Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog

This is Ephemeris for Wednesday, August 12th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 11 minutes, setting at 8:53, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:42. The Moon is new today, and won’t be visible.

Today’s a double header of astronomical events with a slight eclipse of the sun from around 12:51 to 2:04 this afternoon for Northern Michigan, and the peak of the Perseid meteor shower tonight. Also our weekly look at the naked eye planets. Venus is our brilliant evening star low in the west after sunset. This Saturday Venus will achieve it’s greatest angular separation from the sun. It will then rapidly close the distance to the sun in 2 1/2 months. It will actually be moving around and between the earth and the sun growing a larger but thinner crescent in telescopes. In the morning, Saturn and Mars will be visible in the southeast and east respectively. Mars is competing with the brighter stars of winter, including the orange Aldebaran, and the red giant star Betelgeuse.

The astronomical event times given in this blog are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (Lat 44.7° N, Long 85.7° W; EDT, UT – 4 hours) unless stated otherwise. Times will be different for other locations.

Addendum

More on the solar eclipse here.

More on the Perseid meteor shower here.

This is Ephemeris for Wednesday, August 5th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 29 minutes, setting at 9:03, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:34. The Moon, at last quarter today, will rise at 11:57 this evening.

Let’s take our weekly look at the whereabouts of the naked-eye planets. By 9:45 PM tonight, almost three-quarters of an hour after sunset, Venus will be easily spotted in the western sky. A telescope will show a tiny gibbous disc of Venus. It is now closer than the Sun, at 71.3 million miles (114.9 mil km) away from us. We are 10 days from Venus greatest elongation east from the sun of 45.9 degrees. It’s within a degree of that now. In the morning, Saturn, Mars and even Mercury will be visible in the southeast and east respectively. Mars is competing with the brighter stars of winter, including the orange Aldebaran, and the red giant star Betelgeuse. The Earth is now chasing down Mars, which will be closest to the Earth and opposite the sun in the sky next February.

The astronomical event times given in this blog are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (Lat 44.7° N, Long 85.7° W; EDT, UT – 4 hours) unless stated otherwise. Times will be different for other locations.

Addendum

This is Ephemeris for Wednesday, July 29th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 46 minutes, setting at 9:12, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:26. The Moon, at full today, will rise at 9:30 this evening.

Let’s take our weekly look at the whereabouts of the naked-eye planets. By 9:45 PM tonight, a bit over a half-hour after sunset, Venus will be easily spotted in the western sky. A telescope will show a tiny gibbous disc of Venus. It is now closer than the Sun, at 76.5 million miles (123.3 mil km) away from us. We are 18 days from Venus greatest elongation east from the sun of 45.9 degrees. It’s within a degree of that now. In the morning, Saturn and Mars will be visible in the southeast and east respectively. Mars is competing with the brighter stars of winter, including the orange Aldebaran, and the red giant star Betelgeuse. The Earth is now chasing down Mars, which will be closest to the Earth and opposite the sun in the sky next February.

The astronomical event times given in this blog are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (Lat 44.7° N, Long 85.7° W; EDT, UT – 4 hours) unless stated otherwise. Times will be different for other locations.

Addendum

This is Ephemeris for Pi Approximation Day, Wednesday, July 22nd, that is 22/7ths. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 1 minute, setting at 9:19, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:19. The Moon, 1 day past first quarter, will set at 1:04 tomorrow morning.

Let’s take our weekly look at the whereabouts of the naked-eye planets. By 9:45 PM tonight, nearly a half-hour after sunset, Venus will be easily spotted in the western sky. A telescope will show a tiny gibbous disc of Venus. It is now closer than the Sun, at 81.8 million miles (131.6 mil km) away from us. Over the next nearly 3 months it will be moving closer to us and becoming much larger. In the morning, Saturn and Mars will be visible, in the southeast and east respectively. The Earth is now chasing down Mars, and later this year the launch window will open to send spacecraft to the Red Planet. Mars will be closest to the Earth and opposite the sun in the sky next February.

The astronomical event times given in this blog are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (Lat 44.7° N, Long 85.7° W; EDT, UT – 4 hours) unless stated otherwise. Times will be different for other locations.

Addendum

This is Ephemeris for Wednesday, July 15th. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 13 minutes, setting at 9:25, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:12. The Moon, 1 day past new, will set at 10:35 this evening. | Let’s take our weekly look at the whereabouts of the naked-eye planets. By 10 PM tonight, a half-hour after sunset, Venus will be easily seen in the western sky. A telescope will show a very tiny gibbous disc of Venus because it is now closer than the Sun, at 86.9 million miles (139.9 million kilometers) away from us. Over the next nearly 3½ months, it will be moving closer to us and becoming much larger. In the morning, Saturn and Mars will be visible in the southeast and east, respectively. The Earth is now chasing down Mars, and later this year the launch window will open to send spacecraft to the Red Planet. Mars will be next closest to the Earth and opposite the sun in the sky next February.

The astronomical event times given in this blog are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (Lat 44.7° N, Long 85.7° W; EDT, UT – 4 hours) unless stated otherwise. Times will be different for other locations.

Addendum

This is Ephemeris for Wednesday, July 8th. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 23 minutes, setting at 9:29, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:06. The Moon, 1 day past last quarter, will rise at 1:26 tomorrow morning.

Let’s take our weekly look at the whereabouts of the naked-eye planets. By 10 PM tonight, a half-hour after sunset, Venus will be easily seen in the western sky. A telescope will show a very tiny gibbous disc of Venus, because it is just a little bit closer than the Sun, at 92.0 million miles (148 million kilometers) away from us. Over the next nearly 3½ months, it will be moving closer to us and becoming much larger. In the morning, Saturn and Mars will be visible, in the southeast and east respectively. The Earth is now chasing down Mars, and later this year the launch window will open to send spacecraft to the Red Planet. Mars will be next closest to the Earth and at opposition with the sun in February next year.

The astronomical event times given in this blog are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (Lat 44.7° N, Long 85.7° W; EDT, UT – 4 hours) unless stated otherwise. Times will be different for other locations.

Addendum

This is Ephemeris for Wednesday, July 1st. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 30 minutes, setting at 9:32, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:01. The Moon, 2 days past full, will rise at 11:01 this evening.

Let’s take our weekly look at the whereabouts of the naked-eye planets. By 10:30 PM tonight, nearly an hour after sunset, Venus is easily seen in the western sky, with Jupiter barely above the horizon, and may not be visible. A telescope will show a very tiny gibbous disc of Venus, because it is still pretty much beyond the Sun, 97 million miles (156 million kilometers) away from us. Over the next nearly 4 months it will be moving closer to us and becoming much larger. In the morning, Saturn will rise at 1:41 AM, followed by dimmer Mars nearly 2 hours later. The Earth is now chasing down Mars, and later this year the launch window will open to send spacecraft to the Red Planet. Mars will be next closest to the Earth in February next year.

The astronomical event times given in this blog are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (Lat 44.7° N, Long 85.7° W; EDT, UT – 4 hours) unless stated otherwise. Times will be different for other locations.

Addendum

This is Ephemeris for Wednesday, June 24th. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 34 minutes, setting at 9:32, and it will rise tomorrow at 5:58. The Moon, 3 days past first quarter, will set at 2:36 tomorrow morning.

Let’s take our weekly look at the whereabouts of the naked-eye planets. By 10:30 PM tonight, nearly an hour after sunset, Venus and Jupiter are seen in the western sky, with Jupiter below and right of the brighter Venus. Mercury, though being just above the horizon at that time, is completely overcome by the twilight. A telescope will show a very tiny gibbous disc of Venus, because it is still pretty much beyond the Sun, 102 million miles (164 million kilometers) away from us. Over the next 4 months it will be moving closer to us and becoming much larger. In the morning, Saturn will rise at 1:52 AM, followed by dimmer Mars nearly 2 hours later. The Earth is now chasing down Mars, and soon the launch window will open to send spacecraft to the Red Planet.

The astronomical event times given in this blog are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (Lat 44.7° N, Long 85.7° W; EDT, UT – 4 hours) unless stated otherwise. Times will be different for other locations.

Addendum

This is Ephemeris for Wednesday, June 17th. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 34 minutes, setting at 9:31, and it will rise tomorrow at 5:56. The Moon, 3 days past new, will set at 12:09 tomorrow morning.

Let’s take our weekly look at the whereabouts of the naked-eye planets. By 10:15 PM tonight, nearly an hour after sunset, Venus and Jupiter, and even Mercury may be seen in the western sky, with Jupiter below and right of the brighter Venus, and Mercury below and right of Jupiter. Jupiter appears to be chasing Mercury back toward the sun. But Mercury is getting dimmer, and will soon be lost in the twilight glow. A telescope will show a very tiny disc on Venus, because it is still pretty much beyond the Sun, 106 million miles (171 mil km) away from us. Over the next 4 months it will be moving closer to us and becoming much larger. In the morning, Saturn will rise at 2:37 AM, followed by dimmer Mars an hour and a half later.

The astronomical event times given in this blog are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (Lat 44.7° N, Long 85.7° W; EDT, UT – 4 hours) unless stated otherwise. Times will be different for other locations.

Addendum