Archive
02/06/2015 – Ephemeris – The GTAS will entertain the NMC Students in a Star Bowl Quiz tonight
Ephemeris for Friday, February 6th. The sun will rise at 7:56. It’ll be up for 10 hours and 2 minutes, setting at 5:58. The moon, 3 days past full, will rise at 8:55 this evening.
Tonight the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will have for its meeting at 8 p.m. at Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory its nearly annual Star Bowl contest with The Northwestern Michigan College astronomy students, and NMC Astronomy Club members facing the returning champions, the GTAS. This Jeopardy style game will be hosted by NMC Professor Jerry Dobek. Come and watch or even take part if you’d like. At 9 p.m. the society will host a star party at the observatory with the Moon and Jupiter as featured objects. Folks can still bring in their telescopes for help during this time. The observatory is located south of Traverse City on Birmley Road between Garfield and Keystone roads.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Jupiter through a telescope at 9 p.m. (EST), on February 6, 2015. The four Galilean moon will be stretched out on one side of Jupiter in order of their actual distances from the planet. Created using Cartes du Ceil (Sky Charts).
The Moon tonight (February 6, 2015). The Moon will rise shortly before the start of the Star Party. Created using Virtual Moon Atlas.
02/05/2015 – Ephemeris more about Jupiter it’s motion and mass
Thursday, February 5th. The sun will rise at 7:57. It’ll be up for 9 hours and 59 minutes, setting at 5:56. The moon, 2 days past full, will rise at 7:57 this evening.
Tomorrow the planet Jupiter will reach opposition from the Sun being about 180 degrees opposite the Sun in the sky. At opposition Jupiter is it’s closest to the earth, and appears its largest in a telescope, except for Venus when it is at its very closest to the Earth. This second brightest planet was named for the chief of the Roman gods, and takes a majestic 12 years to circumnavigate the sky staying in each zodiacal constellation for a year. It is currently between Cancer on the right and Leo on the left. In fact it crossed the astronomical boundary back into Cancer. Since we view all the other planets from our own moving planet, their apparent paths back up westward from their normal eastward motion when we are nearest them.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
I published this track of Jupiter’s motion for this Jovian viewing season a week ago, showing it’s backward or retrograde motion as we pass it.
Jupiter’s retrograde path against the stars between Cancer and Leo October 2014 to July 2015. Created using Cartes du Ceil (Sky Charts). Click on the image to enlarge.
The planet Jupiter is the largest planet and also most massive. In fact Jupiter contains more mass than all the other planets of the solar system combined times 2.
Masses of all the planets including the dwarf planet Pluto in terms of the Earth’s mass. Credit: University of Tennessee.
Or as the late great science and science fiction writer Isaac Asimov wrote: “The solar system is composed of the Sun, Jupiter and debris.”
Feeling small yet?
02/04/2015 – Ephemeris – We have 4 bright planets and a fading comet
Ephemeris for Wednesday, February 4th. The sun will rise at 7:58. It’ll be up for 9 hours and 56 minutes, setting at 5:55. The moon, 1 day past full, will rise at 6:59 this evening.
Lets take a look at the bright planets and a reasonably bright comet for this week. Brilliant Venus is in the west-southwest by 6:30 p.m. It will set at 8 p.m. Mars appears above and left of Venus in the southwest. Both of them are in the constellation of Aquarius. The Red Planet will set tonight at 8:43 p.m. Jupiter, 2 days from being in opposition from the sun, and opposite the sun in the sky, when it will be rising at sunset and setting at sunrise will rise tonight in the east at 5:49 p.m. It’s near the sickle-shaped head of Leo the lion. It will be seen above the Moon at 9 p.m. Early risers will be able to spot Saturn which will rise in the east-southeast at 3:06 a.m. Comet Lovejoy, visible in binoculars, is near the star at the end of Andromeda, called Almaak.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Evening
Venus and Mars low in the west with the setting autumn constellations and a few northern summer stars at 7 p.m. on February 4, 2015. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter the Moon and the bright winter stars at 8 p.m. on February 4, 2015. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter and its Galilean moons as they might appear in a telescope. Created using Cartes du Ceil (Sky Charts).
The Moon as it might appear in binoculars at 8 p.m. on February 4, 2015. Created using Cartes du Ceil (Sky Charts).
The track of Comet 2014 Q2 (Lovejoy) from 2/04/15 to 02/10/15 which will appear high in the west at 9 p.m. Created using Cartes du Ceil (Sky Charts).
Morning
Saturn will appear above the red giant star Antares at 6 a.m. February 5, 2015. At this time Jupiter and the Moon will appear above the western horizon. Created using Cartes du Ceil (Sky Charts).
What Saturn and its moons might appear like in a telescope at 6 a.m., February 5, 2015. Small telescopes will show only the moon Titan. Created using Cartes du Ceil (Sky Charts).
02/03/2015 – Ephemeris – Jupiter is really big and spins really fast
Ephemeris for Tuesday, February 3rd. The sun will rise at 7:59. It’ll be up for 9 hours and 54 minutes, setting at 5:53. The moon, at full today, will rise at 6:01 this evening.
Jupiter will appear to the left of the full moon tonight. The Galilean moons will be spread out with Callisto by its lonesome on one side then Europa, Io and Ganymede spaced out on the other. Jupiter’s cloud bands show the great planet’s rotation, and that the moon’s orbit over Jupiter’s equator, like most of the moons of the other planets. The clouds are whipped into parallel bands by Jupiter’s rapid rotation. Here’s a planet 11 times the diameter of the Earth, thirteen hundred times the volume, and over 300 times the mass of the Earth, rotating nearly two and a half times faster than the Earth. The equatorial rotation is 9 hours 50 minutes. The rapid rotation squishes the planet noticeably, which the cloud stripes visually enhance.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Rocking animation of the early stages of the shadow show on Jupiter. Callisto’s shadow already on the planet while Io’s shadow is just entering. Also Io’s transit is starting., following its shadow on the planet. Credit: Scott Anttila.
The above animation which I first posted last week demonstrates three of my points about Jupiter. The planet rotates rapidly, it’s polar diameter is shorter by about 7% than the equatorial diameter, and the satellites orbit over its equator. Jupiter also has a small axial tilt of 3º compared to the Earth’s 23 1/2º. As an aside we’re in the “season” where the satellites occult and eclipse each other.
Telescopic Jupiter tonight (9 p.m. February 3, 2015) as described in the text of the program. Created using Cartes du Ceil (Sky Charts).
02/02/2015 – Ephemeris – Ground Hog Day and other Cross-Quarter days
Ephemeris for Ground Hog Day, Monday, February 2nd. The sun will rise at 8:01. It’ll be up for 9 hours and 51 minutes, setting at 5:52. The moon, 1 day before full, will set at 7:26 tomorrow morning.
If Punxsutawney Phil, the groundhog in Punxsutawney, PA sees his shadow we’re supposed to be in for 6 weeks of winter, otherwise spring is just around the corner. The way the seasons really work, is that Ground Hog day is about half the way from the winter solstice to the spring equinox. In reality calendar-wise winter is about 12 weeks and 5 days, so we only have 6 weeks a few days to go of winter anyway. Groundhog day, May Day, and All Saints Day are holidays near cross quarter days, which are said to mark when seasons are half over. It seems no one cares when summer is half over around the first of August when Back to School Sales used to start. Of course now those sales seem to start the day after school lets out in June.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Poor Punxsutawney Phil, rousted out of his mid winter nap. They might be in the middle of a blizzard today. Credit: http://www.fuzzytoday.com
01/30/2015 – Ephemeris – Looking ahead at the Sun’s advance in February and what’s happening after it sets
Ephemeris for Friday, January 30th. The sun will rise at 8:04. It’ll be up for 9 hours and 43 minutes, setting at 5:48. The moon, half way from first quarter to full, will set at 5:25 tomorrow morning.
February is the shortest month, even so the daylight hours through out the month will be getting longer. Daylight hours will increase from 9 hours and 49 minutes on Sunday the first to 11 hours and 6 minutes on the 28th. The sunrise time will decrease from 8:02 Sunday to 7:22 at month’s end. The sunset times will increase from 5:51 on Sunday to 6:28 on the 28th. Along with that the altitude of the sun at noon will increase from 28 degrees on Sunday to nearly 38 degrees at month’s end. Local noon, by the way for Interlochen and Traverse City is about 12:55 p.m. The planet Jupiter will reach its closest to the Earth in 6 days. Comet Lovejoy will continue to fade as it retreats from the Earth and the Sun.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addenda
Monthly Star Chart
Star Chart for February 2015. Created using my LookingUp program.
The Moon is not plotted. The planets and stars are plotted for the 15th at 9 p.m. That is chart time.
Evening astronomical twilight ends at 7:31 p.m. on February 1st, increasing to 8:06 p.m. on the 28th.
Morning astronomical twilight starts at 6:21 a.m. on February 1st, and decreasing to 5:45 a.m. on the 28th.
Add a half hour to the chart time every week before the 15th and subtract and hour for every week after the 15th.
For a list of constellation names to go with the abbreviations click here.
The green pointer from the Big Dipper is:
- Pointer stars at the front of the bowl of the Big Dipper point to Polaris the North Star.
- Drill a hole in the bowl of the Big Dipper and the water will drip on the back of Leo the Lion.
Comet C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy)
Track of Comet C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy) for February 2015.
Comet C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy) will be fading fast throughout February as it moves from Andromeda to Cassiopeia.
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 Standard Time on a 24 hour clock. Some additions made to aid clarity.
Conjunctions like the Moon-Saturn: 2.3° S means Saturn will appear 2.3° south of the Moon.
| Feb | 01 | Su | Venus: 23.8° E of Sun | |
| 03 | Tu | 18:09 | Full Moon | |
| 06 | Fr | 01:25 | Moon Apogee: 406,200 km | |
| 06 | Fr | 11:55 | Jupiter Opposition from the Sun | |
| 08 | Su | 12:10 | Moon Ascending Node | |
| 11 | We | 22:50 | Last Quarter | |
| 12 | Th | 19:10 | Moon-Saturn: 2.3° S | |
| 14 | Sa | 12:18 | Moon South Dec.: 18.4° S | |
| 17 | Tu | 01:20 | Moon-Mercury: 3.5° S | |
| 18 | We | 18:47 | New Moon | |
| 19 | Th | 02:29 | Moon Perigee: 357000 km | |
| 20 | Fr | 19:56 | Moon-Venus: 2° S | |
| 20 | Fr | 20:28 | Moon-Mars: 1.5° S | |
| 21 | Sa | 11:05 | Moon Descending Node | |
| 22 | Su | 00:18 | Venus-Mars: 0.4° N | |
| 24 | Tu | 10:59 | Mercury Greatest Elongation: 26.7° W | |
| 25 | We | 12:14 | First Quarter | |
| 25 | We | 18:02 | Moon-Aldebaran: 1° S | |
| 25 | We | 23:18 | Neptune Conjunction with the Sun | |
| 27 | Fr | 02:19 | Moon North Dec.: 18.3° N | |
| Mar | 01 | Su | Venus: 30.1° E of Sun | |
01/29/2015 – Ephemeris – The first thing noticed about Jupiter in a telescope
Ephemeris for Thursday, January 29th. The sun will rise at 8:05. It’ll be up for 9 hours and 41 minutes, setting at 5:46. The moon, 3 days past first quarter, will set at 4:33 tomorrow morning.
If it’s clear tonight dress up warmly and take the telescope out to look Jupiter. Jupiter is the brightest star-like object out tonight. It outshines Sirius the brightest night-time star lower in the sky and to its right. Jupiter, being the largest planet most of the time is the biggest planet in the telescope, It’s only challenger is Venus for a couple of months when its closest to us. The first thing one notices about Jupiter in a telescope is that it has companions, up to 4, strung out on either side of the planet. Those are the four moons or satellites discovered by Galileo in 1610. They will shift position from night to night and even as you watch. They can hide behind Jupiter or in its shadow or in front of the planet.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Jupiter’s retrograde path against the stars between Cancer and Leo October 2014 to July 2015. Created using Cartes du Ceil (Sky Charts). Click to enlarge.
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 back in the days of film.
Jupiter with a solar eclipse in progress as Ganymede, lower left, casts its shadow on Jupiter on November 14, 2011. Credit: Scott Anttila.
Check out the Great Red Spot (GRS) above Ganymede’s shadow. It’s not really red. When I first aimed my telescope toward Jupiter back in the late 1950’s the GRS was indeed very red. Nowadays the GRS is very hard to find.
01/28/2015 – Ephemeris – Wednesday is bright planet and comet day on Ephemeris
Ephemeris for Wednesday, January 28th. The sun will rise at 8:06. It’ll be up for 9 hours and 39 minutes, setting at 5:45. The moon, 2 days past first quarter, will set at 3:37 tomorrow morning.
Lets take a look at the bright planets and a pretty bright comet for this week. Venus is in the west-southwest by 6:30 p.m. It will set at 7:41. Mercury is now too close to the direction of the sun to be seen. Mars appears above and left of Venus in the southwest, and is in the constellation of Aquarius. The Red Planet will set tonight at 8:42 p.m. Jupiter, 9 days from being in opposition from the sun, and opposite the sun in the sky, when it will be rising at sunset and setting at sunrise will rise tonight in the east at 6:27 p.m. It’s near the sickle-shaped head of Leo the lion. Early risers will be able to spot Saturn which will rise in the east-southeast at 3:32 a.m. Comet Lovejoy, visible in binoculars, is near the short end of the constellation of Triangulum.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Venus and Mars with the setting autumn constellations at 7 p.m. January 28, 2015. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter, the Moon and the constellations of winter at 9 p.m. January 28, 2015. Created using Stellarium.
What the moon might look like in binoculars at 9 p.m. January 28, 2015. Created using Stellarium.
What Jupiter and its moons might appear like in a telescope at 9 p.m., January 28, 2015. Created using Cartes du Ceil (Sky Charts).
Saturn and a preview of the summer constellations at 6:30 a.m. January 29, 2015. Created using Stellarium.
What Saturn and its moons might appear like in a telescope at 6:30 a.m., January 29, 2015. Small telescopes will show only the moon Titan. Created using Cartes du Ceil (Sky Charts).
Comet Lovejoy
The track of Comet Lovejoy for the next week (from 1/28/2015 to 2/03/2015 at 9 p.m.) Created using Cartes du Ceil (Sky Charts).
There are some fuzzy objects in this part of the sky. However only M31, the Great Andromeda Galaxy, is bright enough to be mistaken for the comet. Next Tuesday and Wednesday the comet will appear close to Almaak (γ Andromedae), a 2nd magnitude star. Note: six of the seven Big Dipper stars are 2nd magnitude.
01/27/2015 – Ephemeris – Looking at a valley on the Moon
Ephemeris for Tuesday, January 27th. The sun will rise at 8:07. It’ll be up for 9 hours and 36 minutes, setting at 5:44. The moon, 1 day past first quarter, will set at 2:36 tomorrow morning.
If it’s clear tonight drag out that telescope to look at the Moon. Your telescope may flip the moon around, viewing the Moon in different orientations. What I’m describing will be north is up, south is down. Your telescope may flop the image, so check your telescopic view with how it appears to the naked eye. I will use the north-south terminology. And we’ll stick close to the terminator, the sunrise line on the Moon. One of the striking linear features of the moon is the Alpine Valley, about 2/3rds the way from the center of the moon to the north pole. It is a fault valley through the lunar Alps. About half way from the center of the Moon to the north pole. It’s the largest of three craters in a nearly right triangle. It’s named after Archimedes.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The Moon at 9 p.m. EST (UT -5h) January 27, 2015. Created using Virtual Moon Atlas.
I notice that I have quite a few followers to this blog from the UK. Unfortunately for you folks the crater Archimedes will not yet be visible tonight. I’ve labeled some extra craters that I didn’t discuss in the program, plus I’m adding the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mosaic that’s mapped onto the Virtual Moon Atlas globe.
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mosaic of the region at the eastern shore of Mare Imbrium. Credit NASA/GSFC/LRO, Virtual Moon Atlas
01/26/2015 – Ephemeris – First quarter Moon, a telescopic asteroid misses the Earth tonight and a Jupiter shadow recap
Note: Ephemeris program generally features objects in the sky that are visible to the naked eye or binoculars. However in the blog, with the ability to expand in both content and illustrations I can add information for telescopic observers and expand postings.
Ephemeris for Monday, January 26th. The sun will rise at 8:08. It’ll be up for 9 hours and 34 minutes, setting at 5:42. The moon, at first quarter today, will set at 1:30 tomorrow morning.
The Moon will be perfectly half illuminated by the sun at 11:48 p.m. The gray patches that appear on the Moon’s surface were called by early telescopic astronomers: seas; because they thought they were bodies of water. The Moon is pretty much bone dry, except for some eternally shadowed craters at the poles, which still aren’t wet because the water is frozen. Anyway the seas or maria on the moon are indeed low spots. The seas, from the top center of the moon down to the lower right are Serenity, Tranquility, Nectar and Fertility. To the upper right all by itself is the Sea of Crises. From Serenity to Fertility some can imagine an upside down rabbit, with ears of unequal sizes. In a few more days we’ll see the face of the man in the Moon.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addenda
First Quarter Moon
Rabbit in the first quarter Moon. Created using Virtual Moon Atlas.
Tonight Asteroid 2004 BL86 will pass three times the Moon’s distance from the Earth
This evening a rather large asteroid for a Near Earth Object or NEO will pass three-quarters of a million miles from the Earth. The asteroid has the designation 2004 BL86. The cool thing is that this asteroid is half a kilometer or so meters across, that’s 5 soccer or football fields in diameter. Radar from this close passage should nail down the size and shape. Between Goldstone Tracking Station and Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico the asteroid should be mapped down to 2 to 4 meters. It would be definitely not cool if this asteroid ever hit the Earth. It will be 9th magnitude, and so will be visible in small telescopes, and it will cross the east or left side of the Beehive star cluster also designated M44 starting about midnight tonight.
If you want to observe the event and don’t have the equipment head on over to www.slooh.com. This is the site for Slooh (pronounced “slew”) Community Observatory which has observatories in the Canary Islands and Chile, and partners with others. Besides these events, members can schedule time and use the telescopes via the internet. Check the above link for more information.
The chart below is from NASA/JPL’s Near Earth Object Program: Updated Charts for Asteroid 2004 BL86 Earth Flyby on Jan 26, 2015
The track of asteroid 2004 BL86 as viewed from the Earth, plotted on a star chart with an equatorial coordinate grid. The asteroid location is shown at four-hour intervals from January 26 to 28. The indicated times are Universal Time; subtract 5 hours for Eastern Standard Time (EST), 6 hours for CST, and 8 hours for PST. On January 26, the asteroid will pass within 11 degrees of Jupiter, now shining brightly in the east in the evening sky. Image and caption credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech. JPL orbit solution #43, with star chart graphics produced using C2A. Click to enlarge.
Below is a chart from Universe Today. Here’s a link to their web page.
A Black on white chart of asteroid 2004 BL86 crossing to the right of M44. Note that the actual path depends on your location since the chart is based on the center of the Earth. The closer to your horizon the greatest deviation from the path shown. Time Ticks are for CST. Add one hour to them for EST. The Midnight tick mark is 0 h UT or GMT the 27th. Credit Universe Today and created with Chris Marriott’s SkyMap software.
Sky and Telescope has charts that have BL86’s track plotted about 15 minutes ahead of the track above. It is a newer chart, so the asteroid’s position may have been updated. The Sky and Telescope narrative and charts are here.
Results from Jupiter’s early Saturday satellite shadow play
The video live feed from the Griffith Planetarium in Los Angeles was a bust. It suffered from what astronomers call bad seeing. I mean really horrible seeing. Astronomers ascribe at least two qualities to the sky, other than brightness due to the moon or light pollution. That is transparency and seeing. Seeing is the steadiness of the sky. What Jupiter looked like was looking at a small disk at the bottom of a swimming pool while the kids are still playing in it. At first I ascribed it to Jupiter being low in the LA sky, being 3 hours west of here. But it didn’t get better as the night progressed. I could occasionally make out Callisto’s shadow, just because I knew where it’s supposed to be. But that’s it.
However my friend from the Detroit area, Scott Anttila, blessed at least for a while with clearer and calmer skies got some wonderful pictures of the first part of the multiple shadow event.
Left to right the shadows of Io and Callisto crossing the face of Jupiter at 12:52 a.m. January 24, 2015. Credit Scott Anttila.
Note that Callisto has a larger shadow than Io. That’s mainly due to it’s greater distance from Jupiter that makes its shadow larger and fuzzier than the closer Io.
In this picture Io’s shadow has just caught up with Callisto’s shadow. Credit: Scott Anttila.
Rocking animation of the early stages of the shadow show on Jupiter. Callisto’s shadow already on the planet while Io’s shadow is just entering. Also Io’s transit is starting, following its shadow on the planet. Credit: Scott Anttila
