Archive
01/23/2015 – Ephemeris – Checking on Comet Lovejoy and the Moon.
Ephemeris for Friday, January 23rd. The sun will rise at 8:11. It’ll be up for 9 hours and 27 minutes, setting at 5:38. The moon, half way from new to first quarter, will set at 9:59 this evening.
The crescent moon is growing brighter but shouldn’t bother binocular views of Comet Lovejoy, now between the Pleiades and the small constellation of Triangulum, a narrow pointy triangle. Tonight only it’s above the crescent Moon. The Moon in binoculars or a small telescope is revealing more of its surface nightly. The Sea of Crises or Mare Crisium is now fully in sunlight and The Sea of Fertility Or Mare Fecunditatis is now half in sunlight, with the odd pair of craters Messier and Messier A right at the terminator near the center of the sea. Check these craters after a few days and an odd ray pattern will appear. Apparently the body or bodies that created them came in at a very low angle and threw material forward in a couple of streaks.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Comet Lovejoy appearing tonight only above the Moon. This is for 8 p.m. January 23, 2015. Created using Cartes du Ceil (Sky Charts)
The Moon through a telescope at low power. 8 p.m., January 23, 2015. Created using Virtual Moon Atlas and Gimp.
The Craters Messier A and B from Apollo 11. NASA
01/22/2015 – Ephemeris – Let’s spot the Moon and Mars with a bonus look at Neptune
Ephemeris for Thursday, January 22nd. The sun will rise at 8:11. It’ll be up for 9 hours and 25 minutes, setting at 5:37. The moon, 2 days past new, will set at 8:44 this evening.
Tonight the crescent moon is nearing Mars low in the southwest in the early evening. The motion of Mars has been interesting for the last few months. Even though the Sun is overtaking it in the sky, it has been setting later each night, not earlier. This is due to the fact Mars is moving northeasterly in the sky, and the sun also is setting later. The moon, is a thin crescent. In binoculars, the terminator is crossing the small, near circular Sea of Crises near the top of the crescent. Lower down, in binoculars and especially in small telescopes a beautiful crater of Langrenus is fully visible. I have a picture of it from Apollo 8, a photograph from orbit. It looks pretty much like it will be visible tonight only a lot clearer.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Magnified field with Mars, and the Moon. Neptune is also in the field for 7 p.m. January 22, 2015. Created using Cartes du Ceil (Sky Charts).
The Moon with Earth shine at 7 p.m. January 22, 2015. Created using Virtual Moon Atlas and GIMP.
The crater Langrenus as imaged by the Apollo 8 crew on their historic orbiting of the Moon Christmas Eve 1968. Credit: NASA.
01/21/2015 – Ephemeris – Our weekly look at the bright planets and a comet
Ephemeris for Wednesday, January 21st. The sun will rise at 8:12. It’ll be up for 9 hours and 23 minutes, setting at 5:35. The moon, 1 day past new, will set at 7:29 this evening.
Lets take a look at the bright planets and a pretty bright comet for this week. Venus and Mercury are close low in the southwest by 6:30 p.m.. Mercury is about 8 moon widths at about 4 o’clock angle from the brighter Venus. Tonight the Noon will be above and between them. Mercury will set at 6:59, while Venus will set at 7:22 p.m. Mars appear above and left of Venus in the southwest, and is in the constellation of Aquarius. The Red Planet will set tonight at 8:41 p.m. Jupiter will rise in the east at 6:59 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 3:57 a.m. Comet Lovejoy, visible in binoculars, is a bit more than the width of a fist to the right of the Pleiades.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Venus, Mercury and the crescent Moon, which will be a lot dimmer than seen here, with Mars at 6:30 p.m. January 21, 2015. Created using Stellarium.
One day old Moon at 6:30 p.m., January 21, 2015. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter and the winter constellations at 9 p.m., January 21, 2015. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter and 4 Galilean moons through a telescope. The moon’s aren’t really that bright compared to Jupiter. The time for this observation will be 9 p.m. January 21, 2015. Created using Stellarium.
The track of Comet Lovejoy for the next week (from 1/21/2015 to 1/27/2015 at 9 p.m.) Created using Cartes du Ceil (Sky Charts).
What we need in the depths of winter, a preview of the summer stars, 5 months hence, but at 7 a.m. January 22, 2015. Saturn is visible in Scorpius. Created using Stellarium.
Saturn and its moons at 7 a.m., January 22, 2015. Actually only Titan would be visible in small telescopes. Created using Stellarium.
01/20/2015 – Ephemeris – Keeping track of Comet 2014 Q2 (Lovejoy) and also 15P/Finley unexpectedly brightens
Ephemeris for Tuesday, January 20th. The sun will rise at 8:13. It’ll be up for 9 hours and 21 minutes, setting at 5:34. The moon is new today, and won’t be visible.
Comet 2014 Q2 (Lovejoy) the to use its official name, is now moving through the constellation of Aries the ram, just west or to the right of the Pleiades. Comet Lovejoy is actually visible to the naked eye from a dark location, far from city lights. It appears to be about 4 ½ magnitude, about a bright as the dimmest star in the bowl of the Little Dipper. It’s tail is still only visible in photographs. It appears that Comet Lovejoy is not a very dusty comet. Dust in comets appears to have the size of smoke particles to be affected they way they are by the pressure of sunlight. Larger particles grains are usually invisible and would only become visible then they burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere. No chance with Comet Lovejoy, it will never get closer to the Earth than Mars.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
This is the comet track ending tonight from last Wednesday’s post.
The track of Comet Lovejoy for the week (from 1/14/2015 to 1/20/2015 at 9 p.m.) Created using Cartes du Ceil (Sky Charts).
This is tomorrow’s track for the next week
The track of Comet Lovejoy for the next week (from 1/21/2015 to 1/27/2015 at 9 p.m.) Created using Cartes du Ceil (Sky Charts).
Brightness curve for C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy). Vertical axis is magnitude, Horizontal axis is date. The orange line is projected magnitude and black dots are actual reported observational estimates of magnitudes. The vertical line in the center is for the date the comet is closest to the sun, perihelion. As of January 18, 2015 Credit: Seiichi Yoshida.
This is a great website for keeping track of observable comets: http://www.aerith.net/comet/weekly/current.html.
Comet 15P/Finley is a very dim comet, usually relegated to large amateur telescopes. However twice on this trip to the inner solar system it has brightened remarkably from being barely visible at magnitude 10 in 3-4 inch telescopes, to 7th magnitude, visible in binoculars. A 3 magnitude jump in brightness means it brightened by some 16 times. Something’s going on!
Finder chart for Comet Finley with stars down to 9th magnitude. The 5 sided circle of stars above and right of the track is the “Circlet” of the constellation Pisces. Created using Cartes du Ceil (Sky Charts).
General view of the planets and constellations looking to the southwest at 7 p.m. The comet is not visible in this view. Note that Mars is unmarked under the Aq in Aquarius. Created using Cartes du Ceil (Sky Charts).
Brightness curve for 15P/Finley. Vertical axis is magnitude, Horizontal axis is date. The orange line is the projected magnitude and black dots are actual reported observational estimates of magnitudes. As of January 18, 2015 Credit: Seiichi Yoshida.
Tip o’ the old observers cap to Universe Today for the heads up.
01/19/2015 – Ephemeris – Sirius, the brightest star in the night
Ephemeris for Martin Luther King Day, Monday, January 19th. The sun will rise at 8:14. It’ll be up for 9 hours and 19 minutes, setting at 5:33. The moon, 1 day before new, will rise at 7:53 tomorrow morning. | The star Sirius is the brightest night-time star in the heavens. It’s up on frosty winter evenings, and currently low in the southeastern sky in the early evening. It can be found in line and left of the three stars of Orion’s belt. It’s known as the Dog Star because it’s in the heart of the constellation Canis Major the greater dog. Sirius, however means dazzling one or sparkling one due to its brightness and the long time it spends low to the horizon where our turbulent atmosphere breaks up its light as a sparkler of color in telescopes and binoculars. Sirius owes its brightness mostly to its close proximity of 8.6 light years. It is 25 times brighter than the sun. It also has a white dwarf companion star nicknamed the Pup.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Sirius A and B (near the diffraction spike to the lower left), A Hubble Space Telescope photograph. Credit NASA, ESA.
01/16/2015 – Ephemeris – Orion’s greater hunting dog: Canis Major
Ephemeris for Friday, January 16th. The sun will rise at 8:16. It’ll be up for 9 hours and 13 minutes, setting at 5:29. The moon, 3 days past last quarter, will rise at 5:09 tomorrow morning.
The great winter constellation or star group Orion the Hunter, is located in the south-southeastern sky at 9 p.m. His elongated rectangle of a torso is almost vertical. In the center of the rectangle are three stars in a line that make his belt. As a hunter, especially one of old, he has two hunting dogs. The larger, Canis Major can be found by following the three belt stars of Orion down and to the left. There lies the brilliant star called Sirius, also known as the Dog Star. It’s in the heart of a stick figure dog low in the southeast facing Orion that appears to be begging. I’ll have more to say about Sirius on Monday, but there’s a fine star cluster, caller M41, at the 5 o’clock position from Sirius easily visible in binoculars or a small telescope.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Orion and his hunting dogs with pointers as seen at 9 p.m. in the second half of January. Created using Stellarium.
01/15/2015 – Ephemeris – Family STEM Night at Greenspire School
Ephemeris for Thursday, January 15th. The sun will rise at 8:16. It’ll be up for 9 hours and 11 minutes, setting at 5:28. The moon, 2 days past last quarter, will rise at 4:07 tomorrow morning.
Tonight the Greenspire School is sponsoring its annual Family STEM Night from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the school on Red Drive at the Grand Traverse Commons. Red Drive is a block west of Silver Drive that connects to Silver Lake Road at Franke Road. STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. One of the demonstrations will be a 3D printer. The Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will be there also making dry ice comets, showing the sky and Comet Lovejoy through telescopes if it’s clear, and giving away two Galileoscope telescope kits and a some Race to the Planets trivia games courtesy of Professor Jerry Dobek and Project Astro. There are lots of hands on activities for the whole family.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
01/14/2015 – Ephemeris – Five bright planets and Comet Lovejoy are visible now
Ephemeris for Wednesday, January 14th. The sun will rise at 8:17. It’ll be up for 9 hours and 9 minutes, setting at 5:26. The moon, 1 day past last quarter, will rise at 3:05 tomorrow morning.
Lets take a look at the bright planets and a pretty bright comet for this week. Venus and Mercury are side by side low in the southwest by 6 p.m. Mercury is about 2 and a half moon widths to the right of the much brighter Venus. Mercury will set at 7:02, while Venus will set at 7:03 p.m. Mars is low in the southwest at 7 p.m. and is in the constellation of Aquarius. The Red Planet will set tonight at 8:39 p.m. Jupiter will rise in the east at 7:31 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 4:21 a.m. Comet Lovejoy, visible in binoculars, makes an equilateral triangle with the V shaped head of Taurus and the Pleiades, to the right of both.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Venus, Mercury and Mars at 6:15 p.m. on January 14, 2015. Note that Mercury is getting dimmer, and Venus is overtaking Mars which is a bit more than a month away. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter and the winter constellations at 9 p.m. on January 14, 2015. Comet Lovejoy is not shown. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter and it’s Galilean satellites as seen in a telescope at 9 p.m. on January 14, 2015. Created using Stellarium.
Saturn and the Moon at 7 a.m., January 15, 2015. Created using Stellarium.
The Moon as it would be seen in binoculars at 7 a.m., January 15, 2015. Created using Stellarium.
Saturn as seen with a telescope at 7 a.m., January 15, 2015. Titan is visible in most small telescopes. Created using Stellarium.
Comet Lovejoy
We finally had a clear night. Comet Lovejoy was not visible to me to the naked eye last night. But I thing an observer far from city lights and perfectly dark adapted might be able to spot it. It was a great sight in 10X50 binoculars. it was a bright featureless round blob of light. I couldn’t spot a tail, which I expected. My friend Scott Anttila, an excellent astrophotographer unfortunately has moved down to the Detroit area and is hindered by the lights down there. However he was able to get this image of the comet sans tail. But the green color of the come shows wonderfully. Unfortunately our eyes don’t register color at low light levels.
Scott Anttila’s photo of Comet Lovejoy from the light polluted skies of the Detroit area.
The track of Comet Lovejoy for the next week (from 1/14/2015 to 1/20/2015 at 9 p.m.) Created using Cartes du Ceil (Sky Charts).
01/13/2015 – Ephemeris – How to find Comet Lovejoy
Ephemeris for Tuesday, January 13th. The sun will rise at 8:17. It’ll be up for 9 hours and 7 minutes, setting at 5:25. The moon, at last quarter today, will rise at 2:03 tomorrow morning.
A new comet has entered the evening sky for northern hemisphere observers. It is best seen in binoculars as a fuzzy blob. Photographs reveals a green comet with a faint wispy tail. It was discovered by Australian amateur astronomer Terry Lovejoy. It’s his 5th comet. Tonight the comet is located in line with the bottom side of the letter V of stars, the head of Taurus the bull, The V is lying on its side and to the right by the width of a fist held at arm’s length will be the fuzzy ball of the head of the comet. Charts for finding the comet can be found on my blog at bobmoler.wordpress.com today and also every Wednesday for the next month or so. Photographs of this beautiful comet can be found on space.com and spaceweather.com among other websites.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Finding Comet Lovejoy at 9 p.m., January 13, 2015. created using Cartes du Ceil (Sky Charts). Click on image to enlarge.
Comet Lovejoy taken by Jan Curtis on January 11, 2015 @ Near Santa Fe, New Mexico. Found on http://www.spaceweather.com. Great photo Jan. Click on image to enlarge.
01/12/2015 – Ephemeris – The world’s faorite constellation: Orion
Ephemeris for Monday, January 12th. The sun will rise at 8:18. It’ll be up for 9 hours and 6 minutes, setting at 5:24. The moon, 1 day before last quarter, will rise at 1:02 tomorrow morning.
For people the world over who look up and recognize the brighter constellations Orion is perhaps the odd on favorite. The Big Dipper, a favorite in the northern hemisphere, cannot be easily seen south of the equator. The Southern Cross cannot be easily be seen north of the equator. Orion, or parts of him can be seen from pole to pole because he straddles the equator of the sky. It has 7 bright stars like the Big Dipper, but those seven are brighter than those in the big Dipper. In the early evening Orion is seen is the southeast. The three stars of his belt now tipped diagonally from upper right to lower left. They are in the center of a left leaning rectangle of stars with bright red Betelgeuse to the upper left and bright blue-white Rigel to the lower right.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Orion from mid latitudes north of the equator. Orion would be upside down if viewed south of the equator. Created using Stellarium.
Orion from near the north pole. Created using Stellarium.
Orion from near the south pole. Created using Stellarium.
