Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog

Ephemeris for Ash Wednesday, Wednesday, February 22nd.  The sun will rise at 7:32.  It’ll be up for 10 hours and 47 minutes, setting at 6:20.   The moon, 1 day past new, will set at 7:31 this evening.

Let’s see what’s happening with the bright planets for this week.  Venus is brilliant in the western sky after sunset and will set at 10:08 in the west.  Jupiter the second brightest planet after Venus is located high in the west as it gets dark and is seen against the stars of the constellation Aries.  Venus is approaching it now.  Jupiter will set at 11:39 p.m.. Mars is the up and coming planet.  It will rise near sunset in the east and is below the hind end of the constellation Leo the lion.  It is 64.0 million miles away and closing and is getting brighter.  It’s now as bright as most first magnitude stars.  Mars will pass due south at 1:52 a.m.  Saturn will rise at 10:58 p.m. just to the left of the bright star Spica in the east southeast.

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

Addendum

Mars on February 20, 2012 at 5:57 UT (12:57 a.m.). Photograph by Scott Anttila.

We are nor a couple of weeks from the opposition of Mars with the sun on March 3rd.  (March is named for Mars, by the way.)  It will be closest on March 5th at 62.6 million miles.