Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog

This is Ephemeris for Native American Heritage Day, Friday, November 29th. Today the Sun will be up for 9 hours and 5 minutes, setting at 5:04, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:59. The Moon, 2 days before new, will rise at 7:39 tomorrow morning.

Let’s look at December skies. We are now in the holiday season and about to celebrate the southernmost travel of the Sun in the sky and its return northward. So there is not much change in sunrise and sunset times. The Sun will stop its travel south, the winter solstice, on the 21st at 4:20 am. It will make that day the shortest day in terms of daylight hours. However, the earliest sunset will occur on the 9th. The Geminid meteor shower will be hampered by the bright Moon when it reaches its peak on the evening of the 13th, near the full moon. This month continues the surprisingly active sunspot cycle that started four years ago and is nearing its peak.

The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EST, UT – 5 hours). Times will be different for other locations.

Addendum (Updated 11/29/2024)

December Evening Star Chart

The planets and stars are plotted for the 15th at 9 pm EST in the evening and 6 a.m. for the morning chart. These are the chart times. Note that Traverse City is located approximately 45 minutes behind our time meridian, West 75° longitude. (An hour 45 minutes behind our daylight saving time meridian during EDT).

December Morning Star Chart

For a list of constellation names to go with the abbreviations, click here.

• Pointer stars at the front of the bowl of the Big Dipper point to Polaris, the North Star.
• The leaky bowl of the Big Dipper drips on Leo.
• Follow the arc of the handle of the Big Dipper to the star Arcturus, then
• Follow the spike to Spica.
• The Summer Triangle is in red.
• GemR on the star charts is the radiant of the Geminid meteor shower, which peaks on the evening of the 13th.

Twilight Limits, Nautical and Astronomical

			EST
	Morning	Twilight	Evening	Twilight	Dark	Night	Moon
Date	Astro.	Nautical	Nautical	Astro.	Start	End	Illum.
2024-12-01	6h17m	6h52m	18h12m	18h47m	18h47m	6h17m	0.01
2024-12-02	6h18m	6h53m	18h12m	18h47m	18h47m	6h18m	0.04
2024-12-03	6h19m	6h54m	18h12m	18h47m	18h49m	6h19m	0.09
2024-12-04	6h20m	6h55m	18h11m	18h47m	20h00m	6h20m	0.16
2024-12-05	6h21m	6h56m	18h11m	18h47m	21h15m	6h21m	0.24
2024-12-06	6h22m	6h57m	18h11m	18h47m	22h31m	6h22m	0.34
2024-12-07	6h22m	6h58m	18h11m	18h47m	23h47m	6h22m	0.45
2024-12-08	6h23m	6h59m	18h11m	18h47m	–	6h23m	0.57
2024-12-09	6h24m	6h59m	18h11m	18h47m	1h03m	6h24m	0.68
2024-12-10	6h25m	7h00m	18h11m	18h47m	2h20m	6h25m	0.78
2024-12-11	6h26m	7h01m	18h12m	18h47m	3h39m	6h26m	0.87
2024-12-12	6h26m	7h02m	18h12m	18h47m	5h01m	6h26m	0.94
2024-12-13	6h27m	7h02m	18h12m	18h47m	6h24m	6h27m	0.98
2024-12-14	6h28m	7h03m	18h12m	18h48m	–	–	1.00
2024-12-15	6h28m	7h04m	18h12m	18h48m	–	–	0.99
2024-12-16	6h29m	7h05m	18h13m	18h48m	–	–	0.96
2024-12-17	6h30m	7h05m	18h13m	18h49m	18h49m	19h23m	0.90
2024-12-18	6h30m	7h06m	18h13m	18h49m	18h49m	20h37m	0.83
2024-12-19	6h31m	7h06m	18h14m	18h49m	18h49m	21h48m	0.75
2024-12-20	6h31m	7h07m	18h14m	18h50m	18h50m	22h55m	0.66
2024-12-21	6h32m	7h07m	18h15m	18h50m	18h50m	0h00m	0.57
2024-12-22	6h32m	7h08m	18h15m	18h51m	18h51m	–	0.47
2024-12-23	6h33m	7h08m	18h16m	18h51m	18h51m	1h03m	0.38
2024-12-24	6h33m	7h09m	18h17m	18h52m	18h52m	2h06m	0.29
2024-12-25	6h34m	7h09m	18h17m	18h53m	18h53m	3h10m	0.21
2024-12-26	6h34m	7h09m	18h18m	18h53m	18h53m	4h16m	0.14
2024-12-27	6h34m	7h10m	18h18m	18h54m	18h54m	5h24m	0.08
2024-12-28	6h34m	7h10m	18h19m	18h55m	18h55m	6h33m	0.03
2024-12-29	6h35m	7h10m	18h20m	18h55m	18h55m	6h35m	0.01
2024-12-30	6h35m	7h10m	18h21m	19h00m	19h00m	6h35m	0.00
2024-12-31	6h35m	7h11m	18h21m	19h01m	19h01m	6h35m	0.02

Twilight calendar was generated using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).

See my blog post: Twilight Zone for the definitions of the different periods of twilight here: https://bobmoler.wordpress.com/2018/09/27/.

NASA Calendar of Planetary Events

Dec  1  Su            Venus: 43.6° E
     1  Su   1:21 am  New Moon
     2  Mo   5:31 pm  Moon South Dec.: 28.5° S
     3  Tu   7:08 am  Mars-Beehive: 1.6° N
     4  We   5:40 pm  Moon-Venus: 2.4° N
     5  Th   9:11 pm  Mercury Inferior Conj.
     7  Sa   3:19 pm  Jupiter Opposition
     8  Su   3:49 am  Moon-Saturn:  .3° S
     8  Su  10:27 am  First Quarter
     9  Mo   2:36 pm  Moon Ascending Node
    12  Th   8:18 am  Moon Perigee: 365400 km
    13  Fr  12:13 pm  Moon-Pleiades:  .1° S
    13  Fr   8:12 pm  Geminid Shower: ZHR = 120
    15  Su   4:02 am  Full Moon
    15  Su   3:12 pm  Moon North Dec.: 28.4° N
    17  Tu   7:12 am  Moon-Pollux: 2.1° N
    18  We   3:46 am  Moon-Mars: 1° S
    18  We   6:28 am  Moon-Beehive: 2.8° S
    20  Fr  12:37 am  Moon-Regulus: 2.6° S
    21  Sa   4:20 am  Winter Solstice
    22  Su   5:00 am  Ursid Shower: ZHR = 10
    22  Su   5:18 pm  Last Quarter
    22  Su   6:21 pm  Moon Descending Node
    23  Mo   4:39 pm  Mercury-Antares: 6.8° N
    24  Tu   2:25 am  Moon Apogee: 404500 km
    24  Tu   2:28 pm  Moon-Spica:  .2° S
    24  Tu   8:59 pm  Mercury Elongation: 22° W
    28  Sa   9:37 am  Moon-Antares:  .1° N
    30  Mo  12:06 am  Moon South Dec.: 28.4° S
    30  Mo   5:27 pm  New Moon
Jan  1  We            Venus: 47° E 

Generated using my LookingUp for DOS program.

Sun and Moon Rising and Setting Events

LU                  Ephemeris of Sky Events for Interlochen/TC
December, 2024    Local time zone: EST
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| DATE |  SUN     SUN  DAYLIGHT|   TWILIGHT*    |MOON  RISE OR    ILLUM |
|      |  RISE    SET    HOURS |  END    START  |PHASE SET** TIME FRACTN|
+=======================================================================+
|Sun  1| 08:00a  05:03p  09:02 | 06:12p  06:51a |New   Set  04:56p    1%|
|Mon  2| 08:01a  05:03p  09:01 | 06:12p  06:52a |      Set  05:47p    3%|
|Tue  3| 08:02a  05:02p  09:00 | 06:12p  06:53a |      Set  06:48p    8%|
|Wed  4| 08:03a  05:02p  08:58 | 06:12p  06:54a |      Set  07:59p   14%|
|Thu  5| 08:04a  05:02p  08:57 | 06:12p  06:54a |      Set  09:14p   23%|
|Fri  6| 08:05a  05:02p  08:56 | 06:12p  06:55a |      Set  10:31p   32%|
|Sat  7| 08:06a  05:02p  08:55 | 06:12p  06:56a |      Set  11:47p   43%|
+------+-----------------------+----------------+-----------------------+
|Sun  8| 08:07a  05:02p  08:54 | 06:12p  06:57a |F Qtr Set  01:03a   54%|
|Mon  9| 08:08a  05:02p  08:53 | 06:12p  06:58a |      Set  02:20a   65%|
|Tue 10| 08:09a  05:02p  08:52 | 06:12p  06:59a |      Set  03:39a   76%|
|Wed 11| 08:10a  05:02p  08:51 | 06:12p  07:00a |      Set  05:00a   85%|
|Thu 12| 08:11a  05:02p  08:51 | 06:12p  07:00a |      Set  06:24a   92%|
|Fri 13| 08:12a  05:02p  08:50 | 06:13p  07:01a |      Set  07:45a   97%|
|Sat 14| 08:12a  05:02p  08:49 | 06:13p  07:02a |      Set  08:57a  100%|
+------+-----------------------+----------------+-----------------------+
|Sun 15| 08:13a  05:02p  08:49 | 06:13p  07:02a |Full  Rise 05:01p   99%|
|Mon 16| 08:14a  05:03p  08:48 | 06:13p  07:03a |      Rise 06:09p   96%|
|Tue 17| 08:14a  05:03p  08:48 | 06:14p  07:04a |      Rise 07:23p   92%|
|Wed 18| 08:15a  05:03p  08:48 | 06:14p  07:04a |      Rise 08:36p   85%|
|Thu 19| 08:16a  05:04p  08:48 | 06:15p  07:05a |      Rise 09:47p   77%|
|Fri 20| 08:16a  05:04p  08:48 | 06:15p  07:05a |      Rise 10:55p   68%|
|Sat 21| 08:17a  05:05p  08:48 | 06:16p  07:06a |      Rise 11:59p   59%|
+------+-----------------------+----------------+-----------------------+
|Sun 22| 08:17a  05:05p  08:48 | 06:16p  07:06a |L Qtr Rise 01:02a   49%|
|Mon 23| 08:18a  05:06p  08:48 | 06:17p  07:07a |      Rise 02:05a   40%|
|Tue 24| 08:18a  05:07p  08:48 | 06:17p  07:07a |      Rise 03:10a   31%|
|Wed 25| 08:18a  05:07p  08:48 | 06:18p  07:08a |      Rise 04:16a   23%|
|Thu 26| 08:19a  05:08p  08:49 | 06:19p  07:08a |      Rise 05:24a   15%|
|Fri 27| 08:19a  05:09p  08:49 | 06:19p  07:08a |      Rise 06:32a    9%|
|Sat 28| 08:19a  05:09p  08:50 | 06:20p  07:09a |      Rise 07:38a    4%|
+------+-----------------------+----------------+-----------------------+
|Sun 29| 08:19a  05:10p  08:50 | 06:21p  07:09a |      Rise 08:36a    1%|
|Mon 30| 08:19a  05:11p  08:51 | 06:21p  07:09a |New   Set  04:37p    0%|
|Tue 31| 08:20a  05:12p  08:52 | 06:22p  07:09a |      Set  05:46p    1%|
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
* Nautical Twilight
** Moonrise or moonset, whichever occurs between sunset and sunrise

Generated using my LookingUp for DOS program.