Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog

Ephemeris for Wednesday, September 17th.  The sun will rise at 7:23.  It’ll be up for 12 hours and 25 minutes, setting at 7:49.   The moon, 2 days past last quarter, will rise at 2:06 tomorrow morning.

Let’s take our weekly look at the bright planets.  Mars and Saturn are now nearly side by side with Saturn to the right by 15 degrees, about the width of your fist and a half held at arm’s length.  Saturn will set at 10:04 p.m.  Saturn is in Libra, while Mars is entering Scorpius just above the star tonight called Dschubba.  Mars is closing in to a star that has the identical hue, and this year the same brightness, its rival Antares.  Indeed that’s what the star’s name means:  Ant as in anti, Ares the Greek god of war, and the counterpart of the Roman Mars.  They will be closest next week.  Mars will set at 10:25.  In the morning sky brilliant Jupiter will rise in the east-northeast at 3:43 a.m., while Venus, will rise at 6:30 a.m.

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

Addendum

Looking southwest at Saturn and Mars with the stars of Scorpius and Libra at 9 p.m. on September 17, 2014. Created using Stellarium.

Saturn through a telescope. However being so low in the sky even the moon Titan might be hard to see. September 17, 2014. Created using Stellarium.

The Moon, Jupiter and Venus with some of the bright stars of winter and spring at 6:45 a.m. on September 18, 2014. Created using Stellarium.

The Moon at 6:45 a.m. on September 18, 2014. I doubt you’d see Earth shine (the rest of the Moon like this) with the crescent this wide. Created using Stellarium.

Jupiter through a telescope. Europa is transiting in front of Jupiter at 6:45 a.m. and will be very difficult or impossible to spot. Stellarium shows that the shadow of Europa is just about directly behind the moon. Created using Stellarium.