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Archive for January 30, 2024

Ephemeris: 01/30/2024 – The Winter Maker moves to center stage at midwinter

January 30, 2024 Comments off

This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Tuesday, January 30th. Today the Sun will be up for 9 hours and 43 minutes, setting at 5:48, and it will rise tomorrow at 8:03. The Moon, 3 days before last quarter, will rise at 10:53 this evening.

As we approach midwinter looking in the south at about 9 pm we see the great constellation of Orion the hunter. For the Anishinaabek people, who are native to our Great Lakes area, that constellation is the Wintermaker. Instead of holding a club and a shield, as Orion does, he has his arms outstretched from Aldebaran in Taurus to Procyon in Canis Minor embracing all the winter constellations. I’ve first seen him as morning twilight started when I’ve stayed up all night to watch the Perseid meteor shower in August. We begin to see him on late November evenings, rising in the east, to herald the coming of winter, and we will lose him in April when he descends into the West in the evening twilight.

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

A three frame animation of the western constellation of Orion the hunter and the Anishinaabek constellation of the Winter Maker
Here’s a three frame animation of the western constellation of Orion the hunter and the Anishinaabek constellation of the Winter Maker. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.
Categories: Anishinaabek Constellation, Constellations, Ephemeris Program, Opinion Tags: ,