Archive
06/26/2012 – Ephemeris – Saturn’s moon Titan
Ephemeris for Tuesday, June 26th. Today the sun will be up for 15 hours and 32 minutes, setting at 9:31. The moon, at first quarter today, will set at 1:09 tomorrow morning. Tomorrow the sun will rise at 5:59.
The planet Saturn appears above the bright blue-white stars Spica now. The moon to the right of then tonight will pass below them Thursday morning. Saturn is a wonderful sight in a small telescope and it’s largest satellite Titan will appear as a star nearby. The latest news about Titan concerns a lake of liquid methane located in the equatorial regions of that moon. The equatorial region seems too warm to support such a lake. At the poles, yes as we have seen, but not at the equator. The guess now is the that lake is fed from an underground aquifer. With its atmosphere, clouds, lakes, rains, rivers and hilly terrain Titan is a spooky analog of the earth that’s 300 degrees colder.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Seeing through the clouds at Titan’s surface. Credit: NASA – Cassini
06/25/2012 – Venus and Jupiter in the morning and Mercury in th evening
Ephemeris for Monday, June 25th. Today the sun will be up for 15 hours and 33 minutes, setting at 9:31. The moon, 1 day before first quarter, will set at 12:41 tomorrow morning. Tomorrow the sun will rise at 5:59.
You’ve got to be an early riser for this, say about quarter after 5. Venus and Jupiter will appear close together low in the east northeast in the growing twilight. It’s reminiscent of their evening show. However their paths will not cross. The brighter Venus appears below and to the left of the dimmer Jupiter. They will be their closest around July 3rd. Then Jupiter will outpace Venus. In the evening sky the dim planet Mercury is making an appearance. Start looking to the west northwest about 10:15 for this elusive planet. Here binoculars will help. The bright stars Pollux and Castor are to its right and nearly in a horizontal line to it. Mercury, though is brighter than they are so you should spot Mercury first.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Jupiter and Venus in the Morning June 25th 2012. Created using Stellarium.
Mercury with the stars Pollux and Castor to its right at 10:15 p.m. June 25th, 2012 Created using Stellarium.
06/22/2012 – Ephemeris – A double header of astronomy events tomorrow
Ephemeris for Friday, June 22nd. Today the sun will be up for 15 hours and 33 minutes, setting at 9:31. The moon, 3 days past new, will set at 11:19 this evening. Tomorrow the sun will rise at 5:57.
Tomorrow the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will be part of two events. The first is Boardman River Nature Center’s Nature Fest. The society will have telescopes, including the new hydrogen alpha solar telescope, to view the sun and the public will be able to examine meteorites there from 10 a.m to 3 p.m. Then starting 9 p.m. Society members will be at Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory for it’s second star party of the month featuring the planet Saturn and the moon plus some of the brighter wonders of the night sky as it gets darker. Star parties in June and early July start before sunset so there’s always some hands on kids activities that are lead by the NMC Astronomy Club.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
06/21/2012 – Ephemeris – Where are the bright planets this week?
Ephemeris for Thursday, June 21st. Today the sun will be up for 15 hours and 33 minutes, setting at 9:31. The moon, 2 days past new, will set at 10:48 this evening. Tomorrow the sun will rise at 5:57.
Let’s see what’s happening with the bright planets for this week, one day late. Mercury is in the evening sky but very low in the west northwest about 45 minutes after sunset. It will set at 11:09 p.m. Mars is in the west southwest in the evening between the constellations Leo the lion and Virgo with its unmistakable bright reddish color. Mars will be setting in the west at 1:33 a.m. Saturn will be in the south southwest above the bright star Spica now. It will set at 2:45 a.m. Jupiter, now a morning planet will rise at 4:10 a.m. in the east northeast. Venus, is now in the morning sky will rise at 4:45 a.m. In the east northeast. It’s making its debut as the morning star.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Looking at the fading twilit sky at 10:30 p.m. on June 21, 2012. Created using Stellarium.
This is just an hour after sunset. The moon is really a very thin crescent, and is much dimmer than is shown here. Click to expand. When expanded the images above and below will appear at the same scale.
The eastern sky at 05:00 a.m. on June 22, 2012. Created using Stellarium.
This shows the sky an hour before sunrise tomorrow. In actuality Venus is much brighter than Jupiter.
06/20/2012 – Ephemeris – Summer begins tonight!
Ephemeris for Wednesday, June 20th. Today the sun will be up for 15 hours and 33 minutes, setting at 9:31. The moon, 1 day past new, will set at 10:12 this evening. Tomorrow the sun will rise at 5:57.
We interrupt our weekly planet report to bring you this important news. At 7: 07 (EDT) this evening summer will begin. That instant of time is called the summer solstice. Solstice means “sun standstill”. That makes today the longest day in terms of daylight hours, though you will notice very little change for the next week or so. We have come to the point in earth’s orbit when the north pole of the earth is tipped its maximum toward the sun so the northern hemisphere will receive the most heat from the sun. The southern hemisphere will experience at that same instant their winter solstice. The earth now is not at its closest to the sun. In fact we’ll be at our farthest from the sun in two weeks.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
06/19/2012 – Ephemeris – Astronomy at the Traverse Area District Library
Ephemeris for Tuesday, June 19th. Today the sun will be up for 15 hours and 33 minutes, setting at 9:30. The moon is new today, and won’t be visible. | Tomorrow the sun will rise at 5:57.
The Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will host an event at the Traverse Area District Library, on Woodmere Street in Traverse City, starting at 11 am this morning. They will be showing the sun through safely filtered telescopes and have other hands on activities. The sun is really getting fascinating to view with a great number of sunspots that are appearing now. The sunspots come and go. Right now a big group is rotating off the edge of the sun that caused northern lights over North America last weekend. There may be some active regions that will rotate on to the sun’s disc soon. Usually sunspots last a couple of weeks. They are the result of intense magnetic fields within the sun that cool the gasses and cause the dark spots.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
06/18/2012 – Ephemeris – The Little Dipper
Ephemeris for Monday, June 18th. Today the sun will be up for 15 hours and 33 minutes, setting at 9:30. The moon, 1 day before new, will rise at 6:03 tomorrow morning. Tomorrow the sun will rise at 5:57.
11 p.m. is the best time now to spot the Little Dipper. It is difficult to spot, being mush smaller and dimmer than the Big Dipper. However it is the Big Dipper that points to it, by the two stars at the front of the bowl of the Big Dipper to point to the North Star Polaris, the star that doesn’t appear to move. That is the tip of the handle of the Little Dipper. The handle is seen in a curve of the stars upwards and a bit to the left to a small box of stars that is its bowl. The two stars at the front of the bowl are called the Guard Stars because they guard the pole. The Little Dipper is not an official constellation, but is Ursa Minor the lesser bear. To the Anishinabek native peoples of this area it represents a loon.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Little Dipper (Ursa Minor) and the Big Dipper (Ursa Major). Created using Stellarium.
06/15/2012 – Ephemeris – The constellation of Libra the scales or balance
Ephemeris for Friday, June 15th. Today the sun will be up for 15 hours and 32 minutes, setting at 9:29. The moon, half way from last quarter to new, will rise at 3:49 tomorrow morning. Tomorrow the sun will rise at 5:56.
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 southern sky at 11 p.m., just to the right of the rising 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. Nowadays the sun is one constellation west, in Virgo at the start of autumn.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The constellation Libra on June 15, 2012 at 11 p.m. Created using Stellarium.
Click on image to enlarge.
06/14/2012 – Ephemeris – Flag Day: Red, White and Blue Stars
Ephemeris for Flag Day, Thursday, June 14th. Today the sun will be up for 15 hours and 32 minutes, setting at 9:29. The moon, 3 days past last quarter, will rise at 3:16 tomorrow morning. Tomorrow the sun will rise at 5:56.
Since it’s Flag Day, lets look for some red white and blue stars. Red is easy, I talked about it Tuesday, It is Antares now low in the southeast in the evening in the heart of the constellation of Scorpius the scorpion. For the white star there is no purer white star than Vega, spectral type A0 (A zero), the astronomers definition of white. It is located midway up the sky in the east. It is the 5th brightest night time star, and is seen off a small parallelogram of stars that make up the body of Lyra the harp. For the blue star, the best is Spica, below Saturn this year and in the south in the evening. It is the bluest of the 21 brightest first magnitude stars. Color in stars is often subtle, so try to see these colors.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Red (Antares), White (Vega) and Blue (Spica) stars of spring. Created using Stellarium.
06/13/2012 – Ephemeris – Where are the bright planets this week?
Ephemeris for Wednesday, June 13th. Today the sun will be up for 15 hours and 32 minutes, setting at 9:28. The moon, 2 days past last quarter, will rise at 2:47 tomorrow morning. Tomorrow the sun will rise at 5:56.
Let’s see what’s happening with the bright planets for this week. Mars is in the southwest in the evening between the constellations Leo the lion and Virgo with its unmistakable bright reddish color, though its fading as it retreats from us. Mars will be setting in the west at 1:58 a.m. Saturn will be in the south above the bright star Spica now. It’s due south at 9:41 p.m. and will set at 3:17 a.m. Jupiter, now a morning planet will rise at 4:39 a.m. in the east northeast. Venus, now in the morning sky is very close to the rising sun, will itself rise at 5:18 a.m. I’m not sure it’s all that visible yet. Mercury is in the evening sky but too close to the sun to be seen, we should be able to spot it the last week of this month.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Centered on the southwestern sky at 10:30 p.m. on June 13, 2012. Created using Stellarium.
The planets Saturn, Mars and Mercury. Click to enlarge.
The morning sky in the east at 5 a.m. on June 14, 2012. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter rising a bit right of East at 5 a.m. Venus will rise at 5:18 on the 14th. We should see them both next week. Click to enlarge.
