Archive
08/28/2015 – Ephemeris – The last Friday Night Live of the summer
Ephemeris for Friday, August 28th. The Sun will rise at 7:00. It’ll be up for 13 hours and 26 minutes, setting at 8:27. The Moon, 1 day before full, will set at 6:47 tomorrow morning.
The Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will be at the last Friday Night Live of the year this evening to view the Sun and will stay after if its clear to view the Moon and Saturn in the telescopes. For the Sun members have equipped their telescopes with solar filters to greatly diminish the sun’s light to make it safe to view the bright photosphere of the Sun with it’s sunspots. The society itself has a solar telescope, that not only filters the Sun’s light, but filters the light to isolate the red light of the element hydrogen. The special filter, called an etalon has to be tuned to the exact frequency or wavelength of the hydrogen atoms on the sun which will reveal the layer of gas above the photosphere and the clouds of hydrogen above.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Viewing the Sun with a while light filter at Friday Night Live using Ron Uthe’s telescope at Friday Night Live. Credit Bob Moler.
The Lunt solar telescope at another event. Credit Bob Moler.
08/21/2015 – Ephemeris – Local Grand Traverse astronomy events this weekend
Ephemeris for Friday, August 21st. The Sun rises at 6:51. It’ll be up for 13 hours and 47 minutes, setting at 8:39. The Moon, 1 day before first quarter, will set at 12:03 tomorrow morning.
The Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will be at Friday Night Live again this evening and will stay after if its clear to view the Moon and Saturn in the telescopes. Tomorrow night is another new venue for the society. Members of the society will be at the Kingsley, MI Public Library for a program and viewing of the Moon, Saturn and other objects in the skies. The evening starts at 8 p.m., with a program by yours truly Exploring the Summer and Autumn Skies. This program is an interactive sky program and not a PowerPoint program. There will be displays and free NASA items for the kids. If it’s cloudy I also have a program on the images and information learned so far from New Horizon’s encounter with America’s favorite planet: Pluto.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
After Friday Night Live was over last Friday Saturn was visible until about 11 p.m. Credit: Bob Moler.
08/20/2015 – Ephemeris – Library Lending Telescopes
Ephemeris for Thursday, August 20th. The Sun rises at 6:50. It’ll be up for 13 hours and 50 minutes, setting at 8:40. The Moon, 2 days before first quarter, will set at 11:30 this evening.
The Moon has always been a favorite target for binoculars and telescopes. Tonight is no exception. The trouble is that most inexpensive telescopes are overly complicated and hard to use. One way to help the prospective telescope buyer is to try one and get used to a telescope before plunking down money for it. In that regard The Grand Traverse Astronomical Society (GTAS) and Enerdyne of Suttons Bay have donated a telescope to the Traverse Area District Library and The Betsie Valley District Library. The library’s themselves will determine how the telescopes will be lent out. The first two telescopes are Orion StarMax 90mm TableTop telescopes, suitable for viewing the Moon and planets Saturn, Jupiter, Venus and Mars.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
A youngster trying to see where the telescope is pointing at the star party at The Betsie Valley District Library, Thompsonville, MI. Credit: Library staff.
The Traverse Area District Library will host an event inaugurating the use of their telescope on Wednesday night August 26th starting at 8 p.m.
08/14/2015 – Ephemeris – Two events with an astronomical flavor this weekend
Ephemeris for Friday, August 14th. The Sun rises at 6:43. It’ll be up for 14 hours and 6 minutes, setting at 8:50. The Moon is new today, and won’t be visible.
The Grand Traverse Astronomical Society (GTAS) will be at Friday Night Live* this evening in Traverse City and will stay after if its clear to view Saturn in the telescopes. Tomorrow night is something new. A group of people are applying to make the Arcadia Dunes a dark sky park or a dark sky community. The GTAS will help by holding a star party there tomorrow night starting at 9 p.m. The location is the Baldy Trailhead parking lot on M22, north of Arcadia. To find directions to the location using the Internet search for Arcadia Dunes to locate the Arcadia Dunes, C.S. Mott Nature Preserve which is owned by The Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy where there are interactive maps to the trailheads. If the application is successful the GTAS may be there 4 times a year.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
*Friday Night Live is a block party on the 100 and 200 blocks of Front Street in Traverse City, MI which officially runs from 5:30 to 9 p.m. The GTAS usually stays later if it’s clear.
Addendum
Ron Uthe (with the beard) explains that his telescope is pointed to Saturn in the 2013 Friday Night Live. Credit mine.
Passers by look at the Moon through Gary Carlisle’s telescope in a 2013 Friday Night Live. Credit mine.
08/11/2015 – Ephemeris – Perseid meteor shower is tomorrow night
Ephemeris for Tuesday, August 11th. The Sun rises at 6:40. It’ll be up for 14 hours and 14 minutes, setting at 8:55. The Moon, 3 days before new, will rise at 4:51 tomorrow morning.
The Perseid meteor shower is growing in numbers of meteors seen per hour. The expected peak is Thursday morning about a quarter after 2. However the peak time is only really known statistically after the event. The point in the sky from which the meteors or shooting stars seem to come from is called the radiant and it is near the constellation of Perseus. The meteors will appear all night from dusk to dawn. The peak number of meteors can be up to 90 an hour. No telescope is needed. Just lie down on a blanket and look up. The darker your sky the better. One of the darkest skies around is at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. I will be leading an all night meteor shower watch at the Dune Climb Wednesday night til dawn if it’s clear.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Here are some meteors seen in the 2007 Perseid meteor shower taken by Scott Anttila. The image is centered on Cassiopeia. The radiant is low and a bit left of center in the image. The Double Cluster is seen below center and the Great Andromeda Galaxy is seen on the right above center. Click on the image to enlarge.
Position of the Perseid radiant and stars in all-sky plots for 3 times during the night: 11 p.m., 2 a.m., & 5 a.m.
11 p.m. August 12, 2015. Created using Bob Moler’s LookingUp program for Windows.
2 a.m. August 13, 2015. Created using Bob Moler’s LookingUp program for Windows.
5 a.m. August 13, 2015. Created using Bob Moler’s LookingUp program for Windows.
08/07/2015 – Ephemeris – An opportunity to view the heavens tonight
Ephemeris for Friday, August 7th. The Sun rises at 6:35. It’ll be up for 14 hours and 25 minutes, setting at 9:00. The Moon, 1 day past last quarter, will rise at 1:27 tomorrow morning.
Tonight the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will host a star party at Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory. Featured if weather permits will be the planet Saturn and some of the wonders of the summer Milky Way. In any case we’ll be previewing the skies of August and September, what I consider the richest part of the heavens. It has more beautiful sights than the skies of winter, that everyone raves about. The observatory is located south of Traverse City on Birmley Road opening at 9 p.m. The star party at the Sleeping Bear Dunes originally slated for tomorrow has been canceled due to the damage from last Sunday’s storm. The next star party at the Dunes will be September 12th at the Dune Climb.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
07/24/2015 – Ephemeris – Astronomical viewing opportunities this weekend
Ephemeris for Monday, July 27th. The Sun rises at 6:23. It’ll be up for 14 hours and 51 minutes, setting at 9:14. The Moon, 3 days past first quarter, will set at 3:36 tomorrow morning.
This evening when it gets dark the bright star Deneb in Cygnus the swan will be high in the east northeast. Deneb is the dimmest star of the summer triangle. Of the other stars of the triangle, Vega is very high in the east, while Altair is lower in the southeast. While Deneb’s apparent magnitude, or brightness as seen from earth, makes it the dimmest of the three bright stars, Deneb’s vast distance of possibly 2,600 light years makes it over 100 times the distance of Vega. If brought as close as Vega, Deneb would be almost as bright as the full moon. It is as bright as two hundred thousand suns. It apparently has run out of hydrogen in its core. Once a blue super giant star, it’s currently evolving through the white giant stage.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Betsie Valley District Library star party 2014. A crowd gathers to view Saturn and Jupiter. (Jupiter will be too low this time.) Credit: Betsie Valley District Library staff.
The GTAS at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore’s Platte River Point, April, 2012. This time there will be leaves on the trees. Credit Eileen Carlisle.
07/03/2015 – Ephemeris – Astronomy in the Grand Traverse Region tonight
Ephemeris for Friday, July 3rd. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 29 minutes, setting at 9:31. The Moon, 2 days past full, will rise at 10:33 this evening and tomorrow the Sun will rise at 6:02.
Dr. David Penney will investigate the structure of the Milky Way at this evening’s meeting of the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society at 8 p.m. at Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory. The Milky Way is the band of light we see in the sky especially on summer and winter evenings. But it is more than a band of dim stars, it is what we can see of the huge disk of maybe 200 billion stars with an embedded pin wheel structure. Everyone is welcome. Also at 9 p.m. there will be a star party at the observatory. The astronomical objects of the evening will be the planets Venus, Jupiter and Saturn and the Moon later in the evening. The observatory is located south of Traverse City on Birmley Road.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Dr. Penney has a Ph.D. in Physiology and Biochemistry, and is pretty much retired spending his time between Michigan in the summer and northern Florida in the winter, where he is a member of several astronomy clubs. He gives many talks there also.
06/19/2015 – Ephemeris – Two events this weekend: one local, one global
Ephemeris for Friday, June 19th. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 34 minutes, setting at 9:31. The Moon, 3 days past new, will set at 11:34 this evening. Tomorrow the Sun will rise at 5:56.
There’s a couple of astronomical events coming up this weekend. On Saturday there will be another Sun ‘n Star Party at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore if weather cooperates. This time the telescopes will be set up at the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive, Stop 3, the Dunes Overlook from 4 to 6 p.m. and from 9 to 11 p.m. The best place to park is Picnic Mountain, just before the Dunes Overlook. On Sunday a truly global event, the Summer solstice will occur at 12:38 p.m. (16:38 UT), when the Sun will reach its farthest north signaling the start of summer in the northern hemisphere. For folks south of the equator it will be the winter solstice signaling the start of winter for them.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The Sun’s apparent path in the sky on the summer solstice. The cyan circle is the horizon and the Sun is plotted every 15 minutes throughout the day. Created by Bob Moler using LookingUp. This is a slide from his school program on the cause of the seasons.
06/05/2015 – Ephemeris – Astronomy in Traverse City tonight: Parallax and Planets
Ephemeris for Friday, June 5th. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 25 minutes, setting at 9:24. The Moon, 3 days past full, will rise at 11:53 this evening and tomorrow the Sun will rise at 5:58.
Stellar parallax is a way to measure distances to the nearest stars by observing them six months apart, from opposite ends of the Earth’s orbit. Parallax is why we have two eyes to judge distance. Parallax is also proof that the earth revolves around the Sun. Dr. David Penney will investigate this at this evening’s meeting of the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society at 8 p.m. at Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory. Everyone is welcome. Also at 9 p.m. there will be a star party at the observatory. The astronomical objects of the evening will be the planets Venus, Jupiter and Saturn. 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.
Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog 