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Interlochen Star Party Status
6:54 p.m.
The sky is getting hazier. I’m not sure what’s in store across the lake. If it’s not solid we can live with it. We are still a GO.
3:01 p.m.
I talked to Nadji earlier this afternoon and after looking at the Clear Sky Chart and other sources that we will proceed with the event. The students will arrive at the soccer field by 9:30 p.m. The weather prognosis has deteriorated somewhat in the most recent sky chart, so we’re going to keep our fingers crossed on this one.
05/16/2014 – Ephemeris – A busy weekend for astronomy in the Grand Traverse Region
Ephemeris for Friday, May 16th. Today the sun will be up for 14 hours and 51 minutes, setting at 9:04. The moon, 2 days past full, will rise at 11:10 this evening. Tomorrow the sun will rise at 6:12.
This will be a busy weekend for the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society. Tonight the society will host a star party to celebrate the grand opening of the new Betsie Valley District Library in Thompsonville. It starts at 8:30 p.m. There will be a program inside by yours truly if it’s cloudy. Saturday night we’ll be observing the heavens with the students of the Interlochen Arts Academy. And on Sunday the society will have members with their telescopes showing the Sun if clear and have two rooms of exhibits in the Health and Science building for the Northwestern Michigan College’s annual Barbecue on the main campus. One of the society telescopes is a special solar telescope to view solar prominences.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Observing the sun through GTAS members telescopes at the NMC Barbecue in 2012. Credit: Eileen Carlisle.
Joe Brooks, the GTAS “Meteorite Man” talks meteorites with Barbecue patrons. He has a video and meteorite samples. Photo credit: Eileen Carlisle.
Astronomical photographs line the walls and tables of a classroom plus a series of astronomy videos are displayed at the NMC Barbecue. Credit: Eileen Carlisle.
05/09/2014 – Ephemeris – This is Astronomy Day weekend
Ephemeris for Friday, May 9th. The sun rises at 6:21. It’ll be up for 14 hours and 35 minutes, setting at 8:56. The moon, 3 days past first quarter, will set at 4:04 tomorrow morning.
This Saturday is International Astronomy Day. There will be two star parties this weekend to celebrate. A star party is where amateur astronomers bring their telescopes to share the heavens with all those who come. The first will be at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, at Platte River Point at the end of Lake Michigan Road, off M22. Saturday’s Star Party will be at Northwestern Michigan College’s (NMC) Rogers Observatory, on Birmley Road south of Traverse City. Both events will start at 9 p.m. The Sleeping Bear event will be canceled due to clouds. The NMC event has an indoor component and will be open rain or shine. The planets Jupiter, Mars and Saturn will be featured at both events. These star parties are hosted by the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
04/25/2014 – Ephemeris – Star parties this weekend in the Grand Traverse area
Ephemeris for Arbor Day, Friday, April 25th. The sun rises at 6:41. It’ll be up for 13 hours and 57 minutes, setting at 8:39. The moon, 3 days past last quarter, will rise at 5:11 tomorrow morning.
The Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will be holding two events this weekend, starting tonight. Tonight’s Star Party will be held at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore’s Dune Climb parking lot. The event runs from 9 to 11 p.m. The event will be cancelled due to clouds. Check by calling the park if in doubt this afternoon. The second event will be a star party at Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers observatory tomorrow night. That one runs also from 9 to 11 p.m. For that one rain or shine we will have scheduled a presentation on famous women astronomers presented by Becky Shaw. The observatory is located south of Traverse City, on Birmley road about a mile south of Hammond Road.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
04/03/2014 – Ephemeris – Astronomy events in the Grand Traverse Region
Ephemeris for Thursday, April 3rd. The sun will rise at 7:19. It’ll be up for 12 hours and 52 minutes, setting at 8:12. The Moon, half way from new to first quarter, will set at 12:39 tomorrow morning.
This evening the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society or GTAS will be at the Boardman River Nature Center for “A Night at the Nature Center”. This is a closed event sponsored by the Grand Traverse Conservation District, but it reminds me that the society hosts these types of events for schools, scouts and other youth groups along with other non-profit organizations. We’re now lining up some summer reading clubs at at least two area libraries. In the daytime we have that one great star the sun. At night we have the rest of them including the Moon and planets. If its cloudy we have hands on activities. Contact the society at info@gtastro.org for more information. The GTAS may also pop up at a summer festival near you.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
A partial solar eclipse projected for all to see. Credit: Eileen Carlisle
The start of a Star Party at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Credit: Eileen Carlisle
Looking at the Transit of Venus through a solar telescope. Credit: Eileen Carlisle.
03/21/2014 – Ephemeris – Star party and Venus this weekend
Ephemeris for Friday, March 21st. The sun will rise at 7:43. It’ll be up for 12 hours and 12 minutes, setting at 7:56. The moon, 2 days before last quarter, will rise at 1:27 tomorrow morning.
Tomorrow evening the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will host a star party at Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory starting at 9 p.m. On tap if it’s clear will be the planets Jupiter and Mars. As it gets darker, the wonders of the winter sky will still be visible, along with those of the spring skies. The observatory is located south of Traverse City, on Brimley Road between Garfield and Keystone roads. There is a small admission charge for the college. For early morning risers the planet Venus will reach its greatest elongation west of the sun tomorrow at an angle of 47 degrees. From there on late October Venus will appear to be approaching the sun, before emerging into the evening sky.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Venus at greatest western elongation and its orbit as seen from the earth on March 22, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
The sun looks off-center because we are looking at the orbit from the Earth, and Venus’ orbit is inclined by about 3º from our orbit. The near side of the orbit is only 25 million miles (40 million km) from Earth and is thus foreshortened. The part of the orbit right below the Sun is beyond the Sun and about 93 million miles (150 million km) away from us. Mercury is shown, but not its orbit.
03/07/2014 – Ephemeris – Astronomy events at the Rogers Observatory tonight
Ephemeris for Friday, March 7th. The sun will rise at 7:09. It’ll be up for 11 hours and 28 minutes, setting at 6:38. The moon, 1 day before first quarter, will set at 1:51 tomorrow morning.
A Star Bowl 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. The society will accept anyone to help us. These NMC students are smart. After the Star Bowl there will be a star party starting at 9 p.m. On tap if its clear will be the Moon, and the planet Jupiter. 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.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
02/07/2014 – Ephemeris – Telescope Clinic tonight in Traverse City
Ephemeris for Friday, February 7th. The sun will rise at 7:53. It’ll be up for 10 hours and 6 minutes, setting at 5:59. The Moon, 1 day past first quarter, will set at 3:07 tomorrow morning.
The Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will hold a telescope clinic at 8 p.m. this evening at the Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory located south of Traverse City on Birmley Road. If you have a new telescope or an old telescope and don’t know how to use it, bring it in. The expert amateur astronomers will show you how to set up and align the telescopes and then give you observing tips. At 9 p.m. the telescopes can be tried out on the stars and the planet Jupiter or the lights of Traverse City if it’s cloudy during the star party that follows every meeting. While members are always available to help new telescope users on other star parties or meetings, this is a time really designated for the new telescope user.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
A basic telescope guide that I wrote for the event Telescope Basics2.pdf
01/03/2014 – Ephemeris – Astronomy events in the Grand Traverse Region tonight.
Ephemeris for Friday, January 3rd. The sun will rise at 8:19. It’ll be up for 8 hours and 55 minutes, setting at 5:14. The moon, 2 days past new, will set at 8:32 this evening.
We have a big night ahead. At 1 a.m. the Earth will be closest to the Sun at perihelion. In the morning hours the Quadrantid meteor shower will reach peak. Before that the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will hold its monthly meeting at Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers observatory on Birmley Road south of Traverse City starting at 8 p.m. The program will be given by Richard Kuschell, who will talk about “Aristotle’s Big Mistake”. Afterward, starting at 9 p.m. there will be a star party. If its clear the winter wonders will be visible including the planet Jupiter and the Great Orion Nebula, the closest star nursery to us. The meeting is free to the public. There will be another program given during the star party.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Quadrantid meteor shower radiant at 1:30 a.m.
Great Orion Nebula in Orion’s sword. My old photograph. What you’ll see will actually be better than this except our eyes will not perceive the red color. It will look gray or greenish at best.
12/06/2013 – Ephemeris – I’ll talk about ancient cosmologies tonight
Ephemeris for Friday, December 6th. The sun will rise at 8:04. It’ll be up for 8 hours and 57 minutes, setting at 5:02. The moon, 3 days before first quarter, will set at 9:40 this evening.
This evening’s meeting of the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society starting at 8 p.m. at Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory will be a new December program. In the past yours truly alternated between a program on the Star of Bethlehem and the cosmology of the Bible. This year I’m presenting Ancient Cosmologies, a look at the cosmologies of many mostly pre-scientific cultures, including how the Biblical world view was influenced by one of them. Then we’ll see the beginnings of Greek scientific thought that codified by Ptolemy in the second century AD, held sway for 1,500 years. At 9 p.m. there will be a star party at the observatory, and another program if it’s cloudy. All are welcome.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog 