Archive
10/29/2018 – Ephemeris – Perseus the hero
Ephemeris for Monday, October 29th. The Sun will rise at 8:16. It’ll be up for 10 hours and 18 minutes, setting at 6:35. The Moon, 2 days before last quarter, will rise at 10:48 this evening.
bout a third the way from the east northeastern horizon to the zenith at 9 p.m. and below the letter W shaped constellation of Cassiopeia the queen is Perseus the hero. It’s kind of a odd shape for a hero, To me it looks like the cartoon roadrunner. To those who’s imagination doesn’t run to cartoons, its shape is also like the Greek letter pi. It’s two brightest stars are Mirfak and Algol the demon star. Look at the area around Mirfak with binoculars and you will see a large group of stars just below naked eye visibility. It’s called the Alpha Persei association. That because Mirfak is Alpha Persei. The group is about 560 light years away, which means, though close, are farther away than the Pleiades, below and right of them.
The times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
11/14/2017 – Ephemeris – The constellation of Perseus the hero
Ephemeris for Tuesday, November 14th. The Sun will rise at 7:38. It’ll be up for 9 hours and 37 minutes, setting at 5:15. The Moon, half way from last quarter to new, will rise at 4:29 tomorrow morning.
About half way up from the east northeastern horizon to the zenith at 9 p.m. and below the letter W shaped constellation of Cassiopeia the queen is Perseus the hero. It’s kind of an odd shape for a hero, To me it looks like a maybe the cartoon road runner running along the road. To those who’s imagination doesn’t run to Loony Tunes, its shape is also like the Greek letter pi. It’s two brightest stars are Mirfak and Algol the demon star. Look at the area around Mirfak with binoculars and you will see a large group of stars just below naked eye visibility. It’s called the Alpha Persei association. That because Mirfak is Alpha Persei. The group is about 557 light years away, which means, is quite close, but farther away than the Pleiades, below and right of them.
The times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Perseus with Cassiopeia and Andromeda in the northeast at 9 p.m. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.
11/09/2017 – Ephemeris – Cassiopeia the queen and her husband
Ephemeris for Thursday, November 9th. The Sun will rise at 7:31. It’ll be up for 9 hours and 49 minutes, setting at 5:20. The Moon, 1 day before last quarter, will rise at 10:59 this evening.
The stars of the autumn skies hold forth now, but one prominent autumn constellation never leaves us, here in northern Michigan. Look high in the northeastern sky by 8 p.m. and you can find the W shaped constellation of Cassiopeia the queen. It is opposite the pole star Polaris from the Big Dipper, slinking low in the north-northwest. 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 and left of Cassiopeia is a dim upside down church steeple shaped constellation of Cepheus the king. The Milky Way flows through a corner of Cepheus and Cassiopeia toward the northeastern horizon and through the constellation of Perseus the hero, and the bright star Capella in Auriga the Charioteer.
The times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Cassiopeia and constellations along the Milky Way in the northeast these autumn evenings. (8 p.m. November 9, 2017). Click on image to enlarge. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.
11/07/2017 – Ephemeris – The autumn constellations are all visible in the early evening
Ephemeris for Election Day for some folks, Tuesday, November 7th. The Sun will rise at 7:28. It’ll be up for 9 hours and 54 minutes, setting at 5:23. The Moon, 3 days before last quarter, will rise at 8:49 this evening.
We’ll have about an hour and a half of reasonably dark skies between 6:30 and nearly 9 p.m. – At 8 p.m. all the autumn constellations are visible. The Zodiacal constellations from Capricornus in the southwest through Aquarius, Pisces and Aries, all relatively faint to Taurus rising in the east northeast. Pegasus the flying horse is seen in the high south-southeast. It and the connected constellation of Andromeda the chained princess are seen above Aquarius through Aries. The bright star Fomalhaut holds a lonely vigil low in the south, High in the northeast is the W shaped constellation of Cassiopeia the queen, under which is Perseus, her son-in-law and hero down to the bright star Capella.
The times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
The sky at 8 p.m. November 7, 2017 showing the autumn constellations, centered on the southeastern sky. Click on the image to enlarge. The Milky Way has been brightened to show its passage through Perseus better. The red line is the ecliptic, the path of the Sun through the Zodiac. Created using Stellarium.
Addendum
10/30/2017 – Ephemeris – Halloween preview: The Ghoul Star
Ephemeris for Monday, October 30th. The Sun will rise at 8:17. It’ll be up for 10 hours and 15 minutes, setting at 6:33. The Moon, 3 days past first quarter, will set at 3:50 tomorrow morning.
Tomorrow night is the spookiest night of the year, so lets preview the spookiest star of all. It’s Algol, from Ghoul Star or Demon Star. The Chinese had a name for it that meant ‘piled up corpses’. It’s the second brightest star in the constellation Perseus the hero, rising in the northeast this evening. The star is located where artists have drawn the severed head of Medusa, whom he had slain. Medusa was so ugly that she turned all who gazed upon her to stone. Algol is her still glittering eye. Astronomers finally found out what was wrong with Algol. It does a slow 6 hour wink every two days 21 hours, because it is two stars that eclipse each other. It began to dip this morning just before sunrise and it will again centered on 11:41 p.m. Friday night.
The times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Perseus, Cassiopeia, Andromeda with Algol finder animation for Autumn evenings. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.
Animation of an eclipsing binary star like Algol. Credit: Wikimedia Commons h/t Earth and Sky
10/16/2017 – Ephemeris – Andromeda, the chained princess
Ephemeris for Monday, October 16th. The Sun will rise at 7:59. It’ll be up for 10 hours and 56 minutes, setting at 6:55. The Moon, 3 days before new, will rise at 5:29 tomorrow morning.
The stars of the constellations Andromeda the chained princess look like they’re supposed to be the hind legs of Pegasus the flying horse which is high in the southeast at 9 p.m. Andromeda is high in the east She is seen in the sky as two diverging curved strings of stars that curve to the left and up from the leftmost star of the Great Square of Pegasus. Her predicament was caused by her boastful mother Cassiopeia, and the wrath of the god Poseidon. She was rescued by the hero Perseus, a nearby constellation, riding his steed Pegasus. Andromeda’s claim to astronomical fame is the large galaxy barely visible to the unaided eye just above the upper line of stars, the Great Andromeda Galaxy 2.5 million light years away.
The times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Andromeda and neighboring constellations that are related to her story. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.
Andromeda at 9 p.m. with the Great Andromeda Galaxy. Created using Stellarium.
The Great Andromeda Galaxy (M31). Image taken by Scott Anttila. It appears here more extensive than it appears visually to the naked eye or in telescopes.
10/20/2016 – Ephemeris – Perseus: Is it a hero or a chicken?
Ephemeris for Thursday, October 20th. The Sun will rise at 8:05. It’ll be up for 10 hours and 43 minutes, setting at 6:48. The Moon, 2 days before last quarter, will rise at 10:54 this evening.
Positioned below the W shaped constellation of Cassiopeia half way up the sky in the northeast at 9 p.m. is the constellation of Perseus the hero of Greek myth who slew Medusa and rescued and married Andromeda represented in the constellation above and right of him. Rather than a hero the star pattern seems to look like a chicken or perhaps Big Bird. At least, that’s how I see it. In the back of the chicken is its brightest star Mirfak (Mirphak). Binoculars will show a beautiful group of stars near Mirfak just below unaided eye visibility called the Alpha Persei Association. Tomorrow morning will see the peak of the Orionid meteor shower, though all but the brightest meteors will be overwhelmed by waning gibbous Moon.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Perseus with Cassiopeia and Andromeda in the northeast at 9 p.m. October 20, 2016. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.
10/03/2016 – Ephemeris – Cassiopeia the celestial queen, and a look at Venus with the Moon
Ephemeris for Monday, October 3rd. The Sun will rise at 7:43. It’ll be up for 11 hours and 34 minutes, setting at 7:18. The Moon, 3 days past new, will set at 8:55 this evening.
The stars of autumn are in the northeastern to southeastern part of the evening sky. Look half way up the sky in the northeast at 9 p.m. and you can find the W shaped constellation of Cassiopeia the queen. Cassiopeia never sets for us in Michigan. It is opposite the pole star Polaris from the Big Dipper. Above Cassiopeia is a dim church steeple shaped constellation of Cepheus the king. The steeple is toppled to the left. The Milky Way flows through Cassiopeia and through a corner of Cepheus to the bright star Deneb in Cygnus the Swan, or Northern Cross, overhead. Below Cassiopeia it flows through the constellation of Perseus the hero, which kind of looks like a chicken, to the bright star Capella near the horizon.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The crescent Moon will appear above Venus tonight.
Looking very low in the west-southwest at 7:38 p.m., 20 minutes after sunset, October 3, 2016. The thin crescent Moon will appear about 4 degrees 15 minutes (8 1/2 moon diameters) above Venus. Created using Stellarium.
Cassiopeia with Cepheus, Cygnus and Perseus in the Milky Way in the northeastern sky. Created using Stellarium.
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.
11/25/2014 – Ephemeris – Cassiopeia the constellation
Ephemeris for Tuesday, November 25th. The sun will rise at 7:52. It’ll be up for 9 hours and 14 minutes, setting at 5:06. The moon, 3 days past new, will set at 8:33 this evening.
Nearing the zenith at 8 p.m. is the W shaped constellation of Cassiopeia the queen. It’s actually just north of the zenith and since we’re half way from the equator and the north pole at near 45 degrees north, Cassiopeia will not set. Cassiopeia we say is circumpolar. Cassiopeia will rise is set if you’re in Florida. In Antarctica Cassiopeia is a just rumor, just as the Southern Cross is to us in Michigan since it never rises. Cassiopeia lies against the Milky Way, so there are a lot of star clusters in it. Unfortunately they can be seen only in telescopes. In 1572 the last of the pre-telescopic astronomers Tycho Brahe discovered a bright star that suddenly appeared. His discovery broke open the Aristotelian belief that the heavens were changeless.
Times and views are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Looking straight up at the zenith, facing the south, Cassiopeia is just north of the zenith. The lines are radiating from the zenith. where the + sign is. Created using Cartes du Ciel.
My neck hurts just making this chart.
Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog 