Home > Astronomical Event, Calendar, Ephemeris Extra, Time > 12/31/2016 – Ephemeris year end

12/31/2016 – Ephemeris year end

December 31, 2016

No radio program today, being the weekend, so at the end of the calendar page below are the stats for today, the 31st.  This is the form of the calendar that I have on my Ephemeris website, which I update monthly.  It was created with the same data that the first portion of my program is generated from.  I have yearly calendars for 6 communities in the Interlochen Public Radio area in northwestern lower Michigan, and 1 in the U.P.  (That’s the Upper Peninsula, if you’re not from around here.)

You will have to hold off your New Years festivities for a bit tonight.  Not long, just one second.  Today, December 31st, 2016 will be 24 hours and 1 second long.  This “leap second” will be added as the 61st second of the minute 6:59 p.m. EST (23:59 UT).  The reason is that the Earth’s rotation is slowing down ever so slightly, compared to the atomic clocks at the Bureau of Time.  There is some discussion of eliminating this leap second.  Most scientists want to use a constant time stream, and don’t give a hang about the rotation of the Earth.  The positions of the Earth, Moon and the other planets would be incorrect if we used time strictly based on the Earth’s rotation.  Atomic time which is also affected by special and general relativity is used by GPS navigation satellites.  A one second jump in time, at our latitude (45° north) is equivalent of the earth’s rotation of about two tenths of a mile.  I hope everyone’s coordinated on this.

Ephemeris of Sky Events for Interlochen/TC
December, 2016 – Local time zone: EST
Date Sun Twilight* Moon Illum
Rise Set Hours End Start Phase R/S** Time Fractn
Thu 1 08:00a 05:03p 09:03 06:48p 06:15a Set 07:10p 6%
Fri 2 08:01a 05:03p 09:01 06:47p 06:16a Set 08:02p 11%
Sat 3 08:02a 05:02p 09:00 06:47p 06:17a Set 08:59p 18%
Sun 4 08:03a 05:02p 08:58 06:47p 06:18a Set 09:59p 26%
Mon 5 08:04a 05:02p 08:57 06:47p 06:19a Set 11:02p 36%
Tue 6 08:05a 05:02p 08:56 06:47p 06:20a Set 12:08a 46%
Wed 7 08:06a 05:02p 08:55 06:47p 06:21a F Qtr Set 01:16a 57%
Thu 8 08:07a 05:02p 08:54 06:47p 06:22a Set 02:26a 68%
Fri 9 08:08a 05:02p 08:53 06:47p 06:22a Set 03:39a 78%
Sat 10 08:09a 05:02p 08:52 06:47p 06:23a Set 04:53a 87%
Sun 11 08:10a 05:02p 08:51 06:48p 06:24a Set 06:08a 94%
Mon 12 08:11a 05:02p 08:51 06:48p 06:25a Set 07:21a 98%
Tue 13 08:12a 05:02p 08:50 06:48p 06:26a Full Rise 05:18p 100%
Wed 14 08:12a 05:02p 08:49 06:48p 06:26a Rise 06:17p 98%
Thu 15 08:13a 05:02p 08:49 06:49p 06:27a Rise 07:21p 94%
Fri 16 08:14a 05:03p 08:48 06:49p 06:28a Rise 08:28p 88%
Sat 17 08:14a 05:03p 08:48 06:49p 06:28a Rise 09:35p 80%
Sun 18 08:15a 05:03p 08:48 06:50p 06:29a Rise 10:41p 70%
Mon 19 08:16a 05:04p 08:48 06:50p 06:29a Rise 11:44p 61%
Tue 20 08:16a 05:04p 08:48 06:51p 06:30a L Qtr Rise 12:46a 51%
Wed 21 08:17a 05:05p 08:48 06:51p 06:30a Rise 01:46a 41%
Thu 22 08:17a 05:05p 08:48 06:52p 06:31a Rise 02:45a 32%
Fri 23 08:18a 05:06p 08:48 06:52p 06:31a Rise 03:43a 24%
Sat 24 08:18a 05:07p 08:48 06:53p 06:32a Rise 04:40a 16%
Sun 25 08:18a 05:07p 08:48 06:53p 06:32a Rise 05:37a 10%
Mon 26 08:19a 05:08p 08:49 06:54p 06:32a Rise 06:33a 5%
Tue 27 08:19a 05:09p 08:49 06:55p 06:33a Rise 07:26a 2%
Wed 28 08:19a 05:09p 08:50 06:55p 06:33a Rise 08:16a 0%
Thu 29 08:19a 05:10p 08:50 06:56p 06:33a New Set 05:57p 1%
Fri 30 08:19a 05:11p 08:51 06:57p 06:34a Set 06:53p 3%
Sat 31 08:20a 05:12p 08:52 06:58p 06:34a Set 07:52p 7%
* Astronomical Twilight
** Moonrise or moonset, whichever occurs between sunset and sunrise

The far right column of the table, the Moon’s illuminated fraction, may or may not appear in the calendar above depending on you browser or screen size.  It is correct on the Ephemeris website.

Categories: Astronomical Event, Calendar, Ephemeris Extra, Time