Archive
06/24/2018 – I’ll be out at the Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore Dune Climb tonight
I’m hoping to be out there and set up before 9 p.m. It’s a planet fest of sorts with Venus, Jupiter and Saturn plus a nearly full Moon. Sorry, Mars won’t rise till nearly midnight. Dress warmly, it’s supposed to get down into the 50’s, and with a north wind, may seem even colder.
See you there?
Keep looking up!
06/22/2018 – Ephemeris – Sun ‘n Star Party scheduled for tomorrow June 23
Ephemeris for Friday, June 22nd. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 34 minutes, setting at 9:32, and it will rise tomorrow at 5:57. The Moon, 2 days past first quarter, will set at 3:25 tomorrow morning.
Tomorrow afternoon and evening will be what we call a Sun & Star Party at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. This event will be held at the Dune Climb. From 4 to 6 p.m., the Sun will be featured using two types of telescopes, one showing the sun’s photosphere in what we call white light, hoping the Sun will produce a sunspot of two, and another showing the chromosphere above it in the light of hydrogen giving a completely different view with possibly more activity. Starting at 9 p.m. will be a star party, actually really a planet party, viewing the planets Venus, Jupiter and Saturn, plus the Moon. There will be other objects visible in the deepening twilight. The event is due to the cooperation of the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society and the park rangers.
Update: The Sun and Star Parties are subject to cancellation separately based on weather. Check back to this here if there is a cancellation or call the park at 231-326-4700. The park’s web page for this event is here. If Saturday night star party is cancelled, some members of the society will hold their own observation session at the Dune Climb Sunday night. Notification will be posted by 7 p.m. here if that event will take place. We also invite anyone with a telescope and experienced in its use to join us. For anyone who wants to have us look at their telescope or give them tips, come to our NMC Rogers observatory star parties which are listed on our society web site: http://www.gtastro.org. Those star parties are less hectic.
The times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
This in the beginning of setup for the October 21, 2917 star party at the dune climb. Taken early while there was enough light. The dune blocks up to 12 degrees from the southwest to northwest, but the rest of the horizon is quite low. Venus will be high enough to clear the dune for most of the evening.
My equipment at the Dune Climb on October 21, 2017. My 11″ Dobsonian is in the foreground. The tripod for my Celestron 8 is laying on the ground behind it yet to be set up.
I pointed the Dobsonian at a variety of deep sky objects, while the C8 was pointed to Saturn and tracking that night.
06/01/2018 – Ephemeris – Presentation tonight: Cosmic rays and the quiet Sun
Ephemeris for Friday, June 1st. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 21 minutes, setting at 9:21, and it will rise tomorrow at 5:59. The Moon, 3 days past full, will rise at 11:57 this evening.
Tonight at 8 p.m. at the June meeting of the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society at Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory, Observatory Director Jerry Dobek will be giving a talk on how the Earth is receiving more cosmic rays from outside the solar system now that the Sun is in its quiet phase. Cosmic rays are not like x-rays or other forms of electromagnetic radiation. They are particles, bare nuclei of atoms, some pretty heavy. They are a danger to airline crews who fly over the north pole daily. After the meeting, at 9 p.m. the society will host a star party to view the planets Venus and Jupiter. The observatory is located south of Traverse City on Birmley Road between Garfield and Keystone roads.
43rd Anniversary of Ephemeris!
The times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
05/25/2018 – Ephemeris – Star party scheduled for Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore May 26, 2018
Ephemeris for Friday, May 25th. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 9 minutes, setting at 9:15, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:04. The Moon, half way from first quarter to full, will set at 4:52 tomorrow morning.
Tomorrow night May 26th there will be, weather permitting a star party at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, this will take place at the Dune Climb. Telescopes will take over the parking lot closest to the Dunes The event starts at 9 p.m., while it’s still light out and the location can be found. The nearly full Moon will be first to be spotted, followed by Venus and Jupiter. The planet Jupiter’s four brightest moon will be seen along with its cloud bands. Starting at 9 p.m. there will be a short ranger talk, followed by an astronomer to explain what will be seen that night. The star party is made possible by the rangers of the park and the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society.
The times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
This is the beginning of setup for the October 21, 2017 star party at the dune climb. Taken early while there was enough light. The dune blocks up to 12 degrees from the southwest to northwest, but the rest of the horizon is quite low. Venus will be high enough to clear the dune for most of the evening. The ladder is up to assemble the society’s 25 inch “Emmettron” Obsession Dobsonian telescope. The telescope was overhauled including having the mirror aluminized and new encoders over the winter, thanks to Don Flegel our telescope wrangler. Click to enlarge. Photo by Bob Moler.
05/04/2018 – Ephemeris – Tonight I present Venus from the mists of time to today
Ephemeris for Friday, May 4th. The Sun rises at 6:28. It’ll be up for 14 hours and 23 minutes, setting at 8:51. The Moon, 3 days before last quarter, will rise at 1:15 tomorrow morning.
The planet Venus is our evening star now. I’ve been talking about it on this program lately. Want to hear and see more? Tonight at 8 p.m. at the May meeting of the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society at Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory, I will be giving an illustrated talk: Venus from the mists of time to today. To the early Greeks it was two planets. To the Maya it was a calendar. In the 18th century it was a way to measure the size of the solar system. Today, it could be what our future looks like. After the meeting, at 9 p.m. the society will host a star party to view the planets Venus and Jupiter. The observatory is located south of Traverse City on Birmley Road between Garfield and Keystone roads.
The times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
5 Pages of the Dresden Codex produced by the Maya tracking Venus’ appearances in the skies over the Yucatan. for 104 years. The Dresden Codex is one of only 4 surviving Mayan Codices.
04/20/2018 – Ephemeris – Astronomy Day and the Lyrid meteor shower this weekend
Ephemeris for Friday, April 20th. The Sun rises at 6:50. It’ll be up for 13 hours and 44 minutes, setting at 8:34. The Moon, 2 days before first quarter, will set at 1:50 tomorrow morning.
Tomorrow is Astronomy Day. The Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will celebrate with a star party at Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory. Tomorrow April 21st, from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. There will also be activities inside the observatory, so clear or cloudy there will be something to see or do for all ages. The Lyrid Meteor Shower will be active this weekend and reach a peak Sunday. The meteors from this shower will seem to come from near the constellation of Lyra the harp, a small and narrow parallelogram of stars with the bright star Vega near it. The best viewing will be for a few hours in the wee morning hours after the Moon sets Sunday or Monday mornings.
The times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
All sky view at 4 a.m. Sunday or Monday morning with the Lyrid radiant. Created using Stellarium.
The additional radiants showing in the image above are the (sigma) σ-Scorpids which will reach peak on April 28th, a minor shower and (eta) η-Auqariids which will reach peak on May 6th. Both these meteor showers have severe interference by the Moon.
03/02/2018 – Ephemeris – Jeopardy type quiz at the GTAS meeting tonight
Ephemeris for Friday, March 2nd. The Sun will rise at 7:18. It’ll be up for 11 hours and 13 minutes, setting at 6:31. The Moon, 1 day past full, will rise at 7:29 this evening.
A Starpardy quiz will be held this evening between the NMC Astronomy Club and the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society at this evening’s meeting of the society at 8 p.m. at Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory. I’ll be Alex Trebek for this Jeopardy style quiz. The society will accept anyone to help either side. These NMC students are smart.
After the Starpardy quiz there will be a star party starting at 9 p.m. On tap if its clear will be the Moon plus Orion and its great nebula, a star nursery only 1400 light years away will be a wonderful sight with its clouds and wisps of gas and dust illuminated by a clutch of hot baby stars. The Observatory is located south of Traverse City on Birmley Road off either Garfield or Keystone roads.
The times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
02/02/2018 – Ephemeris – Telescope clinic rescheduled to tonight
Ephemeris for Ground Hog Day, Friday, February 2nd. The Sun will rise at 8:00. It’ll be up for 9 hours and 52 minutes, setting at 5:52. The Moon, 2 days past full, will rise at 8:43 this evening.
If you’ve received a telescope for Christmas and are having trouble setting it up, or have an unused one in a closet, basement or attic, bring them to Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory tonight at 8 p.m. The Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will be holding their annual telescope clinic to help you understand and use your telescope. Last month’s meeting and clinic was canceled due to the weather. The clinic will extend through the period that will be set aside for a star party if it’s clear, to test the telescopes and show the owners how to use them. Like anything telescopes take some time to learn how to use them and find celestial objects. The observatory is south of Traverse City on Birmley Road.
The times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
12/01/2017 – Ephemeris – A look at how the ancients saw their world at the Rogers Observatory tonight
Ephemeris for Friday, December 1st. The Sun will rise at 7:59. It’ll be up for 9 hours and 4 minutes, setting at 5:03. The Moon, 2 days before full, will set at 6:22 tomorrow morning.
This evening’s meeting of the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society starting at 8 p.m. at Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory will be yours truly’s biennial December program on mostly Ancient Cosmologies, a look at the cosmologies or world view of many mostly pre-scientific cultures, including the Biblical world view. We’ll see how these ideas are alike and different for cultures spread across distance and time. I’ll finish with a modern unscientific and throwback cosmology of the believers in a flat Earth. At 9 p.m. there will be a star party at the observatory, and another program if it’s cloudy. All are welcome. The observatory is located south of Traverse City on Birmley Road.
The times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog 