Archive
03/02/2016 – Ephemeris – The morning planet gang is breaking up
Ephemeris for Wednesday, March 2nd. The Sun will rise at 7:17. It’ll be up for 11 hours and 14 minutes, setting at 6:32. The Moon, 1 day past last quarter, will rise at 3:08 tomorrow morning.
Let’s check out the whereabouts of the bright naked eye planets. All the classical planets visible from antiquity are officially now in the morning sky. I won’t be able to say that next week. Mercury is too close to the Sun and too dim to be spotted. Jupiter will rise at 6:53 p.m., in the east. Jupiter is going to be the morning sky defector as of next Tuesday. It’s below the stars of Leo. Mars will rise next at 12:59 a.m. in the east-southeast. It’s seen against the stars of Libra now. Saturn will rise at 2:23 a.m. in the east-southeast. It’s above the stars of Scorpius, actually in Ophiuchus. Venus will rise at 6:24 a.m. again in the east-southeast. Mercury will pass behind the Sun in superior conjunction on the 23rd.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Jupiter and the rising spring constellations at 10 p.m. March 2, 2016. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter and its moons as they would be seen in a telescope, at 10 p.m. March 2, 2016. Jupiter has an apparent diameter of 44.4″ Created using Stellarium.
The morning planets and the Moon with the bright stars at 6:45 a.m. March 3, 2016. Created using Stellarium.
Mars as might look through a large amateur telescope at 6:45 a.m. March 3, 2016. North is at top. Apparent diameter is 8.9″.
In the Mars map below the center of the map pretty well matches the center of the Mars image above. The dark area to the upper left is Acidalia. The There’s a long dark feature to the right that has a blob at the end. The blob is Meridiani, where Mars’ prime meridian runs through. It is Meridiani where Opportunity landed, marked be MER-B.
Annotated Mars Map. Credit NASA.
Saturn and its large satellite Titan and other moons as they should appear in a telescope in the morning of March 3, 2016. The planet is 16.6″ in diameter while the rings span 38.7″. Created using Stellarium.
This is a chart showing the sunrise and sunset skies for March 2, 2016 showing the location of the planets and the Moon at that time. Created using my LookingUp program.
Some of these images above are shown smaller than actual size. Image expansion lately hasn’t worked. If you are using Firefox, right-click on the image, and then click on View Image.
03/01/2016 – Ephemeris – Previewing March skies
Ephemeris for Tuesday, March 1st. The Sun will rise at 7:19. It’ll be up for 11 hours and 11 minutes, setting at 6:31. The Moon, at last quarter today, will rise at 2:15 tomorrow morning.
Let’s look at the skies for the month of March. The sun will pass the celestial equator as the promising season of spring will begin. Daylight hours in the Interlochen/Traverse City area and will increase from 11 hours and 11 minutes today to 12 hours 45 minutes on the 31st. The altitude, or angle, of the sun above the southern horizon at local noon will be 38 degrees today and will ascend to nearly 50 degrees on the 31st. Jupiter will reach opposition from the Sun on the 8th and enter the evening sky. That evening our time a total solar eclipse will be visible from Indonesia to the Pacific Ocean. Spring will begin on the 20th at 12:31 a.m. Easter, announced by the full moon on the 23rd will be celebrated on the 27th for western churches.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
March Star Chart
Star Chart for March 2016. Created using my LookingUp program. To enlarge in Firefox Right-click on image then click View image.
The planets and stars are plotted for the 15th at 10 p.m. EST. That is chart time. Note, Traverse City is located 45 minutes behind our time meridian. To duplicate the star positions on a planisphere you may have to set it to 45 minutes earlier than the current time.
Evening astronomical twilight ends at 7:34 p.m. EST on the 1st, increasing to 9:14 p.m. EDT on the 31st.
Morning astronomical twilight starts at 6:16 a.m. EDT on the 1st, and decreasing to 6:20 a.m. EST on the 31st.
Add a half hour to the chart time every week before the 15th and subtract a half hour for every week after the 15th. Before the 13th also subtract an hour for Standard Time.
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
- A leaky Big Dipper drips on Leo
- Follow the arc of the handle of the Big Dipper to the star Arcturus
Calendar of Planetary Events
Credit: Sky Events Calendar by Fred Espenak and Sumit Dutta (NASA’s GSFC)
To generate your own calendar go to http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SKYCAL/SKYCAL.html
Times are Eastern Time. Some additions made to aid clarity.
Date Time(EST) Event
Mar 01 Tu Venus: 24.9° W
01 Tu 6:11 pm Last Quarter
02 We 1:53 am Moon-Saturn: 3.9° S
03 Th 9:19 am Moon South Dec.: 18.2° S
07 Mo 5:54 am Moon-Venus: 3.5° S
08 Tu 4:58 am Jupiter Opposition from the Sun
08 Tu 8:54 pm New Moon
08 Tu 8:58 pm Total Solar Eclipse* (Indonesia & Pacific)
09 We 1:31 am Moon Descending Node
10 Th 2:02 am Moon Perigee: 359500 km
13 Su 2:00 am Daylight Saving Time starts (EDT) Boo Hiss!
14 Mo 9:44 am Moon-Aldebaran: 0.3° S
15 Tu 1:03 pm First Quarter
16 We 1:01 am Moon North Dec.: 18.2° N
20 Su 12:31 am Vernal Equinox – Yea Spring!
20 Su 3:05 pm Moon-Regulus: 2.8° N
21 Mo 11:57 pm Moon-Jupiter: 2.3° N
22 Tu 8:58 pm Moon Ascending Node
23 We 7:48 am Penumbral Lunar Eclipse (not visible from here)
23 We 8:01 am Full Moon
23 We 4:05 pm Mercury Superior Conjunction with the Sun
25 Fr 10:16 am Moon Apogee: 406100 km
28 Mo 2:45 pm Moon-Mars: 4.6° S
29 Tu 10:58 am Moon-Saturn: 3.8° S
30 We 6:12 pm Moon South Dec.: 18.2° S
31 Th 11:17 am Last Quarter
Apr 01 Venus: 17.4° W
* Coverage on NASA-TV-2 & www.exploratorium.edu/eclipse from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Comet Catalina
Comet Catalina has become too faint to be seen in binoculars as it heads out of the solar system. To follow the comet further go to Seiichi Yashida’s Weekly Bright Comets page. Comet Catalina is no longer the brightest comet on the list, and is currently listed second. Click on it [C/2013 US10 ( Catalina )] for finder charts and other information.
When last we saw the comet was headed toward the constellation. But it’s headed almost straight away from the Earth now, and the Earth’s motion around the Sun is making the comet appear to start a loop north of Perseus. Another proof that Copernicus was right.
02/29/2016 – Ephemeris – Yea! It’s the Leap Day.
Ephemeris for Monday, February 29th. The Sun will rise at 7:21. It’ll be up for 11 hours and 8 minutes, setting at 6:29. The Moon, 1 day before last quarter, will rise at 1:19 tomorrow morning.
Today is one of those special days that only occur once every 4 years. It’s the intercalary or leap day that compensates for that fact that the earth takes 365 and nearly a quarter day to orbit the sun. That orbit is a year, and those quarter days are accumulated and added as the last day of February on years divisible by 4. The Gregorian reform makes a slight adjustment on most century years, making century years not divisible by 400 ordinary years to keep the calendar in sync with the seasons. The Romans, from who we’ve gotten our calendar considered the month of February as unlucky, and so shortened it. Enjoy your extra day today, too bad it’s a Monday. My bobmoler.wordpress.com blog post from yesterday explains it in more detail.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
02/26/2016 – Ephemeris – The lion roars into the evening sky
Ephemeris for Friday, February 26th. The Sun will rise at 7:26. It’ll be up for 10 hours and 59 minutes, setting at 6:25. The Moon, half way from full to last quarter, will rise at 10:27 this evening.
Besides the advancing sunset times, there is another sign that spring is coming. That’s the appearance of the constellation Leo the lion rising in the east in the evening. The front of this beast is a backward question mark of stars with the bright star Regulus as the dot at the bottom. That’s his head, mane and chest. His haunches are a triangle of stars to the lower left, the last star is in the east above brilliant planet Jupiter. just clearing the horizon at 9 p.m. One way to find Leo is to remember that cat’s aren’t supposed to like water, though mine have always had a certain fascination with the toilet. Find the Big Dipper standing on its handle and imagine drilling a hole in the bottom of the bowl. The water, falling from the north, will fall on Leo’s back.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
How to find Leo with Jupiter and the Big Dipper. At 10 p.m. on February 26, 2016. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.
02/25/2016 – Ephemeris – The Crab and the Beehive
Ephemeris for Thursday, February 25th. The Sun will rise at 7:27. It’ll be up for 10 hours and 56 minutes, setting at 6:24. The Moon, 3 days past full, will rise at 9:29 this evening.
At 9 this evening, the faint constellation, and member of the Zodiac, Cancer the crab will be located in the southeastern sky half way between the bright stars Castor and Pollux of the constellation Gemini, high in the south and the bright star Regulus in Leo the lion and Jupiter in the east. Cancer is very dim, looking like an upside-down Y. In the center of Cancer is a fuzzy spot to the unaided eye. In binoculars or a low power telescope this fuzzy spot becomes a cluster of stars. It is Messier 44 or the Beehive star cluster. At 577 light years away, it is one of the closest star clusters, but more distant than the Pleiades and Hyades the face of Taurus the bull. Of the three the Pleiades is the youngest at 100 million years. The Beehive is 7 times older.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Cancer Finder Chart. Created using Stellarium.
The Beehive star cluster, M44, a great binocular object. Its ancient name was the Praesepe or manger when glimpsed by the naked eye as a fuzzy spot. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts)
02/24/2016 – Ephemeris – The planets are all hanging out in the morning for another 2 weeks
Ephemeris for Wednesday, February 24th. The Sun will rise at 7:29. It’ll be up for 10 hours and 53 minutes, setting at 6:23. The Moon, 2 days past full, will rise at 8:31 this evening.
Let’s check out the whereabouts of the bright naked eye planets. All the classical planets visible from antiquity are officially now in the morning sky. Though Mercury is too close to the Sun to be spotted. Jupiter will rise at 7:25 p.m., in the east. Jupiter is still a morning planet since it’s not up at sunset. It’s among the stars of Leo. Mars will rise next at 1:12 a.m. in the east-southeast. It’s seen against the stars of Libra now. Saturn will rise at 2:49 a.m. in the east-southeast. It’s above the stars of Scorpius, actually in Ophiuchus. Venus will rise at 6:27 a.m. again in the east-southeast. Comet Catalina is up all night and is a telescopic object and fading fast. At 10 p.m. is above the constellation of Cassiopeia and right of Perseus.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Jupiter, the Moon in the official constellation boundaries as set up by the International Astronomical Union at 10 p.m. February 24, 2016. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter and its moons as they would be seen in a telescope, at 10 p.m. February 24, 2016. Jupiter has an apparent diameter of 44.2″ Created using Stellarium.
The Moon as it might be seen in binoculars at 10 p.m. February 24, 2016. Created using Stellarium.
The morning planets with constellation boundaries at 7 a.m. February 25, 2016. Created using Stellarium.
Mars in a telescope at high power. It’s apparent diameter is 8.4″. At 7 a.m. February 25, 2016. Created using Stellarium.
Saturn and its large satellite Titan and other moons as they should appear in a telescope in the morning of February 25, 2016. The planet is 16.4″ in diameter while the rings span 38.2″. Created using Stellarium.
The telescopic planet images are not to the same scale. Use the diameters in seconds of arc (“) as a way to compare the sizes.
Comet Catalina has become too faint to be seen in binoculars as it heads out of the solar system. To follow the comet further go to Seiichi Yashida’s Weekly Bright Comets page. Comet Catalina is n longer the brightest comet on the list, and is currently listed second. Click on it [C/2013 US10 ( Catalina )] for finder charts and other information.
This is a chart showing the sunrise and sunset skies for February 24, 2016 showing the location of the planets and the Moon at that time. Created using my LookingUp program.
Some of these images above are shown smaller than actual size. Image expansion lately hasn’t worked. If you are using Firefox, right-click on the image, and then click on View Image.
02/23/2016 – Ephemeris – The king of the planets is planning to conquer the evening sky. Tonight its enlisting help from the Moon.
Ephemeris for Tuesday, February 23rd. The Sun will rise at 7:31. It’ll be up for 10 hours and 50 minutes, setting at 6:21. The Moon, 1 day past full, will rise at 7:32 this evening.
Rising with the Moon tonight will be the planet Jupiter which will appear to the left of the Moon as they rise, to the upper left of the Moon at 10 p.m. and above the Moon at midnight. NASA’s Juno spacecraft, launched in 2011, is planned to arrive at Jupiter on July 4th this year. No, it’s not a coincidence. It will orbit the planet for nearly two years. It’s the only solar-powered spacecraft that can operate as far from the Sun as Jupiter, which is 5 times farther from the Sun as the Earth, which gets one 5th squared or one twenty-fifth the intensity of sunlight. It has 3 huge solar panels making the spacecraft 66 feet wide. It’s mission is about Jupiter, its internal structure, atmosphere and magnetic and radiation fields.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Jupiter and the Moon animation. Note their change in position relative to each other at 8 p.m., 10 p.m. and midnight. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Chart) and GIMP.
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Closeup of Jupiter and the Moon at 10 p.m., February 23, 2016. The Moon is a whole lot brighter, and Jupiter dimmer than what’s shown here. Created using Stellarium.
The Juno spacecraft. Credit: NASA.
02/22/2016 – Ephemeris – Actual gravitational waves detected!
Ephemeris for Monday, February 22nd. The Sun will rise at 7:32. It’ll be up for 10 hours and 47 minutes, setting at 6:20. The Moon, at full today, will rise at 6:32 this evening.
On February 11th the LIGO team announced the discovery of gravitational waves coming from two black holes merging over a billion light years away. LIGO stands for Laser Interferometry Gravitational-wave Observatory. Two interferometers, one in the state of Washington, and the other in Louisiana detected the same signal milliseconds apart. An interferometer sends a split light beam onto two paths 90 degrees apart to strike mirrors and return to interfere with itself. A minute change in the length either light path will show up as a change in the interference. The maximum change was one-one thousandths of the diameter of the proton subatomic particle. This is a greater discovery than the Higgs Boson of a few years ago.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
A view of the LIGO detector near Livingston, LA. Credit LIGO.org.
The chirp heard ’round the world and indeed the universe. Credit: LIGO/Abbot et al. 2016. Hat tip: Phil Plait, the Bad Astronomer.
02/19/2015 – Ephemeris – Jupiter is beginning to take its rightful place as king of the evening sky
Ephemeris for Friday, February 19th. The Sun will rise at 7:37. It’ll be up for 10 hours and 38 minutes, setting at 6:16. The Moon, 3 days before full, will set at 6:10 tomorrow morning.
Jupiter is becoming noticeable in the evening sky in the east after 8 p.m. The heavy atmosphere near the horizon make telescopic observations difficult because the planet and its satellites will appear fuzzy and have color fringes top and bottom. Wait an hour or two for the planet to rise higher into quieter and thinner air to get the best telescopic views. Jupiter is accompanied by four moons in telescopes. Tonight they’re on one side of Jupiter, with Io closest, then Europa and Ganymede close to each other, while Callisto as usual appears to be the farthest satellite. The face of Jupiter itself is crossed by dark belts and light zones that run in the same direction as the satellites orbit. The moons change position from night to night.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Jupiter, the Moon and stars tonight at 10 p.m., February 19, 2016. Created using Stellarium.
This image is shown smaller than actual size. Image expansion lately hasn’t worked. If you are using Firefox, right-click on the image, and then click on View Image.
Jupiter and its moons tonight, 10 p.m. February 19, 2016. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter and its four Galilean moons. The planet has to be over exposed to pick up the moons. But the eye can handle the brightness difference with no problem. This is one of my old pictures I do believe.
Jupiter with its Great Red Spot November 18, 2012 by Scott Anttila.
The above image by Scott Anttila is actually much better that the image seen in small telescopes. Advances in digital photography and processing allow the stacking and averaging of many images to create better pictures by amateur astronomers with modest equipment than the best telescopes of a quarter century ago.
02/18/2016 – Ephemeris – Castor and Pollux
Ephemeris for Thursday, February 18th. The Sun will rise at 7:39. It’ll be up for 10 hours and 35 minutes, setting at 6:14. The Moon, 3 days past first quarter, will set at 5:28 tomorrow morning.
The star Pollux is at the head of the same named brother of Gemini the twins. Castor is the slightly dimmer star right above it. Pollux is about 34 light years away. It’s twice as massive as the Sun, and has run out of hydrogen in its core and is in the process of evolving into a red giant star. One planet, twice as massive as Jupiter has been detected around it. Castor is at 51 light years away. There are 6 stars in its system. The brightest three are visible in telescopes. Each is a spectroscopic binary, meaning that the companion stars are detected by the Doppler shifts of the lines in their spectra as the stars orbit each other. The Doppler shift is just one of the many pieces of information revealed by the spectroscope.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Castro and Pollux with the bright Moon and other bright stars and constellations of winter. 9 p.m. February 18, 2016. Created using Stellarium.
The Castor star system exploded in this JPL/NASA infographic.
The entire infographic is here.
