Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog

Ephemeris for Wednesday, October 24th.  The sun will rise at 8:10.  It’ll be up for 10 hours and 32 minutes, setting at 6:42.   The moon, 3 days past first quarter, will set at 3:58 tomorrow morning.

Let’s see how many bright planets we can find this week.  At 7:30 p.m. Mars can be seen low in the southwest moving away from the red star Antares, whose name means rival of Mars.    Mars will set at 8:35.  The planetary action will resume a few minutes later. Jupiter, will rise at 8:48 p.m. in the east northeast.  It is located in the constellation of Taurus.  It will transit or pass due south at 4:24 a.m.  The last bright planet of the night is the morning star Venus which will rise at 5 a.m. also in the east.  Venus is now below the hind end of Leo, and entering the constellation of Virgo.  The planets Venus and Jupiter and the winter constellations are a great sight for early risers.  You can enjoy for a few more weeks without danger of frost bite.

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

Addendum

Mars, Antares, and the Teapot of Sagittarius low in the southwest at 7:30 p.m. on October 24, 2012. Created using Stellarium.

Jupiter in the east at 10 p.m. October 24, 2012. Created using Stellarium.

The morning skies with Jupiter and Venus at 6 a.m. on October 25, 2012. Created using Stellarium.