Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog

Ephemeris for Wednesday, May 13th.  Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 44 minutes, setting at 9:01.   The Moon, 2 days past last quarter, will rise at 4:17 tomorrow morning.  Tomorrow the Sun will rise at 6:16.

Lets take a look at the bright planets for this week.  Mercury is low in the west-northwestern sky after sunset.    It’s at a 19 degrees angle from the sun and will set at 10:47.  Mercury is getting dimmer as its phase becomes a decreasingly thin crescent.  Our brilliant evening star Venus is in the west by 9:30 p.m. It will set at 12:44 a.m.  Jupiter will appear high in the west-southwestern sky before 10 p.m.  It will set at 2:43 a.m.  It’s near the sickle-shaped head of Leo the lion, and it’s the second brightest star-like object in the sky after Venus.  Saturn will rise in the east-southeast at 9:33 p.m.  It will be low in the southwest as morning twilight brightens. It’s rings and the moon Titan can be seen in small telescopes.

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

Addendum

Mercury, Venus, Jupiter and the setting stars of winter at 10 p.m., May 13, 2015. Created using Stellarium.

Venus through a telescope, over exposed to match the brilliant orb of Venus, on May 13, 2015. Created using Carted du Ceil (Sky Charts).

Jupiter and its moons at 10 p.m. May 13, 2015. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).

Saturn above the southeastern horizon with the stars of late spring at 11 p.m. May 13, 2015. Created using Stellarium.

What Saturn and its moons might appear like in a telescope the night of May 6-7, 2015. Small telescopes will show only the moon Titan. Same scale/magnification as Jupiter and Venus. Created using Cartes du Ceil (Sky Charts).