Archive

Archive for the ‘Observing’ Category

Ephemeris: 01/06/2025 – Things that go blink in the night

January 6, 2025 Comments off

This is Ephemeris for Monday, January 6th. Today the Sun will be up for 8 hours and 58 minutes, setting at 5:18, and it will rise tomorrow at 8:19. The Moon, at first quarter today, will set at 1:26 tomorrow morning.

Lately there’s been a lot of reported observations of drones or various things in the sky at night, especially, for some reason, in New Jersey. If it’s something that’s moving in the sky other than satellites, meteors and aurorae, they’re out of my wheelhouse. I generally concern myself with the sidereal universe, the universe beyond the atmosphere. Things that don’t seem to move that rapidly. There are a lot of bright lights in the sky, that are things that I can and do talk about this time of year and this particular year. We have a lot of bright lights in the sky now, foremost Venus in the southwest in the early evening, and Jupiter in the east and the south. Mars is also up, but it’s not in competition with Jupiter this year. These plus the bright winter stars.

The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EST, UT – 5 hours). Times will be different for other locations.

Addendum

Bright lights in the sky, namely the Moon, planets, and Venus at 8:00 PM tonight. This image encompasses a angle of nearly 180° wide and 70° tall. Click or tap on the image to enlarge it. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.

Categories: Ephemeris Program, Observing, Planets, Stars, The Moon Tags:

Ephemeris: 01/01/2025 – A New Year’s Day look at the naked-eye planets

January 1, 2025 Comments off

This is Ephemeris for New Year’s Day, Wednesday, January 1st, 2025. The Sun will rise at 8:20. It’ll be up for 8 hours and 53 minutes, setting at 5:13. The Moon, 2 days past new, will set at 7:02 this evening.

Let’s take our weekly look at the whereabouts of the naked-eye planets. Venus can be spotted in the south-southwestern sky by 5:45 PM, about 30 minutes after sunset, and will also be above and left of the thin crescent Moon. Venus will set at 9:10 PM. Saturn will be in the south-southwestern sky at 6 PM, above and left of Venus, which will be seen to cross paths with it on the 18th of this month. Jupiter is low in the east, about the same time Venus is first spotted. It will be a good object for the small telescope. Mars, rises tonight at 6:31. Mars is still considered a morning planet since it is still up at sunrise. But that will end on the 15th of this month, when Mars reaches opposition from the Sun.

The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EST, UT – 5 hours). Times will be different for other locations.

Happy New Year! I do really hope it will be happy…

Addendum

This is a 7 PM planet panorama. Venus and Saturn are in the southwest, and Jupiter is in the east. Mars is just rising in the east-northeast
This is a 7 PM planet panorama. Venus and Saturn are in the southwest, and Jupiter is in the east. Mars is just rising in the east-northeast. Click or tap on the image to enlarge it. Created using Stellarium.
The waxing two day old Moon with earthshine on its night side
The waxing two day old Moon with earthshine on its night side. Created using Stellarium.
Telescopic Venus, Saturn, Jupiter and Mars (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope with the same magnification
Telescopic Venus, Saturn, Jupiter and Mars (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope with the same magnification. All the planets are shown for tonight, Jupiter specifically for 7 PM, January 1, 2025. Apparent diameters: Venus 22.4″, 55% illuminated; Saturn 16.6″, its rings 38.6″, 4.3 degrees from edge on (closing); Jupiter 47.0″; Mars, 14.3″. Planetary surface detail is more subtle than shown here. The ” means seconds of arc, or 1/3600th of a degree. Click or tap on the image to enlarge it. 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 January 1, 2025. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 2nd
The naked-eye planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise on a single night, starting with sunset on the right on January 1, 2025. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 2nd. Click or tap on the image to enlarge it. Created using my LookingUp app and GIMP.
This is a 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, January 1 and 2, 2025. 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 in hours and minutes. Dec is declination which is the north-south position of the object on the celestial sphere in degrees and minutes. 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 as a table by my Ephemeris Helper app.

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

Ephemeris: 12/26/2024 – Finding Orion the hunter

December 26, 2024 Comments off

This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Thursday, December 26th. Today the Sun will be up for 8 hours and 49 minutes, setting at 5:08, and it will rise tomorrow at 8:19. The Moon, halfway from last quarter to new, will rise at 5:24 tomorrow morning.

The constellation of Orion the hunter is the most famous constellation in the sky. At 8 o’clock tonight he is seen in the east southeast. Two of its stars are first magnitude, among the brightest in the sky while five are second magnitude, as bright as the brightest Big Dipper stars. His torso is a rectangle of stars, now tilted to the left, framed by Betelgeuse and Bellatrix in his shoulders and Rigel and Saiph and Rigel at his knees. Betelgeuse and Rigel are first magnitude stars at opposite corners of that rectangle. His most easily found feature is his belt of three stars in a straight line in the center of that rectangle, now nearly vertically aligned, which makes them easy to spot even if you don’t know the pattern of the rest of the stars.

The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EST, UT – 5 hours). Times will be different for other locations.

Addendum

Orion, star names, and constellation art animation
Orion, star names, and constellation art animation position for 9 PM tonight. t includes Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky in Canis Major, one of Orion’s hunting dogs, still in the process of rising. Created using Stellarium and GIMP. Artist: Johan Meuris, contributor to Stellarium.
Categories: Constellations, Ephemeris Program, Observing Tags:

Ephemeris: 12/25/2024 – A Christmas week look at the naked-eye planets

December 25, 2024 1 comment

This is Ephemeris for Christmas Day, Wednesday, December 25th. Today the Sun will be up for 8 hours and 48 minutes, setting at 5:07, and it will rise tomorrow at 8:19. The Moon, 3 days past last quarter, will rise at 4:16 tomorrow morning.

Let’s take our weekly look at the whereabouts of the naked-eye planets. Venus can be spotted in the south-southwestern sky by 5:30 PM, about 30 minutes after sunset. It will set at 8:41 PM. Saturn will be in the south at 6 PM, way above the bright star Fomalhaut. Jupiter is low in the east-northeast, about the same time Venus is first spotted. It will be a good object for the small telescope about an hour later. Mars, rises tonight at 7:44, It will appear above the Moon in the evening. Mars is still considered a morning planet since it is still up at sunrise. By 6:00 AM tomorrow Jupiter will be low in the west-northwest, to the right of the setting Orion, while reddish Mars will be high in the west-southwest.

The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EST, UT – 5 hours). Times will be different for other locations.

Addendum

This is a 6 PM planet panorama
This is a 6 PM planet panorama. Venus is in the southwest, Saturn is in the south, and Jupiter is rising in the east. Mars will rise shortly. Click or tap on the image to enlarge it. Created using Stellarium.
Looking eastward at 9:00 PM at Jupiter and Mars among the rising winter constellations
Looking eastward at 9:00 PM at Jupiter and Mars among the rising winter constellations. Created using Stellarium.
The Moon as it might appear through a small telescope tomorrow morning
The Moon as it might appear through a small telescope tomorrow morning, December 26, 2024. Selected features are labeled. Created using Stellarium, LibreOffice draw, and GIMP.
Telescopic Venus, Saturn, Jupiter and Mars (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope with the same magnification
Telescopic Venus, Saturn, Jupiter and Mars (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope with the same magnification. All the planets are shown for tonight, Jupiter specifically for 8 PM, December 25, 2024. Apparent diameters: Venus 21.0″, 58.1% illuminated; Saturn 16.7″, its rings 39.0″, 4.5 degrees from edge on (closing); Jupiter 47.5″; Mars, 13.9″. Saturn’s rings are actually much brighter than depicted here. Planetary surface detail is more subtle than shown here. The ” means seconds of arc, or 1/3600th of a degree. Click or tap on the image to enlarge it. 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 December 25, 2024. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 26th. Click or tap on the image to enlarge it. Created using my LookingUp app and GIMP.
This is a 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, December 25 and 26, 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 in hours and minutes. Dec is declination which is the north-south position of the object on the celestial sphere in degrees and minutes. 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 as a table by my Ephemeris Helper app.

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

Ephemeris: 12/18/2024 – Taking our weekly look at the whereabouts of the naked-eye planets

December 18, 2024 Comments off

This is Ephemeris for Wednesday, December 18th. Today the Sun will be up for 8 hours and 48 minutes, setting at 5:03, and it will rise tomorrow at 8:16. The Moon, 3 days past full, will rise at 8:36 this evening.

Let’s take our weekly look at the whereabouts of the naked-eye planets. Venus can be spotted in the south-southwestern sky by 5:30 PM, about 30 minutes after sunset. It will set at 8:41 PM. Saturn will be in the south at 6 PM, way above the bright star Fomalhaut. Jupiter is low in the east-northeast, about the same time Venus is first spotted. It will be a good object for the small telescope about an hour later. Mars, rises tonight at 7:44, It will appear above the Moon in the evening. Mars is still considered a morning planet since it is still up at sunrise. By 6:00 AM tomorrow Jupiter will be low in the west-northwest, to the right of the setting Orion, while reddish Mars will be high in the west-southwest.

The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EST, UT – 5 hours). Times will be different for other locations.

Addendum

This is what I call my 8:00 PM planet panorama. Venus is setting the southwest Saturn heading downwards in the southwest, Jupiter high in the east and Mars just rising in the east northeast. The waning gibbous Moon will rise shortly, trailing Mars. The only thing we’re really missing is Mercury which is close to the Sun in the morning sky. Click or tap on the image to enlarge it. Created using Stellarium.
The Moon as it might appear through a small telescope 10 PM tonight, December 18, 2024. Selected features are labeled. Created using Stellarium, LibreOffice draw, and GIMP.
The planet Mercury should be seen low in the southeast by 7:30 AM, tomorrow morning December 19, 2024. Created using Stellarium.
Telescopic Venus, Saturn, Jupiter and Mars (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope with the same magnification. All the planets are shown for tonight, Jupiter specifically for 9 PM, December 18, 2024. Apparent diameters: Venus 19.7″, 61.1% illuminated; Saturn 16.9″, its rings 39.4″, 4.7 degrees from edge on (closing); Jupiter 47.9″; Mars, 13.3″, 96.3% illuminated. Saturn’s rings are actually much brighter than depicted here. Planetary surface detail is more subtle than shown here. The ” means seconds of arc, or 1/3600th of a degree. Click or tap on the image to enlarge it. 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 December 18, 2024. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 19th. Click or tap on the image to enlarge it. Created using my LookingUp app and GIMP.
This is a low precision ephemeris of the Sun Moon and naked eye planet positions for today and tomorrow, December 18 and 19, 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 in hours and minutes. Dec is declination which is the north-south position of the object on the celestial sphere in degrees and minutes. 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 as a table by my Ephemeris Helper app.

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

Ephemeris: 12/13/2024 – The Geminid meteor shower peaks tonight

December 13, 2024 Comments off

This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Friday, December 13th. Today the Sun will be up for 8 hours and 50 minutes, setting at 5:02, and it will rise tomorrow at 8:12. The Moon, 2 days before full, will set at 7:45 tomorrow morning.

Tonight is the peak of the Geminid meteor shower. Unfortunately this year we’re two days before a full moon so it will cut down their numbers, so only the brightest Geminids will be visible. The radiant for the meteor shower is a point near the star Castor at the head of constellation Gemini, the twins, which is why they’re called the Geminids. This is the most active annual shower of the year right now. The source of the Geminids is the asteroid Phaethon which is probably the core of a dead comet. It is the closest asteroid to the sun at its perihelion in its markedly elliptical orbit like a comet. One of the Stereo Sun observation satellites saw Phaethon shedding material as it moved around at its closest approach to the Sun.

The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EST, UT – 5 hours). Times will be different for other locations.

Addendum

Geminid Radiant
Geminid Radiant near the star Castor in Gemini. The radiant will reach its peak altitude in high in the south at 2:39 AM tomorrow morning, when normally the greatest numbers of meteors might be expected to be seen. The meteors can be seen all over the sky, but the Geminid meteor trails point back to the radiant. From my LookingUp program.
Categories: Ephemeris Program, Meteor Shower, Observing Tags: ,

Ephemeris: 12/11/2024 – Where are the naked-eye planets this week?

December 11, 2024 Comments off

This is Ephemeris for Wednesday, December 11th. Today the Sun will be up for 8 hours and 51 minutes, setting at 5:02, and it will rise tomorrow at 8:11. The Moon, 3 days past first quarter, will set at 5:00 tomorrow morning.

Let’s take our weekly look at the whereabouts of the naked-eye planets. Venus can be spotted in the south-southwestern sky by 5:30 PM, about 30 minutes after sunset. It will set at 8:25 PM. Saturn will be in the south at 6 PM, way above the bright star Fomalhaut. Jupiter is low in the east-northeast, about the same time as when Venus is first spotted. It will be a good object for the small telescope about an hour later. Mars, rises tonight at 8:17, Mars is still considered a morning planet since it is still up at sunrise. By 6:00 AM tomorrow Jupiter will be low in the west-northwest, to the right of the setting Orion, while reddish Mars will be high in the west-southwest.

The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EST, UT – 5 hours). Times will be different for other locations.

Addendum

Venus, Saturn, Jupiter, and the Moon as they would appear about 6 this evening in this panorama view fron east-northeast to southwest
Venus, Saturn, Jupiter, and the Moon as they would appear about 6 this evening in this panorama view fron east-northeast to southwest. Created using Stellarium.
The Moon tonight as it might appear in a small telescope
The Moon tonight as it might appear in a small telescope. Selected features ae labeled. Created using Stellarium, LibreOffice Draw, and GIMP.
Jupiter with Mars rising in the east-noprtheast at 9:00 PM with Orion also rising
Jupiter with Mars rising in the east-noprtheast at 9:00 PM with Orion also rising. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter with Mars rising in the east-noprtheast at 9:00 PM with Orion also rising
By 7:00 AM the winter stars and Jupiter have moved into the west with Orion almost completely set. Jupiter is seen about to set in the west-northwest. Mars in the west-southwest. Created using Stellarium.
Telescopic Venus, Saturn, Jupiter and Mars (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope with the same magnification
Telescopic Venus, Saturn, Jupiter and Mars (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope with the same magnification. All the planets are shown for tonight, Jupiter specifically for 8 PM, December 11, 2024. Apparent diameters: Venus 18.6″, 63.8% illuminated; Saturn 17.1″, its rings 39.9″, 5.0 degrees from edge on (closing again); Jupiter 48.1″; Mars, 12.7″, 94.8% illuminated. Saturn’s rings are actually much brighter than depicted here. Planetary surface detail is more subtle than shown here. The ” means seconds of arc, or 1/3600th of a degree. Click or tap on the image to enlarge it. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
Telescopic Venus, Saturn, Jupiter and Mars (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope with the same magnification
The naked-eye planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise on a single night, starting with sunset on the right on December 11, 2024. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 12th. Click or tap on the image to enlarge it. Created using my LookingUp app and GIMP.
This is a 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, December 11 and 12, 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 in hours and minutes. Dec is declination which is the north-south position of the object on the celestial sphere in degrees and minutes. 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 as a table by my Ephemeris Helper app.
Categories: Ephemeris Program, Naked-eye planets, Observing, Planets Tags: , , , ,

Ephemeris: 12/10/2024 – Jupiter’s four bright moons

December 10, 2024 Comments off

This is Ephemeris for Tuesday, December 10th. Today the Sun will be up for 8 hours and 52 minutes, setting at 5:02, and it will rise tomorrow at 8:10. The Moon, 2 days past first quarter, will set at 3:39 tomorrow morning.

The bright star like object in the east in the evenings is the planet Jupiter. If one were to look at Jupiter through binoculars it would appear somewhat larger than a star would look. It has several dimmer stars from one side to the other of it, and if one looked the next night those little stars would have moved. Those are not stars at all, but the four largest moons of Jupiter. This would be easily apparent in the telescope. These are the four Galilean moons. They were observed by Galileo in either late 1609 or early 1610. Another astronomer, Simon Marius discovered these moons at about the same time, but Galileo was first to publish. So he gets the honor. However, Simon Marius is the one who gave them the names we know them by today. Their names, in order of their distance from Jupiter, are: Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. Each is a fascinating world in its own right.

The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EST, UT – 5 hours). Times will be different for other locations.

Addendum

Jupiter and its four Galilean moons on 4 consecutive nights from top to bottom: tonight December 10th through the 13th 2024 at 8 PM EST (01:00 UT the next day). The moons are denoted by the Roman numeral shorthand for them: Io, I; Europa, II ; Ganymede, III; and Callisto, IV. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts), LibreOffice Draw, and GIMP.

The periods of these satellites is interesting. Io orbits Jupiter in 1.8 days. Europa orbits in 3.6 days twice as long as Io. Ganymede orbits Jupiter in 7.2 days which is twice as long as Europa. Callisto takes 16.7 days to orbit Jupiter, and that is longer than twice Ganymede’s orbital period, and so is not in resonance with Ganymede. So the first three are in a 2:1orbital resonance with each other.

Categories: Ephemeris Program, Observing Tags: , , , , ,

Ephemeris: 12/05/2024 – More about Jupiter: it’s very gassy

December 5, 2024 Comments off

This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Thursday, December 5th. Today the Sun will be up for 8 hours and 57 minutes, setting at 5:02, and it will rise tomorrow at 8:05. The Moon, 3 days before first quarter, will set at 9:14 this evening.

The planet Jupiter rules over the night sky with the Moon after Venus sets. Jupiter, 11 times the diameter of the Earth, has the volume of 1300 earths, however it is only 318 times the mass of the Earth. It is made-up mostly of hydrogen and helium, so it is called a gas giant planet, rather than a terrestrial or rocky planet like the Earth. Jupiter is the best viewable of the planets in a small telescope. It has 2 dark bands across it called belts of darker appearing clouds. The famed Great Red Spot is an anticyclone embedded in the southern of those belts. The spot is not as red anymore. I remember it being brick-red back in the late 1950s and early 60s. Jupiter spins very rapidly, its day lasts only 10 hours.

The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EST, UT – 5 hours). Times will be different for other locations.

Addendum

Jupiter by Scott Anttila November 14, 2011
Jupiter by Scott Anttila November 14, 2011. With shadow on the planet and the Great Red Spot.
Matching Scott Anttila's Jupiter image from above with a Cartes du Ciel (sky charts) simulation taken back to that date
Matching Scott Anttila’s Jupiter image from above with a Cartes du Ciel (sky charts) simulation taken back to that date. I did it mainly to identify the moons. It also simulated the shadow of Ganymede on the planet. The red spot has moved in longitude since it was portrayed in the simulation. The Red Spot slowly moves in longitude. The Great Red Spot in Anttila’s image is just above the shadow, and isn’t as great and red as the simulated image, which I suspect is a product of one of the Voyager spacecraft’s time lapse movie on approach to Jupiter in the late 1970s, in which the feature contrast and color were enhanced.
The nomenclature of Jupiter's cloud features
The nomenclature of Jupiter’s cloud features. Click or tap on the image to enlarge it. Credit: The Planetary Society.
Categories: Ephemeris Program, Jupiter, Observing Tags: ,

Ephemeris: 12/04/2024 – Checking where the naked-eye planets are now

December 4, 2024 Comments off

This is Ephemeris for Wednesday, December 4th. Today the Sun will be up for 8 hours and 58 minutes, setting at 5:02, and it will rise tomorrow at 8:04. The Moon, 3 days past new, will set at 7:59 this evening.

Let’s take our weekly look at the whereabouts of the naked-eye planets. Venus can be spotted low in the south-southwestern sky by 5:30 PM, about 30 minutes after sunset. It appears above the Moon tonight, and will set at 8:09 PM. Saturn will be in the south-southeast at 6 PM. Jupiter will rise at 5:09 PM in the east-northeast, and be a good object for the small telescope about an hour later. Mars, rises tonight at 8:47, Both Mars and Jupiter are considered morning planets, since they are still up at sunrise, though Jupiter will be an evening planet after Saturday. By 6:00 AM tomorrow Jupiter will be in the west, above and right of Orion, while reddish Mars will be high in the southwest. Jupiter and Saturn are great planets to view with a small telescope.

The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EST, UT – 5 hours). Times will be different for other locations.

Addendum

Venus will appear above the waxing crescent moon this evening. This is their separation at 5:30 PM from Northern Michigan. The Moon will be moving to the upper left compared to Venus. Created using Stellarium.
The Moon tonight as it might appear in a small telescope. Selected features ae labeled. Created using Stellarium, LibreOffice Draw, and GIMP.
Venus and Saturn as they would appear about 6:30 this evening. The Moon is lost in the bloated image of Venus. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter with Mars rising in the east at 9:00 PM with Orion also rising. Created using Stellarium.
By 6:00 AM the winter stars and Jupiter have moved into the west with Orion about to set. Jupiter is seen in the West with Mars high up in the southwest. Created using Stellarium.
Telescopic Venus, Saturn, Jupiter and Mars (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope with the same magnification. All the planets are shown for tonight, Jupiter specifically for 8 PM, December 4, 2024. Apparent diameters: Venus 17.6″, 66.4% illuminated; Saturn 17.3″, its rings 40.3″, 5.1 degrees from edge on (closing again); Jupiter 48.2″; Mars, 12.0″, 93.5% illuminated. Saturn’s rings are actually much brighter than depicted here. Planetary surface detail is more subtle than shown here. The ” means seconds of arc, or 1/3600th of a degree. Click or tap on the image to enlarge it. 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 December 4, 2024. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 5th. Click or tap on the image to enlarge it. Created using my LookingUp app and GIMP.
This is a low precision ephemeris of the Sun Moon and naked eye planet positions for today and tomorrow, December 4 and 5, 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 in hours and minutes. Dec is declination which is the north-south position of the object on the celestial sphere in degrees and minutes. 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 as a table by my Ephemeris Helper app.
Categories: Ephemeris Program, Naked-eye planets, Observing, Planets Tags: , , , ,