Home > Ephemeris Program, Jupiter, Mars, Observing, Planets, Saturn, Venus > 12/14/11 – Ephemeris – Where are the bright planets this week?

12/14/11 – Ephemeris – Where are the bright planets this week?

December 14, 2011

Wednesday, December 14th.  The sun will rise at 8:11.  It’ll be up for 8 hours and 51 minutes, setting at 5:02.   The moon, 3 days before last quarter, will rise at 9:29 this evening.

It’s Wednesday and time again to take a look at the whereabouts of the bright planets.  The planet Venus is prominent in the southwestern twilit sky after sunset setting at 7:12[, and should be visible by 5:45].  Jupiter is now the most prominent planet of the evening sky located in the high in the southeast to south and is seen against the stars of the constellation Aries.  It will pass due south at 9:04 p.m.  It will set at 3:48 a.m.. Mars will rise at 11:41 p.m in the east northeast and will be in the constellation Leo.  [Mars will be due south at 6:17 a.m.]  It is 111 million miles away and closing.  Saturn will rise at 3:22 a.m. just to the left of the bright star Spica in the east southeast.  Remember Comet Lovejoy will enter SOHO’s LASCO C3 frame today.

* Times, as always are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan.  Text in brackets deleted from the program due to time constraints.

Update 6:16 a.m.

Comet Lovejoy entering at the bottom of the frame. Courtesy SOHO, ESA, NASA

Comet Lovejoy entering at the bottom of the LASCO C3 frame. Courtesy SOHO, ESA, NASA. Timestamp on image.

Click to enlarge.

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