Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog

Tuesday, May 24th.  Today the sun will be up for 15 hours and 6 minutes, setting at 9:13.   The moon, at last quarter today, will rise at 2:21 tomorrow morning.  Tomorrow the sun will rise at 6:05.

Very high in the southeastern sky at 10:30 is found the kite shaped constellation of Boötes the herdsman, chasing or herding the Great Bear Ursa Major of which the Big Dipper is the hind end, across the sky.  The bright star at the base of the kite is the 4th brightest night time star Arcturus.  It can be found and name remembered by first locating the Big Dipper and by following the arc or curve of the handle to Arcturus.  This star is an orange colored giant star, 37 light years away.  Its light was used open the 1933 Chicago Worlds Fair believing its light left the star in 1893 the year of the previous Chicago Worlds Fair.  It turns out that Arcturus is 3 light years closer than what they thought.

* Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan.  They may be different for your location.