08/21/2015 – Ephemeris – Local Grand Traverse astronomy events this weekend
Ephemeris for Friday, August 21st. The Sun rises at 6:51. It’ll be up for 13 hours and 47 minutes, setting at 8:39. The Moon, 1 day before first quarter, will set at 12:03 tomorrow morning.
The Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will be at Friday Night Live again this evening and will stay after if its clear to view the Moon and Saturn in the telescopes. Tomorrow night is another new venue for the society. Members of the society will be at the Kingsley, MI Public Library for a program and viewing of the Moon, Saturn and other objects in the skies. The evening starts at 8 p.m., with a program by yours truly Exploring the Summer and Autumn Skies. This program is an interactive sky program and not a PowerPoint program. There will be displays and free NASA items for the kids. If it’s cloudy I also have a program on the images and information learned so far from New Horizon’s encounter with America’s favorite planet: Pluto.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
After Friday Night Live was over last Friday Saturn was visible until about 11 p.m. Credit: Bob Moler.
08/20/2015 – Ephemeris – Library Lending Telescopes
Ephemeris for Thursday, August 20th. The Sun rises at 6:50. It’ll be up for 13 hours and 50 minutes, setting at 8:40. The Moon, 2 days before first quarter, will set at 11:30 this evening.
The Moon has always been a favorite target for binoculars and telescopes. Tonight is no exception. The trouble is that most inexpensive telescopes are overly complicated and hard to use. One way to help the prospective telescope buyer is to try one and get used to a telescope before plunking down money for it. In that regard The Grand Traverse Astronomical Society (GTAS) and Enerdyne of Suttons Bay have donated a telescope to the Traverse Area District Library and The Betsie Valley District Library. The library’s themselves will determine how the telescopes will be lent out. The first two telescopes are Orion StarMax 90mm TableTop telescopes, suitable for viewing the Moon and planets Saturn, Jupiter, Venus and Mars.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
A youngster trying to see where the telescope is pointing at the star party at The Betsie Valley District Library, Thompsonville, MI. Credit: Library staff.
The Traverse Area District Library will host an event inaugurating the use of their telescope on Wednesday night August 26th starting at 8 p.m.
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.
08/18/2015 – Ephemeris – The autumn queen is rising
Ephemeris for Tuesday, August 18th. The Sun rises at 6:48. It’ll be up for 13 hours and 55 minutes, setting at 8:44. The Moon, half way from new to first quarter, will set at 10:31 this evening.
A look to the northeast at 10 p.m. or later will reveal a letter W pattern of stars. This is the constellation of Cassiopeia the queen. Cassiopeia is so far north that it never sets for us in Michigan. It is opposite the pole star Polaris from the Big Dipper. So as the Big Dipper is rotating down the sky in the northwest, Cassiopeia is rotating up in the northeast. The pivot is the star Polaris, the north star. There’s a dim star that appears above the middle star of the W which turns the W into a very crooked backed chair. Above Cassiopeia is a dim church steeple shaped constellation of Cepheus the king. The Milky Way flows through Cassiopeia and a corner of Cepheus and up through Cygnus, and on to the south.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Cassiopeia and nearby constellations mentioned in the above program. Created using Stellarium.
08/17/2015 – Ephemeris – The celestial snake handler
Ephemeris for Monday, August 17th. The Sun rises at 6:47. It’ll be up for 13 hours and 58 minutes, setting at 8:45. The Moon, 3 days past new, will set at 10:04 this evening.
The planet Saturn and the red star Antares shine in the south-southwest at 10:30 p.m. In the and around constellation of Scorpius. In the area of sky above it lies a large constellation of faint stars called Ophiuchus, the serpent bearer. The constellation shape is like a large bell, which reminds me of the head, shoulders and arms of a fellow that’s holding the snake-like a weight lifter pulling up a heavy bar bell. The serpent he’s holding is Serpens, the only two part constellation in the heavens. The head rises to Ophiuchus’ right and the tail extends up to the left. In legend Ophiuchus was a great physician, educated by the god Apollo, and the centaur Chiron, also found in the stars as Sagittarius, below and left of him.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Ophiuchus, Serpens and Sagittarius with Saturn and Antares on August 17, at 10 p.m. Created using Stellarium.
08/14/2015 – Ephemeris – Two events with an astronomical flavor this weekend
Ephemeris for Friday, August 14th. The Sun rises at 6:43. It’ll be up for 14 hours and 6 minutes, setting at 8:50. The Moon is new today, and won’t be visible.
The Grand Traverse Astronomical Society (GTAS) will be at Friday Night Live* this evening in Traverse City and will stay after if its clear to view Saturn in the telescopes. Tomorrow night is something new. A group of people are applying to make the Arcadia Dunes a dark sky park or a dark sky community. The GTAS will help by holding a star party there tomorrow night starting at 9 p.m. The location is the Baldy Trailhead parking lot on M22, north of Arcadia. To find directions to the location using the Internet search for Arcadia Dunes to locate the Arcadia Dunes, C.S. Mott Nature Preserve which is owned by The Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy where there are interactive maps to the trailheads. If the application is successful the GTAS may be there 4 times a year.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
*Friday Night Live is a block party on the 100 and 200 blocks of Front Street in Traverse City, MI which officially runs from 5:30 to 9 p.m. The GTAS usually stays later if it’s clear.
Addendum
Ron Uthe (with the beard) explains that his telescope is pointed to Saturn in the 2013 Friday Night Live. Credit mine.
Passers by look at the Moon through Gary Carlisle’s telescope in a 2013 Friday Night Live. Credit mine.
08/13/2015 – Ephemeris – The constellation Sagittarius, toward the heart of the Milky Way
Thursday, August 13th. The Sun rises at 6:42. It’ll be up for 14 hours and 9 minutes, setting at 8:52. The Moon, 1 day before new, will rise at 6:48 tomorrow morning.
The Milky Way runs from north to south through the heavens at 11 p.m. You’ll notice that the Milky Way is brighter and broader just above the horizon in the south. In that glow in the south is a star pattern that looks like the stout little teapot of the children’s song, with a the Milky way like steam rising from the spout, which faces the west. This pattern of stars is the major part of the constellation called Sagittarius. According to Greek mythology Sagittarius is a centaur with a bow and arrow poised to shoot Scorpius the scorpion to the right. This centaur is called Chiron, the most learned of the breed, centaurs usually being a rowdy bunch. The center of the pin wheel of our galaxy lies hidden beyond the stars above the spout of the teapot.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Sagittarius and Scorpius mythological view 10 p.m. August 13, 2015. Created using Stellarium.
Location of the center of the Milky Way and the Teapot of Sagittarius.
08/12/2015 – Ephemeris – One ringed planet and a sky full of meteors
Ephemeris for Wednesday, August 12th. The Sun rises at 6:41. It’ll be up for 14 hours and 12 minutes, setting at 8:53. The Moon, 2 days before new, will rise at 5:49 tomorrow morning.
Lets take a look for the bright planets for this week. Our brightest evening planets Venus and Jupiter are leaving the evening sky in the west. Venus is 3 days from inferior conjunction with the Sun. Saturn is in the south-southwest in the evening twilight. It can be spotted just to the right of the constellation of Scorpius the scorpion and its bright red star Antares below and right of it. Even small telescopes can see Saturn’s rings. The Perseid meteor shower will reach its peak overnight tonight. Your back yard is a fine spot to view the meteors, or for dark skies, I’ll be leading an all night meteor watch at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore’s Dune Climb if it’s clear. I’ll be there by 9 p.m. and it will be dark enough by 10:30.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Saturn and the summer Zodiacal constellations in the south at 10 p.m. August 12, 2015. Created using Stellarium.
Saturn through a telescope at 10 p.m. on August 12, 2015. Created using Stellarium.
Next week Wednesday we will also turn to the morning sky looking for Mars and awaiting Venus’ grand entrance into the dawn skies.
All-sky meteor charts from yesterday’s post
“PerR” is the Perseid radiant.
11 p.m. August 12, 2015. Created using Bob Moler’s LookingUp program for Windows.
2 a.m. August 13, 2015. Previewing autumn stars. Created using Bob Moler’s LookingUp program for Windows.
5 a.m. August 13, 2015. Good morning Orion! Created using Bob Moler’s LookingUp program for Windows.
08/11/2015 – Ephemeris – Perseid meteor shower is tomorrow night
Ephemeris for Tuesday, August 11th. The Sun rises at 6:40. It’ll be up for 14 hours and 14 minutes, setting at 8:55. The Moon, 3 days before new, will rise at 4:51 tomorrow morning.
The Perseid meteor shower is growing in numbers of meteors seen per hour. The expected peak is Thursday morning about a quarter after 2. However the peak time is only really known statistically after the event. The point in the sky from which the meteors or shooting stars seem to come from is called the radiant and it is near the constellation of Perseus. The meteors will appear all night from dusk to dawn. The peak number of meteors can be up to 90 an hour. No telescope is needed. Just lie down on a blanket and look up. The darker your sky the better. One of the darkest skies around is at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. I will be leading an all night meteor shower watch at the Dune Climb Wednesday night til dawn if it’s clear.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Here are some meteors seen in the 2007 Perseid meteor shower taken by Scott Anttila. The image is centered on Cassiopeia. The radiant is low and a bit left of center in the image. The Double Cluster is seen below center and the Great Andromeda Galaxy is seen on the right above center. Click on the image to enlarge.
Position of the Perseid radiant and stars in all-sky plots for 3 times during the night: 11 p.m., 2 a.m., & 5 a.m.
11 p.m. August 12, 2015. Created using Bob Moler’s LookingUp program for Windows.
2 a.m. August 13, 2015. Created using Bob Moler’s LookingUp program for Windows.
5 a.m. August 13, 2015. Created using Bob Moler’s LookingUp program for Windows.
08/10/2015 -Ephemeris – The Tears of St. Lawrence
Ephemeris for Monday, August 10th. The Sun rises at 6:39. It’ll be up for 14 hours and 17 minutes, setting at 8:56. The Moon, half way from last quarter to new, will rise at 3:55 tomorrow morning.
Today is the Catholic Church’s feast of Saint Lawrence a deacon, who was martyred around 258. I make reference to this because of the Perseid meteor shower which will reach peak early Thursday morning. It is also known as the Tears of St Lawrence or St Lawrence’s Fiery Tears because the meteor shower comes near the date of the feast. We know these meteors as the Perseids because the appear to come from just off the constellation of Perseus the hero in our northern sky. Small bits of rocky material are the meteoroids that have been shed from Comet Swift-Tuttle on its previous passes near the sun strike the Earth’s atmosphere. Since the comet’s orbit nearly crosses the Earth’s orbit we pass through this ring of debris every year.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The Perseid meteor shower radiant a about 2 a,m, during the period of the shower. Created using my LookingUp program.
My best Perseid photo. From the 70’s.
