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12/31/2019 – Ephemeris – Previewing the skies of January 2020
Ephemeris for New Years Eve, Tuesday, December 31st. The Sun will rise at 8:20. It’ll be up for 8 hours and 51 minutes, setting at 5:11. The Moon, 2 days before first quarter, will set at 10:47 this evening.
Tomorrow starts a new year and a new decade. The daylight hours start slowly getting longer and will accelerate during the month. Daylight hours will increase from 8 hours and 52 minutes tomorrow to 9 hours and 45 minutes on the 31st. The sunrise time will decrease from 8:20 tomorrow to 8:03 at months end. The sunset times will increase from 5:12 tomorrow to 5:49 on the 31st. Along with that the altitude of the sun at noon will increase from 22 degrees tomorrow to nearly 28 degrees at month’s end. It will be a degree lower for folks in the Straits area because they are a degree of latitude farther north. Local noon, by the way for Interlochen and Traverse City is about 12:51 p.m. in January.
The times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
January Evening Star Chart
Star Chart for January 2020 (9 p.m. EST January 15, 2020). Click on image to enlarge.Created using my LookingUp program. Click on image to enlarge. Created using my LookingUp program.
The planets and stars are plotted for the 15th at 9 p.m. EST in the evening and 6 a.m. for the morning chart. These are the chart times. The brilliant planet Venus will enter the sky at the chart time during the latter half of the month in the southwest. Note that Traverse City is located approximately 45 minutes behind our time meridian, West 75° longitude. (An hour 45 minutes behind our daylight saving time meridian during EDT).
January Morning Star Chart
Star Chart for January mornings 2020 (6 a.m. EST January 15, 2020). Click on image to enlarge. Created using my LookingUp program.
For a list of constellation names to go with the abbreviations click here.
- Pointer stars at the front of the bowl of the Big Dipper point to Polaris the North Star.
- The leaky bowl of the Big Dipper drips on Leo.
- Follow the arc of the handle of the Big Dipper to the star Arcturus, then
- Follow the spike to Spica.
- QuadR on the star charts is the radiant of the Quadrantid meteor shower which peaks on the 4th at 3:20 a.m. EST (8:20 UT).
Twilight Limits, Nautical and Astronomical
| EST | |||||||
| Morning twilight | Evening twilight | Dark night | Moon | ||||
| Date | Astro. | Nautical | Nautical | Astro. | Start | End | Illum. |
| 2020-01-01 | 6h35m | 7h10m | 18h21m | 18h57m | 23h48m | 6h35m | 0.38 |
| 2020-01-02 | 6h35m | 7h10m | 18h22m | 18h57m | – | 6h35m | 0.48 |
| 2020-01-03 | 6h35m | 7h11m | 18h23m | 18h58m | 0h49m | 6h35m | 0.58 |
| 2020-01-04 | 6h35m | 7h11m | 18h24m | 18h59m | 1h50m | 6h35m | 0.67 |
| 2020-01-05 | 6h35m | 7h11m | 18h25m | 19h00m | 2h52m | 6h35m | 0.76 |
| 2020-01-06 | 6h35m | 7h11m | 18h26m | 19h01m | 3h57m | 6h35m | 0.85 |
| 2020-01-07 | 6h35m | 7h10m | 18h27m | 19h02m | 5h03m | 6h35m | 0.92 |
| 2020-01-08 | 6h35m | 7h10m | 18h28m | 19h03m | 6h10m | 6h35m | 0.97 |
| 2020-01-09 | 6h35m | 7h10m | 18h29m | 19h04m | – | – | 0.97 |
| 2020-01-10 | 6h35m | 7h10m | 18h30m | 19h05m | – | – | 1 |
| 2020-01-11 | 6h35m | 7h10m | 18h31m | 19h06m | – | – | 1 |
| 2020-01-12 | 6h34m | 7h10m | 18h32m | 19h07m | 19h07m | 19h44m | 0.97 |
| 2020-01-13 | 6h34m | 7h09m | 18h33m | 19h08m | 19h08m | 21h01m | 0.92 |
| 2020-01-14 | 6h34m | 7h09m | 18h34m | 19h09m | 19h09m | 22h17m | 0.84 |
| 2020-01-15 | 6h34m | 7h08m | 18h35m | 19h10m | 19h10m | 23h32m | 0.74 |
| 2020-01-16 | 6h33m | 7h08m | 18h36m | 19h11m | 19h11m | – | 0.63 |
| 2020-01-17 | 6h33m | 7h08m | 18h37m | 19h12m | 19h12m | 0h46m | 0.51 |
| 2020-01-18 | 6h32m | 7h07m | 18h38m | 19h13m | 19h13m | 1h59m | 0.39 |
| 2020-01-19 | 6h32m | 7h07m | 18h39m | 19h14m | 19h14m | 3h12m | 0.28 |
| 2020-01-20 | 6h31m | 7h06m | 18h41m | 19h15m | 19h15m | 4h22m | 0.19 |
| 2020-01-21 | 6h31m | 7h05m | 18h42m | 19h16m | 19h16m | 5h30m | 0.11 |
| 2020-01-22 | 6h30m | 7h05m | 18h43m | 19h17m | 19h17m | 6h30m | 0.05 |
| 2020-01-23 | 6h30m | 7h04m | 18h44m | 19h19m | 19h19m | 6h30m | 0.01 |
| 2020-01-24 | 6h29m | 7h03m | 18h45m | 19h20m | 19h20m | 6h29m | 0 |
| 2020-01-25 | 6h28m | 7h03m | 18h46m | 19h21m | 19h21m | 6h28m | 0.01 |
| 2020-01-26 | 6h28m | 7h02m | 18h48m | 19h22m | 19h33m | 6h28m | 0.04 |
| 2020-01-27 | 6h27m | 7h01m | 18h49m | 19h23m | 20h35m | 6h27m | 0.08 |
| 2020-01-28 | 6h26m | 7h00m | 18h50m | 19h25m | 21h36m | 6h26m | 0.14 |
| 2020-01-29 | 6h25m | 6h59m | 18h51m | 19h26m | 22h37m | 6h25m | 0.22 |
| 2020-01-30 | 6h24m | 6h59m | 18h53m | 19h27m | 23h37m | 6h24m | 0.3 |
| 2020-01-31 | 6h23m | 6h58m | 18h54m | 19h28m | – | 6h23m | 0.39 |
Twilight calendar was generated using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
See my blog post: Twilight Zone for the definitions of the different periods of twilight here: https://bobmoler.wordpress.com/2018/09/27/.
NASA Calendar of Planetary Events
Date Time Event
Jan 1 We Venus: 34.6° E
1 We 08:30 pm Moon Apogee: 404600 km
2 Th 11:45 pm First Quarter
4 Sa 03:20 am Quadrantid Meteor Shower: ZHR = 120
5 Su 04:59 am Perihelion: 0.9832 AU
9 Th 06:29 pm Moon Ascending Node
10 Fr 01:03 am Moon North Dec.: 23.2° N
10 Fr 10:01 am Mercury Superior Solar Conjunction
10 Fr 02:10 pm Penumbral Lunar Eclipse
(Europe, Africa, Asia, Aus)
10 Fr 02:21 pm Full Moon
11 Sa 06:54 pm Moon-Beehive: 1° S
13 Mo 09:23 am Saturn Solar Conjunction
13 Mo 03:20 pm Moon Perigee: 366000 km
17 Fr 07:58 am Last Quarter
17 Fr 06:03 pm Mars-Antares: 4.8° N
20 Mo 02:13 pm Moon-Mars: 2.4° S
22 We 03:31 pm Moon Descending Node
22 We 09:42 pm Moon-Jupiter: 0.4° N
22 We 10:37 pm Moon South Dec.: 23.2° S
24 Fr 04:42 pm New Moon
28 Tu 02:29 am Moon-Venus: 4.5° N
29 We 04:28 pm Moon Apogee: 405400 km
Feb 1 Sa Venus: 40.4° E
All event times are given for UTC-5 Eastern Standard Time.
Sky Events Calendar by Fred Espenak and Sumit Dutta (NASA’s GSFC),
http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SKYCAL/SKYCAL.html.
If you go to the above site you can print out a list like the above for the entire year or calendar pages for your time zone.
Sun and Moon Rising and Setting Events
LU Ephemeris of Sky Events for Interlochen/TC January, 2020 Local time zone: EST +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | DATE | SUN SUN DAYLIGHT| TWILIGHT* |MOON RISE OR ILLUM | | | RISE SET HOURS | END START |PHASE SET** TIME FRACTN| +=======================================================================+ |Wed 1| 08:20a 05:12p 08:52 | 06:22p 07:09a | Set 11:48p 39%| |Thu 2| 08:20a 05:13p 08:53 | 06:23p 07:09a |F Qtr Set 12:48a 48%| |Fri 3| 08:20a 05:14p 08:54 | 06:24p 07:09a | Set 01:49a 58%| |Sat 4| 08:20a 05:15p 08:55 | 06:25p 07:10a | Set 02:52a 67%| +------+-----------------------+----------------+-----------------------+ |Sun 5| 08:20a 05:16p 08:56 | 06:26p 07:10a | Set 03:56a 76%| |Mon 6| 08:19a 05:17p 08:57 | 06:27p 07:09a | Set 05:02a 84%| |Tue 7| 08:19a 05:18p 08:58 | 06:28p 07:09a | Set 06:09a 91%| |Wed 8| 08:19a 05:19p 09:00 | 06:29p 07:09a | Set 07:15a 96%| |Thu 9| 08:19a 05:20p 09:01 | 06:30p 07:09a | Set 08:15a 99%| |Fri 10| 08:18a 05:21p 09:02 | 06:31p 07:09a |Full Rise 05:20p 100%| |Sat 11| 08:18a 05:23p 09:04 | 06:32p 07:09a | Rise 06:29p 98%| +------+-----------------------+----------------+-----------------------+ |Sun 12| 08:18a 05:24p 09:05 | 06:33p 07:09a | Rise 07:44p 94%| |Mon 13| 08:17a 05:25p 09:07 | 06:34p 07:08a | Rise 09:01p 87%| |Tue 14| 08:17a 05:26p 09:09 | 06:35p 07:08a | Rise 10:17p 78%| |Wed 15| 08:16a 05:27p 09:11 | 06:36p 07:08a | Rise 11:32p 67%| |Thu 16| 08:16a 05:29p 09:12 | 06:37p 07:07a | Rise 12:46a 56%| |Fri 17| 08:15a 05:30p 09:14 | 06:38p 07:07a |L Qtr Rise 01:59a 45%| |Sat 18| 08:15a 05:31p 09:16 | 06:40p 07:06a | Rise 03:11a 34%| +------+-----------------------+----------------+-----------------------+ |Sun 19| 08:14a 05:32p 09:18 | 06:41p 07:06a | Rise 04:22a 24%| |Mon 20| 08:13a 05:34p 09:20 | 06:42p 07:05a | Rise 05:30a 15%| |Tue 21| 08:12a 05:35p 09:22 | 06:43p 07:05a | Rise 06:32a 9%| |Wed 22| 08:12a 05:36p 09:24 | 06:44p 07:04a | Rise 07:27a 4%| |Thu 23| 08:11a 05:38p 09:27 | 06:45p 07:03a | Rise 08:14a 1%| |Fri 24| 08:10a 05:39p 09:29 | 06:47p 07:03a |New Set 05:27p 0%| |Sat 25| 08:09a 05:41p 09:31 | 06:48p 07:02a | Set 06:29p 1%| +------+-----------------------+----------------+-----------------------+ |Sun 26| 08:08a 05:42p 09:33 | 06:49p 07:01a | Set 07:32p 4%| |Mon 27| 08:07a 05:43p 09:36 | 06:50p 07:00a | Set 08:35p 9%| |Tue 28| 08:06a 05:45p 09:38 | 06:52p 06:59a | Set 09:36p 15%| |Wed 29| 08:05a 05:46p 09:40 | 06:53p 06:59a | Set 10:37p 22%| |Thu 30| 08:04a 05:48p 09:43 | 06:54p 06:58a | Set 11:37p 31%| |Fri 31| 08:03a 05:49p 09:45 | 06:55p 06:57a | Set 12:38a 40%| +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ * Nautical Twilight ** Moonrise or moonset, whichever occurs between sunrise and sunset Generated using my LookingUp for DOS program.
12/30/2019 – Ephemeris – Some space advances this year
Ephemeris for Monday, December 30th. Today the Sun will be up for 8 hours and 50 minutes, setting at 5:10, and it will rise tomorrow at 8:20. The Moon, 3 days before first quarter, will set at 9:45 this evening.
Let’s look back at space activity this past year. SpaceX launched its Falcon Heavy rocket twice successfully for commercial payloads. It also performed the Demo 1 flight to send a uncrewed Dragon 2 to the International Space Station. That went off without a hitch. However when testing the same capsule a month later it was destroyed in a fueling mishap that postponed further flight tests until next month. The other Commercial Crew contractor Boeing was having problems with its Star Liner capsule. The latest being a mishap with their test flight to dock with the ISS. Supposedly a timing malfunction caused it to use too much fuel, so it ended in the wrong orbit. However it did land safely.
The times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, carrying the U.S. Air Force’s Space Test Program 2 Mission, lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S., June 25, 2019. REUTERS/Joe Skipper
The Demo 1 Dragon docking with the International Space Station. Credit NASA
Starliner Orbital Test Launch on an Atlas 5. Credit Boeing.
12/27/2019 – Ephemeris – A Decade of astronomical and space firsts
Ephemeris for Friday, December 27th. Today the Sun will be up for 8 hours and 49 minutes, setting at 5:08, and it will rise tomorrow at 8:19. The Moon, 1 day past new, will set at 6:38 this evening.
The 2010s were quite a decade in astronomy and space. 24 years ago the first exoplanet, that is planet orbiting another star, was discovered: 51 Pegasi b. As of December 8th the number of confirmed exoplanets stands at 4,104. At mid decade we got a close look at the dwarf planet Pluto and its moons, and early this year at the distant object temporarily called Ultima Thule. Early this year the Event Horizon Telescope consortium released the image of a black hole over 50 million light years away. Also the LIGO and Virgo gravitational wave observatories detected two neutron stars colliding which set off a frenzy of activity by astronomers who viewed the aftermath from gamma rays to microwaves.
The times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Kepler Spacecraft studied a single patch of sky for several years and has discovered the bulk of the exoplanets. Credit NASA.
Enhanced color portrait of Pluto by the New Horizons spacecraft. Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI
486958 Arrokoth original dubbed Ultima Thule by the New Horizons team on approach combining low resolution image with the high resolution monochromatic image shows the body in almost true color. Credit NASA/JHAPL/SWRi
The first image of the black hole in M87. Credit Event Horizon Telescope.
Neutron Star Collision GW 170817 timeline. Horizontal axis in seconds (exponential). Click on chart to enlarge. From the High Energy Stereoscopic System website.
12/26/2019 – Ephemeris – The last eclipse of the decade occurred this morning in Asia
Ephemeris for Thursday, December 26th. Today the Sun will be up for 8 hours and 48 minutes, setting at 5:07, and it will rise tomorrow at 8:19. The Moon is new today, and won’t be visible. |
Today’s new moon has already produced the last solar eclipse of the 2010s overnight, visible mostly in Asia. The first eclipse of the new decade, the 2020s, will be January 10th, a very slight lunar eclipse called a penumbral eclipse where the Moon appears slightly shaded, but will appear whole. That said, it occurs during our day time, so we won’t see it. We will have two more penumbral lunar eclipses visible from our area next year. In all there are 8 total or partial lunar eclipses visible from our area next decade. The first is a total eclipse May 26, 2021. There will be 6 solar eclipses visible from here next decade including the Total eclipse visible from the Mexican to Canadian borders on April 8, 2024. It will be a deep partial eclipse here.
The times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
| Solar Eclipses visible from the GT Region in the 2020s |
| June 10 2021 Annular rises in ending partial eclipse here |
| October 14, 2023 Annular Oregon to Texas in US, 45% here |
| April 8, 2024 Total Texas to Maine in US, 85% here |
| August 12, 2026, Total, 15% here |
| Jan 26, 2028 Annular, 5% here |
| January 14, 2029 Partial, 65% here |
| Lunar Eclipses visible from the GT Region in the 2020s |
| November 30, 2020 83% Penumbral 2:32 a.m. to 6:53 a.m. |
| May 26, 2121 Total Moon sets totally eclipsed |
| May 16, 2022 Total completely visible from here |
| March 24, 2024 96% Penumbral completely visible from here |
| September 18, 2024 8% Partial completely visible from here |
| March 14, 2025 Total completely visible from here |
| August 28, 2026 93% Partial completely visible from here |
| February 20, 2027 92% Penumbral in progress at moonset |
| August 17, 2027 54% Penumbral completely visible from here |
| January 12, 2028 7% Partial completely visible from here |
| June 26, 2029 Very central total eclipse. Partial starts a bit after moonrise Totality lasts 1 hour 42 minutes |
| December 20, 2029 Total eclipse Moon rises during beginning partial phase here |
NASA chart of the November 30, 2020 penumbral lunar eclipse in the wee morning hours. The Earth’s penumbra is the fuzzy partial shadow of the Earth where the Sun’s light is only partially blocked. A duskiness appears on the Moon’s side closest to the umbra. Credit: NASA/GSFC/Fred Espanek.
12/25/2019 – Ephemeris – A look at the naked-eye planets for Christmas
Merry Christmas. This is Ephemeris for Christmas Day, Wednesday, December 25th. Today the Sun will be up for 8 hours and 48 minutes, setting at 5:07, and it will rise tomorrow at 8:18. The Moon, 1 day before new, will rise at 8:42 tomorrow morning.
Let’s look at the naked-eye planets for this week. Venus is our Christmas Star low in the southwest in the early evening. It will set at 7:43 p.m. Saturn, the ringed planet, will be in the southwestern sky in the evening, and will set at 6:26 p.m. Tonight Saturn will be about 16 ½ degrees or more than the width of a fist held at arms length right and below the much brighter Venus. Jupiter is lost in twilight. It will pass behind the Sun on the Friday, entering the morning sky.
Mars is in the morning sky and will rise in the east-southeast at 5:07 a.m. It’s not very bright because it’s 206 million (332 million km) miles away, but it’s getting slowly closer to the Earth. Mercury is now too close to the Sun to be seen in the morning.
The times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Venus and Saturn low on the southwest tonight at 6 p.m. December25, 2019. Saturn is only 3 1/2 degrees above the Lake Michigan horizon. Created using Stellarium.
Venus, much larger than it would appear in any telescope to show its gibbous phase, tonight December 25, 2019. Created using Stellarium.
Mars in the morning with the bright stars at 7 a.m. December 26, 2019. Created using Stellarium.
Planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise of a single night starting with sunset on the right on December 25, 2019. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 26th. The Moon at the morning hour is south of the Sun having just completing a solar eclipse for Asia. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using my LookingUp program.
12/24/2019 – Ephemeris – Was this the star of Bethlehem?
Ephemeris for Christmas Eve, Tuesday, December 24th. Today the Sun will be up for 8 hours and 48 minutes, setting at 5:06, and it will rise tomorrow at 8:18. The Moon, 2 days before new, will rise at 7:41 tomorrow morning.
Many writers of the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD place Jesus’ birth around 2 BC, which had to be before Herod the Great’s death, which I suggest was in 1 BC marked by to a total lunar eclipse. So the Star of Bethlehem could appear several years later than the triple conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in 7 BC that’s been popular. In 3 and again in 2 BC there were star-like conjunctions or apparent joinings of the planets Jupiter and Venus against the backdrop of constellation of Leo the Lion. A lion is related to Judah, son of Jacob by a blessing the latter gave his 12 sons in Genesis. The first conjunction occurred in August of 3 BC in the morning sky. In June the next year the two planets got together again, this time in the evening sky, a month or more after Jesus would have been born in the lambing season of spring.
The times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Here is an animation created using Stellarium of Jupiter and Venus, the brighter of the two seeming to coalesce on August 12, 3 BC in the early morning twilight. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.
On June 16th 2 BC, this time in the evening, Venus and Jupiter seem to coalesce as one, at least to the naked eye. The first few frames contain the Sickle asterism of Leo the lion’s head and mane. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.
I have much more information on this topic in my December 2, 2016 posting: https://bobmoler.wordpress.com/2016/12/02/12022016-ephemeris-my-talk-about-the-star-of-bethlehem-is-tonight/
12/23/2019 – Ephemeris – Orion, rising even higher now
Ephemeris for Monday, December 23rd. Today the Sun will be up for 8 hours and 48 minutes, setting at 5:05, and it will rise tomorrow at 8:18. The Moon, 3 days before new, will rise at 6:34 tomorrow morning.
The large and bright constellation of Orion the hunter is in the southeast at 9 p.m., with the bright star Sirius below it near the horizon. The equally spaced line of three stars of Orion’s belt are nearly vertical and point down to Sirius, also known as the Dog Star in Canis Major, Orion’s greater dog. Those three belt stars are in the center of an elongated rectangle of stars that tilt to the left. At the top left of Orion’s shoulder stars is the red giant star Betelgeuse. The right shoulder star is Bellatrix. Both Bellatrix and Sirius along with the names of other stars and constellations should be familiar to fans of the Harry Potter novels and movies, as members of the house of Black. The knee stars at the bottom of the rectangle are, from left to right Saiph and the brilliant blue giant star Rigel. Between his belt and knees are stars of his sword.
The times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The named bright stars of Orion and Canis Major, the dog rising below Orion with Sirius. Beside the stars mentioned in the program are the stars of Orion’s belt that have their own program later on in winter. Created using Stellarium.
In this season of Biblical stories it’s nice to note that Orion is mentioned four times in the Old Testament. In Isaiah, Amos and twice in Job. In Hebrew his name is “Kesîl”, meaning Fool.
12/20/2019 – Ephemeris – Winter arrives late tomorrow night
Ephemeris for Friday, December 20th. Today the Sun will be up for 8 hours and 48 minutes, setting at 5:04, and it will rise tomorrow at 8:16. The Moon, 1 day past last quarter, will rise at 2:55 tomorrow morning.
Tomorrow will be the first day of winter, barely, since the moment of solstice will arrive at 11:19 p.m. If you’re south of the equator this is the first day of summer. The Earth reaches a point in its orbit where its north pole is tipped its furthest away from the Sun, and is in shadow in the middle of it’s six month night. The Sun for us is up only 8 hours, 48 minutes, and to boot the Sun only rises 22 degrees above the horizon giving us the least amount of energy of any day of the year. Why did the ancients celebrate this time of year? That’s because the Sun had slowed and stopped its drift southward and was beginning to come back higher in the sky. Spring and summer would eventually return!
The times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The sun’s daily path through the sky from horizon to horizon on the first day of winter, the winter solstice. Credit My LookingUp program.
The Earth and its axis on the first day of winter, the winter solstice. From my Sun and the Earth talk slides.
Comparison of shadows between winter and summer solstices. Note the angles are approximate.
12/19/2019 – Ephemeris – What does the bright star Procyon’s name mean?
Ephemeris for Thursday, December 19th. Today the Sun will be up for 8 hours and 48 minutes, setting at 5:04, and it will rise tomorrow at 8:16. The Moon, at last quarter today, will rise at 1:42 tomorrow morning.
Visible low in the east at 8:30 p.m. will appear the star Procyon, sometimes called the little Dog Star. It’s in the constellation of Canis Minor, the little dog. It will rise at 8:05 p.m. for the Traverse City Interlochen area. Yet to rise at that time is the Dog Star itself, Sirius, the brightest night-time star. It won’t rise until 8:40 p.m., 35 minutes later even though Sirius is west of Procyon. I bring this up because the name Procyon means Before the Dog. At our latitude Procyon rises before any part of Canis Major, the big dog, Canis Major, that Sirius is in the heart of. This is sensitive to one’s latitude. At the equator, say in Ecuador. Sirius would rise first due to its westerly position by 54 minutes. You see Procyon is also north of Sirius and that makes all the difference.
The times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Stars and constellations in the east at 9 p.m., about 4 hours after sunset, on December 19th. This only works for locations above 30 degrees north latitude. Created using Stellarium.
Procyon and Sirius will for observers located at 30º 30′ north latitude. South of that latitude Sirius will rise first.
12/18/2019 – Ephemeris – Where are the naked-eye planets for this week?
Ephemeris for Wednesday, December 18th. Today the Sun will be up for 8 hours and 48 minutes, setting at 5:03, and it will rise tomorrow at 8:15. The Moon, 1 day before last quarter, will rise at 12:28 tomorrow morning.
Let’s look at the naked-eye planets for this week. Venus will be briefly visible low in the southwest before it sets at 7:25 p.m. Jupiter is lost in twilight. It will pass behind the Sun on the 27th and will enter the morning sky. Saturn, the ringed planet, will be in the southwestern sky in the evening, and will set at 6:46 p.m. Tonight Saturn will be about 8 ½ degrees or Nearly the width of a fist held at arms length right and below the much brighter Venus. Mars is in the morning sky and will rise in the east-southeast at 5:10 a.m. It’s not very bright because it’s 211 million (339million km) miles away, but it’s getting slowly closer to the Earth. Mercury is now too close to the Sun to be seen in the morning.
The times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Venus and Saturn low ion the southwest tonight at 6 p.m. December18, 2019. Created using Stellarium.
Venus, much larger than it would appear in any telescope to show its gibbous phase, tonight December 18, 2019. Created using Stellarium.
Mars and the Moon in the morning with the bright stars at 7 a.m. December 19, 2019. Created using Stellarium.
The Moon as it might be seen in binoculars at 7 a.m. tomorrow December 19, 2019. Created using Stellarium.
Planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise of a single night starting with sunset on the right on December 18, 2019. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 19th. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using my LookingUp program.
Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog 