Archive
01/18/2012 – Ephemeris – Where are the bright planets this week
Ephemeris for Wednesday, January 18th. The sun will rise at 8:14. It’ll be up for 9 hours and 17 minutes, setting at 5:31. The moon, 2 days past last quarter, will rise at 4:51 tomorrow morning.
It’s time again to take a look at the whereabouts of the bright planets. Venus is brilliant in the southwestern sky after sunset and will set at 8:44. Jupiter is the most prominent planet of the evening sky, once Venus sets. It’s located high in the south and is seen against the stars of the constellation Aries. It will pass due south at 6:49 p.m. It will set at 1:36 a.m. Mars will rise at 10:03 p.m in the east northeast and is below the hind end of the constellation Leo the lion. It is 82.4 million miles away and closing. Mars will pass due south at 4:29 a.m. Saturn will rise at 1:15 a.m. just to the left of the bright star Spica in the east southeast.
* Times, as always are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan.
01/13/2012 – Ephemeris – The moon passes Mars tonight
Friday, January 13th. The sun will rise at 8:17. It’ll be up for 9 hours and 8 minutes, setting at 5:25. The moon, 3 days before last quarter, will rise at 10:52 this evening.
This evening the moon will pass below the planet Mars after the moon rises near 11 p.m. Mars is rather distant now, and it won’t be really near in its next close approach to us on March 5th when it will be slightly under 63 million miles away. In telescopes Mars is and will remain a tiny disk with a hint of a white polar cap on one end. Photographers with large telescopes and CCD cameras can capture Mars even better and show some surface detail. We have even closer views of Mars. Of course there is an operating rover called Opportunity still active on the planet and the Curiosity rover on its way plus three orbiting satellites, two US and one European. The satellites will be cruising overhead as Curiosity lands August 5th.
* Times, as always are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan.
Addendum
Mars on the morning of January 9, 2012. By Scott Anttila
Here’s Scott Anttila’a image of Mars from Monday morning, the 9th. Note Mar’s gibbous phase. Mars will become full when it’s at opposition from the sun March 3rd. It is only 9.7 seconds of arc in diameter. Also note, beside the northern polar cap that’s quite obvious, there is a hazy patch near the right edge of Mars. It is what telescopic astronomers of a hundred years ago called Nix Olympica, the Snows of Olympus. When the Mariner 9 spacecraft reached Mars in 1971 it found that there was a real mountain there. So the feature was renamed Olympus Mons or Mount Olympus. The white haze isn’t snow but water ice clouds that condense over the mountain peak. Mount Olympus is 14 miles high, three times taller than Mt Everest. The closest earth analog to it is the volcanic peak Mauna Kea on the island of Hawaii. Actually you’d have to throw in the entire island of Hawaii itself from the sea floor on up.
01/04/2012 – Ephemeris – The planets this week and the earth at perihelion
Wednesday, January 4th. The sun will rise at 8:19. It’ll be up for 8 hours and 56 minutes, setting at 5:15. The moon, 3 days past first quarter, will set at 5:03 tomorrow morning.
It’s the first Wednesday of 2012 and time again to take a look at the whereabouts of the bright planets. The planet Venus is brilliant in the southwestern sky after sunset setting at 8:07. Jupiter is the most prominent planet of the evening sky, once Venus sets. It’s located high in the south and is seen against the stars of the constellation Aries. It will pass due south at 7:41 p.m. It will set at 2:26 a.m.. Mars will rise at 10:52 p.m in the east northeast and is below the hind end of the constellation Leo the lion. It is 92.4 million miles away and closing. Saturn will rise at 2:07 a.m. just to the left of the bright star Spica in the east southeast. The sun is its closest to earth of the entire year today. Only 91.3 million miles away.
* Times, as always are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan.
12/21/11 – Ephemeris – Where are the bright planets this week?
Wednesday, December 21st. The sun will rise at 8:16. It’ll be up for 8 hours and 48 minutes, setting at 5:04. The moon, 3 days before new, will rise at 5:58 tomorrow morning.
It’s Wednesday and time again to take a look at the whereabouts of the bright planets. The planet Venus is prominent in the southwestern twilit sky after sunset setting at 7:30. Jupiter is now the most prominent planet of the evening sky located in the high in the south and is seen against the stars of the constellation Aries. It will pass due south at 8:36 p.m. It will set at 3:20 a.m.. Mars will rise at 11:25 p.m in the east northeast and will be in the constellation Leo. Mars will be due south at 6:01 a.m. It is 105 million miles away and closing. Saturn will rise at 2:57 a.m. just to the left of the bright star Spica in the east southeast. Winter starts at 12:30 tomorrow morning. I’ll have more on that tomorrow.
* Times, as always are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan.
12/14/11 – Ephemeris – Where are the bright planets this week?
Wednesday, December 14th. The sun will rise at 8:11. It’ll be up for 8 hours and 51 minutes, setting at 5:02. The moon, 3 days before last quarter, will rise at 9:29 this evening.
It’s Wednesday and time again to take a look at the whereabouts of the bright planets. The planet Venus is prominent in the southwestern twilit sky after sunset setting at 7:12[, and should be visible by 5:45]. Jupiter is now the most prominent planet of the evening sky located in the high in the southeast to south and is seen against the stars of the constellation Aries. It will pass due south at 9:04 p.m. It will set at 3:48 a.m.. Mars will rise at 11:41 p.m in the east northeast and will be in the constellation Leo. [Mars will be due south at 6:17 a.m.] It is 111 million miles away and closing. Saturn will rise at 3:22 a.m. just to the left of the bright star Spica in the east southeast. Remember Comet Lovejoy will enter SOHO’s LASCO C3 frame today.
* Times, as always are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. Text in brackets deleted from the program due to time constraints.
Update 6:16 a.m.
Comet Lovejoy entering at the bottom of the LASCO C3 frame. Courtesy SOHO, ESA, NASA. Timestamp on image.
Click to enlarge.
12/08/11 – Ephemeris – RIP Phobos-Grunt
Thursday, December 8th. The sun will rise at 8:06. It’ll be up for 8 hours and 56 minutes, setting at 5:02. The moon, 2 days before full, will set at 7:14 tomorrow morning.
November was the month to send spacecraft to Mars for its close approach in 2012. On November 8th the Russian’s launched Phobos-Grunt a mission to Mars’ moon Phobos to land and return a soil sample. On the way it was to release a Chinese satellite to orbit Mars. Making the round trip was a tiny capsule from the Planetary Society containing freeze-dried microbes to see if they could survive the long trip in interplanetary space. The rocket performed flawlessly, but the Phobos-Grunt package did not ignite its engine to escape earth and head out to Mars. Subsequent attempts by the Russians and Europeans have failed to correct the situation. On the 26th NASA’s Curiosity was launched and is now heading to Mars to land August 5th next year.
* Times, as always are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan.
12/07/11 – Ephemeris – Where are the planets this week?
Wednesday, December 7th. The sun will rise at 8:05. It’ll be up for 8 hours and 57 minutes, setting at 5:02. The moon, 3 days before full, will set at 6:16 tomorrow morning.
It’s Wednesday and time again to take a look at the whereabouts of the bright planets. The planet Venus is low in the southwestern twilit sky sunset setting at 6:57, and should be visible by 5:45. Jupiter is now the most prominent planet of the evening sky located in the high in the southeast and is seen against the stars of the constellation Aries. It will pass due south at 9:33 p.m. In a telescope it will be accompanied by its 4 brightest moons. It will set at 4:18 a.m.. Mars will rise at 11:55 p.m in the east northeast and will be in the constellation Leo. Mars will be due south at 6:34 a.m. It is 117 million miles away and closing. Saturn will rise at 3:46 a.m. just to the left of the bright star Spica in the east southeast.
* Times, as always are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan.
11/30/11 – Ephermeris – The location of the planets tonight
Wednesday, November 30th. The sun will rise at 7:57. It’ll be up for 9 hours and 6 minutes, setting at 5:04. The moon, 2 days before first quarter, will set at 11:08 this evening.
It’s Wednesday and time again to take a look at the whereabouts of the bright planets. The planet Venus is low in the southwestern sky just after sunset setting at 6:44, and should be visible by 5:45. Jupiter is now the prominent planet of the evening sky located in the southeast and is seen against the stars of the constellation Aries. It will pass due south at 10:33 p.m. In a telescope it will be accompanied by its 4 brightest moons. It will set at 4:48 a.m.. Mars will rise at 12:07 a.m in the east northeast and will be left of the star Regulus in the constellation Leo tomorrow morning.. It is 122 million miles away and closing. Saturn will rise at 4:10 a.m. just to the left of the bright star Spica in the east southeast.
* Times, as always are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan.
11/23/11 – Ephemeris – Where are the bright planets this week?
Wednesday, November 23rd. The sun will rise at 7:49. It’ll be up for 9 hours and 18 minutes, setting at 5:08. The moon, 2 days before new, will rise at 7:09 tomorrow morning.
It’s Wednesday and time again to take a look at the whereabouts of the bright planets. The planet Venus is still rather close to the sun in the evening setting at 6:33, and should be visible by 5:45 low in the southwest. Jupiter is now the prominent planet of the evening sky located in the southeast and is seen against the stars of the constellation Aries. It will pass due south at 10:33 p.m. In a telescope it will be accompanied by its 4 brightest moons. It will set at 5:18 a.m.. Mars will rise at 12:18 a.m in the east northeast and will be left of the star Regulus in the constellation Leo tomorrow morning. [It is 128 million miles away and closing.] Saturn will rise at 4:34 a.m. just to the left of the bright star Spica in the east southeast.
* Times, as always are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. Bracketed passage was omitted from the audio program due to time constraints.
11/16/11 – Ephemeris – Where are the bright planets this week?
Wednesday, November 16th. The sun will rise at 7:40. It’ll be up for 9 hours and 33 minutes, setting at 5:13. The moon, 2 days before last quarter, will rise at 10:29 this evening.
It’s Wednesday and time again to take a look at the whereabouts of the bright planets. The planet Venus is still rather close to the sun in the evening setting at 6:28, and should be visible by 5:45. Jupiter is now the prominent planet of the evening sky located in the east and southeast and is seen against the stars of the constellation Aries. It will pass due south at 11:03 p.m. In a telescope it will be accompanied by its 4 brightest moons. The moons and planetary features change from night to night and sometimes while you watch. Jupiter will set at 5:50 a.m.. Mars will rise at 12:28 a.m in the east northeast and will be left of the star Regulus in the constellation Leo tomorrow morning.. [It is 134 million miles away and closing.]
* Times, as always are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. Bracketed passage was omitted from the audio program due to time constraints.
Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog 