas Day)

* Sat., Dec. 23 - Festivus secular, non-commercial holiday popularized by the NBC-TV program Seinfeld. (Dec. 23)

* Sat., Dec. 23 - As viewed in the sky, the Moon moves close to Star Fomalhaut.

* Dec. 24 to Jan. 2 - Christmas Day / New Year's Day Holiday Week (approx. Christmas Day to New Year's Day, including adjacent weekends).
Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science scheduled expanded public hours during this holiday week --
Monday through Saturday: 9:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. (Friday - Observatory to 10:30 p.m.) EST
Sunday:12:00 Noon to 9:30 p.m. EST
EXCEPT -
Christmas Day: Closed
Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST (If Sunday, opened at 12:00 Noon)
New Year's Day: 9:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. EST (If Sunday, opened at 12:00 Noon)
Thanksgiving Day (in earlier years, December 1) was the beginning of the classic, "Star of Bethlehem" planetarium sky drama at Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science. This traditional, holiday sky show, which provides possible, astronomical explanations for the star that guided the Three Wisemen to the Christ child, has been shown at Buhl Planetarium every Christmas season since 1939, and it is being shown Thanksgiving week through the beginning of the New Year at the Henry Buhl, Jr. Planetarium and Observatory at The Carnegie Science Center under the title, "The Christmas Star." This graphic was used to promote the show in Buhl's monthly, public newsletter, during Buhl Planetarium's 50th anniversary in 1989. More on this historic sky show, including a complete copy of the 1979 show script.

* Sun., Dec. 24 - Eve of Christmas Day (Traditional). (Dec. 24)

* Sun., Dec. 24 (1965) - First musical instruments played in Outer Space: playing of Christmas song "Jingle Bells" on an 8-note Hohner "Little Lady" harmonica and a handful of small bells, on the NASA Gemini 6 spacecraft. (Dec. 24)

* Sun., Dec. 24 (1968), 4:59 a.m. EST / 9:59 UTC - Anniversary of the first manned space flight to enter orbit of another planetary body (Earth's Moon): NASA Apollo 8. (Dec. 24)

* Sun., Dec. 24, 8:30 a.m. EST / 13:30 UTC - As viewed in the sky, the Moon moves very close to Neptune.

* Dec. 24, Sunset (Sunset in Pittsburgh: 4:58 p.m. EST / 21:58 UTC) to Jan. 1, Sunset (Sunset in Pittsburgh: 5:04 p.m. EST / 22:04 UTC) - Hanukkah or Chanukah (Jewish festival of rededication, also known as the Festival of Lights.); date of Hanukkah based on the Hebrew calendar, which is a lunisolar calendar: Link 1 *** Link 2.

* Dec. 25 to Jan. 5 - The 12 days of Christmas. (Dec. 25)

* Mon., Dec. 25 - Christmas Day (Traditional) or Feast of the Nativity. (Dec. 25)
The classic "Star of Bethlehem" Planetarium Sky Drama performed every Christmas holiday season, 1939 through 1990, in the Theater of the Stars at Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science.

* Mon., Dec. 25 - Winter Solstice according to ancient calendars. (Dec. 25)

* Mon., Dec. 25 - Venus enters Constellation Capricornus the Horned Goat.

* Mon., Dec. 25, 12:07 p.m. EST / 17:07 UTC - As viewed in the sky, Venus and Saturn appear very close.

* Dec. 26 to Jan. 1 - Kwanzaa - Week-long holiday observance honoring African-American heritage. (Dec. 26)

* Tue., Dec. 26 - Boxing Day. (Dec. 26)

* Tue., Dec. 26 - Feast of St. Stephen. (Dec. 26)

* Tue., Dec. 26, 4:20 a.m. EST / 9:20 UTC - Primary Moon Phase: First Quarter.

* Wed., Dec. 27 (1571) - Anniversary of the birth of German Astronomer Johannes Kepler. (Dec. 27)
Photograph of inscription of Kepler's name, just below the outer planetarium dome on Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science.

* Wed., Dec. 27, 3:43 p.m. EST / 20:43 UTC - As viewed in the sky, the Moon moves close to Uranus.

* Sat., Dec. 30, 8:00 p.m. EST / Dec. 31, 1:00 UTC - Star Aldebaran 0.8 degree south of the Moon; occultation: most of North America, Greenland, most of Europe except southern portion, western portion of Russia.

* Sun., Dec. 31 - Make Up Your Mind Day. (Dec. 31)

* Sun., Dec. 31 - Eve of New Year's Day (Traditional). (Dec. 31)

* Sun., Dec. 31, 6:59:60 p.m. EST / 23:59:60 UTC - Positive 'Leap Second' added to the civil time scale, to help keep clocks synchronized with the slowing rotation rate of the Earth. (Periodically: last additional second of last minute of June 30 and / or December 31)

* Sun., Dec. 31, 7:00:00 p.m. EST / 2018 Jan. 1, 00:00:00 UTC - Marks the beginning of the New Year by the Coordinated Universal Time scale, the time scale used by many scientists. (Dec. 31)

* Mon., 2018 Jan. 1, 12:00:00 Midnight (00:00:00) Prevailing Local Time - For Eastern Standard Time (EST) Zone in North America: 12:00:00 Midnight EST / 5:00:00 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) which correlates with 12:00:00 Midnight EST - New Year's Day: New Calendar Year begins. (Jan. 1)