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Ephemeris: 07/09/2025 – Taking our weekly look at the naked-eye planets

July 9, 2025 Comments off

This is Ephemeris for Wednesday, July 9th. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 22 minutes, setting at 9:29, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:07. The Moon, 1 day before full, will set at 5:21 tomorrow morning.

Let’s take our weekly look at the whereabouts of the naked-eye planets. The Red Planet Mars, will be seen to the upper left of the bright star Regulus in the constellation Leo the lion. Both are seen in the western sky by 10:30 PM at least. Mars is moving away from Regulus toward Spica, then in the southwest. Mars moves much faster against the background stars than the more distant Jupiter and Saturn. Jupiter is in the morning sky now but is still probably too close to the direction of the Sun to be seen. Give it a week or two. Venus will rise at 3:25 AM in the east northeast, and by 5 AM will be seen in the east, as the Morning Star. By then Saturn will be in the south-southeast, having risen just before 1 AM.

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

Mars, Regulus and Spica this evening in the western sky
Mars, Regulus and Spica this evening in the western sky near 10:30 PM tonight, July 9, 2025. Created using Stellarium.
The Moon tonight, July 9, 2025. A view visible in small telescopes showing an image with and without selected features labeled. Created using Stellarium, LibreOffice Draw, and GIMP.
Venus and Saturn with some bright stars at 5 AM tomorrow morning
Venus and Saturn with some bright stars at 5 AM tomorrow morning, July 10th, 2025, looking from east-northeast to south. Created using Stellarium.
Telescopic Saturn and Venus (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope with the same magnification
Telescopic Saturn and Venus (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope with the same magnification. On the evening of July 9, 2025, Mars will be 4.7″ in diameter, too small to be shown here. My lower size limit is 10″. On the morning of the 10th, Saturn will be 18.0″ in diameter, but its rings, even being nearly edge on, should show up brighter than seen here., and extend to 42.0″. They are tilted 3.7° from being edge on. Venus’ apparent diameter will be 16.6″, and be 67.4% illuminated. The ” means seconds of arc, or 1/3600th of a degree. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts), LibreOffice Draw and GIMP.
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 July 9, 2025. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 10th. 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, July 9th and 10th, 2025. Some of the columns are self-explanatory, others are 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 Tags: , , , , ,

Ephemeris: 07/02/2025 – Taking our weekly look at the naked-eye planets

July 2, 2025 Comments off

This is Ephemeris for Wednesday, July 2nd. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 29 minutes, setting at 9:31, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:02. The Moon, at first quarter today, will set at 1:18 tomorrow morning.

Let’s take our weekly look at the whereabouts of the naked-eye planets. The Red Planet Mars, will be seen to the upper left of the bright star Regulus in the constellation Leo the lion. Both are seen in the western sky by 10:30 PM at least. At that time Mercury might be spotted low on the west-northwestern Lake Michigan horizon. This is not a favorable appearance of Mercury. Jupiter passed conjunction with the Sun last week, but it will be nearly a month before it will appear in our morning sky. Venus will rise at 3:28 AM in the east northeast, and by 5 AM will be seen low in the east, as the Morning Star. By then Saturn will be in the southeast, having risen nearly 2½ hours earlier.

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

Mars and Regulus this evening with Mercury and the Moon in the western sky near 10:30 PM tonight, July 2, 2025.
Mars and Regulus this evening with Mercury and the Moon in the western sky near 10:30 PM tonight, July 2, 2025. Mercury is seen here, but will probably be invisible from my latitude as being too low in the sky. The farther south one goes, at least to the equator, the higher Mercury will appear. Mercury’s evening appearances in summer and fall are poor ones for us mortherners. Created using Stellarium.
The Moon tonight, July 2, 2025. A view visible in small telescopes showing an image with and without selected features labeled. Created using Stellarium, LibreOffice Draw, and GIMP.
Venus and Saturn at 5 AM tomorrow morning, July 3rd, 2025.
Venus and Saturn at 5 AM tomorrow morning, July 3rd, 2025, in the east-southeastern sky. Created using Stellarium.
Telescopic Saturn and Venus (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope with the same magnification.
Telescopic Saturn and Venus (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope with the same magnification. On the evening of July 2, 2025, Mercury will have an apparent diameter of 7.9″ and be 42.9% illuminated. Mars will be 4.8″ in diameter. Both are too small to be shown here. My lower size limit is 10″. On the morning of the 3rd, Saturn will be 17.8″ in diameter, but its rings, being nearly edge on, should show up brighter than seen here., and extend to 41.4″. They are tilted 3.6° from being edge on. Venus’ apparent diameter will be 17.5″, and be 64.7% illuminated. The ” means seconds of arc, or 1/3600th of a degree. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts), LibreOffice Draw and GIMP.
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 July 2, 2025. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 3rd. Click or tap on the image to enlarge it. Created using my LookingUp app and GIMP.
A low precision ephemeris of the Sun Moon and naked eye planet positions for today and tomorrow, July 2nd and 3rd, 2025.
This is a low precision ephemeris of the Sun Moon and naked eye planet positions for today and tomorrow, July 2nd and 3rd, 2025. Some of the columns are self-explanatory, others are 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, Uncategorized Tags: , , , , ,

Ephemeris: 06/25/2025 – Taking our weekly look at the naked-eye planets

June 25, 2025 Comments off

This is Ephemeris for Wednesday, June 25th. 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 is new today, and won’t be visible.

Let’s take our weekly look at the whereabouts of the naked-eye planets. The Red Planet Mars, will be seen to the upper left of the bright star Regulus in the constellation Leo the lion. Both are seen in the western sky by 10:30 PM at least. At that time Mercury might be spotted low on the west-northwestern Lake Michigan horizon. This is not a favorable appearance of Mercury. Jupiter passed conjunction with the Sun yesterday, but it will be nearly a month before it will appear in our morning sky. Venus will rise at 3:34 AM in the east northeast, and by 5 AM will be seen low in the east, as the Morning Star. By then Saturn will be in the southeast, having risen 2 hours earlier.

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

Mars and Regulus this evening with Mercury and other bright stars in the western sky near 10:30 PM.
Mars and Regulus this evening with Mercury and other bright stars in the western sky near 10:30 PM, June 25, 2025. Mercury is seen here, but will probably be invisible from my latitude as being too low in the sky. The farther south one goes, at least to the equator, the higher Mercury will appear. Created using Stellarium.
Venus and Saturn at 5 AM tomorrow morning

Venus and Saturn at 5 AM tomorrow morning, June 26th, 2025, in the east-southeastern sky. Created using Stellarium.
Telescopic Saturn and Venus
Telescopic Saturn and Venus (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope with the same magnification. On the evening of June 25, 2025, Mercury will have an apparent diameter of 7.0″ and be 54.9% illuminated. Mars will be 5.0″ in diamete. Both are too small to be shown here. My lower size limit is 10″. On the morning of the 26th, Saturn will be 17.6″ in diameter, but its rings, being nearly edge on, should show up brighter than seen here., and extend to 40.9″. They are tilted 3.4° from being edge on. Venus’ apparent diameter will be 18.5″, and be 61.7% illuminated. The ” means seconds of arc, or 1/3600th of a degree. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts), LibreOffice Draw and GIMP.
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 June 25, 2025. 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.
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, June 25th and 26th, 2025. Some of the columns are self-explanatory, others are 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 Tags: , , , , ,

Ephemeris: 06/18/2025 – Three of the five naked-eye planets are visible now

June 18, 2025 Comments off

This is Ephemeris for Wednesday, June 18th. 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, at last quarter today, will rise at 1:55 tomorrow morning.

Let’s take our weekly look at the whereabouts of the naked-eye planets. The Red Planet Mars, will be seen just to the upper left of the bright star Regulus in the constellation Leo the lion. Both are seen in the western sky by 10:30 PM at least. They are currently about the same brightness, but Mars has an orange-reddish hue, while Regulus, is blue-white. They are a good color contrast, especially in binoculars which will increase their brightness. Even before 5 AM Venus will be seen very low in the east, as the Morning Star. The waning crescent Moon will be near Saturn, having passed it around midnight. By 5 AM Saturn will be to the right and below it. Venus will be visible until close to 5:40.

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

Mars and Regulus this evening with other bright stars in the western sky near 10:30 PM
Mars and Regulus this evening with other bright stars in the western sky near 10:30 PM, June 18, 2025. Mercury is seen here, but will probably be invisible from my latitude. The farther south one goes, at least to the equator, the higher Mercury will appear. Created using Stellarium and LibreOffice Draw for the captions.
Venus, Saturn and the waining crescent Moon at 5 AM tomorrow morning

Venus, Saturn and the waining crescent Moon at 5 AM tomorrow morning, June 19th, 2025, in the east. Created using Stellarium.
The Moon just 14 hours after last quarter. Selected features are labeled. Created using Stellarium, labels from Virtual Moon Atlas, added using LibreOffice Draw and GIMP.
Telescopic Saturn and Venus (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope with the same magnification
Telescopic Saturn and Venus (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope with the same magnification. On the evening of June 18, 2025, Mars is 5.1″ in diameter, too small to be shown here. My lower size limit is 10″. On the morning of the 19th, Saturn is 17.4″ in diameter, but its rings, being nearly edge on should show up brighter than seen here., and extend to 40.4″. They are tilted 3.5° from being edge on. Venus’ apparent diameter is 19.7″, and is 58.6% illuminated. The ” means seconds of arc, or 1/3600th of a degree. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts), LibreOffice Draw and GIMP.
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 June 18, 2025. 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.
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, June 18th and 19th, 2025. Some of the columns are self-explanatory, others are 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 Tags: , , , , ,

Ephemeris: 06/11/2025 – Checking on the naked-eye planets for this week

June 11, 2025 Comments off

This is Ephemeris for Wednesday, June 11th. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 31 minutes, setting at 9:28, and it will rise tomorrow at 5:56. The Moon, at full today, will rise at 10:31 this evening.

Let’s take our weekly look at the whereabouts of the naked-eye planets. Only one naked eye planet will be visible in the evening sky. That is reddish Mars, now approaching the bright star Regulus in the constellation Leo the lion, which it will pass just north of next Monday evening, June 16th. Both are seen in the western sky. They are currently about the same brightness, but Mars has an orange-reddish hue, while Regulus, to the left, is white. By 5 AM Venus will be seen very low in the east, as the Morning Star, with Saturn to the right and above it in the east-southeast. Venus will be visible until close to 5:40. For those with telescopes, Saturn’s rings are now slowly opening up again, and will for the next 7 years.

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

Mars and Regulus in the evening
Mars and Regulus this evening near 10:30 PM, June 11, 2025. Created using Stellarium and LibreOffice Draw.
The Moon just 20 hours after being full, the sunset terminator is beginning to fill craters with shadows to the upper right of the Moon. Selected features are labeled. Created using Stellarium , labels from Virtual Moon Atlas, added using LibreOffice Draw and GIMP.
Venus and Saturn at 5 AM tomorrow morning, June 12th, 2025, low in the east

Venus and Saturn at 5 AM tomorrow morning, June 12th, 2025, low in the east. Created using Stellarium.
Telescopic Saturn and Venus (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope with the same magnification.
Telescopic Saturn and Venus (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope with the same magnification. Mars is 5.2″ in diameter, too small to be shown here. My lower size limit is 10″. On the morning of the 12th, Saturn is 17.1″ in diameter, but its rings, being nearly edge on should show up brighter than seen here., and extend to 40.0″. They are tilted 3.4° from being edge on. Venus’ apparent diameter is 21.1″, and is 55.4% illuminated. The ” means seconds of arc, or 1/3600th of a degree. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts), LibreOffice Draw and GIMP.
The naked-eye planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise on a single night, starting with sunset on the right on June 11, 2025

The naked-eye planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise on a single night, starting with sunset on the right on June 11, 2025. 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.
A low precision ephemeris of the Sun Moon and naked eye planet positions for today and tomorrow, June 11th and 12th, 2025
This is a low precision ephemeris of the Sun Moon and naked eye planet positions for today and tomorrow, June 11th and 12th, 2025. Some of the columns are self-explanatory, others are 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 Tags: , , , , ,

Ephemeris: 06/04/2025 – Taking our weekly look at where the naked-eye planets have wondered off to

June 4, 2025 Comments off

This is Ephemeris for Wednesday, June 4th. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 25 minutes, setting at 9:23, and it will rise tomorrow at 5:58. The Moon, 2 days past first quarter, will set at 2:57 tomorrow morning.

Let’s take our weekly look at the whereabouts of the naked-eye planets. At 10 PM this evening two naked eye planets will be out. Jupiter, is then very low on the west-northwestern horizon, difficult or impossible to find. Fading Mars, with its distinctive reddish hue, is in the west-southwest, at that time, though better seen when the skies are darker. It’s slowly approaching the bright star Regulus in Leo the lion, which it will pass on June 16th. By 5 AM Venus will be seen very low in the east, as the Morning Star, with Saturn to the right in the east-southeast and above it. Venus will be visible until close to 5:40. For those with telescopes, Saturn’s rings are now slowly opening up again, and will for the next 7 years.

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

Though Mercury and Jupiter are still in the evening sky, they are too close to the Sun to really be visible. Only Mars is left. It is approaching the star Regulus, which it will pass just north of on the 16th. The waxing gibbous Moon is entering Virgo tonight. Created using LibreOffice Draw, and GIMP.
The Moon tonight, June 4, 2025. A view visible in small telescopes showing an image with and without selected features labeled. Created using Stellarium, LibreOffice Draw, and GIMP.
Venus and Saturn at 5 AM tomorrow morning, June 5th, 2025, low in the east
Venus and Saturn at 5 AM tomorrow morning, June 5th, 2025, low in the east. Created using Stellarium.
Telescopic Saturn and Venus as they would be seen in a small telescope with the same magnification
Telescopic Saturn and Venus (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope with the same magnification. Mars is 5.4″ in diameter, too small to be shown here. My lower size limit is 10″. On the morning of the 5th, Saturn is 16.9″ in diameter, but its rings, being nearly edge on should show up brighter than seen here., and extend to 39.5″. They are tlted 3.2° from being edge on. Venus’ apparent diameter is 22.7″, and is 51.8% iluminated. The ” means seconds of arc, or 1/3600th of a degree. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts), LibreOffice Draw and GIMP.
The naked-eye planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise on a single night, starting with sunset on the right on June 4, 2025
The naked-eye planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise on a single night, starting with sunset on the right on June 4, 2025. 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.
A low precision ephemeris of the Sun Moon and naked eye planet positions for today and tomorrow, June 4th and 5th, 2025
This is a low precision ephemeris of the Sun Moon and naked eye planet positions for today and tomorrow, June 4th and 5th, 2025. Some of the columns are self-explanatory, others are 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 Tags: , , , , ,

Ephemeris: 05/28/2025 – Our weekly look at the whereabouts of the naked-eye planets

May 28, 2025 Comments off

This is Ephemeris for Wednesday, May 28th. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 15 minutes, setting at 9:18, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:01. The Moon, 2 days past new, will set at 11:50 this evening.

Let’s take our weekly look at the whereabouts of the naked-eye planets. At 10 PM this evening two naked eye planets will be out. Jupiter, is now low in the west-northwestern sky Underneath the waxing crescent Moon. The fading Mars, with its distinctive reddish hue, is in the west-southwest, at that time. It’s slowly approaching the bright star Regulus in Leo the lion, which it will pass on June 16th. By 5 AM Venus will be seen very low in the east, as the Morning Star, with Saturn to the right and a bit above it. Venus will require a low eastern horizon then. But it will rise and be visible until close to 5:45. For those with telescopes, Saturn’s rings are now open­ing up again, and will for the next 7 years.

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

The evening planets Jupiter and Mars seen with the fading stars of winter in bright twilight at 10 PM
The evening planets Jupiter and Mars seen with the fading stars of winter in bright twilight at 10 PM, tonight May 28th, 2025. It looks like the last chance to see Jupiter in the evening sky until late fall. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.
Venus and Saturn at 5 AM tomorrow morning
Venus and Saturn at 5 AM tomorrow morning, May 29th, 2025, low in the east. Created using Stellarium.
Telescopic Jupiter, Saturn and Venus (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope with the same magnification
Telescopic Jupiter, Saturn and Venus (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope with the same magnification. Jupiter is shown for tonight, 10 PM, May 21, 2025. Its apparent diameter is 32.4″, though its moons will be probably washed out by the bright twilight. Mars is 5.6″ in diameter, too small to be shown here. My lower size limit is 10″. Saturn is shown on the morning of the 29, it is 16.8″ in diameter, but its rings, being nearly edge on should show up brighter than seen here., and extend to 39.0″. They are 3.1° from being edge on. Venus’ apparent diameter is 24.6″, and is 47.6% iluminated. Planetary surface detail is more subtle than shown here. The ” means seconds of arc, or 1/3600th of a degree. 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 May 28, 2025. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 29th. 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, May 28th and 29th, 2025. Some of the columns are self-explanatory, others are 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 Tags: , , , , ,

Ephemeris: 05/21/2025 – Checking where the naked-eye planets are

May 21, 2025 Comments off

This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Wednesday, May 21st. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 3 minutes, setting at 9:11, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:07. The Moon, 1 day past last quarter, will rise at 3:32 tomorrow morning.

Let’s take our weekly look at the whereabouts of the naked-eye planets. At 10 PM this evening two naked eye planets will be out. Jupiter, is now low in the west-northwestern sky. The rapidly fading Mars, with its distinctive reddish hue, is in the west-southwest, at that time. Once it’s darker binoculars can be used to spot the Beehive Star Cluster to its lower right. By 5 AM Venus will be seen very low in the east, as the Morning Star, with Saturn and the waning crescent Moon in an upward line to the right and a bit above it. Venus will require a low eastern horizon then. But it will rise and be visible until close to 5:45 or later. For those with telescopes, Saturn’s rings are now opening up again, and will for the next 7 years.

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

The evening planets Jupiter and Mars seen with the fading stars of winter at 10 PM
The evening planets Jupiter and Mars seen with the fading stars of winter at 10 PM, on May 21st, 2025. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.
Venus, Saturn and the waning crfescent Moon at 5 AM tomorrow morning, May 22nd, 2025, low in the east. Created using Stellarium.
The waning crescent Moon tomorrow morning, May 22nd, 2025, in its orientation at 5 AM. A view visible in small telescopes showing an image with and without selected features labeled. Created using Stellarium, LibreOffice Draw, and GIMP.
Telescopic Jupiter, Venus and Saturn as they would be seen in a small telescope with the same magnification
Telescopic Jupiter, Venus and Saturn (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope with the same magnification. Jupiter is shown for tonight, 10 PM, May 21, 2025. Its apparent diameter is 32.7″. Mars is 5.8″ in diameter, too small to be shown here. My lower size limit is 10″. Venus is shown in the morning of the 22nd. Its apparent diameter is 26.9″, and is 44.0% iluminated. Saturn is 16.6″ in diameter, but its rings, being nearly edge on may not be visible, but extend to 38.6″. They are 2.8 degrees from being edge on and barely illuminated. Planetary surface detail is more subtle than shown here. The ” means seconds of arc, or 1/3600th of a degree. 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 May 21, 2025. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 22nd. 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, May 21st and 22nd, 2025. Some of the columns are self-explanatory, others are 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 Tags: , , , , ,

Ephemeris: 05/14/2025 – Looking for the naked-eye planets

May 14, 2025 Comments off

This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Wednesday, May 14th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 48 minutes, setting at 9:03, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:14. The Moon, 2 days past full, will rise at 11:41 this evening.

Let’s take our weekly look at the whereabouts of the naked-eye planets. At 10 PM this evening two of the five naked eye planets will be out. Jupiter, is now the brightest evening planet, our substitute evening star if you will. It will be in the low in the west-northwestern sky. The rapidly fading Mars, with its distinctive reddish hue, is in the west-southwest, less than a binocular field’s width east of the Beehive Star Cluster in Cancer the Crab. By 5 AM Venus will be seen very low in the east, as the Morning Star. It will require a low eastern horizon. It should be visible until close to 6 AM. Saturn is visible to the right and a bit above Venus. It will disappear much sooner than the much brighter Venus.

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. Event times will be different for other locations.

Addendum

The evening planets Jupiter and Mars seen with the fading stars of winter at 10 PM
The evening planets Jupiter and Mars seen with the fading stars of winter at 10 PM, on May 14th, 2025. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.
The Moon tomorrow morning, May 15, 2025, in its orientation at 5 AM. A view visible in small telescopes showing an image with and without selected features labeled. Created using Stellarium, LibreOffice Draw, and GIMP.
Venus and Saturn at 5:15 AM tomorrow morning
Venus and Saturn at 5:15 AM tomorrow morning, May 15th, 2025, low in the east. Created using Stellarium.
Telescopic Jupiter, Venus and Saturn
Telescopic Jupiter, Venus and Saturn (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope with the same magnification. Jupiter is shown for tonight, 10 PM, May 15, 2025. Its apparent diameter is 33.0″. Mars is 6.1″ in diameter, too small to be shown here. My lower size limit is 10″. Venus is shown in the morning of May 8th. Its apparent diameter is 29.5″, and is 39.5% iluminated. Saturn is 16.4″ in diameter, but its rings, being nearly edge on may not be visible. They are 2.6 degrees from being edge on and barely illuminated. Planetary surface detail is more subtle than shown here. The ” means seconds of arc, or 1/3600th of a degree. 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 May 14, 2025. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 15th. Click or tap on the image to enlarge it. Created using my LookingUp app and GIMP.
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, May 14th and May 15th, 2025. Some of the columns are self-explanatory, others are 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 Tags: , , , , ,

Ephemeris: 05/07/2025 – Taking our weekly look at the whereabouts of the naked-eye planets

May 7, 2025 Comments off

This is Ephemeris for Wednesday, May 7th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 31 minutes, setting at 8:55, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:22. The Moon, 3 days past first quarter, will set at 4:36 tomorrow morning.

Let’s take our weekly look at the whereabouts of the naked-eye planets. At 10 PM this evening two of the five naked eye planets will be out. Jupiter, is now the brightest evening planet, our substitute evening star if you will. It will be in the low in the west-northwestern sky. The rapidly fading Mars, with its distinctive reddish hue, is in the west-southwest, moving away from the stars Castor and Pollux in Gemini to the lower right of it. By 5:30 AM Venus will be seen very low in the east, as the Morning Star. It will require a low eastern horizon. It should be visible until a bit after 6:30. Saturn is visible close and to its right and a bit above. It will disappear much sooner than Venus.

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

The evening planets Jupiter and Mars seen with the fading stars of winter at 10 PM
The evening planets Jupiter and Mars seen with the fading stars of winter at 10 PM, on May 7th, 2025. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.
The Moon tonight, May 7, 2025. A view visible in small telescopes showing an image with and without selected features labeled. Created using Stellarium, LibreOffice Draw, and GIMP.
Venus and Saturn at 5:30 AM seen tomorrow morning
Venus and Saturn at 5:30 AM tomorrow morning, May 8th, 2025, low in the east. Saturn may still be tough to spot at our northerly latitude (45 N). Created using Stellarium.
Telescopic Jupiter, Venus and Saturn (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope with the same magnification
Telescopic Jupiter, Venus and Saturn (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope with the same magnification. Jupiter is shown for tonight, 10 PM, May 7, 2025. Its apparent diameter is 33.3″. Mars is 6.3″ in diameter, too small to be shown here. My lower size limit is 10″. Venus is shown in the morning of May 8th. Its apparent diameter is 37.9″, and is 34.6% iluminated. Saturn is 16.3″ in diameter, but its rings, being nearly edge on may not be visible. They are 2.3 degrees from being edge on and barely illuminated, They were edge on to the Sun two days ago. Planetary surface detail is more subtle than shown here. The ” means seconds of arc, or 1/3600th of a degree. 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 May 7, 2025. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 8th. Click or tap on the image to enlarge it. Created using my LookingUp app and GIMP.
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, May 7th and May 8th, 2025. Some of the columns are self-explanatory, others are 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: , , , , ,