09/26/2014 – Ephemeris – Mars meets its rival
Ephemeris for Friday, September 26th. The sun will rise at 7:34. It’ll be up for 11 hours and 58 minutes, setting at 7:32. The moon, 2 days past new, will set at 8:45 this evening.
The planet Mars and the bright star Antares will appear at their closest tomorrow night. The name of the star Antares means “Rival of Mars”. “Ant” meaning anti, “Ares”, the Greek equivalent to the Roman god Mars. This is about a 26 month recurrence, give or take. Usually Mars is way brighter than Antares, or way dimmer. This time Mars and Antares are the same brightness. Both planet and star have the same color, kind of a faded orange color, made redder by being low in our sky which drains even more of the blue out. The reason Mars is red is that its surface is rusty. Antares is another matter. It is a cool red giant star. Well, cool on the outside by hotter than the sun’s interior on the inside where it’s changing helium into carbon and oxygen for power. Hint: Mars is always on top. Also tomorrow night the crescent Moon will be just to the right of Saturn.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addenda
Mars appears its closest to Antares. Here seen low in the southwest at 8:30 p.m. on September 27, 2014. The Moon, near Saturn is too small to show a phase. Created using Stellarium.
Saturn with the crescent moon. Earthshine may still be visible on the three day old Moon’s night side. Created using Stellarium.
Acme Fall Festival
The Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will be at the Acme Fall Festival at Flintfields Horse Park on Bates Rd, North of M72, which runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday the 27th. The society will bring telescopes, including the 25 inch Dobsonian telescope and the Solar Telescope to view the Sun in white light and the light of the element hydrogen. There will also be exhibits and free stuff from NASA for the kids.
09/25/2014 – Ephemeris – Capella rising
Ephemeris for Thursday, September 25th. The sun will rise at 7:33. It’ll be up for 12 hours and 1 minute, setting at 7:34. The moon, 1 day past new, will set at 8:13 this evening.
A bright star called Capella has slowly been rising in the northeastern sky in the evenings for the past few months. At 9 p.m. now it is low in the north-northeast far below the letter “W” shaped constellation of Cassiopeia. This winter Capella will be overhead the highest of winter’s seven brilliant first magnitude stars. Capella never quite sets for anyone north of Ludington. It is what is called a circumpolar star. Due to its brightness, and being the closest first magnitude star to the north pole, Capella appears to move slowly as the earth rotates, and spends summer and autumn evenings close to the horizon, and has in years past elicited a few phone calls and other queries about that ‘bright object in the northeast’. When it’s higher the rest of its constellation Auriga the Charioteer will be visible.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Capella cruising up from the north (thanks to the Earth’s rotation) on September 25 at 9 p.m. Created using Stellarium.
09/24/2014 – Ephemeris – Where are the bright planets this week?
Ephemeris for Wednesday, September 24th. The sun will rise at 7:31. It’ll be up for 12 hours and 4 minutes, setting at 7:36. The moon is new today, and won’t be visible.
Let’s take our weekly look at the bright planets. Mars and Saturn are in the southwestern sky at 9 p.m. with Saturn to the right and a bit below Mars by 17 degrees, about the two widths of your fist held at arm’s length. Saturn will set at 9:38 p.m. Saturn is in Libra, while Mars is in Scorpius. Mars is closing in on a star that has the identical color, and this year the same brightness, its rival Antares. Indeed that’s what the star’s name means: Ant as in anti, Ares the Greek god of war, and the counterpart of the Roman Mars. They will be closest Saturday. Mars will set at 10:13.. In the morning sky brilliant Jupiter will rise in the east-northeast at 3:23 a.m., while Venus, will rise in the east at 6:51 a.m. only 42 minutes before the sun. I’m not sure you’ll see it.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Saturn with Mars approaching Antares low in the southwest at 8:30 p.m. on September 24, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
Saturn in a telescope on September 24, 2014. Of the satellites, only Titan should be visible. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter and the winter and the western most spring constellations at 6:30 a.m. on September 25, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter and its moon through a telescope at 6:30 a.m. on September 25, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
09/23/2014 – Ephemeris – NASA’s MAVEN satellite is in orbit of Mars
Ephemeris for Tuesday, September 23rd. The sun will rise at 7:30. It’ll be up for 12 hours and 7 minutes, setting at 7:37. The moon, 1 day before new, will rise at 7:53 tomorrow morning.
Last Sunday evening the MAVEN spacecraft fired its six main engines in alternating pairs for 33 minutes and was captured by Mars, entering orbit around the Red Planet. MAVEN is one of those NASA acronyms, it stands for Mars Atmospheric and Volatile EvolutioN Once in a capture orbit, the orbit will be changed from a 33 hour orbit to a 4 ½ hour a science orbit. It will investigate how Mars lost its original atmosphere which was dense enough to support liquid water to the thin carbon dioxide atmosphere it has today. It has several duties October 19th when Comet Siding Spring passes Mars to detect the interaction of the comet’s atmosphere with that of Mars. There are no cameras* on Maven, just hard data will be returned.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
* Actually I was mistaken. There is an Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph aboard which will take images in the ultraviolet of Mars upper atmosphere.
Artist’s rendition of the MAVEN spacecraft in Mars Orbit. Credit: Lockheed Martin/NASA.
09/22/2014 – Epmemeris – Autumn begins tonight
Ephemeris for Monday, September 22nd. The sun will rise at 7:29. It’ll be up for 12 hours and 10 minutes, setting at 7:39. The moon, 2 days before new, will rise at 6:54 tomorrow morning.
Welcome to the last, almost full, day of summer. The Sun will reach the autumnal equinox point in the sky at 10:30 this evening. At that moment the Sun will cross the celestial equator, a projection of the Earth’s equator, heading southward. All locations on the earth except two will experience 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of night. Well they would if the Earth didn’t have an atmosphere and sunset and sunrise were defined differently. The two locations that don’t experience equal night, which is what equinox means, are the north pole where the sun will be setting and the south pole where the sun will be rising. For us in the northern hemisphere daylight hours will be shorter and the Sun will peak lower in the south each day until the December solstice.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The Earth as seen from the direction of the Sun as it crosses over the Earth’s equator heading south. Created using Celestia.
09/19/2014 – Ephemeris – Astronomical events for Saturday local and far off
Ephemeris for Friday, September 19th. The sun will rise at 7:26. It’ll be up for 12 hours and 19 minutes, setting at 7:45. The moon, 4 days past last quarter, will rise at 3:59 tomorrow morning.
Saturday will be a big day for astronomical viewing, if it’s clear. Tomorrow’s events start early with the planet Jupiter just above and right of the thin crescent moon. They will be visible by 6 a.m. During the day the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will be at the Leland Heritage Celebration. That runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on River Street in Leland. Weather permitting the Sun will be in view with some giveaway items for the kids even if it’s cloudy. At night starting at 9 p.m. will be a star party at Northwestern Michigan’s Rogers Observatory. Being the dark of the moon the wonders of the summer Milky Way will be in view if it’s clear. An alternate program will be presented if it’s cloudy.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Jupiter and the moon at 6 a.m. Saturday September 20, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
GTAS telescopes at Leland Heritage Celebration in 2011.
Arrrr! Today is Talk Like a Pirate Day mateys. Just in time for the Schooner tall ship Festival in Traverse City this weekend.
09/18/2014 – Ephemeris – The constellation Pegasus the aerobatic horse
Ephemeris for Thursday, September 18th. The sun will rise at 7:24. It’ll be up for 12 hours and 22 minutes, setting at 7:47. The moon, 3 days past last quarter, will rise at 3:02 tomorrow morning.
Rising in the east at as it gets dark around 9 p.m. can be found 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 emanating 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, a fascinating constellation in its own right.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Pegasus at 9 p.m. Chart created using Stellarium.
09/17/2014 – Ephemeris – It’s Wednesday, do you know where the bright planets are?
Ephemeris for Wednesday, September 17th. The sun will rise at 7:23. It’ll be up for 12 hours and 25 minutes, setting at 7:49. The moon, 2 days past last quarter, will rise at 2:06 tomorrow morning.
Let’s take our weekly look at the bright planets. Mars and Saturn are now nearly side by side with Saturn to the right by 15 degrees, about the width of your fist and a half held at arm’s length. Saturn will set at 10:04 p.m. Saturn is in Libra, while Mars is entering Scorpius just above the star tonight called Dschubba. Mars is closing in to a star that has the identical hue, and this year the same brightness, its rival Antares. Indeed that’s what the star’s name means: Ant as in anti, Ares the Greek god of war, and the counterpart of the Roman Mars. They will be closest next week. Mars will set at 10:25. In the morning sky brilliant Jupiter will rise in the east-northeast at 3:43 a.m., while Venus, will rise at 6:30 a.m.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Looking southwest at Saturn and Mars with the stars of Scorpius and Libra at 9 p.m. on September 17, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
Saturn through a telescope. However being so low in the sky even the moon Titan might be hard to see. September 17, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
The Moon, Jupiter and Venus with some of the bright stars of winter and spring at 6:45 a.m. on September 18, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
The Moon at 6:45 a.m. on September 18, 2014. I doubt you’d see Earth shine (the rest of the Moon like this) with the crescent this wide. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter through a telescope. Europa is transiting in front of Jupiter at 6:45 a.m. and will be very difficult or impossible to spot. Stellarium shows that the shadow of Europa is just about directly behind the moon. Created using Stellarium.
09/16/2014 – Ephemeris – My wife Judy passed away last Saturday
Note: This is the transcript of the program that went out over the air:
This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Tuesday, September 16th. The sun will rise at 7:22. It’ll be up for 12 hours and 28 minutes, setting at 7:51. The moon, 1 day past last quarter, will rise at 1:12 tomorrow morning.
The love of my life, Judy passed away last Saturday after 48 years of marriage. When I met her, arranged, by my sister, who herself succumbed to cancer last month, she didn’t know much about astronomy, about the same as is seen from our schools today. I was working at the planetarium in Grand Rapids at the time and we went in after hours and viewed the sky. Using flash cards I made up, she learned the constellations. After we were married and I came back from the Air Force, she got a job as the planetarium director’s secretary and sales clerk. She took the college Astronomy 101 course, and even produced a planetarium show for young kids using kids drawings projected on the dome for illustration.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
This the extended version, some of what what I really wanted to say:
Judith Ann Moler 1943-2014
The love of my life, Judy passed away last Saturday, September 13, 2014 at the age of 71, after we’d been married 48 years. I met her, arranged, by my sister Shirley, who herself succumbed to cancer last month. It was kind of a mercy dinner to take this guy (me) out before he entered Air Force for basic training. Shirley said I pretty much ignored her on previous occasions, but this time I was smitten. I’m a pretty much buttoned down guy with the ladies, but it was maybe because I was going to change my life by entering the Air Force that opened me up.
After a few dates I told her I had this, um, problem. I liked to go out on dark nights and observe the heavenly bodies. She could join me or stay inside where it’s warm. She gamely joined me. I suspect it was to make sure these heavenly bodies were celestial and not terrestrial. (Just kidding). Judy didn’t know much about astronomy when we met, about the same as we see from our schools today. I was working at the Planetarium of the Grand Rapids Public Museum at the time and we went in after hours and viewed the sky. Judy got to make up her own constellations. Later, using flash cards I made up, she learned many of the brighter real constellations.
After we were married and I got out of the Air Force we came back to Grand Rapids I got a job with NCR and Judy got a job as the planetarium director’s secretary and sales clerk. By then the planetarium had a name, the Roger B. Chaffee Planetarium, named for the Grand Rapids astronaut who died in the Apollo 1 fire in 1967. Judy took the college Astronomy 101 course, and even produced a planetarium show for young kids using kids drawings projected on the dome for illustration.
She joined with us in trips to view the total solar eclipses of 1970 and 1972, but gave up her seat on the small plane we chartered in 1979 to view the total solar eclipse in February that year, being not too keen on flying, especially in small planes. She even found a pilot we nicknamed, “Crash” LaMar, to fly the 5 of us brave souls to North Dakota to view this eclipse. He could fly just fine, but had a problem keeping the wing tips from hitting the high snow banks when taxiing at the Bottineau, ND airport. I recall that once we had to get out and push, or was that my imagination?
We moved to the Traverse City area in 1971 to follow my job at the time working for NCR.
Around 1980 I was approached by the head of the Science and Math department Joe Rogers, at Northwestern Michigan College (NMC) to teach their 100 level astronomy course. By then I had programs on the public radio station WIAA for 5 years, so my name was out there as an astronomical expert. The problem was that I had never had any formal astronomical training*, despite that they hired me. My other problem was that I frequently had to work out of town, so Judy stepped in to substitute teach on those nights I was out of town. Actually she had more “formal” astronomy training than I did.
Judy was an instrumental part of the founding and operation of the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society (GTAS), started in 1982 and many years thereafter. She held down the fort at the NMC Observatory with other members of the GTAS on the night in May 1983 when Comet IRAS-Araki-Alcock buzzed 3 million miles from the Earth and the public wanted to see it because Paul Harvey featured it on his newscast, when I abandoned them and snuck out to the less known Leelanau School’s Lanphier Observatory in Glen Arbor to photograph the comet in peace. I know, it wasn’t nice of me.
In 1986 our family flew down to Miami and drove down to Key Largo to join the teacher and students from the Leelanau School to observe Halley’s Comet at its closest to the Earth, which was too far south to see from Traverse City. I had the brilliant or cockamamie idea of splitting our 24 hour days into two 12 hour days. A daytime day to explore and enjoy the Keys and a night time day to observe the comet. Judy gamely went along with it: 8 hours up and 4 hours of sleep then repeat. I found that it worked for me, at least for the 6 days we tried it. Judy, at least, didn’t complain, but our daughter couldn’t handle it. She went on our day trips, but stayed at our resort sleeping all night. Beside viewing and photographing Halley’s Comet, which lost its tail that week (bummer), we visited Theater of the Sea, Key West and toured the coral reefs in a glass bottomed boat, and the Everglades.
We had many more adventures, but these have come to mind now.
* I’m not self taught. My astronomy education comes via the members of the Grand Rapids Junior Astronomy Club and my close association with John Wesley, a true genius, and Donn Cuson, and members of the Grand Rapids Amateur Astronomical Association, and one of its founding members the late Evelyn Grebel, who let me tinker with the planetarium in its early days, and countless others including my still good friends Jim and Evie Marron at whose home Judy and I watched Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin of Apollo 11 work on the Moon’s surface, and my friend and sometimes antagonist Dave DeBruyn, now Emeritus Director of the Chaffee Planetarium.
I’ll have more of these remembrances in the days to follow, maybe with better sentence structure, but they will not be filed under Ephemeris. Look for the category Memories and the tag Judy. It’s my way of coping and healing.
Obituary for Judith A. Moler
Judith (DelRaso) Moler, 71, of Traverse City passed away on Saturday, September 13, 2014 at Munson Medical Center. Judy was born on April 20, 1943 in Grand Rapids to Adolph and Edith (Antonini) DelRaso. She was married to Robert C. Moler on April 16, 1966 in Grand Rapids. Judy and Bob moved to Traverse City in 1971. She was a member of St. Patrick Catholic Church and was named St. Patrick’s Women of the Year in 1991. She volunteered, helping people with Alzheimer’s and with the Crop Walk. Judy was a member of the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society. Judy was proud of her Italian heritage; she loved to cook Italian food and she perfected the family sauce with no sugar. Above all, Judy loved spending time with her family and friends. She will be missed by all who knew her.
Judy is survived by her husband of 48 years, Robert, daughter Stephany Farrell, mother Edith DelRaso, three grandchildren Christopher Farrell, Nicole Farrell and Bernadette Farrell, two brothers; Robert DelRaso and Carl DelRaso, and brother-in-law Donald (Terry) Moler. Also surviving are many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her father Adolph DelRaso, sisters-in-law Gladys DelRaso and Shirley (Moler) Burnham.
Friends are welcome to visit with Judy’s family on Wednesday, September 17, 2014 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home, 305 Sixth Street Traverse City, MI 49684.
Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, September 18, 2014 at St. Patrick Catholic Church, 630 SW Silver Lake Rd., Traverse City, MI 49685, with visiting one hour prior. Rev. Fr. Greg McCullum will officiate. Burial will follow in Linwood Cemetery.
Those planning an expression of sympathy may wish to consider memorial donations to The Alzheimer’s Association or the American Diabetes Association.
Please feel free to share your thoughts and memories with Judy’s family at www.reynolds-jonkhoff.com.
The family is being served by the Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home.
09/15/2014 – Ephemeris – The mer-goat Capricornus
Ephemeris for Monday, September 15th. The sun will rise at 7:21. It’ll be up for 12 hours and 31 minutes, setting at 7:53. The moon, at last quarter today, will rise at 12:21 tomorrow morning.
Nearly 2000 years ago the southernmost of the constellations of the zodiac was Capricornus the water goat. That’s why the latitude on the earth where the sun is overhead on the winter solstice is called the Tropic of Capricorn. Not any more, Sagittarius, one constellation west and due south at 9 p.m., has that honor today. Actually Capricornus does need the press. It’s large, but made up of dim stars. To me it looks like a 45 degree isosceles triangle, long side up, but which all the sides are sagging. The constellation is found low in the south at 11 p.m. and tilted a bit from the upper right to the lower left. The image that is supposed to be represented by the stars is that of a goat whose hind quarters are replaced by a fish’s tail, not a mermaid but a mer-goat.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Capricornus as represented by Stellarium.
Capricornus the way I see it. Created using Cartes duCiel.
An artist’s rendering of Capricornus. A part of Stellarium’s functionality.
