Archive
09/22/2015 – Ephemeris – Equinox tomorrow and September 27th Moon’s triple whammy
Ephemeris for Tuesday, September 22nd. The Sun will rise at 7:29. It’ll be up for 12 hours and 11 minutes, setting at 7:40. The Moon, 1 day past first quarter, will set at 2:02 tomorrow morning.
Tomorrow at 4:20 a.m. before most of us wake up summer will officially end and Autumn will start. That’s the exact time of the autumnal equinox. We are noticing that the days or rather daylight hours are getting noticeably shorter day by day. Autumn will end when the days will stop getting shorter on the first day of winter, December 21st. The full moon this Sunday is triply important. Most important is that a total lunar eclipse will happen. Second, it is the Harvest Moon, the nearest full moon to the autumnal equinox, more on that next week. Also it is the closest the Moon gets to the Earth all year. Yup it’s a so-called supermoon. If the Moon were a 2 inch ball it would be 20 feet from an 8 inch Earth. The supermoon is a foot closer.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
That last bit about the Moon being a two-inch ball will come in handy if you come to the Girl Scout Badge Bash at ECCO in Traverse City Thursday night.
09/17/2015 – Ephemeris – International Observe the Moon Night is Saturday
Ephemeris for Thursday, September 17th. The Sun will rise at 7:23. It’ll be up for 12 hours and 26 minutes, setting at 7:50. The Moon, half way from new to first quarter, will set at 10:04 this evening.
The annual International Observe the Moon Night will be observed this Saturday evening. Members of the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will be stationed on the north side of the 200 block of East Front Street. Starting at 7 p.m. near Orvis Streamside and will be moving our telescopes eastward from time to time to keep up with the westward sinking motion of the Moon over the single story buildings to the south as long as we can. The moon will be a fat crescent with lots of detail visible in telescopes. The society will also have some giveaway items from NASA for the young and not so young. The event will be canceled due to heavy overcast or other inclement weather.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The information above is for our local location (northwestern lower Michigan). To find the location of the International Observe the Moon Night event near you go here. There’s even a downloadable Moon map for the evening here.
The Moon at 9 p.m. September 19, 2015 (Observe the Moon Night for the Eastern Daylight Time zone. Created with Virtual Moon Atlas.
09/09/2015 – Ephemeris – Saturn is in the evening sky but the planet action is moving to the morning
Ephemeris for Wednesday, September 9th. The Sun will rise at 7:14. It’ll be up for 12 hours and 50 minutes, setting at 8:05. The Moon, half way from last quarter to new, will rise at 4:42 tomorrow morning.
Lets look for the bright planets for this week. Saturn is alone in the evening sky spotted low in the southwestern sky near the bright star Antares to its left. It will set at 11:06 p.m. The rest of the planet action has moved to the morning sky. Venus, the morning star, will rise at 4:42 a.m. a bit north of east. Tomorrow morning the thin crescent Moon will appear just to the left of it. Much dimmer Mars will be to the left of the Moon, and will rise at 4:52 a.m. in the east-northeast. Mars will rapidly fall behind Venus. Jupiter is beginning to be visible in the morning sky and will rise at 6:16, almost an hour before the Sun. Mercury, though in the evening sky sets too soon after the Sun to be visible. Jupiter is too close to the Sun on thee morning side to be seen.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Saturn with the Zodiacal constellations of Libra, Scorpius and Sagittarius as the Teapot at 9:30 p.m. September 9, 2015. Created using Stellarium.
What Saturn and its moons might appear like in a telescope at 9:30 p.m., September 9, 2015. Small telescopes will show only the moon Titan. Created using Stellarium.
Looking east at Venus, the Moon and Mars at 6 a.m. September 10, 2015. Created using Stellarium.
This is a chart showing the sunrise and sunset skies for September 9, 2015 showing the location of the planets and the Moon at that time. Created using my LookingUp program. Click on the image to enlarge.
08/26/2015 – Ephemeris – Saturn in the evening and an event at the Traverse Area District Library tonight
Wednesday, August 26th. The Sun rises at 6:57. It’ll be up for 13 hours and 32 minutes, setting at 8:30. The Moon, 3 days before full, will set at 4:21 tomorrow morning.
Lets take a look for the bright planets for this week. Saturn is alone in the evening sky spotted low in the southwestern sky near the bright star Antares to its lower left. It will set at 11:59 p.m. Venus crossed over to the morning sky 10 days ago, and Jupiter is passing conjunction with the Sun today. Mars is now in the morning sky climbing away from the Sun. It’s probably too far away from the Earth and faint to spot in the morning twilight. It will rise at 5 a.m. tomorrow. Venus will rise at 5:50 a.m. Tonight the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will have a summer star party at the Woodmere branch of the Traverse Area District Library starting at 8 p.m. It starts with exploring the summer night skies with a digital sky, before viewing the real one.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Saturn and the Moon at 10 p.m. August 26, 2015. Created using Stellarium.
Saturn as seen in a telescope on August 26, 2015. In small telescopes only Titan of all the moons will be visible. Created using Stellarium.
The moon as it would be seen in binoculars at 10 p.m. on August 26, 2015. Created using Stellarium.
Good morning Venus, with Mars nearby. Venus is very low in the twilight with the stars and constellations of Winter at 6 a.m. August 27, 2015. Created using Stellarium.
Venus through a telescope – August 27, 2015. Created using Stellarium.
This is a chart showing the sunrise and sunset skies for August 26, 2015 showing the location of the planets and the Moon at that time. Created using my LookingUp program. Click on the image to enlarge.
08/24/2015 – Ephemeris – The Bay of Rainbows
Ephemeris for Monday, August 24th. The Sun rises at 6:55. It’ll be up for 13 hours and 38 minutes, setting at 8:34. The Moon, 2 days past first quarter, will set at 2:17 tomorrow morning.
One of my favorite lunar formations is creeping into sunlight on the Moon this evening. Look to the upper left edge of the moon tonight. The large sea or dark area of the Moon, the Man in the Moon’s right eye as he’s looking at us is Mare Imbrium, the Sea of Showers. At the top left edge of that sea is a large notch. And keeping with of seas these of the first telescopic astronomers its name is Sinus Iridium, or Bay of Rainbows, a colorful name for something as colorless as the rest of the Moon. The terminator which is the sunrise line will be cutting across that bay, illuminating the semicircular mountain ring that surrounds it before all of the floor is illuminated. It can be seen in binoculars or a small telescope.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The Moon at 10 p.m. August 24, 2015 showing the location of Sinus Iridium. Created using Virtual Moon Atlas.
The moon at 10 p.m. August 24, 2015 with Sinus Iridium extending into the lunar night. Created using Virtual Moon Atlas.
This is for 2 hr UT August 25, 2015.
08/19/2015 – Ephemeris – Saturn’s in the evening, but say “Good morning” to Mars
Ephemeris for Wednesday, August 19th. The Sun rises at 6:49. It’ll be up for 13 hours and 52 minutes, setting at 8:42. The Moon, 3 days before first quarter, will set at 10:59 this evening.
Lets take a look for the bright planets for this week. Saturn is alone in the evening sky spotted low in the southwestern sky near the bright star Antares to its lower left. It will set at 12:26 a.m. Venus crossed over to the morning sky last Saturday, and Jupiter is too close to the Sun to spot and will follow Venus into the morning sky on the 26th. Mars is now in the morning sky climbing away from the Sun. It’s probably too far away from the Earth and faint to spot in the morning twilight. It will rise tomorrow at 5:03. Venus will move away from the Sun and will rapidly become visible before sunrise by the end of the month. When Venus appears rather suddenly in the morning sky like this it prompts a few UFO reports.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Saturn and the Moon with southern summer constellations at 10 p.m. on August 19, 2015. Created using Stellarium.
The moon as it would be seen in binoculars at 10 p.m. on August 19, 2015. Created using Stellarium.
Saturn as seen in a telescope. In small telescopes only Titan of all the moons will be visible. Created using Stellarium.
Good morning Mars! It’s barely visible in twilight with the stars and constellations of Winter at 6 a.m. August 20, 2015. The constellation named have been omitted because Mars plotted on top of the Cancer label. Created using Stellarium.
This is a chart showing the sunrise and sunset skies for August 19, 2015 showing the location of the planets at that time. Created using my LookingUp program. Click on the image to enlarge.
07/22/2015 – Ephemeris – Two planets preparing to leave the evening sky
Ephemeris for Wednesday, July 22nd. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 1 minute, setting at 9:19. The Moon, 2 days before first quarter, will set at 12:28 tomorrow morning. Tomorrow the Sun will rise at 6:18.
Lets take a look at the bright planets for this week. Our evening stars Venus and Jupiter are together in the west by 9:45 p.m. with Jupiter a little above and right of Venus. Venus will set at 10:22 with Jupiter 11 minutes later. Venus’ will slide down to the Sun faster and faster in the coming weeks leaving Jupiter behind for a while. Venus will take 24 days to slide past the Sun. Jupiter though will take 35 days, so Venus will pass it again around August 4th when both are too close to the horizon and Sun to spot. There’s a third conjunction of these two in October in the morning sky with Mars nearby. Saturn is in the south in the evening twilight. It will pass due south at 9:27 p.m. and will set at 2:16 a.m. Even small telescopes can see Saturn’s rings.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Venus and Jupiter low on the western horizon at 9:45 p.m. on July 22, 2015. Created using Stellarium.
Saturn and the summer zodiacal constellations of Libra, Scorpius and Sagittarius at 10:30 p.m. on July 22, 2015. Created using Stellarium.
The Moon as it might appear in binoculars tonight at 10:30 p.m. (July 22, 2015). Created using Stellarium.
Comparative apparent sizes of the evening planets as seen through a telescope of the same magnification on July 22, 2015. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
This is a chart showing the sunrise and sunset skies for July 22, 2015 showing the location of the planets at that time. Created using my LookingUp program.
07/17/2015 – Ephemeris – The constellation of the harp now and Venus and the Moon tomorrow night.
Ephemeris for Friday, July 17th. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 11 minutes, setting at 9:24. The Moon, 2 days past new, will set at 10:07 this evening, and tomorrow the Sun will rise at 6:14.
High in the east at 11 p.m. can be found a bright star just above a small, narrow, but very distinctive parallelogram of stars. They are the stars of the constellation Lyra the harp. The bright star is Vega, one of the twenty one brightest stars, called first magnitude stars. Vega is actually the 5th brightest night time star. The harp, according to Greek mythology, was invented by the god Hermes. The form of the harp in the sky, is as he had invented it: by stretching strings across a tortoise-shell. Hermes gave it to his half-brother Apollo, who in turn gave it to the great musician Orpheus.
Looking westward tomorrow night the planet Venus will appear about 2 moon widths above the crescent Moon.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Lyra as a tortoise-shell harp. Created using Stellarium and free clip art.
Venus appears above the thin crescent moon with Jupiter to the right at 10 p.m. Saturday July 18, 2015. Created using Stellarium.
07/01/2015 – Ephemeris – Jupiter, Venus and Saturn grace our evening sky
Ephemeris for Wednesday, July 1st. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 31 minutes, setting at 9:32. The Moon, at full today, will rise at 8:58 this evening and tomorrow the Sun will rise at 6:01.
Lets take a look at the bright planets for this week. Our brilliant evening star Venus and Jupiter are close together in the west by 9:45 p.m. They will set around 11:45 p.m.. Venus’ will slide down to the Sun faster and faster in the coming weeks leaving Jupiter behind for a while. Venus will take a month and a half to slide past the Sun. Jupiter though will take 2 months, so Venus will pass it again around August 4th when both are too close to the horizon and Sun to spot. There’s a third conjunction of these two in October in the morning sky with Mars nearby. Saturn is in the southeast in evening twilight. It will pass due south at 10:53 p.m. and will set at 3:41 a.m. Even small telescopes can see Saturn’s rings.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The evening planets and the Moon at 10:30 p.m. July 1, 2015. Though their images overlap Jupiter is above right of Venus. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using Stellarium.
The evening planets and the Moon with their satellites to scale at 10:30 p.m. July 1, 2015. Created using Stellarium.
Mercury is officially in the morning sky now, but it is not a favorable appearance for northern hemisphere observers.
Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog 