The Datasheet
Astronomical calculations supplement to
The Astronomical Pocket Diary

Because I can not make an edition for every point on earth, I sometimes send "the wrong edition". Almost always this "wrong edition" is in the right language and/or for the right time zone, but does not contain the correct rise and set times. If time permits I offer a DataSheet which gives the correct data, as it is calculated for the correct location. However, should the needed corrections be less than 10 minutes, I usually don't bother. Most people live in areas of heavy air-pollution, where objects at the horizon cannot be seen anyway.

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The datasheet is printed on both sides, you are supposed to fold it up and insert it into the "pockets" of the plastic-cover of the Diary.

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The following text is printed on the back-side:
On this "data-sheet" you will find the rise, transit and setting times and angles of the brightest heavenly bodies for the given location. Just as in the ASTRONOMICAL POCKET DIARY, the data is given daily for the Moon and weekly (for Sunday) for the Sun and planets. Times are local time and have been corrected for daylight-savings.

To calculate this datasheets for your location, just send a large beer's worth banknote to:
Norbert HALEY, Poste Restante, P.O. Wellesley St., Auckland, New Zealand
If you have email, a PostScript printer (or "GhostScript") or ACROBAT for PDF files .... you may receive the print-file via email... please send a test-mail to: norb@kcbbs.gen.nz (Also for any questions you may have).

Download a Sample-datasheet:
sample datasheet for Saint Louis, MO, USA (23kB)
Year2000, 38.6degN 90.2degW, GMT-6, Paper: US-Letter
sample datasheet for Amsterdam, Netherlands (22kB)
Year2000, 52.4degN 5degE, GMT+1, Paper: A4
And here you'll find the Data for Auckland 2000 TEXT-ONLY

What Data is on the Data Sheet?

How the
Rise, Transit and Setting Times
for Sun, Moon, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, Mars and Mercury are given:
 

Lets start on the top left.

WEEKLY DATA:

You see a block of data, the rise and set times etc for the Sun, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, Mars, Mercury.
These times are for Sunday the 3rd as indicated by the < sign to the right of the block.

Before we go to the right-hand column lets see what the numbers mean in detail:

Below   January 1999  Lisbon, you'll see Su 0755(119)1241(s28)1727(241)
This means theat the Sun (Su) rises at 7:55am at 119 degrees from geographical true North (so its almost exactly south-east!). Beware, your compass points to the magnetic northpole, not the geographic one.
The Sun "transits" (reaches its highest point in the sky) at 12:41, 41 minutes after midday. At that time it will be over true south (s), so when you see the Sun at 12:41, you know where exact south is. Finally, the Sun sets at 17:27 (27 minutes after 5 p.m.) at 241 degrees, in the south-west.

In the line below you see Ju 1130(095)1719(s47)2307(265)
The same story ... Jupiter (Ju) rises at 11:30am at 95 degrees from true North (east).
It "transits" (reaches its highest point in the sky) at 17:19, that's 19 minutes after 5 p.m. And so on. So you see Jupiter sets 5 hours and 40 minutes later than the Sun and, clouds permitting, should be a brilliant "star", visible in the evening skies towards the west.

and so on for Venus (Ve) Saturn (Sa) Mars (Ma) and Mercury  (Me).

The next "block" is for Sunday the 10th of January, the next block is for Sunday the 17th, and so on.


DAILY DATA:
Now let's look at the right-hand colum where the days of the month appear.
Next to the day of the month and the weekday, you will find the MOON's
rising time (rising azimuth), transit time (direction and altitude) setting time (setting azimuth)

1 Fr 1710(065).........0655(295)           This is Friday the first, and the Moon did not transit that day!
2 Sa 1811(065)0033(s71)0756(295)   This is Saturday the 2nd of January 1999,
3 Su 1915(067)0132(s70)0850(294)   means "3rd of January" and "Sunday" and the data for rise/set times/angles etc for the Moon.  The Moon changes its times too fast to just give them once a week. Thats why they are given daily.


Say it out loud 5 times:  The Moon rises one hour later each day.
Say it out loud 5 times:  The Moon rises one hour later each day.
Say it out loud 5 times:  The Moon rises one hour later each day.
Say it out loud 5 times:  The Moon rises one hour later each day.
Say it out loud 5 times:  The Moon rises one hour later each day.

The following text on the DataSheet explains how the occultation data is given:

Below are the times of occultations of bright stars by the Moon, also for the given location.
Times are given in UT (Universal Time, same as the old GMT). D/R denotes disappearance or reappearance of a star. The event on the dark side is better to observe. "Pos" gives the position of the event on the Moon's disk in degrees from the north-point going east (anticlockwise). Under "h" you find the height of the Moon above the horizon. The star's magnitude (brightness) is given as well.

From the Lisbon 1999 datasheet: 

Date   UT      D/R Pos h  Star
 3. 1.  1:34:52 D   77 70  4.9p
 3. 1.  2:50:01 R  303 64 
 8. 1.  1:59:35 D  174 28  5.9p
 8. 1.  2:38:37 R  235 35 
 3. 1.  2:55:15 D   94 63  6.8p
 3. 1.  4:10:51 R  291 51 
11. 1.  3:16:02 D  179 11  6.6v
11. 1.  3:45:34 R  229 16 
27. 1.  1:21:47 D  140 23  3.6p
27. 1.  1:55:02 R  207 17 
30. 1. 21:00:37 D  108 44  5.2p
30. 1. 22:15:07 R  263 57 
28. 1. 22:27:27 D   78 70  5.6p
28. 1. 23:47:49 R  280 63

TIDES: At most sea-coasts of the earth, the ocean-tides change with the moon. So if your high-tide is always two hours after the moon rises and again after the Moon sets, you can go by that! However, Norbert can also calculate complete tide-tables for you, should you need them.


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