Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog

Ephemeris for Wednesday, March 13th.  The sun will rise at 7:58.  It’ll be up for 11 hours and 48 minutes, setting at 7:46.   The moon, 2 days past new, will set at 10:10 this evening.

It’s time to check out a comet and the two remaining bright planets for this week.  Comet PanSTARRS is in the west, moving away from the sun, and not getting that much higher in the west as it moves northward rather than eastward.  The comet will set at 9:11.  The tail may still be visible after the head sets.  Jupiter is located in the constellation of Taurus and is in the high southwest during the evening.  It will set at 2:19 a.m.  Jupiter is a wonderful sight in telescopes with its cloud bands and its moons which change positions each night.  The other bright planet Saturn will rise at 11:42 p.m. in the east southeast.  It’s located in eastern Virgo. Saturn will pass due south at 4:52 a.m.  Saturn is the most beautiful of planets.

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

Addendum

Comet PanSTARRS and the moon at 45 minutes after sunset on March 13, 2013. Created using Stellarium, Cartes du Ciel and my LookingUp program.

See yesterdays post on how the image was created.  The moon’s size annd the comet’s brightness are exaggerated a bit.

Jupiter and the winter constellations tip to the southwest at 10 p.m. on March 13, 2013. Created using Stellarium.  Click on the image to enlarge.

Saturn with a preview of the summer constellations seen at 6 a.m. on March 14, 2013. Created using Stellarium.  Click on the image to enlarge.