Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog

Ephemeris for Wednesday, May 31st. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 19 minutes, setting at 9:19, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:00. The Moon, 1 day before first quarter, will set at 2:19 tomorrow morning.

Let’s take our weekly look at the bright planets. Mars is still in the west-northwest after sunset and fading. It appears left of the bottom edge of the constellation Auriga. It will set at 10:43 p.m. Dominating the evening sky now is Jupiter in the south. The bright blue-white star Spica is seen below and left of it. In even the smallest telescopes Jupiter’s four largest moons can be seen. They shift positions night from to night and sometimes even as you watch. Jupiter will set at 4:09 a.m. Saturn can now be seen late in the evening after it rises in the east-southeast at 10:15 p.m. At 5 a.m. both Saturn and Venus will be in the morning twilight. Brilliant Venus will be low in the east tomorrow morning after rising at 4:05 a.m.

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

Addendum

Mars, Jupiter and the Moon in twilight at 10 p.m., May 31, 2017. Created using Stellarium.  Click on the image to enlarge.

Jupiter and its four Galilean moons as they might be seen in a telescope at 10 p.m,. May 31, 2017. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).

The moon as seen in binoculars, tonight at 10 p.m., May 31, 2017. Created using Stellarium.

At 11 p.m., May 31, 2017 Saturn can be seen low in the southeast. Created using Stellarium.

Saturn and its brightest moons overnight May 31/June 1, 2017. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).

Venus and Saturn at 5 a.m. June 1, 2017. Created using Stellarium. Click on the image to expand.

Venus as seen through a telescope at 5 a.m. June 1, 2017. This is displayed at a larger scale/magnification than the Jupiter or Saturn images above. Created using Stellarium.

Planets at sunset and sunrise of a single night starting with sunset on the right on May 31, 2017. The night ends on the left with sunrise on June 1. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using my LookingUp program.