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Ephemeris: 04/30/2025 – Let’s take our weekly look at the whereabouts of the naked-eye planets

April 30, 2025 Comments off

This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Wednesday, April 30th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 13 minutes, setting at 8:46, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:32. The Moon, 3 days past new, will set at 1:08 tomorrow morning.

Let’s take our weekly look at the whereabouts of the naked-eye planets. At 9:30 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 western sky. Tonight it will be below the crescent Moon. To its lower left, the great constellation of Orion will be beginning to set. The rapidly fading Mars, with its distinctive reddish hue, is high in the southwest, with the stars Castor and Pollux in Gemini to the 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 lower right.

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 Moon
The evening planets Jupiter and Mars seen with the Moon (3 times normal size) and fading stars of winter at 10 PM, on April 30th, 2025. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.
The Moon tonight, April 30, 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 tomorrow morning, May 1st, 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
Telescopic Jupiter, Venus and Saturn (north up) as it would be seen in a small telescope with the same magnification. Jupiter is shown for tonight, 10 PM, April 30, 2025. Its apparent diameter is 33.7″. Mars is 6.6″ in diameter, too small to be shown here. My lower size limit is 10″. Venus is shown in the morning of May 1st. Its apparent diameter is 40.6″, and is 23.3% iluminated. Saturn is 16.1″ in diameter, but its rings, being nearly edge on and not illuminated, should not be visible. 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, starting with sunset on the right on April 30, 2025. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the May 1st. 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, April 30th and May 1st, 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: 04/23/2025 – Taking our weekly look at where the naked eye planets have wandered off to

April 23, 2025 Comments off

This is Ephemeris for Wednesday, April 23rd. Today the Sun will be up for 13 hours and 53 minutes, setting at 8:38, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:43. The Moon, 3 days past last quarter, will rise at 5:09 tomorrow morning.

Let’s take our weekly look at the whereabouts of the naked-eye planets. At 9:30 PM this evening two of the five naked eye planets will be out. Jupiter, is now the brighter evening planet, outshining all the stars, and being our substitute Evening Star, if you will. It will be in the west. Below it is the bright star Aldebaran. To its lower left, the great constellation of Orion. The rapidly fading Mars, with its distinctive reddish hue, is high in the southwest, with the stars Castor and Pollux in Gemini to the right and below 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 to spot it at that hour. It should be visible until a bit after 6:30. Saturn should be visible in the morning by the end of the month.

The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT – 4 hours). Times will be different for other locations.

Addendum

The evening planets Jupiter and Mars seen with the fading stars of winter at 9:30 PM.
The evening planets Jupiter and Mars seen with the fading stars of winter at 9:30 PM, on April 23rd, 2025. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.
Venus, Saturn and the Moon at 6 AM tomorrow morning, low in the east.
Venus, Saturn and the Moon at 6 AM tomorrow morning, low in the east. Saturn may not yet be visible at our northerly latitude (45 N). Created using Stellarium.
The Moon 6 AM tomorrow morning, April 24, 2025, 3 1/2 days before new. A view visible in small telescopes showing an image with and without selected features labeled. Created using Stellarium, LibreOffice Draw, and GIMP.
Telescopic Jupiter and Venus (north up) as it would be seen in a small telescope with the same magnification.
Telescopic Jupiter and Venus (north up) as it would be seen in a small telescope with the same magnification. Jupiter is shown for tonight, 10 PM, April 23, 2025. Its apparent diameter is 34.2″. Mars is 6.9″ in diameter, too small to be shown here. My lower size limit is 10″. Venus is shown in the morning of the 24th. Its apparent diameter is 40.6″, and is 23.3% 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 April 23, 2025. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 24th. 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, April 23rd and 24th, 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: , , , , ,

Ephemeris: 04/16/2025 – Taking our weekly look at the naked-eye planets

April 16, 2025 Comments off

This is Ephemeris for Wednesday, April 16th. Today the Sun will be up for 13 hours and 33 minutes, setting at 8:29, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:54. The Moon, halfway from full to last quarter, will rise at 12:48 tomorrow morning.

Let’s take our weekly look at the whereabouts of the naked-eye planets. At 9:30 PM this evening just two of the five naked eye planets will be out. Jupiter, now becomes the brightest evening planet, our substitute evening star if you will. It will be high in the west. Below it is the bright star Aldebaran. To its lower left, the great constellation of Orion. The rapidly fading Mars, with its distinctive reddish hue, is high in the south-southwest, with the stars Castor and Pollux in Gemini to the right of it. By 6 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 should be visible in the morning by the end of the month.

The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT – 4 hours). Times will be different for other locations.

Addendum

The evening planets Jupiter and Mars seen with the fading stars of winter at 9:30 PM, on April 16th, 2025. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.
The Moon 6 AM tomorrow morning, April 17, 2025, 2 1/2 days before last quarter. A view visible in small telescopes showing an image with and without selected features labeled. Created using Stellarium, LibreOffice Draw, and GIMP.
Venus at 6:15 tomorrow morning, low in the east.
Venus at 6:15 tomorrow morning, low in the east. Saturn is below Venus, but overpowered by the twilight glow. Created using Stellarium.
Telescopic Jupiter and Venus (north up) as it would be seen in a small telescope with the same magnification
Telescopic Jupiter and Venus (north up) as it would be seen in a small telescope with the same magnification. Jupiter is shown for tonight, 9:30 PM, April 16, 2025. Its apparent diameter is 34.7″. Mars is 7.3″ in diameter, too small to be shown here. My lower size limit is 10″. Venus is shown in the morning of the 17th. Its apparent diameter is 45.5″, and is 17.1% 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
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 April 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
This is a low precision ephemeris of the Sun Moon and naked eye planet positions for today and tomorrow, April 16th and 17th, 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: 04/09/2025 – Taking our weekly look at the whereabouts of the naked-eye planets

April 9, 2025 Comments off

This is Ephemeris for Wednesday, April 9th. Today the Sun will be up for 13 hours and 12 minutes, setting at 8:20, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:06. The Moon, 3 days before full, will set at 6:13 tomorrow morning.

Let’s take our weekly look at the whereabouts of the naked-eye planets. At 9 PM this evening just two of the five naked eye planets will be out. Jupiter, now becomes the brightest evening planet, our substitute evening star if you will. It will be high in the west at 9 PM. Below it is the bright star Aldebaran. To its lower left, the great constellation of Orion. The rapidly fading Mars, with its distinctive reddish hue, is high in the south-southwest, in line with the stars Castor and Pollux in Gemini above right of it. By 6 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 about 6:45. Saturn should be visible in the morning by the end of the month.

The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT – 4 hours). Times will be different for other locations.

Addendum

Looking into the west-southwestern sky at 9 pm tonight, Jupiter and Mars are hanging out with the winter stars. And Jupiter, at least, will follow them into the bright twilight in a month or so. Mars will continue its eastward trek from Gemini into Cancer in the next month. Created using Stellarium.
The Moon tonight, 3 days before full. A view visible in small telescopes showing an image with and without selected features labeled. Created using Stellarium, LibreOffice Draw, and GIMP.
Venus, the returning Morning Star, low in the east at 6:30 AM. Created using Stellarium.
Telescopic Jupiter and Venus (north up) as it would be seen in a small telescope with the same magnification. Jupiter is shown for tonight, 9 PM, April 9, 2025. Its apparent diameter is 35.3″. Mars is 7.7″ in diameter, too small to be shown here. My lower size limit is 10″. Venus is shown in the morning of the 10th. Its apparent diameter is 35.3″, and is 10.8% 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, starting with sunset on the right on April 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, April 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: 04/02/2025 – Let’s take our weekly look at the whereabouts of the naked-eye planets

April 2, 2025 Comments off

This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Wednesday, April 2nd. Today the Sun will be up for 12 hours and 50 minutes, setting at 8:12, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:19. The Moon, 2 days before first quarter, will set at 2:19 tomorrow morning.

Let’s take our weekly look at the whereabouts of the naked-eye planets. At 9 PM this evening just two of the five naked eye planets will be out. Jupiter, now becomes the brightest evening planet, our substitute evening star if you will. It will be high in the west-southwest at 9 PM. Below it is the bright star Aldebaran and above it tonight will be the crescent Moon. To its lower left, the great constellation of Orion. The rapidly fading Mars, with its distinctive reddish hue, is high in the south, with the stars Castor and Pollux in Gemini above it. Venus may become visible in a few days low in the east starting as early as 6:30 AM. It will require a low eastern horizon, since it will be very low in the sky.

The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT – 4 hours). Times will be different for other locations.

Addendum

Jupiter and Mars tonight.
Looking into the southwestern sky at 9 pm tonight, Jupiter and Mars are hanging out with the winter stars. And Jupiter, at least, will follow them into the bright twilight in a month or so. Mars will continue its eastward trek from Gemini into Cancer in the next month. Created using Stellarium,
The Moon tonight, 2 days before first quarter. A view visible in small telescopes showing an image with and without selected features labeled. Created using Stellarium, LibreOffice Draw, and GIMP.
Telescopic Jupiter (north up) as it would be seen in a small telescope. Jupiter is shown for tonight, 9 PM, April 2, 2025.
Telescopic Jupiter (north up) as it would be seen in a small telescope. Jupiter is shown for tonight, 9 PM, April 2, 2025. Its apparent diameter is 35.9″. Mars is 8.1″ in diameter, too small to be shown here. My lower size limit is 10″. 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 April 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, April 2nd and 3rd, 2025
This is a low precision ephemeris of the Sun Moon and naked eye planet positions for today and tomorrow, April 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, Planets Tags: , , , , ,

Ephemeris: 03/26/2025 – Where have all the naked-eye planets wandered off to?

March 26, 2025 Comments off

This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Wednesday, March 26th. Today the Sun will be up for 12 hours and 29 minutes, setting at 8:03, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:32. The Moon, 3 days before new, will rise at 6:47 tomorrow morning.

Let’s take our weekly look at the whereabouts of the naked-eye planets. At 9 PM this evening just two of the five naked eye planets will be out. Venus and Mercury have gone over to the dark… uh, morning side proceeded by Saturn, a month ago. Jupiter now becomes the brightest evening planet, our substitute evening star if you will. It will be high in the west-southwest at 9 PM. Below it is the bright star Aldebaran with the stars of the Hyades, the face of Taurus the bull, and farther to the right the star group the Pleiades or Seven Sisters. To its lower left, the great constellation of Orion. The rapidly fading Mars, with its distinctive reddish hue, is high in the south, with the stars Castor and Pollux in Gemini above it.

The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT – 4 hours). Times will be different for other locations.

Addendum

Evening planet finder, looking southwest at 9 PM, with and without labels. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.
Telescopic Jupiter (north up) as it would be seen in a small telescope
Telescopic Jupiter (north up) as it would be seen in a small telescope. Jupiter is shown for tonight, 9 PM, March 26, 2025. Its apparent diameter is 37.0″. Mars is 9.0″ in diameter, too small to be shown here. My lower size limit is 10″. Planetary surface detail is more subtle than shown here. Note that Io will be transiting Jupiter from 10:05 PM (2:07, 27th UT) to 12:18 AM (4:18 UT). It’s shadow will be projected on the planet from 11:18 PM (3:18 UT) to 1:31 AM (5:31 UT). 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 March 26, 2025. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 27th. 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, March 26th and 27th, 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: , , , , ,

Ephemeris: 03/19/2025 – Suddenly there are only two planets visible in the evening

March 19, 2025 Comments off

This is Ephemeris for Wednesday, March 19th. Today the Sun will be up for 12 hours and 7 minutes, setting at 7:54, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:45. The Moon, 3 days before last quarter, will rise at 1:53 tomorrow morning.

Let’s take our weekly look at the whereabouts of the naked-eye planets. At 9 PM this evening just two of the five naked eye planets will be out. Venus and Mercury are too close to the Sun in the twilight to be seen. Saturday and Monday Venus and then Mercury will pass between the Earth and the Sun to enter the morning sky. Jupiter, now becomes the brightest evening planet. It will be high in the southwest. Below it is the bright star Aldebaran with the stars of the Hyades, the face of Taurus the bull, and to the lower left, the great constellation of Orion, The rapidly fading Mars, with its distinctive reddish hue, is high in the south, with the stars Castor and Pollux in Gemini above it.

The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT – 4 hours). Times will be different for other locations.

Addendum

Jupiter, and Mars seen high in the southwest
Jupiter, and Mars seen high in the southwest with some of the constellations of winter at 9:00 PM tonight, March 19th 2025. Created using Stellarium.
The Moon tonight, March 19th 2025
The Moon tonight, March 19th 2025, in it’s 9 PM orientation, as it might appear in a small telescope. Selected features are labeled. Created using Stellarium, LibreOffice Draw, and GIMP.
Telescopic Jupiter (north up) as it would be seen in a small telescope
Telescopic Jupiter (north up) as it would be seen in a small telescope. Jupiter is shown for tonight, 9 PM, March 19, 2025. Its apparent diameter is 38.1″. Mars is 9.1″ in diameter, too small to be shown here. My lower size limit is 10″. Planetary surface detail is more subtle than shown here. Note that Io is transiting Jupiter at 9 PM. It will be nearly invisible. Its shadow will be cast on the planet trailing the moon as a black dot from 9:23 to 11:34 PM EDT. Io’s Transit will end at 10:19 PM. 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 March 19, 2025. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 20th. 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, March 19th and 20th, 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: 03/12/2025 – Last chance to see four naked-eye planets in the evening

March 12, 2025 Comments off

This is Ephemeris for Wednesday, March 12th. Today the Sun will be up for 11 hours and 45 minutes, setting at 7:45, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:58. The Moon, 2 days before full, will set at 7:49 tomorrow morning.

Let’s take our weekly look at the whereabouts of the naked-eye planets. At 8:30 PM this evening four of the five naked eye planets will be out. Starting from the West we have Venus the brightest of all. Left and a bit below is the much dimmer Mercury. Both will rapidly disappear in evening twilight in a less than a week. Venus will pass in conjunction with the Sun on March 22nd, Mercury will do the same two days later. Jupiter, the second-brightest planet will be high in the southwest. Mars, the third-brightest planet now, with its distinctive reddish hue, is high in the south-southeast, below and right of the stars Castor and Pollux in Gemini. By the end of the month only two planets, Mars and Jupiter will be left in the evening sky.

The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT – 4 hours). Times will be different for other locations.

Addendum

Venus and Mercury seen very low in the west at 8:30 PM this evening
Venus and Mercury seen very low in the west at 8:30 PM this evening, March 12th 2025. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter, and Mars seen high in the South and southwest at 9:00 PM tonight
Jupiter, and Mars seen high in the South and southwest at 9:00 PM tonight, March 12th 2025. Created using Stellarium.
The Moon tonight, March 12th 2025, in it's 9 PM orientation, as it might appear in a small telescope
The Moon tonight, March 12th 2025, in it’s 9 PM orientation, as it might appear in a small telescope. Selected features are labeled. Created using Stellarium, LibreOffice Draw, and GIMP.
Telescopic Venus and Jupiter (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope with the same magnification
Telescopic Venus and Jupiter (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope with the same magnification. These planets are shown for tonight, 9 PM, March 12, 2025. Apparent diameters: Venus 56.8″, 4.6% illuminated, it’s now 27.3 million miles or 44.0 million kilometers from the Earth; Jupiter 38.1″. Mercury, 8.5″, and Mars 9.7″ in diameter, neither is shown. 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 March 12, 2025. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 13th. Saturn is close to the direction of the Sun, but south of it, and is not up at either sunrise or sunset. 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, March 12th and 13th, 2025
This is a low precision ephemeris of the Sun Moon and naked eye planet positions for today and tomorrow, March 12th and 13th, 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: 03/05/2025 – Taking our weekly look at the whereabouts of the naked-eye planets

March 5, 2025 Comments off

This is Ephemeris for Ash Wednesday, March 5th. Today the Sun will be up for 11 hours and 23 minutes, setting at 6:36, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:10. The Moon, 1 day before first quarter, will set at 2:21 tomorrow morning.

Let’s take our weekly look at the whereabouts of the naked-eye planets. At 7:10 PM this evening four of the five naked eye planets will be out. Starting from the West we have Venus the brightest of all. Below it at the 7 o’clock position and halfway to the horizon is the much dimmer Mercury, three days from its greatest separation from the Sun. Jupiter, the second-brightest planet will be high in the south-southwest below and right of the Moon tonight. The 4th planet out is Mars, the third-brightest planet now, with its distinctive reddish hue, west of the stars Castor and Pollux in Gemini, and in the southeast. By the end of the month both Venus and Mercury will be gone out of the evening sky, leaving only two, Mars and Jupiter.

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 and Mercury seen low in the west at 7:10 PM this evening, March 5th 2025.
Venus and Mercury seen low in the west at 7:10 PM this evening, March 5th 2025. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter, Mars and the Moon seen high in the South at 8:00 PM tonight, March 5th 2025.
Jupiter, Mars and the Moon seen high in the South at 8:00 PM tonight, March 5th 2025. Created using Stellarium.
The Moon tonight, March 5th 2025, as it might appear in a small telescope
The Moon tonight, March 5th 2025, as it might appear in a small telescope. Selected features are labeled. Created using Stellarium, LibreOffice Draw, and GIMP.
Telescopic Venus, Jupiter and Mars (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope with the same magnification
Telescopic Venus, 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, 8 PM, March 5, 2025. Apparent diameters: Venus 52.4″ and rapidly growing as it approaches us, 10.1% illuminated, it now appears larger than Jupiter; Jupiter 39.0″; Mars, 10.4″. Mercury, which is not shown only appears 6.9″ in diameter. 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 March 5, 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, March 5th and 6th, 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: 02/26/2025 – Where are the naked-eye planets this week?

February 26, 2025 Comments off

This is Ephemeris for Wednesday, February 26th. Today the Sun will be up for 11 hours and 2 minutes, setting at 6:26, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:23. The Moon, 1 day before new, will rise at 7:25 tomorrow morning.

Let’s take our weekly look at the whereabouts of the naked-eye planets. At 7:15 PM this evening four of the five naked eye planets will be out. Starting from the west we have Venus the brightest of all. Far below it, near the horizon, will be the much dimmer Mercury, making its evening appearance, replacing Saturn. Jupiter, the second-brightest planet will be high in the south. It is slowly heading eastward now above the star Aldebaran. Farther below and left of it is the spectacular constellation of Orion the hunter. The 4th planet out is Mars, the third-brightest planet now, with its distinctive reddish hue in the east-southeast, to the right of the stars Castor and Pollux in Gemini.

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

A 7:15 PM February 26, 2025 planet panorama. Venus and Mercury are in the west, and Jupiter is in the south. Mars is in the southeast.
A 7:15 PM February 26, 2025 planet panorama. Venus and Mercury are in the west, and Jupiter is in the south. Mars is in the southeast. Saturn is setting not visible in the evening sky.. The in this projection the ecliptic (orange line) is a straight line, so the planets and Moon nearly line up, but the horizon is a curved line. Click or tap on the image to enlarge it. Created using Stellarium.
Telescopic Venus, Jupiter and Mars (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope with the same magnification.
Telescopic Venus, 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, 8 PM, February 26, 2025. Apparent diameters: Venus 47.3″ and rapidly growing as it approaches us, 16.5% illuminated, it now appears larger than Jupiter; Jupiter 39.9″; Mars, 11.1″. Mercury, which is not shown only appears 5.8″ in diameter. 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 February 26, 2025. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 27th. 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, February 26 and 27, 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: , , , , ,