Archive
09/14/2012 – Ephemeris – The Leland Heritage Celebration at Fish Town
Ephemeris for Friday, September 14th. The sun will rise at 7:20. It’ll be up for 12 hours and 33 minutes, setting at 7:54. The moon, 1 day before new, will rise at 6:53 tomorrow morning.
Tomorrow the 15th the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will participate in the Leland Heritage Celebration to safely view the sun, which is now very active. The event will take place in and around historic Fish Town at the harbor. If its clear we will have out Lunt solar telescope to view the sun’s chromosphere, the layer of hydrogen above the bright ball of the sun we see with normal solar filters. In the chromosphere are seen solar flares when they occur, huge jets of hydrogen gas called prominences when seen sticking out the side of the sun and filaments when seen against the sun. Society members will be on hand to answer questions about the heavens and telescopes. Times for this event are 10 a.m to 3 p.m.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
GTAS telescopes at Leland Heritage Celebration in 2011.
That was before the GTAS acquired the Lunt Hydrogen α (alpha ) Solar Telescope.
09/13/2012 – Ephemeris – The Great Rift
Ephemeris for Thursday, September 13th. The sun will rise at 7:19. It’ll be up for 12 hours and 36 minutes, setting at 7:55. The moon, 2 days before new, will rise at 5:43 tomorrow morning.
High overhead the Milky Way is seen passing through the Summer Triangle of three bright stars. Here we find the Milky Way split into two sections. The split starts in the constellation of Cygnus the Swan or Northern Cross nearly overhead and heads southward. The western part of the Milky Way ends southwest of the Aquila the eagle. This dark dividing feature is called the Great Rift. The rift is a great series of clouds obscures the light of the stars behind it. It appears to be about 300 light years away and obscures the light of the stars of the next spiral arm in. It may contain the mass of a million suns. Dust clouds like this are a prominent features of spiral galaxies, like the Milky Way.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The Great Rift in the Milky Way. Created using Stellarium.
P.S.
Semper Fi
My grandson Chris the Marine celebrates his 22nd birthday today. He’s in the desert today in the US. Beats Afghanistan where he was last year at this time.
09/12/2012 – Ephemeris – Where are the bright planets this week?
Ephemeris for Wednesday, September 12th. The sun will rise at 7:18. It’ll be up for 12 hours and 39 minutes, setting at 7:57. The moon, 3 days before new, will rise at 4:34 tomorrow morning.
Let’s see how many bright planets we can find this week. Mars, Saturn and the star Spica make an elongated triangle in the west southwest in twilight after sunset. Mars is on the left with Saturn on the upper right and Spica below. It may take binoculars to spot them. Spica will set first at 8:57 followed by Saturn at 9:28 and Mars at 9:51. It’s getting harder and harder to spot these guys each evening. The morning sky features the two brightest planets: Jupiter, will actually rise before midnight at which will rise at 11:29 p.m. in the east northeast and Venus, which will rise at 3:33 a.m. also in the east northeast. Jupiter is near the head of Taurus the bull, while Venus is in Cancer. The moon will be near it tomorrow morning, as it is this morning.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Venus and the moon on September 12, at 5:30 a.m. Created using Stellarium.
Planets Mars, Saturn and the star Spica in twilight at 8:30 p.m. on September 12, 2012. Created using Stellarium.
The planets Venus and Jupiter among the winter stars visible ay 5:30 a.m. September 13, 2012. Created using Stellarium.
09/11/2012 – Ephemeris – The constellation Sagittarius the archer
Ephemeris for Tuesday, September 11th. The sun will rise at 7:17. It’ll be up for 12 hours and 42 minutes, setting at 7:59. The moon, 3 days past last quarter, will rise at 3:28 tomorrow morning.
Low in the south at 10 p.m. lies the constellation of Sagittarius. The name means archer, but this isn’t just any old fellow with a bow and arrow. It’s a centaur with a bow and arrow. These half man half horse creatures were a rowdy bunch; kind of the ancient Greek counterpart of a motorcycle gang. The one exception is this centaur, Chiron by name. He was highly educated, and learned medicine from the great physician Aesculapius, whom we see in the sky to the upper right as the constellation Ophiuchus. His drawn bow and arrow can also be seen in the stars here, pointing to Scorpius the scorpion’s heart. If it’s hard seeing a Centaur here don’t be disappointed. To most of us the constellation looks like a stout little teapot.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Sagittarius and the Milky Way September 11, 2012 10 p.m. Created using Stellarium.
09/10/2012 – Ephemeris – The constellation Cepheus the king
Ephemeris for Monday, September 10th. The sun will rise at 7:16. It’ll be up for 12 hours and 45 minutes, setting at 8:01. The moon, 2 days past last quarter, will rise at 2:25 tomorrow morning.
The stars of autumn are taking over the eastern evening sky as the equinox approaches. Looking to the northeastern sky at 10 p.m. we find the W shaped constellation of Cassiopeia the queen. It is opposite the pole star Polaris from the Big Dipper. Above Cassiopeia is a dim church steeple shaped constellation of Cepheus the king. The steeple is toppled to the left. It also lies on the line between the bright star Deneb, the northeastern most star of the Summer Triangle and Polaris. Cepheus is a king and the husband of the more notorious Cassiopeia. The Milky Way flows through a corner of Cepheus. One of its stars is Delta Cephei is the first of a type of variable star that have allowed us to measure distances to the galaxies.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The constellation Cepheus at 10 p.m. September 10th. Created using Stellarium.
Click image to enlarge.
09/07/2012 – Ephemeris – Star Parties in the Grand Traverse Region this weekend
Ephemeris for Friday, September 7th. The sun will rise at 7:12. It’ll be up for 12 hours and 54 minutes, setting at 8:07. The moon, 1 day before last quarter, will rise at 11:44 this evening.
This evening the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will hold its monthly meeting at Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory at 8 p.m.. On tap will be viewing the amazing videos of the sun by the Solar Dynamics Observatory and other satellites. A star party will begin at 9 p.m. at the observatory, running til 11 p.m. There will be an alternate program if it’s cloudy. Saturday night the will be a star party at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. That will star around 8 p.m. and last til 10 p.m. It will take place at the Dune Climb parking lot off highway M109 south of Glen Haven. Both if these star parties will feature the wonders of the summer Milky Way.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
09/06/2012 – Ephemeris – Cassiopeia the queen
Ephemeris for Thursday, September 6th. The sun will rise at 7:11. It’ll be up for 12 hours and 57 minutes, setting at 8:08. The moon, 2 days before last quarter, will rise at 11:01 this evening.
The constellation Cassiopeia looks like the letter W in the northeastern sky at 10 p.m. My mother taught it to me as my grandfather taught her as the Flying W. Cassiopeia represents a queen of Ethiopia in a grand story that has had at least a couple of movies made as the Clash of the Titans. A dim star above the middle star makes the constellation in to a crooked backed chair. Cassiopeia is circumpolar in Michigan since it is near the north pole of the sky. It revolves around and around the pole star Polaris. In late autumn it’s overhead, in the spring its low in the northwest and in early summer it’s scraping the northern horizon.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Cassiopeia and the other circumpolar constellations. Created using Stellarium.
09/05/2012 – Ephemeris – Where are the bright planets this week?
Ephemeris for Wednesday, September 5th. The sun will rise at 7:10. It’ll be up for 13 hours exactly, setting at 8:10. The moon, 3 days before last quarter, will rise at 10:24 this evening.
Let’s see how many bright planets we can find this week. Mars, Saturn and the star Spica make an elongated triangle in the west southwest in twilight after sunset. Mars is on the left with Saturn on the upper right and Spica below. Spica will set first at 9:24 followed by Saturn at 9:57 and Mars at 10:07. This will be about the last week you’ll see Saturn and Spica in the evening until next year.. The morning sky features the two brightest planets: Jupiter, which will rise at 11:54 p.m. in the east northeast and Venus, which will rise at 3:23 a.m. also in the east northeast. Jupiter is near the head of Taurus the bull, while Venus is moving between Gemini and Cancer.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Mars, Saturn and the star Spica at 9 p.m. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter, Venus and a preview of the stars and constellations of winter. Created using Stellarium.
09/04/2012 – Ephemeris – The Great Square of Pegasus
Ephemeris for Tuesday, September 4th. The sun will rise at 7:09. It’ll be up for 13 hours and 3 minutes, setting at 8:12. The moon, half way from full to last quarter, will rise at 9:51 this evening.
Rising ever higher in the east at as it gets dark around 9:30 p.m. can be found one of the great autumn constellations: Pegasus the flying horse of Greek myth. Its most visible feature is a large square of four stars, now standing on one corner. This feature, called the Great Square of Pegasus, represents the front part of the horse’s body. The horse is quite aerobatic, because it is seen flying upside down. Remembering that fact, the neck and head is a bent line of stars emanating from the right corner star of the square. Its front legs can be seen in a gallop extending to the upper right from the top star of the square. From the left star extend, not hind legs but the constellation of Andromeda, a fascinating constellation in its own right. We’ll be checking out Andromeda this fall.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Pegasus at 9 p.m. Chart created using Stellarium.
09/03/2012 – Ephemeris – Almost the Harvest Moon
Ephemeris for Labor Day, Monday, September 3rd. The sun will rise at 7:07. It’ll be up for 13 hours and 6 minutes, setting at 8:14. The moon, 3 days past full, will rise at 9:21 this evening.
Last Friday’s full moon wasn’t the Harvest Moon. That honor is reserved for the closest full moon to the autumnal equinox, which will occur on the 29th. Still we have the same effect of taking quite a few days for the waning gibbous moon to clear the evening twilight. So tonight the moon, some three days past full still rises within an hour and a half of sunset. In the spring the day after full, the moon will rise an hour and a half after sunset. The reason for the slow advance of rise times is that the moon’s path at this time is at a low angle to the eastern horizon, so the moon moves more horizontally than vertically with respect to the horizon each night. On average the moon moves about 26 times its diameter each day in its orbit of the earth.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Almost the Harvest Moon Effect over 4 nights. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts)
The shallow path of the moon rising from night to night allows the moon to rise much less than the 50 minutes average night to night moonrise interval.
Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog 