Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog

This is Ephemeris for Thursday, July 21st. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 3 minutes, setting at 9:20, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:18. The Moon, 1 day past last quarter, will rise at 1:35 tomorrow morning.

There’s an observatory on the shores of Sleeping Bear Bay near Glen Arbor that is open to the public twice a week on clear nights. It’s the Leelanau School’s Lanphier Observatory, which is open Wednesday and Thursday evenings weather permitting from 10 p.m. to midnight through August 25th. The Leelanau School is located at 1 Old Homestead Road, off M22, just north of Glen Arbor. The Observatory is behind the Student Center and across the Crystal River. It’s a bit of a hike. It will help to take a flashlight for heading back in the dark. The observatory dome contains a 14-inch telescope on a computerized mount, and smaller telescopes may be available on the observatory deck. The observatory is run by Norm Wheeler, retired instructor of the school. Get there early to enjoy the sunset on Lake Michigan.

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

Lanphier Observatory from the trail leading up to it. It’s just off the beach.  Beside observing from the main telescope in the dome, there is observation of the constellations and Milky Way from the deck. Credit: Bob Moler.