Archive
08/18/2015 – Ephemeris – The autumn queen is rising
Ephemeris for Tuesday, August 18th. The Sun rises at 6:48. It’ll be up for 13 hours and 55 minutes, setting at 8:44. The Moon, half way from new to first quarter, will set at 10:31 this evening.
A look to the northeast at 10 p.m. or later will reveal a letter W pattern of stars. This is the constellation of Cassiopeia the queen. Cassiopeia is so far north that it never sets for us in Michigan. It is opposite the pole star Polaris from the Big Dipper. So as the Big Dipper is rotating down the sky in the northwest, Cassiopeia is rotating up in the northeast. The pivot is the star Polaris, the north star. There’s a dim star that appears above the middle star of the W which turns the W into a very crooked backed chair. Above Cassiopeia is a dim church steeple shaped constellation of Cepheus the king. The Milky Way flows through Cassiopeia and a corner of Cepheus and up through Cygnus, and on to the south.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Cassiopeia and nearby constellations mentioned in the above program. Created using Stellarium.
08/17/2015 – Ephemeris – The celestial snake handler
Ephemeris for Monday, August 17th. The Sun rises at 6:47. It’ll be up for 13 hours and 58 minutes, setting at 8:45. The Moon, 3 days past new, will set at 10:04 this evening.
The planet Saturn and the red star Antares shine in the south-southwest at 10:30 p.m. In the and around constellation of Scorpius. In the area of sky above it lies a large constellation of faint stars called Ophiuchus, the serpent bearer. The constellation shape is like a large bell, which reminds me of the head, shoulders and arms of a fellow that’s holding the snake-like a weight lifter pulling up a heavy bar bell. The serpent he’s holding is Serpens, the only two part constellation in the heavens. The head rises to Ophiuchus’ right and the tail extends up to the left. In legend Ophiuchus was a great physician, educated by the god Apollo, and the centaur Chiron, also found in the stars as Sagittarius, below and left of him.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Ophiuchus, Serpens and Sagittarius with Saturn and Antares on August 17, at 10 p.m. Created using Stellarium.
08/13/2015 – Ephemeris – The constellation Sagittarius, toward the heart of the Milky Way
Thursday, August 13th. The Sun rises at 6:42. It’ll be up for 14 hours and 9 minutes, setting at 8:52. The Moon, 1 day before new, will rise at 6:48 tomorrow morning.
The Milky Way runs from north to south through the heavens at 11 p.m. You’ll notice that the Milky Way is brighter and broader just above the horizon in the south. In that glow in the south is a star pattern that looks like the stout little teapot of the children’s song, with a the Milky way like steam rising from the spout, which faces the west. This pattern of stars is the major part of the constellation called Sagittarius. According to Greek mythology Sagittarius is a centaur with a bow and arrow poised to shoot Scorpius the scorpion to the right. This centaur is called Chiron, the most learned of the breed, centaurs usually being a rowdy bunch. The center of the pin wheel of our galaxy lies hidden beyond the stars above the spout of the teapot.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Sagittarius and Scorpius mythological view 10 p.m. August 13, 2015. Created using Stellarium.
Location of the center of the Milky Way and the Teapot of Sagittarius.
08/06/2015 – Ephemeris – There’s an eagle in the stars
Ephemeris for Thursday, August 6th. The Sun rises at 6:34. It’ll be up for 14 hours and 27 minutes, setting at 9:02. The Moon, at last quarter today, will rise at 12:46 tomorrow morning.
The southernmost star in the Summer Triangle of three bright stars is Altair, high in the south-southeast in the evening. It’s in the head of the constellation Aquila the Eagle. Altair is flanked by two stars, the eagle’s shoulders, and farther out are the wing tips. Other stars to the lower right are in its body and a last three in its tail. Near the tail binoculars will show a fuzzy spot that telescopes show as a compact star cluster, sometimes called the Wild Duck Cluster for its nearly triangular shape. Aquila is flying northeastward through the Milky Way, where it is split in two by a cloud of gas and dust. According to mythology the Trojan boy Ganymede was taken to heaven at the behest of the god Zeus by this eagle.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Aquila the Eagle in the southeastern sky. Created using Stellarium.
Finder chart for M11, the Wild Duck Cluster, Created using Stellarium.
08/04/2015 – Ephemeris – Is it a swan or a cross?
Ephemeris for Tuesday, August 4th. The Sun rises at 6:32. It’ll be up for 14 hours and 32 minutes, setting at 9:04. The Moon, 2 days before last quarter, will rise at 11:33 this evening.
High in the east northeast as it gets dark flies the constellation of Cygnus the swan. This constellation is also known as the Northern Cross. The cross is seen lying on its side with the bright star Deneb at the head of the cross to the left. The rest of the cross is delineated in the stars to the right. As a swan, Deneb is the tail, the stars of the crosspiece of the cross are part of the leading edges of the wings as Cygnus flies south through the Milky Way. There are faint stars that also define the tips and trailing edges of its wings. It is a very good portrayal of a flying swan, like the mute swans we see on the wing in our area. This is the form the Greek god Zeus took to seduce the maiden Leda in the Leda and the swan affair, out of whose union Pollux was born, who was the twin of Castor, both of whom are also in the stars as the constellation Gemini. In Cygnus we are looking toward the direction that the Sun and the Earth are traveling as we orbit the center of the Milky Way.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Cygnus The Swan Created using Stellarium.
Note for telescope owners: The star that appears in the eye of the swan image above is Alberio (β Cygni), which splits into a beautiful binary star, whose component stars are blue and gold. It takes a bit more magnification than a pair of binoculars provides.
Note also the mythological citation in the program was omitted from the broadcast version due to time constraints.
07/17/2015 – Ephemeris – The constellation of the harp now and Venus and the Moon tomorrow night.
Ephemeris for Friday, July 17th. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 11 minutes, setting at 9:24. The Moon, 2 days past new, will set at 10:07 this evening, and tomorrow the Sun will rise at 6:14.
High in the east at 11 p.m. can be found 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, one of the twenty one brightest stars, called first magnitude stars. Vega is actually the 5th brightest night time star. 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 great musician Orpheus.
Looking westward tomorrow night the planet Venus will appear about 2 moon widths above the crescent Moon.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Lyra as a tortoise-shell harp. Created using Stellarium and free clip art.
Venus appears above the thin crescent moon with Jupiter to the right at 10 p.m. Saturday July 18, 2015. Created using Stellarium.
07/16/2015 – Ephemeris – The Summer Triangle is the sign of the season
Ephemeris for Thursday, July 16th. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 12 minutes, setting at 9:25. The Moon, 1 day past new, will set at 9:32 this evening, and tomorrow the Sun will rise at 6:13.
We’re almost a month into summer, and the asterism or informal constellation called the Summer Triangle can be seen midway up the sky in the east as it gets dark. Highest of the three bright stars is Vega in the constellation Lyra the harp, whose body is seen in a narrow parallelogram nearby. The second star of the triangle is Deneb lower and left of Vega, It appears dimmer than Vega because it is by far the most distant of the three. The third star of the Summer Triangle is seen farther below and a right of Vega. It is Altair in Aquila the eagle, and the closest. Altair is 16.5 light years away, Vega is 27 light years while Deneb is so far away that it’s distance is in some doubt and may be 2,600 light years away.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Summer Triangle. Created using Stellarium.
07/10/2015 – Ephemeris – The celestial scorpion crawls over the horizon
Ephemeris for Friday, July 10th. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 21 minutes, setting at 9:28. The Moon, 2 days past last quarter, will rise at 2:44 tomorrow morning, and tomorrow the Sun will rise at 6:07.
The planet Saturn, this year, is on the right edge of the constellation of Scorpius the scorpion which is in the south at 11 p.m. Its brightest star is Antares in its heart, a red giant star. From Antares to the right is a star then a vertical arc of three stars that is its head. The Scorpion’s tail is a line of stars running down to the left of Antares swooping to the horizon before coming back up and ending in a pair of stars that portray his poisonous stinger. Scorpius looks huge lying on the southern horizon. But if you go south Scorpius will be higher in the sky, and will look smaller. Being close to the horizon from Michigan, Scorpius shares with the rising and setting sun and moon the illusion of increased size.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Scorpius from Traverse City/Interlochen at 11 p.m. on July 10, 2015. Created using Stellarium.
06/08/2015 – Ephemeris – Libra in the balance
Ephemeris for Monday, June 8th. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 28 minutes, setting at 9:26. The Moon, 1 day before last quarter, will rise at 1:46 tomorrow morning and tomorrow the Sun will rise at 5:57.
One of the constellations of the Zodiac or circle of animals isn’t either animal or human. It is Libra the Scales or balance. It lies low in the southeastern sky at 11 p.m., just to the right of the rising Saturn and Scorpius the scorpion. Libra, it seems, is an afterthought, a simple diamond shape of four stars. Its two brightest stars Zubeneschamali and Zubenelgenubi translate to the north and south claw respectively, of Scorpius to the left of it. The Arabs, at least, seemed to view this as part of Scorpius. The balance was perhaps to signify the equality of day and night, at the time the sun was in this part of the sky at the start of autumn, over 2000 years ago. Now its in Virgo.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Libra with Saturn and Scorpius rising behind in the southeast at 10:30 p.m. on June 8, 2015. Created using Stellarium.
05/14/2015 – Ephemeris – The constellation Virgo in mythology
Ephemeris for Thursday, May 14th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 46 minutes, setting at 9:02. The Moon, 3 days past last quarter, will rise at 4:51 tomorrow morning. Tomorrow the Sun will rise at 6:14.
Tonight in the sky: to the left of the constellation of Leo the lion, which lies in the west-southwest at 11 p.m. is the next constellation of the zodiac: Virgo the virgin, is seen in the south. Virgo is a large constellation of a reclining woman holding a stalk of wheat. The bright star in the center of the constellation, Spica, is the head of that spike of wheat; and as such ruled over the harvest in two of Virgo’s guises as the goddesses Persephone and Ceres. Virgo is also identified as Astraea the goddess of justice. The constellation of Libra, the scales, is found just east of her. Early Christians saw Virgo as the Virgin Mary. Virgo is the home of the Virgo Cluster of thousands of galaxies.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Virgo with the also mentioned constellations of Leo and Libra for 11 p.m., May 14, 2015. Created using Stellarium.
Virgo as depicted in Urania’s Mirror, a set of constellation cards published in London c.1825. From the Library of Congress. H/T Wikipedia.
Libra as depicted in Urania’s Mirror, a set of constellation cards published in London c.1825. From the Library of Congress. H/T Wikipedia.
Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog 