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06/23/2023 – Ephemeris – Sun and Star Party scheduled for tomorrow at the Sleeping Bear Dunes

June 23, 2023 Comments off

This is Ephemeris for Friday, June 23rd. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 34 minutes, setting at 9:32, and it will rise tomorrow at 5:57. The Moon, 3 days before first quarter, will set at 1:11 tomorrow morning.

Tomorrow the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will host a Sun and Star Party at the Dune Climb area of the park. There will be a solar viewing period from 6 pm to 8 pm. The society has two hydrogen alpha solar telescopes to view the Sun’s chromosphere and prominences. Plus some members also have solar scopes also white light filtered telescopes to view sunspots on the face of the Sun. Night viewing will start at 10 pm with the Moon and Venus featured, along with the brighter telescopic wonders of early summer. The park rangers will leave at midnight, but society members can stay later to view the fainter wonders in the darkened sky. All this will happen only if clouds permit.

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

Observing the Sun at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore’s Dune Climb.
Dune Climb Setup
This in the beginning of setup for the October 21, 2017 star party at the dune climb. Taken early while there was enough light. The dune blocks up to 12 degrees from the southwest to northwest, but the rest of the horizon is quite low. Venus will be high enough to clear the dune for most of the evening.

The Dune Climb is not the place to view the spectacular sunset. The best place is from the Lake Michigan Overlook stop on Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive.

Categories: Ephemeris Program, Events, GTAS Outreach Event, Star Party Tags: , , ,