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05/16/2022 – Ephemeris – More eclipses in our future
This is Ephemeris for Monday, May 16th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 52 minutes, setting at 9:05, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:12. The Moon, at full today, will rise at 10:13 this evening.
Last night’s eclipse was the only eclipse that was visible in our area this year. However, in the next two years we will have a chance, weather permitting, to see two partial solar eclipses, the second of which will be even better than the partial solar eclipse seen here in August 2017. On October 14, 2023, there will be an annular eclipse. An annular eclipse is where the Moon is too far away to completely cover the face of the Sun. It leaves a ring of bright sun around the Moon. The technical term for a ring like that is annulus. The path of annularity will run from Oregon to Texas. For the Grand Traverse Area of Michigan, the Moon will cover less than half the face of the Sun. On April 8, 2024, the total eclipse path will run from Texas to Maine and just nip the Southeast corner of Michigan covering, for us in the Grand Traverse Area, about 85 percent of the Sun.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT – 4 hours). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The areas where the October 14, 2023 solar eclipse can be seen are bounded by the outer green lines. The path where the annular part of the eclipse is visible is denoted by the triple green lines. Plotted on Google Earth using a file created by Occult4 software from the International Occultation Timing Association.
The areas across the U.S. where the April 8, 2024 solar eclipse can be seen are bounded by the outer green lines. The path where the total part of the eclipse is visible is denoted by the triple green lines. Plotted on Google Earth using a file created by Occult4 software from the International Occultation Timing Association.
05/13/2022 – Ephemeris – Remember, there is going to be an eclipse of the Moon late Sunday night!
This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Friday, May 13th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 45 minutes, setting at 9:02, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:15. The Moon, 3 days before full, will set at 5:28 tomorrow morning.
There is going to be an eclipse of the Moon running from late Sunday night into the early Monday morning hours. That’s the night of May 15/16. By 10:30 pm, there will appear a noticeable “bite” out of the lower left edge of the Moon as it enters the Earth’s inner shadow, called the umbra. The shadow will creep across the Moon for the next hour. And by 11:30 the Moon is completely immersed in the Earth’s inner shadow. By now, one will notice that the shadow is not completely black. The Moon usually has a dim reddish hue caused by all the simultaneous sunrises and sunsets around the Earth. This is the total phase of the eclipse, which will last until almost 1 am. The Moon will slowly exit the inner shadow by 2 am.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT – 4 hours). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The eclipse occurs on the 16th for Universal Time, because the eclipse events take place after 8 pm EDT on the 15th. The Moon travels through the Earth’s shadow from right to left. What are seen are points of contact with the shadow and mid-eclipse. From Five Millennium Canon of Lunar Eclipses (Espenak & Meeus) NASA, with additions.
Contact times are labeled P1, U1, U2, U3, U4, and P4. P2 and P3 are omitted because they are synonymous with U1 and U4, respectively. Times are EDT unless noted:
- P1 – 9:32:07 pm (1:32:07 UT) Enter the penumbra (unseen). By about 10 pm, the duskiness on the left edge of the moon will start to be noticeable. Wearing sunglasses to dim the bright Moon will help show the effect.
- U1 – 10:27:53 pm (2:27:53 UT) Enter the umbra (partial eclipse begins).
- U2 – 11:29:03 pm (3:29:03 UT) Totality begins.
- Mid-eclipse 12:11:28.8 am (4:11:28.8 UT)
- U3 – 12:53:56 am (4:53:56 UT) Totality ends, the egress partial phase begins.
- U4 – 1:55:07 am (5:55:07 UT) Partial phase ends. The Moon’s upper right edge should appear dusky for the next half hour or so.
- P4 – 2:50:48 am (6:50:48 UT) Penumbral phase ends (unseen).
Solar eclipse by the Earth as photographed by Surveyor 3, which had landed on the Moon, April 24, 1967. The Earth was seeing a lunar eclipse at the time. Light seeps into the Earth’s shadow at the Moon’s distance due to atmospheric refraction. The amount of light depends on the atmospheric conditions at the time. Great volcanic eruptions can cause a very dark, nearly invisible, eclipsed Moon. Credit: NASA.
Update 7:30 pm, May 15th
In note for P1 time: Expected actual visibility of penumbral shadow is changed to 10 pm (2 hr UT).
05/12/2022 – Ephemeris – There will be a total eclipse of the Moon this Sunday night/Monday morning
This is Ephemeris for Thursday, May 12th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 43 minutes, setting at 9:01, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:16. The Moon, halfway from first quarter to full, will set at 5:06 tomorrow morning.
Late Sunday night through early Monday morning May 15/16 there will be a total eclipse of the Moon which will run from 10:28 pm Sunday night to 1:55 Monday morning. I’ll be more specific tomorrow. Also known as lunar eclipses, these only occur at full moon when the Moon crosses the earth’s shadow. Usually, the Moon passes too far north or south to run into earth’s shadow. In only in one in six full moons does this happen. To see it, one has to be on the night side of the Earth. And it has to be clear at your location, a big problem around here. Our last lunar eclipse in November was clouded out from my location, which is usually my luck with lunar eclipses. However, May is a better month. Here’s hoping.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT – 4 hours). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
How lunar eclipses occur. Credit NASA/Fred Espenak.
The eclipse occurs on the 16th for Universal Time, because the eclipse events take place after 8 pm EDT on the 15th. The Moon travels through the Earth’s shadow from right to left. What are seen are points of contact with the shadow and mid-eclipse. On the world map, locations in the white or light part of the map can see all or part of the eclipse. From Five Millennium Canon of Lunar Eclipses (Espenak & Meeus) NASA, with additions by me.
Contact times are labeled P1, U1, U2, U3, U4, and P4. P2 and P3 are omitted because they are synonymous with U1 and U4, respectively. Times are EDT unless noted:
- P1 – 9:32:07 pm (1:32:07 UT) Enter the penumbra (unseen). By about 9 pm, the duskiness on the left edge of the moon will start to be noticeable. Wearing sunglasses to dim the bright Moon will help show the effect.
- U1 – 10:27:53 pm (2:27:53 UT) Enter the umbra (partial eclipse begins).
- U2 – 11:29:03 pm (3:29:03 UT) Totality begins.
- Mid-eclipse 12:11:28.8 am (4:11:28.8 UT)
- U3 – 12:53:56 am (4:53:56 UT) Totality ends, the egress partial phase begins.
- U4 – 1:55:07 am (5:55:07 UT) Partial phase ends. The Moon’s upper right edge should appear dusky for the next half hour or so.
- P4 – 2:50:48 am (6:50:48 UT) Penumbral phase ends (unseen).
05/11/2022 – Ephemeris – Let’s search for the naked-eye planets for this week
This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Wednesday, May 11th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 40 minutes, setting at 8:59, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:18. The Moon, 3 days past first quarter, will set at 4:45 tomorrow morning.
Let’s search for the naked-eye planets for this week. The one bright planet in the evening sky, Mercury, is now too dim and close to the Sun to be seen, so the only planet action is in the morning sky where the other 4 naked-eye planets are. At 5:15 am tomorrow the planets will be spread out low from the east to southeast with brilliant Venus lowest and due east to Saturn almost exactly in the southeast. Venus may be missed at that time, but may be up sufficiently by 5:30. To the right of Venus is the quite bright Jupiter. Farther right will be the dimmest of the four, Mars. Farther to the right will be Saturn. All will be in A sloping to the upper right. They are still quite a sight to behold in the morning twilight.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT – 4 hours). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Animated annotated Binocular Moon for this evening, May 11, 2022. Created using Virtual Moon Atlas, GIMP and LibreOffice.
Translations
Mare Crisium – Sea of Crises
Mare Fecunditatis – Sea of Fertility
Mare Frigoris – Sea of Cold
Mare Imbrium – Sea of Showers
Mare Nectaris – Sea of Nectar
Mare Nubium – Sea of Clouds
Mare Serenitatis – Sea of Serenity
Mare Tranquillitatis – Sea of Tranquility
Mare Vaporum – Sea of Vapors
Sinus Iridium – Bay of Rainbows
Sinus Medii – Bay of the Center
Note that Mare is pronounced Mar-é
The morning planet parade is widening as Venus is moving away from Jupiter, and Mars is approaching Jupiter. These are shown at 5:15 am, or about an hour before sunrise tomorrow morning, May 12, 2022. Created using Stellarium.
Views of Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope, with the same magnification, tomorrow morning at 5:15 am, May 12, 2022. I do not show planets less than 10 seconds of arc in diameter. Apparent diameters: Venus 15.42″, 71.6% illuminated; Saturn 16.79″, its rings 39.12″; Jupiter 35.60″. Mars is not shown, its apparent diameter is 5.99″ and is 88.6% illuminated. The ” symbol means seconds of arc (1/3600th of a degree.) Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
The naked-eye planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise on a single night, starting with sunset on the right on May 11, 2022. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 12th. Notice that all the naked-eye planets except Mercury are in the morning sky now. Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using my LookingUp program.
05/10/2022 – Ephemeris – Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration will announce “groundbreaking Milky Way results” on Thursday
This is Ephemeris for Tuesday, May 10th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 38 minutes, setting at 8:58, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:19. The Moon, 2 days past first quarter, will set at 4:25 tomorrow morning.
This Thursday, May 12th at 13:00 UT (9 am our time EDT) the Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration will announce “groundbreaking Milky Way results.” Their words. Their first groundbreaking result came in three years ago with the release of an image of the billion solar mass black hole in the heart of the giant galaxy M 87 over 50 million light years away. Beforehand, I was expecting the results to concern a more nearby black hole called Sagittarius A* (pronounced Sagittarius A Star) at the center of our galaxy, only 25 to 27 thousand light years away. That turned out to be much more difficult than the one in M 87, due to the amount of dust and gas in the way. So maybe this time they have done it. We’ll all find out this Thursday.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT – 4 hours). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The first image of the black hole in M87. Credit Event Horizon Telescope.
The Event Horizon Telescope isn’t a single telescope. But millimeter wavelength radio telescopes spaced out to use the diameter of the Earth as its simulated aperture. The ability to resolve tiny objects at great distances depends on the wavelength of the radiation and the size of the telescope aperture. So the smaller the wavelength and the larger the aperture, the greater the resolution of the telescope or array.
The observation of all the telescopes must be performed at the same time, recording the observations on terabyte magnetic disks. The disks are brought to a single location for processing together to actually produce the image, which takes a while.
Event Horizon Telescope component radio telescopes. Credits: © APEX, IRAM, G. Narayanan, J. McMahon, JCMT/JAC, S. Hostler, D. Harvey, ESO/C. Malin.
05/09/2022 – Ephemeris – Monday’s Moon
This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Monday, May 9th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 35 minutes, setting at 8:57, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:20. The Moon, 1 day past first quarter, will set at 4:03 tomorrow morning.
Nothing is more fun than to look at the Moon through binoculars or a small telescope around its first quarter phase. The little gray oval on the face of the Moon on its upper right, not connected to all the other gray areas, is called the Sea of Crises or Mare Crisium. I use Mare Crisium as a telltale for the Moon’s libration or wobble. Tonight Crisium is close to the edge of the Moon, so on a day after first quarter, we’re seeing somewhat more territory on the left side of the Moon than we normally would at this phase. At the bottom or south end of the Moon are two prominent craters visible even in binoculars, the small but distinct Tycho, and the much larger Clavius, whose floor contains other craters and is convex following the curvature of the Moon.
Reminder: There will be a total lunar eclipse occurring a week from this morning, actually starting Sunday evening Eastern Daylight Time. I’ll give you full details later in the week. That’s the evening of May 15th, through morning of the 16th.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT – 4 hours). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The 8-day-old Moon labeled via animated GIF, as it would appear in binoculars or a small telescope tonight, May 9, 2022. Created using Virtual Moon Atlas, GIMP and LibreOffice Draw.
Translations
Mare Crisium – Sea of Crises
Mare Fecunditatis – Sea of Fertility
Mare Frigoris – Sea of Cold
Mare Imbrium – Sea of Showers
Mare Nectaris – Sea of Nectar
Mare Nubium – Sea of Clouds
Mare Serenitatis – Sea of Serenity
Mare Tranquillitatis – Sea of Tranquility
Sinus Medii – Bay of the Center
Note that Mare is pronounced Mar-é
05/06/2022 – Ephemeris – Tonight: wander through the celestial wonders in Sagittarius
This is Ephemeris for Friday, May 6th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 28 minutes, setting at 8:53, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:24. The Moon, 2 days before first quarter, will set at 2:35 tomorrow morning.
Tonight at 8 pm, the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will have an in-person meeting at Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory. The meeting will also be available via Zoom. The program will be presented by Dan Dall’Olmo. Who spends many of his nights photographing the heavens. He will show the wonders in and around the Milky Way in the summer constellation of Sagittarius. It’s just the thing to prepare us for the wonderful dark nights of August. If it’s clear, there will be a star party following the meeting. The observatory is located south of Traverse City off Birmley Road, between Garfield and Keystone roads. A Zoom link is available at gtastro.org.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT – 4 hours). They may be different for your location.
05/05/2022 – Ephemeris – Halley’s Comet returns… in pieces
This is Ephemeris for Cinco de Mayo, Thursday, May 5th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 25 minutes, setting at 8:52, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:25. The Moon, 3 days before first quarter, will set at 1:53 tomorrow morning.
The Eta Aquariid meteor shower will reach peak at about 4 am, tomorrow morning. However, the radiant, the apparent source of the meteor streaks, doesn’t rise until 3:15 am. If you’re waiting to see the return of Halley’s Comet, you needn’t wait until the main body of the comet returns in 2061. Halley’s Comet has made many passes of the inner solar system in recorded history, and more before that, returning to the inner solar system every 76 years or so, before returning to its frigid home beyond Neptune. It’s closest pass to the Sun, called perihelion, is inside Venus’ orbit. On the way in and out, it passes close to the Earth’s orbit. It has left a trail of debris, which we pass through in May and again in October.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT – 4 hours). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The Eta Aquariid meteor shower radiant as it will be apparent tomorrow morning at 4:30 or at the beginning of nautical twilight. The radiant isn’t a ting that can be seen, but the point from which all the meteors of this shower can be traced back to. The funny looking lower case “n” is the Greek letter eta. The shower is named for the star seen just above the radiant, which is in the center of a small triangle of stars that make up Aquarius’ water jar. Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using Stellarium.
05/04/2022 – Ephemeris – Let’s search for the naked-eye planets for this week
This is Ephemeris for Wednesday, May 4th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 23 minutes, setting at 8:51, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:27. The Moon, halfway from new to first quarter, will set at 1:03 tomorrow morning.
Let’s search for the naked-eye planets for this week. There is one bright planet in the evening sky. Mercury may be spotted around and after 10 this evening very low in the west-northwest and be visible for the next half hour or so before it sets at 10:40 pm. After that, the planet action shifts to the morning sky. The other 4 naked-eye planets are there. By 5:30 or 5:45 am, the planets will be spread out low from the east to southeast with brilliant Venus lowest in the east, higher and right is Jupiter. Dim Mars will be farther to the right and a bit above Jupiter, while brighter Saturn will be even farther right and above Mars. All four will have risen by 5 am, but it will take a very low eastern horizon to pick them all up at that time.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT – 4 hours). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Mercury in evening twilight, with competition from bright winter stars and the Moon at 10 pm, or about an hour after sunset. It might take a pair of binoculars to pick Mercury out of twilight.
Created using Stellarium.
The Moon as it might appear in binoculars tonight, showing earth shine. May 4, 2022. Created using Stellarium.
The morning planet parade is widening as Venus is moving away from Jupiter, and Mars is approaching the giant planet. These are shown at 5:30 am, or about an hour before sunrise. Created using Stellarium.
Views of Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope, with the same magnification, tomorrow morning at 5:30 am, May 5, 2022. I do not show planets less than 10 seconds of arc in diameter. Apparent diameters: Venus 16.33″, 68.7% illuminated; Saturn 16.60″, its rings 38.67″; Jupiter 35.09″. Mars is not shown, its apparent diameter is 5.84″ and is 89.1% illuminated. Mercury, in the evening, has an apparent diameter of 9.21″, and it’s 22.2% illuminated. The ” symbol means seconds of arc (1/3600th of a degree.) Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
The naked-eye planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise on a single night, starting with sunset on the right on May 4, 2022. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 5th. Notice that all the naked-eye planets except Mercury are in the morning sky now. Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using my LookingUp program.
05/03/2022 – Ephemeris – Regulus, the “Little King Star”
This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Tuesday, May 3rd. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 20 minutes, setting at 8:50, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:28. The Moon, 3 days past new, will set at 12:05 tomorrow morning.
Fairly high in the south-southwest at 10 p.m. is a pattern of stars that’s in the shape of a backward question mark. This informal star group or asterism is also called the sickle. It is the head and mane of the official zodiacal constellation of Leo the lion. To the left is a triangle of stars is his hind end. The bright star at the bottom of the question mark, or end of the sickle’s handle is Regulus, the “Little King Star”, alluding to the lion’s status as the king of the jungle. Regulus is about 79 light years away and is a 4 star system that exists as two star pairs. The bright star Regulus itself and a companion too close to be imaged directly in telescopes, and a nearby pair of dim stars make up the system. The Moon often passes in front of Regulus, since it’s close to the ecliptic. These occultations, as they are called, will occur monthly for a year and a half starting July
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT – 4 hours). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Animated finder chart for Leo and Regulus for early May at 10 pm or an hour after sunset. The orange line that appears is the ecliptic, the path of the Sun in the sky. The path of the Moon is tilted by about 5 degrees to that path. The paths cross at points called nodes. The nodes move slowly westward in an 18.6-year cycle called the regression of the nodes. Occultations of Regulus by the Moon occur during two periods in that cycle. The next period where occultations of Regulus will occur monthly from July 2025 to January 2027. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.
Occultations are like solar eclipses in that they can only be seen from a limited area. That area will shift southward during that period. Of the 21 occultations in that period, only 2 will be visible from the United States: February 3rd, and April 26th 2026.
Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog 