Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog

Ephemeris for Wednesday, May 28th.  Today the sun will be up for 15 hours and 14 minutes, setting at 9:17.  The moon is new today, and won’t be visible.   Tomorrow the sun will rise at 6:02.

It’s Wednesday and once again time to locate the bright planets for this week.   Mercury is showing up in the west shortly after sunset,  It was at its farthest from the Sun 3 days ago.  It will set at 11:09.  Brilliant Jupiter will be in the western sky in Gemini as darkness falls tonight.  It will set at 12:25 a.m.  Reddish Mars is in Virgo in the south as darkness falls.  It will pass due south at 9:52 p.m.  It’s 72 million miles (115 million km) away now, and moving away, and will set at 3:41 a.m.  Saturn will be low in the southeast as darkness falls.  It’s in the faint constellation of Libra the scales this year.  It will pass due south at 12:24 a.m.  Brilliant Venus will rise in the east at 4:29 a.m. in morning twilight.

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

Addendum

The planets Mercury, Jupiter, Mars and Saturn at 10:30 p.m. on May 28, 2014. Created using Stellarium.

Mercury barely shows a disc in telescopes.

In the planetary images below the scale is the same.  It is the same as using the same magnifying power for each planet.

Jupiter is definitely the largest appearing planet.

Jupiter and its four moons Galilean moons at 10:30 p.m. May 28, 2014. Created using Stellarium.

Mars at 10:30 p.m. May 28, 2014. Detail is difficult to see. Created using Stellarium.

Saturn and moons as seen through a telescope at 10:30 p.m. on May 28, 2014. Created using Stellarium.

Venus in a telescope at 5:30 a.m. May 29, 2014. Created using Stellarium.

Venus in the eastern twilight at 5:30 a.m. May 29, 2014. Created using Stellarium.