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Ephemeris: 06/04/2026 – Finding Lyra the harp

June 4, 2026 Comments off

This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Thursday, June 4th. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 24 minutes, setting at 9:23, and it will rise tomorrow at 5:58. The Moon, halfway from full to last quarter, will rise at 12:57 tomorrow morning.

Halfway up the sky in the east at 11 PM, one can find a bright star just above a small, narrow, but very distinctive parallelogram of stars. They are the stars of the constellation Lyra the harp. The bright star is Vega, the 5th brightest nighttime star. To the Romans, the star Vega represented a falling eagle or vulture. Apparently they never made the distinction between the two species. It is a pure white star and serves as a calibration star for color and brightness. In the evening, it is the top-most star of the Summer Triangle. The harp, according to Greek mythology, was invented by the god Hermes. The form of the harp, in the sky, is as he had invented it: by stretching strings across a tortoise shell. Hermes gave it to his half-brother Apollo, who in turn gave it to the legendary musician Orpheus.

The astronomical event times given in this blog are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (Lat 44.7° N, Long 85.7° W; EDT, UT – 4 hours) unless stated otherwise. Times will be different for other locations.

Addendum

Lyra the harp finder with the Summer Triangle
Lyra finder animation with overlay of an ancient tortoise-shell harp and with the Summer Triangle Stars: Vega, Deneb and Altair.
Categories: Constellations, Ephemeris Program, Mythology, Observing Tags: ,

Ephemeris: 06/03/2026 – Where are the naked-eye planets this week?

June 3, 2026 Comments off

This is Ephemeris for Wednesday, June 3rd. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 23 minutes, setting at 9:23, and it will rise tomorrow at 5:58. The Moon, 3 days past full, will rise at 12:29 tomorrow morning.

Let’s take our weekly look at the whereabouts of the naked-eye planets. By 10:15 PM tonight, nearly an hour after sunset, Venus and Jupiter may be seen in the western sky. A telescope will show a very tiny disc on Venus, because it is still pretty much beyond the Sun, 115 million miles (186 million kilometers) away from us. Over the next 4½ months it will be moving closer to us and becoming much larger. Jupiter is to the upper left of Venus, and the second-brightest star-like object in the sky. Venus will set at 12:05 AM, while Jupiter will hold out ten minutes longer. Venus will pass Jupiter on the afternoon of the 9th. Saturn rises into the eastern sky at 3:27 AM, followed by dimmer Mars an hour later.

The astronomical event times given in this blog are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (Lat 44.7° N, Long 85.7° W; EDT, UT – 4 hours) unless stated otherwise. Times will be different for other locations.

Addendum

Jupiter, Venus and Mercury seen in the west at 10:15 PM tonight, June 3, 2026. Jupiter and Venus are appearing to approach each other. They will be in conjunction on the evening of June 8th & 9th. Mercury may not be visible now, but it is increasing its distance from the sun, and will be at greatest elongation or separation from the sun on the 15
Jupiter, Venus and Mercury at 10:15 PM tonight, June 3, 2026. Jupiter and Venus are appearing to approach each other. They will be in conjunction on the evening of June 8th & 9th. Mercury may not be visible now, but it is increasing its distance from the sun, and will be at greatest elongation or separation from the sun on the 15th. Created using Stellarium.
The Moon, 3 days after full, as seen at 5 AM tomorrow morning, June 4, 2026. A view visible in small telescopes showing an image with and without selected features labeled. Created using Stellarium, LibreOffice Draw, and GIMP
Saturn and Mars will appear low in the east at 5 AM June 4, 2026
Saturn and Mars at 5 AM June 4, 2026. Created using Stellarium.
Telescopic Venus and Jupiter at 10:15 PM on the 3rd, and Saturn at 5 AM on the 4th (north up), as they would be seen in a small telescope.
Telescopic Venus and Jupiter at 10:15 PM on the 3rd, and Saturn at 5 AM on the 4th (north up), as they would be seen in a small telescope with the same magnification. Venus’ apparent diameter will be 13.5″, and be 78.6% illuminated. It’s on the far side of the Sun. Jupiter will be 32.9″ in diameter, with its moons shown for the time listed. Saturn will be 16.8″ in diameter, and its rings extend to 39.0″ and are tilted 8.5º to our view. Mars, not shown, will appear 4.3″ in diameter. Mercury, also not shown, will appear 6.2″ in diameter and be 62.2% illuminated. The (”) symbol means seconds of arc, or 1/3600th of a degree. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts), LibreOffice Draw and GIMP.
The naked-eye planets at sunset and sunrise on a single night, starting with sunset on the right on June 3, 2026. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 4th
The naked-eye planets at sunset and sunrise on a single night, starting with sunset on the right on June 3, 2026. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 4th. Click or tap on the image to enlarge it. Created using my LookingUp app and GIMP.
A low precision ephemeris of the Sun Moon and naked eye planet positions for today and tomorrow, June 3rd and 4th, 2026.
This is a low precision ephemeris of the Sun Moon and naked eye planet positions for today and tomorrow, June 3rd and 4th, 2026. Some of the columns are self-explanatory, others are not. The transit column is the time that the body crosses the meridian and is due south. Elong, for elongation, is the angle between the Sun and that body. RA is right ascension, which is the object’s east-west position on the celestial sphere in hours and minutes. Dec is declination which is the north-south position of the object on the celestial sphere in degrees and minutes. R is the distance of that object from the Sun in astronomical units. An astronomical unit is about 93 million miles or 150 million kilometers. And Delta is the distance of that object from the Earth, also in astronomical units. I omit the ‘m’ in am and pm for compactness. The data was generated using my LookingUp for DOS app and displayed as a table by my Ephemeris Helper app.
Categories: Ephemeris Program, Naked-eye planets, Observing Tags: , , , , ,

Ephemeris:06/02/2026 – Mapping the Moon for Apollo

June 2, 2026 Comments off

This is Ephemeris for Tuesday, June 2nd. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 22 minutes, setting at 9:22, and it will rise tomorrow at 5:59. The Moon, 2 days past full, will rise at 11:54 this evening.

The last unmanned missions to the moon before the Apollo landings was the Lunar Orbiter program. Five spacecraft were sent to the moon to photograph, in great detail, the proposed landing sites for Apollo, and then to map the moon completely. They had 100% coverage of the near side and 95% of the far side. Unmentioned at the time was that the spacecraft used the same camera that was used on the reconnaissance or spy satellites of the era. Five orbiters were launched between 1966 and 1967, and all 5 were able to complete their mission successfully, photographing on film, developing and scanning the images to be radioed back. They then were crashed onto to the moon, so their radio signals would not interfere with Apollo moon communications.

The astronomical event times given in this blog are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (Lat 44.7° N, Long 85.7° W; EDT, UT – 4 hours) unless stated otherwise. Times will be different for other locations.

Addendum

In the most unheralded of the lunar programs the 5 successful Lunar Orbiter satellites photographed 99% of the Moon from 1966 to 1967.
In the most unheralded of the lunar programs the 5 successful Lunar Orbiter satellites photographed 99% of the Moon from 1966 to 1967. The Moon was photographed on film in strips, developed and the images scanned and transmitted back to Earth. Right: The oblique view of the crater Copernicus was dubbed at the time “The Picture of the Century”. Credit NASA.
Picture of the Century taken by the lunar Orbiter 2. The crater Copernicus in an oblique photo from the south.
Picture of the Century taken by the lunar Orbiter 2. The crater Copernicus in an oblique photo from the south. Note the double crater Fauth at rhe bottom on the Image. Credit: NASA/Lunar Orbiter Image Recovery Project (LOIRP).
Categories: Space History Tags:

Ephemeris: 06/01/2026 – Previewing June skies

June 1, 2026 Comments off

This is Ephemeris’ 51st anniversary program, and starting orbit 52 for Monday, June 1st. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 21 minutes, setting at 9:21, and it will rise tomorrow at 5:59. The Moon, 1 day past full, will rise at 11:11 this evening.

Let’s preview June skies. There will be a lot of sun in June and very little night. The daylight hours will increase a bit from 15 hours and 21 minutes Today to 15 hours and 34 minutes on the 21st, retreating back to 15 hours 31 minutes at month’s end. The altitude of the Sun above the southern horizon at local noon will hover around 68 to 69 degrees. Local noon, when the Sun is actually due south, will occur at about 1:43 PM Summer begins on the 21st at 4:25 am, when the Sun reaches its farthest north. The actual amount of nighttime will be quite short, mostly due to the length of daylight, but also because twilight lasts much longer than average because the Sun sets at a shallow angle. On the 21st, there’s theoretically only 3 ½ hours of total darkness if the Moon wasn’t up.

The astronomical event times given in this blog are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (Lat 44.7° N, Long 85.7° W; EDT, UT – 4 hours) unless stated otherwise. Times will be different for other locations.

Addendum

June Evening Star Chart

Star Chart for June 2026 (11 PM EDT, June 15, 2026). Created using my LookingUp program. Click or tap on the image to enlarge it.

The planets and stars are plotted for the 15th at 11 PM EDT in the evening and 4 AM. on the 15th.on the morning chart. These are the chart times. Note that Interlochen/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). To duplicate the star positions on a planisphere you may have to set it to 1 hour 45 minutes earlier than the current time.
Note, the chart times of 11 PM and 4 AM are for the 15th & 16th. For each week before the 15th, add ½ hour (28 minutes if you’re picky). For each week after the 15th, subtract ½ hour, or 28 minutes. The planet positions are updated each Wednesday on this blog. For planet positions on dates other than the 15th, check the Wednesday planet posts on this blog for weekly positions.

June Morning Star Chart

Star Chart for June mornings, 2026 (4 am EDT, June 16, 2026). Created using my LookingUp program. Click or tap on the image to enlarge it.

Orbits of the naked-eye planets for seven 5-day intervals starting June 1, 2026.

NASA Calendar of Planetary Events

Jun  1  Mo            Venus: 35° E
     1  Mo  12:32 AM  Moon Apogee: 406400 km
     1  Mo  12:59 PM  Moon South Dec.: 28° S
     7  Su   2:19 AM  Moon Ascending Node
     7  Su  12:15 PM  Venus-Pollux: 4.7° S
     8  Mo   6:00 AM  Last Quarter
     9  Tu   4:11 PM  Venus-Jupiter: 1.6° N
    13  Sa   9:15 AM  Moon-Pleiades: 0.9° S
    14  Su   7:18 PM  Moon Perigee: 357200 km
    14  Su  10:54 PM  New Moon
    15  Mo   1:29 AM  Moon North Dec.: 28° N
    15  Mo   3:59 PM  Mercury Elongation: 24.5° E
    16  Tu   3:32 PM  Moon-Mercury: 2.6° S
    17  We   2:54 AM  Moon-Jupiter: 2.5° S
    17  We   4:21 PM  Moon-Venus: 0.3° S
    17  We   7:40 PM  Moon-Beehive: 0.6° S
    18  Th  10:59 AM  Mercury-Pollux: 6.4° S
    19  Fr  10:31 AM  Moon-Regulus: 0.3° N
    19  Fr  11:44 AM  Venus-Beehive: 0.4° N
    19  Fr   1:57 PM  Moon Descending Node
    21  Su   4:25 AM  Summer Solstice
    21  Su   5:55 PM  First Quarter
    23  Tu   4:11 PM  Moon-Spica: 2.3° N
    25  Th   7:54 AM  Mercury-Jupiter: 3.8° N
    27  Sa  10:32 AM  Moon-Antares: 0.5° N
    28  Su   3:11 AM  Moon Apogee: 406300 km
    28  Su   2:30 PM  Mars-Pleiades: 4.4° S
    28  Su   6:06 PM  Moon South Dec.: 28° S
    29  Mo   7:57 PM  Full Moon
Jul  1  We            Venus: 41.1° E

Sky Events Calendar by Fred Espenak and Sumit Dutta (NASA’s GSFC),
http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SKYCAL/SKYCAL.html.


Sun and Moon Rising and Setting Events

LU              Ephemeris of Sky Events for Interlochen/TC
June, 2026    Local time zone: EDT
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| DATE |  SUN     SUN  DAYLIGHT|   TWILIGHT*    |MOON  RISE OR    ILLUM |
|      |  RISE    SET    HOURS |  END    START  |PHASE SET** TIME FRACTN|
+=======================================================================+
|Mon  1| 06:00a  09:21p  15:21 | 10:44p  04:37a |      Rise 11:11p   97%|
|Tue  2| 05:59a  09:22p  15:22 | 10:45p  04:36a |      Rise 11:54p   94%|
|Wed  3| 05:59a  09:23p  15:23 | 10:46p  04:35a |      Rise 12:29a   88%|
|Thu  4| 05:58a  09:23p  15:24 | 10:47p  04:35a |      Rise 12:57a   82%|
|Fri  5| 05:58a  09:24p  15:26 | 10:48p  04:34a |      Rise 01:21a   74%|
|Sat  6| 05:58a  09:25p  15:27 | 10:49p  04:33a |      Rise 01:41a   64%|
+------+-----------------------+----------------+-----------------------+
|Sun  7| 05:57a  09:25p  15:28 | 10:50p  04:33a |      Rise 02:00a   54%|
|Mon  8| 05:57a  09:26p  15:29 | 10:51p  04:32a |L Qtr Rise 02:18a   44%|
|Tue  9| 05:57a  09:27p  15:29 | 10:52p  04:32a |      Rise 02:38a   33%|
|Wed 10| 05:57a  09:27p  15:30 | 10:53p  04:31a |      Rise 03:00a   23%|
|Thu 11| 05:56a  09:28p  15:31 | 10:53p  04:31a |      Rise 03:28a   14%|
|Fri 12| 05:56a  09:28p  15:32 | 10:54p  04:31a |      Rise 04:04a    7%|
|Sat 13| 05:56a  09:29p  15:32 | 10:55p  04:30a |      Rise 04:52a    2%|
+------+-----------------------+----------------+-----------------------+
|Sun 14| 05:56a  09:29p  15:33 | 10:55p  04:30a |New   Set  09:44p    0%|
|Mon 15| 05:56a  09:30p  15:33 | 10:56p  04:30a |      Set  10:47p    1%|
|Tue 16| 05:56a  09:30p  15:34 | 10:56p  04:30a |      Set  11:34p    5%|
|Wed 17| 05:56a  09:31p  15:34 | 10:57p  04:30a |      Set  12:09a   12%|
|Thu 18| 05:56a  09:31p  15:34 | 10:57p  04:30a |      Set  12:36a   20%|
|Fri 19| 05:56a  09:31p  15:34 | 10:57p  04:30a |      Set  12:58a   30%|
|Sat 20| 05:57a  09:31p  15:34 | 10:58p  04:30a |      Set  01:17a   40%|
+------+-----------------------+----------------+-----------------------+
|Sun 21| 05:57a  09:32p  15:34 | 10:58p  04:30a |F Qtr Set  01:35a   51%|
|Mon 22| 05:57a  09:32p  15:34 | 10:58p  04:31a |      Set  01:53a   61%|
|Tue 23| 05:57a  09:32p  15:34 | 10:58p  04:31a |      Set  02:13a   70%|
|Wed 24| 05:58a  09:32p  15:34 | 10:58p  04:31a |      Set  02:36a   79%|
|Thu 25| 05:58a  09:32p  15:34 | 10:58p  04:32a |      Set  03:03a   86%|
|Fri 26| 05:58a  09:32p  15:33 | 10:58p  04:32a |      Set  03:37a   92%|
|Sat 27| 05:59a  09:32p  15:33 | 10:58p  04:33a |      Set  04:19a   96%|
+------+-----------------------+----------------+-----------------------+
|Sun 28| 05:59a  09:32p  15:32 | 10:58p  04:33a |      Set  05:10a   99%|
|Mon 29| 06:00a  09:32p  15:32 | 10:58p  04:34a |Full  Rise 09:53p  100%|
|Tue 30| 06:00a  09:32p  15:31 | 10:57p  04:34a |      Rise 10:31p   99%|
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
* Nautical Twilight
** Moonrise or moonset, whichever occurs between sunset and sunrise

Generated using my LookingUp for DOS app.

Categories: Ephemeris Program, Month preview, Observing Tags: