09/08/2021 – Ephemeris – Let’s search for the naked-eye planets for this week
This is Ephemeris for Wednesday, September 8th. Today the Sun will be up for 12 hours and 52 minutes, setting at 8:06, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:14. The Moon, 2 days past new, will set at 9:16 this evening.
Let’s search for the naked-eye planets for this week. Venus should be visible in the western evening twilight before 8:30 tonight. It will set at 9:41 pm. By 8:30 pm, Jupiter and Saturn will be seen low in the southeastern sky. The brighter Jupiter will be easy to spot at that hour. Saturn will be dimmer, but a bit higher and to its right. Both these planets will be visible for most of the night, with Saturn setting first at 3:53 am, with Jupiter setting at 5:21 tomorrow morning. Saturn’s rings can be seen in a spotting scope of about 20 power magnification. Though at that power, the rings won’t appear separated from the planet, so Saturn will look like an elliptical spot. Most of Jupiter’s 4 brightest moons can even be spotted in binoculars.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT – 4 hr). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Venus and the Moon in evening twilight at 8:30 pm tonight, September 8, 2021. This is about 25 minutes after sunset. Created using Stellarium.
The thin crescent Moon as it might appear with earth shine in binoculars at 8:30 pm tonight, September 8, 2021. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter and Saturn in the southeast at 8:30 pm, about a half hour after sunset tonight, September 8, 2021. Created using Stellarium.
Telescopic view of the bright planets (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope, with the same magnification, this evening. Venus at 8:30 pm, and the other two at 10 pm, September 8, 2021. Apparent diameters: Venus, 15.88″ 70% illuminated; Saturn 18.19″, its rings 42.36″; Jupiter, 48.43″. Jupiter’s moons will slowly approach the planet from our viewpoint overnight. The ” symbol means seconds of arc (1/3600th of a degree.) Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
Planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise of a single night, starting with sunset on the right on September 8, 2021. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 9th. Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using my LookingUp program.
09/07/2021 – Ephemeris – The constellation of Cepheus the king
This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Tuesday, September 7th. Today the Sun will be up for 12 hours and 55 minutes, setting at 8:07, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:13. The Moon, 1 day past new, will set at 8:53 this evening.
There’s a faint constellation in the northeast above the W shaped constellation of Cassiopeia. It’s a nearly upside down church steeple of a constellation called Cepheus the king, and husband of queen Cassiopeia. Cepheus’ claim to modern astronomical fame is that one of its stars, Delta (δ) Cephei, is the archetype for the important Cepheid variable stars. Delta is the bottom most of a trio of stars at the right corner of the constellation. In the early 20th century, Henrietta Leavitt discovered that Cepheids in the nearby galaxy the Large Magellanic Cloud varied in brightness with a period that was related to their average brightness. This meant that Cepheids could be used as standard candles to measure the great distances to other galaxies.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT – 4 hr). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Cassiopeia and Cepheus finder animation looking in the northeast at 9-10 pm or about an hour after sunset. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.
Delta Cephei finder for September at 9-10 pm, looking northeast. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Chart).
Light Curve of Delta Cephei. The pulsation period is 5.367 days. Note the Magnitude vertical axis, the lower the magnitude the brighter the star is. Blame that on the Greek astronomer Hipparchus, 2nd century BC. It’s like golf scores, the lower the score, the better the golfer. Credit: Thomas K Vbg – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=13887639.
09/03/2021 – Ephemeris – Tonight: Virtual Star Party via Zoom with the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
This is Ephemeris for Friday, September 3rd. Today the Sun will be up for 13 hours and 7 minutes, setting at 8:15, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:09. The Moon, 3 days before new, will rise at 4:01 tomorrow morning.
Tonight the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will host an online star party this evening starting around 9 pm via the Zoom app available for Android smartphones, iPhones and computers. Instructions for joining are on the society’s website, gtastro.org. Images will be captured live, if it’s clear, from Northwestern Michigan College’s Joseph H Rogers Observatory. The images will be pretty much what is seen at the telescope eyepiece, and definitely not Hubble Space Telescope quality, which take weeks to process. Visible will be the Venus, Jupiter, Saturn and wonders of the Milky Way, some really neat star clusters, and nebulae, that is clouds of gas and dust in the Milky Way.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT – 4 hr). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Also, the planets Venus, Saturn and Jupiter will be visible during the session.
This post is going out at Midnight the night before, and the forecast is for clouds. It is possible that we will reschedule for Friday the 10th. If so, I’ll have a post about it then.
09/02/2021 – Ephemeris – Finding the Little Dipper
This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Thursday, September 2nd. Today the Sun will be up for 13 hours and 10 minutes, setting at 8:17, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:07. The Moon, 3 days past last quarter, will rise at 2:55 tomorrow morning.
10 p.m. is the best time now to spot the Little Dipper. It is difficult to spot, being much smaller and dimmer than the Big Dipper. However, it is the Big Dipper that points to it, by the two stars at the front of the bowl which point to the North Star, Polaris, the star that doesn’t appear to move. That star is the tip of the handle of the Little Dipper. The handle is seen as a curve of stars upward and to the left to a small box of stars that is its bowl. The two brighter stars at the front of the bowl are called the Guard Stars because in the past they were thought to be guardians of the pole. The Little Dipper is not an official constellation, but is Ursa Minor the lesser bear. To the Anishinaabe native peoples of this area, it represents Maang the loon.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT – 4 hr). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Little Dipper finder animation. The Little Dipper is also Ursa Major and the Loon. Polaris is the Pole Star and North Star. The Guard Stars are Kochab and Pherkad. Except for the named stars, the Little Dipper stars are quite faint and require moonless skies away from the city to spot. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.
09/01/2021 – Ephemeris – Let’s search for the naked-eye planets for this week
This is Ephemeris for Wednesday, September 1st. Today the Sun will be up for 13 hours and 13 minutes, setting at 8:18, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:06. The Moon, 2 days past last quarter, will rise at 1:57 tomorrow morning.
Let’s search for the naked-eye planets for this week. Venus should be visible in the western evening twilight before 9 tonight. It will set at 9:41 pm. By 9 pm, Jupiter and Saturn will be seen low in the southeastern sky. The brighter Jupiter will be easy to spot at that hour. Saturn will be dimmer, but a bit higher and to its right. Both these planets will be visible for most of the night, with Saturn setting first at 4:22 am, with Jupiter setting at 5:53 tomorrow morning. Saturn’s rings can be seen in a spotting scope of about 20 power magnification. Though at that power, the rings won’t appear separated from the planet, so Saturn will look like an elliptical spot. Most of Jupiter’s 4 brightest moons can be spotted in binoculars.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT – 4 hr). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Venus in twilight at 8:45 pm, about 1/2 hour after sunset tonight, September 1, 2021. Created with Stellarium.
Jupiter and Saturn in the southeast about three quarters of an hour after sunset. Created using Stellarium.
The waning crescent Moon as it might be seen in binoculars or low magnification telescope at 6 am tomorrow morning, September 2, 2021.
Created using Stellarium.
Telescopic view of the bright planets (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope, with the same magnification, this evening. Venus at 9 pm, and the other two at 11 pm, September 1, 2021. Apparent diameters: Venus, 15.16″, 73% illuminated; Saturn 18.32″, its rings 42.67″; Jupiter, 48.83″. Jupiter’s moons Io and Europa will slowly approach the planet over the morning hours. Io will be occulted by the planet around 4:05 am (08:05 UT). Europa will begin its transit across the face of the planet around 5:04 am (09:04 UT). The ” symbol means seconds of arc (1/3600th of a degree.) Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts). Jovian satellite event times determined from Stellarium.
Planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise of a single night, starting with sunset on the right on September 1, 2021. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 2nd. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using my LookingUp program.
Note: Mars and Mercury are too close to the direction of the Sun to be visible from Northern Michigan. However, Mercury will be easily visible far south of here and into the Southern Hemisphere.
08/31/2021 – Ephemeris – Previewing September skies
This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Tuesday, August 31st. Today the Sun will be up for 13 hours and 16 minutes, setting at 8:20, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:05. The Moon, 1 day past last quarter, will rise at 1:07 tomorrow morning.
Let’s look at the skies for the month of September. The sun will be moving at its greatest speed in its retreat to the south. Daylight hours in the Interlochen/Traverse City area and will drop from 13 hours and 13 minutes tomorrow to 11 hours and 44 minutes on the 30th. The altitude of the Sun above the southern horizon at local noon will be 54 degrees tomorrow, and will descend to 42 degrees on the 30th. Local noon at mid-month will be around 1:37 pm. The season of summer is getting short, so enjoy it while you can. Summer ends and autumn begins at 3:21 p.m. on September 22nd, the autumnal equinox. This year the Harvest Moon, the nearest full moon to the equinox, will fall two days before it on the 20th.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT – 4 hr). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
September Star Chart
Star Chart for September 2021. Created using my LookingUp program. Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using my LookingUp program.
September Morning Star Chart
Star Chart for September 2021 (10 p.m. EDT, September 15, 2021). Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using my LookingUp program.
For a list of constellation names to go with the abbreviations, click here.
- Pointer stars at the front of the bowl of the Big Dipper point to Polaris, the North Star.
- Leaky dipper drips on Leo.
- Follow the arc of the handle of the Big Dipper to the star Arcturus.
- The Summer Triangle is in red.
Twilight Limits, Nautical and Astronomical
| EDT | |||||||
| Morning | Twilight | Evening | Twilight | Dark | Night | Moon | |
| Date | Astro. | Nautical | Nautical | Astro. | Start | End | Illum. |
| 2021-09-01 | 5h26m | 6h04m | 21h28m | 22h06m | 22h06m | 1h07m | 0.24 |
| 2021-09-02 | 5h28m | 6h06m | 21h26m | 22h04m | 22h04m | 1h57m | 0.16 |
| 2021-09-03 | 5h29m | 6h07m | 21h24m | 22h02m | 22h02m | 2h55m | 0.09 |
| 2021-09-04 | 5h31m | 6h08m | 21h22m | 22h00m | 22h00m | 4h01m | 0.04 |
| 2021-09-05 | 5h32m | 6h10m | 21h20m | 21h57m | 21h57m | 5h11m | 0.01 |
| 2021-09-06 | 5h34m | 6h11m | 21h18m | 21h55m | 21h55m | 5h34m | 0 |
| 2021-09-07 | 5h35m | 6h12m | 21h16m | 21h53m | 21h53m | 5h35m | 0.02 |
| 2021-09-08 | 5h37m | 6h14m | 21h14m | 21h51m | 21h51m | 5h37m | 0.06 |
| 2021-09-09 | 5h38m | 6h15m | 21h12m | 21h49m | 21h49m | 5h38m | 0.13 |
| 2021-09-10 | 5h40m | 6h16m | 21h10m | 21h46m | 22h06m | 5h40m | 0.21 |
| 2021-09-11 | 5h41m | 6h18m | 21h08m | 21h44m | 22h35m | 5h41m | 0.32 |
| 2021-09-12 | 5h43m | 6h19m | 21h06m | 21h42m | 23h12m | 5h43m | 0.43 |
| 2021-09-13 | 5h44m | 6h20m | 21h04m | 21h40m | 23h57m | 5h44m | 0.54 |
| 2021-09-14 | 5h46m | 6h22m | 21h02m | 21h38m | – | 5h46m | 0.65 |
| 2021-09-15 | 5h47m | 6h23m | 21h00m | 21h36m | 0h53m | 5h47m | 0.76 |
| 2021-09-16 | 5h48m | 6h24m | 20h58m | 21h34m | 1h59m | 5h48m | 0.84 |
| 2021-09-17 | 5h50m | 6h25m | 20h56m | 21h31m | 3h10m | 5h50m | 0.91 |
| 2021-09-18 | 5h51m | 6h27m | 20h54m | 21h29m | 4h24m | 5h51m | 0.96 |
| 2021-09-19 | 5h53m | 6h28m | 20h52m | 21h27m | 5h37m | 5h53m | 0.99 |
| 2021-09-20 | 5h54m | 6h29m | 20h50m | 21h25m | – | – | 1 |
| 2021-09-21 | 5h55m | 6h31m | 20h48m | 21h23m | – | – | 0.99 |
| 2021-09-22 | 5h57m | 6h32m | 20h46m | 21h21m | – | – | 0.95 |
| 2021-09-23 | 5h58m | 6h33m | 20h44m | 21h19m | – | – | 0.9 |
| 2021-09-24 | 6h00m | 6h34m | 20h42m | 21h17m | 21h17m | 21h26m | 0.84 |
| 2021-09-25 | 6h01m | 6h36m | 20h40m | 21h15m | 21h15m | 21h52m | 0.76 |
| 2021-09-26 | 6h02m | 6h37m | 20h38m | 21h13m | 21h13m | 22h23m | 0.67 |
| 2021-09-27 | 6h04m | 6h38m | 20h36m | 21h11m | 21h11m | 23h00m | 0.58 |
| 2021-09-28 | 6h05m | 6h39m | 20h34m | 21h09m | 21h09m | 23h46m | 0.49 |
| 2021-09-29 | 6h06m | 6h41m | 20h32m | 21h07m | 21h07m | – | 0.39 |
| 2021-09-30 | 6h07m | 6h42m | 20h31m | 21h05m | 21h05m | 0h40m | 0.3 |
Twilight calendar was generated using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
See my blog post: Twilight Zone for the definitions of the different periods of twilight here: https://bobmoler.wordpress.com/2018/09/27/.
NASA Calendar of Planetary Events
Sep 1 We Venus: 39.9° E
1 We 8:23 pm Moon North Dec.: 25.9° N
4 Sa 12:07 am Moon-Beehive: 3.1° S
5 Su 10:32 am Venus-Spica: 1.6° N
6 Mo 8:52 pm New Moon
9 Th 10:09 pm Moon-Venus: 4.1° S
11 Sa 6:06 am Moon Perigee: 368500 km
12 Su 12:35 pm Moon Descending Node
13 Mo 4:39 pm First Quarter
13 Mo 11:59 pm Mercury Elongation: 26.8° E
14 Tu 4:10 am Neptune Opposition
14 Tu 11:48 pm Moon South Dec.: 26° S
16 Th 10:37 pm Moon-Saturn: 3.9° N
18 Sa 2:50 am Moon-Jupiter: 4.1° N
20 Mo 7:55 pm Full Moon, Harvest Moon
20 Mo 10:03 pm Mercury-Spica: 1.4° S
22 We 3:21 pm Autumnal Equinox
26 Su 3:33 am Moon Ascending Node
26 Su 5:44 pm Moon Apogee: 404600 km
28 Tu 9:57 pm Last Quarter
29 We 4:26 am Moon North Dec.: 26.1° N
Oct 1 Fr Venus: 44.9° E
All event times are given for UTC-4 hr: Eastern Daylight Saving Time.
Sky Events Calendar by Fred Espenak and Sumit Dutta (NASA’s GSFC),
http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SKYCAL/SKYCAL.html.
If you go to the above site, you can print out a list like the above for the entire year or calendar pages for your time zone.
Sun and Moon Rising and Setting Events
LU Ephemeris of Sky Events for Interlochen/TC September, 2021 Local time zone: EDT +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | DATE | SUN SUN DAYLIGHT| TWILIGHT* |MOON RISE OR ILLUM | | | RISE SET HOURS | END START |PHASE SET** TIME FRACTN| +=======================================================================+ |Wed 1| 07:05a 08:18p 13:13 | 09:25p 05:59a | Rise 01:57a 25%| |Thu 2| 07:06a 08:17p 13:10 | 09:23p 06:00a | Rise 02:55a 17%| |Fri 3| 07:07a 08:15p 13:07 | 09:21p 06:01a | Rise 04:01a 10%| |Sat 4| 07:09a 08:13p 13:04 | 09:18p 06:03a | Rise 05:11a 5%| +------+-----------------------+----------------+-----------------------+ |Sun 5| 07:10a 08:11p 13:01 | 09:16p 06:04a | Rise 06:24a 1%| |Mon 6| 07:11a 08:09p 12:58 | 09:14p 06:06a |New Set 08:30p 0%| |Tue 7| 07:12a 08:07p 12:55 | 09:12p 06:07a | Set 08:53p 1%| |Wed 8| 07:13a 08:06p 12:52 | 09:10p 06:08a | Set 09:16p 5%| |Thu 9| 07:14a 08:04p 12:49 | 09:08p 06:10a | Set 09:40p 11%| |Fri 10| 07:16a 08:02p 12:46 | 09:06p 06:11a | Set 10:05p 19%| |Sat 11| 07:17a 08:00p 12:43 | 09:04p 06:12a | Set 10:35p 29%| +------+-----------------------+----------------+-----------------------+ |Sun 12| 07:18a 07:58p 12:40 | 09:02p 06:13a | Set 11:12p 40%| |Mon 13| 07:19a 07:56p 12:37 | 09:00p 06:15a |F Qtr Set 11:57p 52%| |Tue 14| 07:20a 07:54p 12:33 | 08:58p 06:16a | Set 12:53a 63%| |Wed 15| 07:21a 07:52p 12:30 | 08:56p 06:17a | Set 01:59a 73%| |Thu 16| 07:23a 07:51p 12:27 | 08:54p 06:19a | Set 03:10a 82%| |Fri 17| 07:24a 07:49p 12:24 | 08:52p 06:20a | Set 04:24a 90%| |Sat 18| 07:25a 07:47p 12:21 | 08:50p 06:21a | Set 05:37a 95%| +------+-----------------------+----------------+-----------------------+ |Sun 19| 07:26a 07:45p 12:18 | 08:48p 06:23a | Set 06:47a 99%| |Mon 20| 07:27a 07:43p 12:15 | 08:46p 06:24a |Full Rise 08:03p 100%| |Tue 21| 07:29a 07:41p 12:12 | 08:44p 06:25a | Rise 08:23p 99%| |Wed 22| 07:30a 07:39p 12:09 | 08:42p 06:26a | Rise 08:43p 96%| |Thu 23| 07:31a 07:37p 12:06 | 08:40p 06:28a | Rise 09:03p 91%| |Fri 24| 07:32a 07:35p 12:03 | 08:39p 06:29a | Rise 09:26p 85%| |Sat 25| 07:33a 07:33p 12:00 | 08:37p 06:30a | Rise 09:52p 78%| +------+-----------------------+----------------+-----------------------+ |Sun 26| 07:35a 07:32p 11:57 | 08:35p 06:31a | Rise 10:23p 69%| |Mon 27| 07:36a 07:30p 11:53 | 08:33p 06:33a | Rise 11:00p 60%| |Tue 28| 07:37a 07:28p 11:50 | 08:31p 06:34a |L Qtr Rise 11:46p 51%| |Wed 29| 07:38a 07:26p 11:47 | 08:29p 06:35a | Rise 12:40a 41%| |Thu 30| 07:39a 07:24p 11:44 | 08:27p 06:36a | Rise 01:42a 32%| +-----------------------------------------------------------------------+ * Nautical Twilight ** Moonrise or moonset, whichever occurs between sunrise and sunsetGenerated using my LookingUp for DOS program.
08/30/2021 – Ephemeris – “W”
This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Monday, August 30th. Today the Sun will be up for 13 hours and 19 minutes, setting at 8:22, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:04. The Moon, at last quarter today, will rise at 12:26 tomorrow morning.
Rising higher each evening in the northeastern sky is a group of stars that make the pattern of the letter W. It is the constellation of Cassiopeia the queen. It is one of the more recognizable star patterns. From our latitude here in Northern Michigan, it is circumpolar, meaning that it never sets. Though, the best time to see it is in the autumn and winter, when it’s highest in the sky. It is opposite the Big Dipper from Polaris, the north star. In fact, a line drawn from any of the handle stars of the Big Dipper through Polaris will reach Cassiopeia. So as the Big Dipper descends in the northwestern sky now, Cassiopeia ascends in the northeast. They change places in winter and spring as the Big Dipper ascends in the northeast.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT – 4 hr). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Animation showing the juxtaposition of Cassiopeia and the Big Dipper from Polaris, the North Star. Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.
08/27/2021 – Ephemeris – As Labor Day approaches, so do the autumn constellations
This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Friday, August 27th. Today the Sun will be up for 13 hours and 28 minutes, setting at 8:27, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:00. The Moon, 3 days before last quarter, will rise at 11:01 this evening.
Rising in the east at as it gets dark around 9:30 p.m. we can preview one of the great autumn constellations: Pegasus the flying horse of Greek myth. Its most visible feature is a large square of four stars, now standing on one corner. This feature, called the Great Square of Pegasus, represents the front part of the horse’s body. The horse is quite aerobatic because it is seen flying upside down. Remembering that fact, the neck and head is a bent line of stars extending from the right corner star of the square. Its front legs can be seen in a gallop extending to the upper right from the top star of the square. From the left star extend, not hind legs but the constellation of Andromeda, an important constellation in its own right. The Anishinaabe peoples native to this region saw a right side up Moose (Mooz) in the stars here.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT – 4 hr). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Pegasus image in the stars at 10 pm. Created using Stellarium. Drawing by Johan Meuris.
08/26/2021 – Ephemeris – Two tiny summer constellations
This is Ephemeris for Thursday, August 26th. Today the Sun will be up for 13 hours and 31 minutes, setting at 8:29, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:59. The Moon, half-way from full to last quarter, will rise at 10:40 this evening. | Located below the eastern edge of the Summer Triangle of three of the brightest stars in the sky, which is nearly overhead in our sky at 10 p.m., is the tiny constellation of Delphinus the dolphin. Delphinus’ 6 stars, in a small parallelogram with a tail, really does look like a dolphin leaping out of the water. The parallelogram itself has the name Job’s Coffin. The origin of this asterism or informal constellation is unknown. Of the dolphin itself: the ancient Greeks appreciated this aquatic mammal as we do, and told stories of dolphins rescuing shipwrecked sailors. There’s another tiny constellation to the right of Delphinus, Sagitta the arrow a small thin group of 5 stars, which represents Cupid’s dart.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT – 4 hr). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Delphinus and Sagitta finder animation. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.
Comet West, C/1975 V1, as photographed by me at about 6 am, March 8, 1976. The wide, curved dust tail is most prominent, with the narrow blue ion tail streaming more directly away from the rising Sun. The small summer constellation of Delphinus the dolphin is to the upper right. The diamond shape of stars at the front of the dolphin’s body is an asterism called Job’s Coffin.
08/25/2021 – Ephemeris – Let’s search for the naked-eye planets for this week
This is Ephemeris for Wednesday, August 25th. Today the Sun will be up for 13 hours and 34 minutes, setting at 8:31, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:58. The Moon, 3 days past full, will rise at 10:20 this evening.
Let’s search for the naked-eye planets for this week. Venus should be visible in the western evening twilight before 9 tonight. It will set at 9:53 pm. By 9 pm, Jupiter and Saturn will be seen low in the southeastern sky. The brighter Jupiter will be easy to spot at that hour. Saturn will be dimmer, but a bit higher and to its right. Both these planets will be visible for most of the night, with Saturn setting first at 4:52 am, with Jupiter setting at 6:26 tomorrow morning. Saturn’s rings can be seen in a spotting scope of about 20 power magnification. Though at that power, the rings won’t appear separated from the planet, so Saturn will look like an elliptical spot. Most of Jupiter’s 4 brightest moon can be spotted in binoculars.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT – 4 hr). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Venus in evening twilight tonight, August 25, 2021 at 9 pm, about 1/2 hour after sunset. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter and Saturn in the southeast at 9:30 pm tonight, August 25, 2021, about 45 minutes after sunset. Created using Stellarium.
The Moon as it might appear tonight in binoculars or a small telescope at 11:30 pm, about an hour after it rises tonight, August 25, 2021. Created using Stellarium.
Telescopic view of the bright planets (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope, with the same magnification, this evening. Venus at 9:15 pm, and the other two at 11 pm, August 25, 2021. Apparent diameters: Venus, 14.51″ 75% illuminated; Saturn 18.43″, its rings 42.93″; Jupiter, 49.06″. Jupiter’s moons Io and Ganymede will slowly separate after 11 pm. The ” symbol means seconds of arc (1/3600th of a degree.) Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
Planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise of a single night, starting with sunset on the right on August 25, 2021. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 26th. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using my LookingUp program.
Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog 