Archive

Archive for November 15, 2023

Ephemeris: 11/15/2023 – Where have the naked-eye planets wandered off to this week

November 15, 2023 Comments off

This is Ephemeris for Wednesday, November 15th. Today the Sun will be up for 9 hours and 35 minutes, setting at 5:14, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:40. The Moon, 2 days past new, will set at 6:35 this evening.

Let’s find out where the naked-eye planets have wandered off to this week. Three of those five planets are now visible but both Mars and Mercury set too close to sunset to be seen. Mars will actually be in conjunction with the Sun Friday and become a morning planet thereafter. So, Saturn and Jupiter are the only evening planets visible. Saturn, seen against the stars of Aquarius, can be seen moving from the south to the southwest in the evening. Saturn will be visible till almost 12:45 am. Jupiter is seen moving from low in the east to the high south in the evening, the brightest object in the sky. In Aries this year, Jupiter will be up most of the night. Venus, the brilliant morning star, will rise in the east-northeast at 3:41 am.

The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EST, UT –5 hours). They may be different for your location.

Addendum

The only naked-eye planets visible in the evening are Jupiter and Saturn
The only naked-eye planets visible in the evening are Jupiter and Saturn and facing southeast one can see Jupiter to the left and Saturn to the right at 8 pm tonight, November 15, 2023. Also showing are the constellations of the Zodiac that they are in or near. Click or tap on the image to enlarge it. Created using Stellarium.
Venus at 7 am tomorrow
Venus at 7 am tomorrow, November 16, 2023. Created using Stellarium.
Telescopic Saturn, Jupiter and Venus
Telescopic Saturn, Jupiter and Venus (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope, with the same magnification. At 8 pm November 15, 2023, for Saturn and Jupiter, and 7 am on the 16th, for Venus. Apparent diameters: Saturn 17.36″, its rings 40.43″; Jupiter 49.13″; and Venus 19.18″ and is 61.8% illuminated. The ” symbol means seconds of arc (1/3600th of a degree.) Click or tap on the image to enlarge it. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts) and GIMP.
The naked-eye planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise on a single night
The naked-eye planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise on a single night, starting with sunset on the right on November 15, 2023. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 16th. Note that the labels for the Sun and Mars overlap each other. Click or tap on the image to enlarge it. Created using my LookingUp app and GIMP.
Categories: Ephemeris Program, Naked-eye planets, Observing, Planets Tags: , , , , ,