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Ephemeris extra: 09/22/2023 5 pm – The talk and Star party tonight and tomorrow have been canceled.
The problem is a communication problem on my end. Sorry.
Ephemeris: 09/22/2023 – Star party tonight in Thompsonville
This is Ephemeris for Friday, September 22nd. Today the Sun will be up for 12 hours and 10 minutes, setting at 7:40, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:30. The Moon, at first quarter today, will set at 11:45 this evening. | Tonight, if it’s clear, members of the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will hold a twilight talk and a star party at the Betsie Valley District Library in Thompsonville, MI. It starts at 7 p.m. with a talk about the upcoming solar eclipses by member Dan Dall’Olmo. There will be a minor partial solar eclipse next month on the 14th, and a much greater partial eclipse April 8th for our area. The total part of the April eclipse can be seen less than a day’s drive away in mid-Indiana and northern Ohio. If tonight is cloudy the star party will be postponed to tomorrow. Featured will be the Moon and some of the stars of the waning nights of summer. (It’s looking like Saturday night might be the better night, but we’ll see. A decision can be made as late as 5 pm the day of the event) The season of fall starts tomorrow at 2:50 am with the autumnal equinox.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT –4 hours). They may be different for your location. I’ll have more on the autumnal equinox and its effects on Monday.
Ephemeris: 09/21/2023 – Star party in Thompsonville, MI tomorrow or Saturday
Sorry for the delay, but we had a star party event as part of a Child & Family Services of Northwestern Michigan event last evening and I forgot this post. The radio program were broadcast at its scheduled times. Any late additions are in italics.
This is Ephemeris for Thursday, September 21st. Today the Sun will be up for 12 hours and 13 minutes, setting at 7:42, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:29. The Moon, 1 day before first quarter, will set at 10:51 this evening.
Tomorrow night, if it’s clear, members of the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will hold a twilight talk and a star party at the Betsie Valley District Library in Thompsonville, Michigan. It starts at 7 p.m. with a talk about the upcoming solar eclipses by member Dan Dall’Olmo. There will be a minor partial solar eclipse next month on the 14th, and a much greater partial eclipse April 8th. The total part of the April eclipse can be seen less than a day’s drive away in Indiana and Ohio. Featured will be the first quarter Moon and some of the stars of the waning nights of summer. If Friday night is cloudy the event will be postponed until Saturday night. (It’s looking like Saturday night might be the better night, but a decision can be made as late as 5 pm the day of the event) The season of fall starts Saturday with the autumnal equinox.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT –4 hours). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Ephemeris: 08/18/2023 – There will be a Sun & Star Party tomorrow at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
This is Ephemeris for Friday, August 18th. Today the Sun will be up for 13 hours and 55 minutes, setting at 8:44, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:49. The Moon, 2 days past new, will set at 9:57 this evening.
Weather permitting, a Sun and Star Party will be held tomorrow night at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore at the Dune Climb. The solar part will start at 5 pm, while the evening viewing will start at 9 pm. These events will be hosted by the park rangers and the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society, who will bring their telescopes to view the heavens, including the planet Saturn and the wonders of the summer Milky Way. The telescopes will be setup in the parking area closest to the dune. While as twilight fades Saturn will be about the only object to view, as it gets darker more and more wonders of the Milky Way will be seen. They include star clusters and nebulae, clouds of gas and dust.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT –4 hours). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Ephemeris: 08/04/2023 – Star party tonight if it’s clear
This is Ephemeris for Friday, August 4th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 32 minutes, setting at 9:04, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:33. The Moon, 3 days past full, will rise at 11:02 this evening.
The Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will be hosting a star party tonight at Northwestern Michigan College’s Joseph Rogers observatory from 10:00 and midnight. If it’s clear, there will be at least a good solid hour of relatively dark sky to view the wonders beyond the solar system between 10 and 11 pm tonight before the bright moon rises. Saturn should be spotted by 11 pm. Low in the east southeast. Though Saturn will be fuzzy due to all the Earth’s atmosphere we have to look through to see it, it will still be a great sight. Astronomers don’t consider Saturn to be an evening planet yet. To be an evening planet, it must rise before sunset. The observatory is located south of Traverse City, MI on Birmley Road between Keystone and Garfield roads.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT –4 hours). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Some of the GTAS members’ telescopes set up behind the observatory for the star party. There’s a 16-inch telescope in the dome above. The dome at ground level is set up for to transmit images for a Zoom connection with a 14-inch telescope. When Saturn and the Moon rise, they will only be visible from the 16-inch telescope in the big dome.
Ephemeris: 07/28/2023 – Sun and Star Party scheduled for tomorrow at the Sleeping Bear Dunes
This is Ephemeris for Friday, July 28th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 49 minutes, setting at 9:13, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:25. The Moon, 3 days past first quarter, will set at 2:19 tomorrow morning.
Tomorrow, the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will host a Sun and Star Party at the Dune Climb area of the park. There will be a solar viewing period from 5 pm to about 7 pm. The society has two hydrogen alpha solar telescopes to view the Sun’s chromosphere and prominences. Plus, some members also have solar scopes and white light filtered telescopes to view sunspots on the face of the Sun. Night viewing will start at 9 pm with the Moon featured, along with the brighter telescopic wonders of summer. The park rangers will leave at 11 pm, but society members will stay later to get a good view of Saturn as it moves higher in the sky. All this will happen only if clouds permit.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT –4 hours). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
There will be a pass of the International Space Station starting in the WNW at 9:48 pm, reaching maximum altitude at 9:52 pm of 63o in the SW, entering the Earth’s shadow at 9:55 pm. Note, these are specific times to the nearest minute for the Dune Climb, but close for the Grand Traverse area of Michigan. For other locations, go to: heavens-above.com.
06/23/2023 – Ephemeris – Sun and Star Party scheduled for tomorrow at the Sleeping Bear Dunes
This is Ephemeris for Friday, June 23rd. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 34 minutes, setting at 9:32, and it will rise tomorrow at 5:57. The Moon, 3 days before first quarter, will set at 1:11 tomorrow morning.
Tomorrow the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will host a Sun and Star Party at the Dune Climb area of the park. There will be a solar viewing period from 6 pm to 8 pm. The society has two hydrogen alpha solar telescopes to view the Sun’s chromosphere and prominences. Plus some members also have solar scopes also white light filtered telescopes to view sunspots on the face of the Sun. Night viewing will start at 10 pm with the Moon and Venus featured, along with the brighter telescopic wonders of early summer. The park rangers will leave at midnight, but society members can stay later to view the fainter wonders in the darkened sky. All this will happen only if clouds permit.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT –4 hours). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The Dune Climb is not the place to view the spectacular sunset. The best place is from the Lake Michigan Overlook stop on Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive.
05/26/2023 – Ephemeris – Sun & Star Party tomorrow at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Friday, May 26th. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 11 minutes, setting at 9:15, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:03. The Moon, 1 day before first quarter, will set at 2:48 tomorrow morning.
Tomorrow, the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will host a Sun and Star Party at the Dune Climb area of the park. There will be a solar viewing period from 5 pm to about 7 pm. The society has two hydrogen alpha solar telescopes to view the Sun’s chromosphere and prominences. Plus, some members also have solar scopes and white light filtered telescopes to view sunspots on the face of the Sun. Night viewing will start at 9 pm, with the Moon and Venus featured, along with the brighter telescopic wonders of late spring. There will be a pass of the International Space Station from 10:11 to 10:18 pm. The rangers will have an alternate program if it’s cloudy.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT –4 hours). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
A Sun Party at the Dune Climb. Credit: Eileen Carlisle.
Preparing to start the May star party, several years ago at the Dune Climb. A few of the telescopes are visible, including the GTAS 25″ “Emmettron” telescope at the far right background. Credit: Eileen Carlisle.
04/28/2023 – Ephemeris – International Astronomy Day is tomorrow
This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Arbor Day, Friday, April 28th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 6 minutes, setting at 8:43, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:36. The Moon, 1 day past first quarter, will set at 4:23 tomorrow morning.
Tomorrow is International Astronomy Day. The Grand Traverse Astronomical Society (GTAS) will celebrate the event with a Sun and Star Party at the Dune Climb area of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. There will be a solar viewing period from 6 pm to about 7:30 pm or so, when the Sun will set over the dune. The society has two hydrogen alpha solar telescopes, and members have another two, to view the Sun’s chromosphere and prominences. Plus, other members have white light filtered telescopes to view sunspots on the face of the Sun. Night viewing will start at 9 pm with the Moon and Venus featured, along with the brighter telescopic wonders of spring. But only if the skies are clear or mostly clear.
The next GTAS event at the Sleeping Bear Dunes will be Saturday, May 27th, with a program like this Saturday’s. What we call a Sun ‘n Star Party.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EST, UT –4 hours). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The Moon for Astronomy Day, 2023, two days after first quarter or 9 days old. Some of the more prominent features labeled. Created using Virtual Moon Atlas, GIMP and LibreOffice Draw.
11/04/2022 – Ephemeris – The GTAS meeting topic tonight is the history of the constellations
This is Ephemeris for Friday, November 4th. The Sun will rise at 8:24. It’ll be up for 10 hours and 2 minutes, setting at 6:27. The Moon, 3 days past first quarter, will set at 5:06 tomorrow morning.
Tonight at 8 pm, the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society (GTAS) will have their monthly meeting at Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory. The meeting will also be available via Zoom. The program will be presented by Becky Shaw. Her presentation will be The History of the Constellations. From time immemorial, people have looked at the night sky and tried to give meaning to the random scattering of stars on the dome of the sky. The official constellations of the International Astronomical Union in most cases date back to the Babylonians, and Greeks. If it’s clear, there will be a star party following the meeting. The observatory is located south of Traverse City off Birmley Road, between Garfield and Keystone roads. A Zoom link will be available at gtastro.org before the meeting. All are welcome.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT – 4 hours). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Summer Constellations showing stars, lines, boundaries, and figures in succession. Click on the image to enlarge it and be able to read the labels. This image shows the stars and planets three years ago in 2019, when Jupiter and Saturn were seen against the summer constellations. Slow poke Saturn has moved into eastern Capricornus. Jupiter is just off the left of the image in Pisces. The head of one of the fish is seen there. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.
The constellations of the great star story of autumn. Looking southeast on October 31 at 10 p.m. Not all the constellations in this area are shown. Created using Stellarium.
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