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Ephemeris: 08/07/2024 – Where have the naked eye planets wandered off to?

August 7, 2024 Comments off

This is Ephemeris for Wednesday, August 7th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 23 minutes, setting at 8:59, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:37. The Moon, 3 days past new, will set at 10:31 this evening.

Let’s take our weekly look at the whereabouts of the naked-eye planets. The Moon will be visible as a thin crescent in the west with Venus lower in the west northwest around 9:30 pm. It will set at 9:56 pm in the west-northwest. Venus is best seen over a very low or lake horizon. Saturn will rise at 10:17 pm, and by 11 pm will be low in the east southeast, pretty much by itself. Saturn may look disappointing in telescopes this year since rings are nearly edge on and appear almost as a line through the planet. The other two visible planets are in the morning sky.

By 5:30 tomorrow morning, or an hour before sunrise, Jupiter and Mars will be up in the east, with Mars approaching Jupiter just above and to the right of it. Mars will rise at 1:41 am, and Jupiter at 1:53 am.

The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT–4 hours). Times will be different for other locations.

Addendum

Venus and the Moon at 9:30 PM or half hour after sunset
Venus and the Moon, seen twice normal size to show its phase, at 9:30 PM or half hour after sunset. Created using Stellarium.
The Moon as it might be seen in binoculars tonight
The Moon as it might be seen in binoculars tonight, August 7th 2024. The Moon may exhibit earthshine, so all of it may be visible. The darker visible sea at the right edge of the moon is Mare Crisium, the Sea of Crises. Created using Stellarium.
Saturn appears pretty much alone in the east southeast at 11:30 PM
Saturn appears pretty much alone in the east southeast at 11:30 PM tonight, August 7th 2024. Created using Stellarium.
Mars and Jupiter along with the stars of winter seen about an hour before sunrise
Mars and Jupiter along with the stars of winter seen at 5:30 tomorrow morning or about an hour before sunrise, August 8th 2024. Created using Stellarium.
Telescopic Venus, Saturn and Jupiter
Telescopic Venus, Saturn and Jupiter (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope with the same magnification at the dates and times of the finder charts above. Apparent diameters: Venus 10.3″, 95.2% illuminated; Saturn 18.9″, its rings 44.0″, 2.7 degrees from edge on (opening up a bit); Mars, too small to be represented here, is 6.0″; Jupiter 36.1″. Note the ” means seconds of arc, or 1/3600th of a degree. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
he naked-eye planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise on a single night
The naked-eye planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise on a single night, starting with sunset on the right on August 7, 2024. The night ends on the left with sunrise on August 8th. Click or tap on the image to enlarge it. Created using my LookingUp app and GIMP.
Low precision ephemeris of the Sun Moon and naked eye planet positions for today and tomorrow
This is a low precision ephemeris of the Sun Moon and naked eye planet positions for today and tomorrow, August 7th and 8th 2024. Some of the columns are self-explanatory, others not. The transit column is the time that the body crosses the meridian and is due south. Elong, for elongation, is the angle between the Sun and that body. RA is right ascension, which is the object’s east-west position on the celestial sphere. Dec is declination which is the north-south position of the object on the celestial sphere. R is the distance of that object from the Sun in astronomical units. An astronomical unit is about 93 million miles or 150 million kilometers. And Delta is the distance of that object from the Earth, also in astronomical units. I omit the ‘m’ in am and pm for compactness. The data was generated using my LookingUp for DOS app and displayed by my Ephemeris Helper app.

Categories: Ephemeris Program, Naked-eye planets, Observing, Planets Tags: , , , , ,

Ephemeris: 08/06/2024 – Looking toward the Perseid Meteor Shower

August 6, 2024 Comments off

This is Ephemeris for Tuesday, August 6th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 25 minutes, setting at 9:01, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:36. The Moon, 2 days past new, will set at 10:15 this evening.

Next Monday morning we’ll see the peak of the Perseid meteor shower. They’re called the Perseids because they seem to come from the constellation of Perseus the hero which is below the W shaped constellation of Cassiopeia in the northeast in the evenings now. The reason they appear to come from the same direction is that they were shed by a comet whose name is Swift-Tuttle discovered in 1862 it’s been around many times before that, though not recognized as such. The first mention of the Perseids in history comes from the year 36 CE, though they were assuredly visible but unrecognized before that. In the past they’ve been known as the Tears of Saint Lawrence because their peak is near the feast date of that martyr. Perseids can be seen now, though not in peak numbers.

The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT–4 hours). Times will be different for other locations.

Addendum

Looking towards constellations of Perseus and Cassiopeia with Perseid radiant shown
This is a view to the northeast around midnight with the Stellarium app looking towards the constellations of Perseus and Cassiopeia with Perseid radiant shown. Perseid meteors will seem to come from near that point. However they will appear all over the sky, but if you trace their trails back they would all intersect at the radiant point. For photographers, pointing the camera near the radiant will get the best results, because the meteors will be appear to be traveling slower, as they are coming almost directly toward us, so they will more easily register in the camera.
My best Perseid photo. From the 70's.
My best Perseid photo. From the 1970’s. The other streaks are star trails, caused by the stationary camera’s shutter being open for a time exposure while the Earth turns.
Categories: Ephemeris Program, Meteor Shower, Observing Tags:

Ephemeris: 08/05/2024 – Finding Aquila the Eagle

August 5, 2024 Comments off

This is Ephemeris for Monday, August 5th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 28 minutes, setting at 9:02, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:35. The Moon, 1 day past new, will set at 9:58 this evening.

The bright star Altair is seen halfway up the sky in the southeast at 10:30 this evening. It is one of the stars of the Summer Triangle with Vega above it, and Deneb above and left of it. It is the brightest star in the constellation Aquila the eagle which is seen flying northward through the Milky Way, with Altair at its head. Altair is flanked by two stars one above one below. Its wing tips can be seen below, and to the upper right. His tail is almost lost in the Milky Way seen lower in the east southeast. Here in Aquila is where the great rift, the dark band that splits the Milky Way, is most prominent. The Greeks and Romans seemed to have trouble telling vultures and eagles apart. Another name of the constellation was Vultur Volans.

The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT–4 hours). They will be different for other locations.

Addendum

Actual Aquila
Animated finder of Aquila the eagle based on an actual photograph by the author.
Constellation figures
Constellations in and around the Summer Triangle. Created using Stellarium.
Categories: Constellations, Ephemeris Program, Observing Tags: , , ,

Ephemeris: 08/02/2024 – The Northern Cross

August 2, 2024 Comments off

This is Ephemeris for Friday, August 2nd. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 35 minutes, setting at 9:06, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:31. The Moon, 2 days before new, will rise at 5:12 tomorrow morning.

The star Deneb is high in the east-northeast. It is the dimmest of the three stars of the Summer Triangle. It is at the head of the Northern Cross, an informal constellation or asterism. The upright extends to the South. The crossbeam can be seen crossing the star just south of Deneb. There’s also a constellation there. It’s actually Cygnus the swan flying southward along the Milky Way with its neck outstretched. The Anishinaabe natives peoples of our area see Ajijaak the crane, also with a long neck flying north, but also long legs trailing to the south, its wings outstretched. In Greek mythology Cygnus was the guise of the god Zeus when he seduced Leda, whose offspring was Pollux, one of the Gemini twins.

The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT–4 hours). They may be different for your location.

Addendum

The many guises of Cygnus the Swan
Looking within the area of the Summer Triangle we see Cygnus swan, first as the Northern Cross then as the lines of Cygnus the swan, then the figure of the swan that comes with Stellarium then finally my poor rendition of Ajijaak the crane. Click or tap on the image to enlarge it. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.
Categories: Anishinaabek Constellation, Asterism, Constellations, Ephemeris Program, Mythology, Observing Tags: , , , , , ,

Ephemeris: 08/01/2024 – Previewing August skies

August 1, 2024 Comments off

This is Ephemeris for Thursday, August 1st. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 38 minutes, setting at 9:07, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:30. The Moon, 3 days before new, will rise at 4:03 tomorrow morning.

Let’s look ahead at the month of August in the skies. Daylight hours will decrease from 14 hours and 38 minutes today to 13 hours 15 minutes on the 31st. The altitude of the Sun at local noon, that is degrees of angle above the horizon will decrease from 63 degrees today to just over 53 degrees on the 31st. Straits area listeners can subtract one more degree from those angles. Local noon, when the Sun is due south, is about 1:43 p.m. The big event of the month will be in the morning sky: The Perseid meteor shower will be best seen on the morning of the 12th after the Moon sets, though members of the shower can be seen now. August is the first of my two favorite months for viewing the wonders of the summer Milky Way.

The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT–4 hours). They may be different for your location.

Addendum

August Evening Star Chart

August Evening Star Chart
Star Chart for August 2024 (10 p.m. EDT, August 15, 2024). Click or tap on the image to enlarge it. Created with my LookingUp program.

The planets and stars are plotted for the 15th at 10 pm EDT in the evening and 5 am. These are the chart times. Note that Traverse City is located approximately 45 minutes behind our time meridian, West 75° longitude. (An hour 45 minutes behind our daylight saving time meridian during EDT). To duplicate the star positions on a planisphere you may have to set it to 1 hour 45 minutes earlier than the current time.

Note the chart times are for the 15th. For each week before the 15th, add ½ hour (28 minutes if you’re picky). For each week after the 15th, subtract ½ hour. The planet positions are updated each Wednesday on this blog. See them for planet positions on dates other than the 15th.

August Morning Star Chart

Star Chart for August 2024 mornings, (5 a.m. EDT, August 15, 2024). Click or tap on the image to enlarge it. Created with my LookingUp program.

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.
  • Leaky dipper drips on Leo.
  • Follow the arc of the handle of the Big Dipper to the star Arcturus, and
  • Extend like a spike to Spica.
  • The Summer Triangle is in red.
  • PerR is the radiant of the Perseid meteor shower (Peaks on the morning of the 12th)

Twilight Limits, Nautical and Astronomical

      EDT        
  Morning Twilight Evening Twilight Dark Night Moon
Date Astro. Nautical Nautical Astro. Start End Illum.
2024-08-01 4h28m 5h16m 22h26m 23h14m 23h14m 3h01m 0.05
2024-08-02 4h30m 5h17m 22h24m 23h12m 23h12m 4h04m 0.02
2024-08-03 4h32m 5h19m 22h23m 23h10m 23h10m 4h32m 0.00
2024-08-04 4h34m 5h20m 22h21m 23h08m 23h08m 4h34m 0.01
2024-08-05 4h35m 5h22m 22h19m 23h06m 23h06m 4h35m 0.03
2024-08-06 4h37m 5h23m 22h18m 23h04m 23h04m 4h37m 0.07
2024-08-07 4h39m 5h25m 22h16m 23h01m 23h01m 4h39m 0.13
2024-08-08 4h41m 5h26m 22h14m 22h59m 22h59m 4h41m 0.20
2024-08-09 4h43m 5h28m 22h12m 22h57m 23h03m 4h43m 0.28
2024-08-10 4h45m 5h29m 22h10m 22h55m 23h21m 4h45m 0.36
2024-08-11 4h47m 5h31m 22h09m 22h53m 23h42m 4h47m 0.46
2024-08-12 4h49m 5h32m 22h07m 22h51m – 4h49m 0.56
2024-08-13 4h50m 5h34m 22h05m 22h48m 0h08m 4h50m 0.66
2024-08-14 4h52m 5h35m 22h03m 22h46m 0h41m 4h52m 0.75
2024-08-15 4h54m 5h37m 22h01m 22h44m 1h26m 4h54m 0.84
2024-08-16 4h56m 5h38m 21h59m 22h42m 2h24m 4h56m 0.91
2024-08-17 4h58m 5h40m 21h57m 22h39m 3h35m 4h58m 0.96
2024-08-18 4h59m 5h41m 21h55m 22h37m 4h55m 4h59m 1.00
2024-08-19 5h01m 5h43m 21h54m 22h35m – – 1.00
2024-08-20 5h03m 5h44m 21h52m 22h33m – – 0.97
2024-08-21 5h05m 5h46m 21h50m 22h31m – – 0.92
2024-08-22 5h06m 5h47m 21h48m 22h28m – – 0.84
2024-08-23 5h08m 5h48m 21h46m 22h26m 22h26m 22h29m 0.74
2024-08-24 5h10m 5h50m 21h44m 22h24m 22h24m 22h55m 0.63
2024-08-25 5h12m 5h51m 21h42m 22h22m 22h22m 23h26m 0.52
2024-08-26 5h13m 5h53m 21h40m 22h19m 22h19m – 0.41
2024-08-27 5h15m 5h54m 21h38m 22h17m 22h17m 0h06m 0.31
2024-08-28 5h17m 5h56m 21h36m 22h15m 22h15m 0h56m 0.22
2024-08-29 5h18m 5h57m 21h34m 22h13m 22h13m 1h56m 0.14
2024-08-30 5h20m 5h58m 21h32m 22h10m 22h10m 3h02m 0.08
2024-08-31 5h21m 6h00m 21h30m 22h08m 22h08m 4h12m 0.03

Twilight calendar was generated using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).

See my blog post: Twilight Zone for the definitions of the different periods of twilight here: https://bobmoler.wordpress.com/2018/09/27/.

NASA Calendar of Planetary Events

Date          Time    Event
Aug  1  Th            Venus: 15.9° E
     1  Th   1:59 am  Moon North Dec.: 28.5° N
     3  Sa   9:22 pm  Mars-Aldebaran: 4.9° N
     4  Su   7:13 am  New Moon
     4  Su   6:56 pm  Venus-Regulus: 1° N
     5  Mo   6:04 pm  Moon-Venus: 1.9° S
     7  We   1:23 pm  Mercury-Venus: 5.7° N
     8  Th   9:06 pm  Moon Descending Node
     8  Th   9:32 pm  Moon Apogee: 405300 km
    10  Sa   5:34 am  Moon-Spica:  .8° S
    12  Mo   9:38 am  Perseid Shower: ZHR = 90
    12  Mo  11:19 am  First Quarter
    14  We  12:38 am  Moon-Antares:  °
    14  We  10:45 am  Mars-Jupiter:  .3° N
    15  Th   4:10 pm  Moon South Dec.: 28.5° S
    18  Su   9:48 pm  Mercury Inferior Conj.
    19  Mo   2:26 pm  Full Moon
    20  Tu  10:54 pm  Moon-Saturn:  .4° S
    21  We   1:05 am  Moon Perigee: 360200 km
    22  Th   6:27 am  Moon Ascending Node
    25  Su  10:54 pm  Moon-Pleiades:  .1° S
    26  Mo   5:26 am  Last Quarter
    28  We   7:09 am  Moon North Dec.: 28.6° N
    30  Fr  12:47 am  Moon-Pollux: 1.8° N
    31  Sa   1:31 am  Moon-Beehive: 3.3° S
Sep  1  Su            Venus: 24.1° E

Sky Events Calendar by Fred Espenak and Sumit Dutta (NASA’s GSFC),
http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SKYCAL/SKYCAL.html.

If you go to the above site, you can print out a list like the above for the entire year or calendar pages for your time zone.

Sun and Moon Rising and Setting Events

     LU                  Ephemeris of Sky Events for Interlochen/TC
August, 2024    Local time zone: EDT
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| DATE |  SUN     SUN  DAYLIGHT|   TWILIGHT*    |MOON  RISE OR    ILLUM |
|      |  RISE    SET    HOURS |  END    START  |PHASE SET** TIME FRACTN|
+=======================================================================+
|Thu  1| 06:29a  09:07p  14:38 | 10:22p  05:14a |      Rise 04:03a    6%|
|Fri  2| 06:30a  09:06p  14:35 | 10:21p  05:15a |      Rise 05:12a    2%|
|Sat  3| 06:31a  09:05p  14:33 | 10:19p  05:17a |      Rise 06:22a    0%|
+------+-----------------------+----------------+-----------------------+
|Sun  4| 06:33a  09:03p  14:30 | 10:17p  05:18a |New   Set  09:37p    0%|
|Mon  5| 06:34a  09:02p  14:28 | 10:16p  05:20a |      Set  09:58p    2%|
|Tue  6| 06:35a  09:01p  14:25 | 10:14p  05:21a |      Set  10:15p    6%|
|Wed  7| 06:36a  08:59p  14:23 | 10:12p  05:23a |      Set  10:31p   11%|
|Thu  8| 06:37a  08:58p  14:20 | 10:10p  05:24a |      Set  10:47p   18%|
|Fri  9| 06:38a  08:56p  14:17 | 10:09p  05:26a |      Set  11:03p   26%|
|Sat 10| 06:40a  08:55p  14:15 | 10:07p  05:27a |      Set  11:21p   34%|
+------+-----------------------+----------------+-----------------------+
|Sun 11| 06:41a  08:53p  14:12 | 10:05p  05:29a |      Set  11:41p   44%|
|Mon 12| 06:42a  08:52p  14:09 | 10:03p  05:30a |F Qtr Set  12:07a   54%|
|Tue 13| 06:43a  08:50p  14:07 | 10:01p  05:32a |      Set  12:41a   63%|
|Wed 14| 06:44a  08:49p  14:04 | 09:59p  05:33a |      Set  01:25a   73%|
|Thu 15| 06:45a  08:47p  14:01 | 09:58p  05:35a |      Set  02:23a   82%|
|Fri 16| 06:47a  08:46p  13:58 | 09:56p  05:36a |      Set  03:34a   90%|
|Sat 17| 06:48a  08:44p  13:56 | 09:54p  05:38a |      Set  04:54a   95%|
+------+-----------------------+----------------+-----------------------+
|Sun 18| 06:49a  08:42p  13:53 | 09:52p  05:39a |      Set  06:18a   99%|
|Mon 19| 06:50a  08:41p  13:50 | 09:50p  05:41a |Full  Rise 09:02p  100%|
|Tue 20| 06:51a  08:39p  13:47 | 09:48p  05:42a |      Rise 09:25p   98%|
|Wed 21| 06:52a  08:37p  13:44 | 09:46p  05:43a |      Rise 09:46p   93%|
|Thu 22| 06:54a  08:36p  13:41 | 09:44p  05:45a |      Rise 10:07p   85%|
|Fri 23| 06:55a  08:34p  13:39 | 09:42p  05:46a |      Rise 10:29p   76%|
|Sat 24| 06:56a  08:32p  13:36 | 09:40p  05:48a |      Rise 10:54p   65%|
+------+-----------------------+----------------+-----------------------+
|Sun 25| 06:57a  08:30p  13:33 | 09:38p  05:49a |      Rise 11:26p   54%|
|Mon 26| 06:58a  08:29p  13:30 | 09:36p  05:51a |L Qtr Rise 12:06a   43%|
|Tue 27| 06:59a  08:27p  13:27 | 09:34p  05:52a |      Rise 12:55a   33%|
|Wed 28| 07:01a  08:25p  13:24 | 09:32p  05:53a |      Rise 01:55a   24%|
|Thu 29| 07:02a  08:23p  13:21 | 09:30p  05:55a |      Rise 03:02a   15%|
|Fri 30| 07:03a  08:22p  13:18 | 09:28p  05:56a |      Rise 04:11a    9%|
|Sat 31| 07:04a  08:20p  13:15 | 09:26p  05:58a |      Rise 05:20a    4%|
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
* Nautical Twilight
** Moonrise or moonset, whichever occurs between sunset and sunrise

Generated using my LookingUp for DOS app.

Categories: Ephemeris Program, Month preview Tags:

Ephemeris: 07/31/2024 – Where are the naked-eye planets this week?

July 31, 2024 Comments off

This is Ephemeris for Wednesday, July 31st. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 40 minutes, setting at 9:09, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:29. The Moon, halfway from last quarter to new, will rise at 3:01 tomorrow morning.

Let’s take our weekly look at the whereabouts of the naked-eye planets. Venus may still be too close to the direction of the Sun to be easily seen, it will set at 9:56 pm in the west-northwest. The best time to spot it will start about 9:30 pm or so, looking over a Lake Michigan horizon. Mercury now is too low and faint to be seen at that time. The rest of the planets are in the morning sky. By 5:30 tomorrow morning, or an hour before sunrise, Saturn will be in the south-southwest, Mars and Jupiter will make a small triangle with the bright star Aldebaran in the east with Mars on top and Jupiter on the left. Below and left of Jupiter will be the crescent Moon. Saturn may look disappointing in telescopes this year since rings are nearly edge on and appear almost as a line through the planet. Saturn will rise at 10:45 pm, Mars will rise at 1:56 am, and finally Jupiter at 2:20 am.

The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT–4 hours). They may be different for your location.

Addendum

Venus in evening twilight about 20 minutes after sunset
Venus in evening twilight about 20 minutes after sunset or 9:30 PM. Created using Stellarium.
At 5:30 AM tomorrow morning, August 1st, 2024, the planets Jupiter and Mars are seen along with the bright stars of winter rising in the east
At 5:30 AM tomorrow morning, August 1st, 2024, the planets Jupiter and Mars are seen along with the bright stars of winter rising in the east. Over in the south-southeast is Saturn. I think starting next week I’ll report where Saturn appears in the evening sky, since it will be rising early enough and get high enough so it can be spotted and easily seen in telescopes. Created using Stellarum.
The telescopic view of the three days before new Moon
The telescopic view of the three days before new Moon for 5:30 AM tomorrow, August 1st 2024. Created using Stellarium , Libreoffice Draw, and GIMP.
Telescopic Saturn and Jupiter
Telescopic Saturn and Jupiter (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope with the same magnification at 5:30 AM August 1st 2024. Apparent diameters: Saturn 18.7″, its rings 43.7″, 2.5 degrees from edge on (opening up a bit); Mars, too small to be represented here, is 5.9″; Jupiter 35.5″. Note the ” means seconds of arc, or 1/3600th of a degree. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
The naked-eye planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise on a single night
The naked-eye planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise on a single night, starting with sunset on the right on July 31, 2023. The night ends on the left with sunrise on August 1st. Click or tap on the image to enlarge it. Created using my LookingUp app and GIMP.
Ephemeris of the Sun Moon and naked eye planet positions for today and tomorrow, July 31st and August 1st 2024
This is a low precision ephemeris of the Sun Moon and naked eye planet positions for today and tomorrow, July 31st and August 1st 2024. Some of the columns are self-explanatory, others not. The transit column is the time that the body crosses the meridian and is due south. Elong, for elongation, is the angle between the Sun and that body. RA is right ascension, which is the object’s east-west position on the celestial sphere. Dec is declination which is the north-south position of the object on the celestial sphere. R is the distance of that object from the Sun in astronomical units. An astronomical unit is about 93 million miles or 150 million kilometers. And Delta is the distance of that object from the Earth, also in astronomical units. I omit the ‘m’ in am and pm for compactness. The data was generated using my LookingUp for DOS app and displayed by my Ephemeris Helper app.
Categories: Ephemeris Program, Naked-eye planets, Planets Tags: , , , , ,

Ephemeris: 07/29/2024 – Late July’s meteor shower

July 29, 2024 Comments off

This is Ephemeris for Monday, July 29th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 45 minutes, setting at 9:11, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:27. The Moon, 2 days past last quarter, will rise at 1:26 tomorrow morning.

There are more meteor showers that occur in the second-half of the year than there are in the first six months of the year. I don’t know why that is. The first of these major showers is the Southern Delta Aquariid meteor shower. There happens to be a few meteor showers at appear to emanate from the constellation of Aquarius so they named them after the closest star to the direction they appear to come from at their maximum. The star Delta in the southern part of Aquarius is associated with two meteor showers. This one appears to be coming from south of that star. And are only an eighth as active as the Perseids that we’re going to have next month partly because the radiant point doesn’t get very high in the sky.

The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT–4 hours). They may be different for your location.

Addendum

A look at the sky centered facing approximately southeast at 4 o'clock in the morning
A look at the partial sky dome centered facing approximately southeast at 4 o’clock in the morning tomorrow, July 30th 2024. The waning crescent Moon will still be out along with the planets Jupiter, Mars and Saturn in the south. The fat crescent Moon will hamper the meteor shower a bit. Labeled are the active showers at that time. The showers labeled in yellow are at their peak, or very nearly at their peak. The other named showers are not at their peak, and may only provide a few meteors per hour. Only the Perseids and Southern Delta Aquariids are considered major showers. Actually the Southern Delta Aquariids will be at peak in the morning, providing about 18 meteors per hour on average at the 4 o’clock morning hour. Click or tap on the image to enlarge it. Created using Stellarium.
Categories: Ephemeris Program, Meteor Shower, Observing Tags:

Ephemeris: 07/26/2024 – View the Sun from the Sleeping Bear Dunes tomorrow

July 26, 2024 Comments off

Sorry, I’ve posted this a bit late.

This is Ephemeris for Friday, July 26th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 51 minutes, setting at 9:14, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:24. The Moon, 1 day before last quarter, will rise at 12:03 tomorrow morning.

Tomorrow, Saturday, July 27th there will be solar viewing at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, at the Dune Climb from 3 to 6 PM. Park Rangers will be joined by members of the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society with their specially filtered telescopes to view the sun safely. This is a period of great solar activity. Remember the Northern Lights of last month? Solar filtered telescopes will safely view the surface of the sun, called the photosphere and sunspots, while the society also has two special solar telescopes with which to view the layer of gas above the surface called the chromosphere and prominences which look like flames coming off the chromosphere. This is the last of the two solar observing opportunities this summer.

The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT–4 hours). They may be different for your location.

Addendum

The Sun in the light of hydrogen seen Friday at about 2:24 in the afternoon Eastern Time. This is the kind of view visible in the solar telescopes that will be at the Sleeping Bear Dunes. By tomorrow there’ll be a bit of rotation of the Sun. The little dark streaks on the face of the Sun are called filaments. When seen off the edge of the Sun are called prominences. This view does not show the prominences very well, however there are quite a few and one very large one at this time. Prominences do change with time, and they would not be representative of what would you would see tomorrow. Credit: Big Bear Observatory, California.

Categories: Ephemeris Program, GTAS Outreach Event, Sun Tags: ,

Ephemeris: 07/25/2024 – The Milky Way as it will appear tonight

July 25, 2024 Comments off

This is Ephemeris for Thursday, July 25th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 54 minutes, setting at 9:16, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:23. The Moon, 2 days before last quarter, will rise at 11:43 this evening.

With the Moon out of the sky until almost 11:30 PM we get our first look at the summer Milky Way in the evening. The Milky Way will stretch from the east-northeast, high in the east to the South. The asterism of the stout little Teapot in Sagittarius, low to the south, is near the bottom end of the Milky Way. The milky stream appears as steam coming out of the spout. With more stars there, one might be able to see the Centaur with a bow and arrow. The front part of the teapot is the bow. The bottom left, and the far right star are the back and the tip of the arrow which is pointing at the heart of Scorpius the scorpion in the south-southwest. We’ll be exploring the wonders of the summer Milky Way this month and next.

The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT–4 hours). They may be different for your location.

Addendum

Dome of the sky from horizon to horizon at 11 PM tonight
The Dome of the sky from horizon to horizon at 11 PM tonight July 25th. The Milky Way streams from north northeast through high in the east through the three bright stars of the Summer Triangle and down to the southern horizon. The lines of the Teapot asterism of the constellation of Sagittarius and Scorpius are in the south. The Milky Way and the stars are shown somewhat brighter than they would appear in the sky. Click or tap on the image to enlarge it. Created using Stellarium.
Categories: Constellations, Ephemeris Program, Milky Way, Observing Tags: ,

Ephemeris: 07/24/2024 – Where are the naked-eye planets this week?

July 24, 2024 Comments off

This is Ephemeris for Wednesday, July 24th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 56 minutes, setting at 9:17, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:21. The Moon, halfway from full to last quarter, will rise at 11:23 this evening.

Let’s take our weekly look at the whereabouts of the naked-eye planets. Venus may still be too close to the direction of the Sun to be easily seen, it will set at 10:02 pm in the west-northwest. The best time to spot it will start about 9:40 pm or so. Mercury has been fading as its phase has become a crescent, as it’s heading back to the direction of the Sun. By 5:30 tomorrow morning, or about 50 minutes before sunrise, Saturn will be in the south below and right of the waning gibbous Moon, Mars and Jupiter will make a right triangle with the bright star Aldebaran in the east with Mars on top and Jupiter on the left. Saturn may look disappointing in telescopes this year since rings are nearly edge on and appear almost as a line through the planet. Saturn will rise at 11:14 pm, Mars will rise at 2:04 am, and finally Jupiter at 2:39 am.

The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT–4 hours). They may be different for your location.

Addendum

Venus and Mercury in evening twilight
In this view from Stellarium looking toward the west-northwest at 9:45 PM or about 1/2 an hour after sunset, Venus appears about 2 1/2 degrees above the Lake Michigan horizon. Mercury doesn’t appear to be visible through the bright twilight even though Stellarium points it out with the with the tag. It might be spotted with binoculars.
Moon and Saturn
The waning gibbous Moon and Saturn rising at midnight tonight in the east . Created using Stellarium.
Annotated Moon
The Moon as it might appear in binoculars or a small telescope at 12 AM tomorrow morning, July 25th 2024. Selected features are labeled. Created using Stellarium, LibreOffice Draw, and GIMP.
Morning planets and the moon
Saturn, the Moon, Mars and Jupiter as they might be seen low in the east and southern sky at 5:30 AM, or about 50 minutes before sunrise, tomorrow morning July 25, 2024. Saturn will rise at 11:13 PM, Mars at 2:04 AM, and Jupiter at 2:39 AM. Note the near right triangle of Mars, Jupiter and Aldebaran. Click or tap on the image to enlarge it. Created using Stellarium.
Telescopic planets
Telescopic Saturn and Jupiter (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope at 5 AM July 25th 2024 with the same magnification. Apparent diameters: Saturn 18.6″, its rings 43.3″, 2 degrees from edge on; Mars, too small to be represented here, is 5.8″; Jupiter 35.0″. Note the ” means seconds of arc, or 1/3600th of a degree. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
The naked-eye planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise on a single night, starting with sunset on the right on July 24, 2023. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 25th. Click or tap on the image to enlarge it. Created using my LookingUp app and GIMP.
This is an ephemeris of the Sun Moon and naked eye planet positions for today and tomorrow, July 24th and 25th 2024. Some of the columns are self-explanatory, others not. The transit column is the time that the body crosses the meridian and is due south. Elong, for elongation, is the angle between the Sun and that body. RA is right ascension, which is the object’s east-west position on the celestial sphere. Dec is declination which is the north-south position of the object on the celestial sphere. R is the distance of that object from the Sun in astronomical units. An astronomical unit is about 93 million miles or 150 million kilometers. And Delta is the distance of that object from the Earth, also in astronomical units. I omit the ‘m’ in am and pm for compactness. The data was generated using my LookingUp for DOS app and displayed by my Ephemeris Helper app.
Categories: Ephemeris Program, Naked-eye planets, Observing, Planets Tags: , , , , ,