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Ephemeris: 05/03/2024 – GTAS meeting tonight: Eclipse Tales
This is Ephemeris for Friday, May 3rd. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 21 minutes, setting at 8:50, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:27. The Moon, 2 days past last quarter, will rise at 4:48 tomorrow morning.
The Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will meet this evening at 8:00 PM at the NMC’s Joseph Rogers observatory which is on Birmley Road, south of Traverse City. The program will consist of returning members from the total solar eclipse last month showing their photographs, and recounting their adventures of going down to the path of totality. And in my case a video of the changes in the sky at totality, as the Moon’s shadow passed over us. Afterward, if it’s clear, will be viewing the skies, though there will be no planets or the Moon out. In the morning hours before dawn tomorrow and Sunday morning there will be a meteor shower, the Eta Aquariid meteor shower of particles from Halley’s Comet striking the Earth’s atmosphere.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT–4 hours). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
There will be more photos and stories at the meeting.
Ephemeris: 04/12/2024 – GTAS Meeting tonight: Hidden Figures
This is Ephemeris for Friday, April 12th. Today the Sun will be up for 13 hours and 22 minutes, setting at 8:24, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:01. The Moon, 3 days before first quarter, will set at 1:52 tomorrow morning.
Tonight’s meeting of the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society at 8 pm, at Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory, will feature the student astronomy group’s movie night with a presentation of Hidden Figures. How female African American “Computers”, made the space program possible. Many of NASA’s facilities were in the segregated South. Back then computers were also people with tremendous math skills, who could work out problems of orbital mechanics by hand and with mechanical calculators. Plus we’ll see if anyone has made it back to report on Monday’s total solar eclipse. The observatory is located south of Traverse City on Birmley Road between Garfield and Keystone roads.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT–4 hours). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Ephemeris: 03/01/2024 – Mr. Eclipse to give a presentation about April’s Total Solar Eclipse
This is Ephemeris for Friday, March 1st. Today the Sun will be up for 11 hours and 11 minutes, setting at 6:31, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:17. The Moon, 2 days before last quarter, will rise at 1:09 tomorrow morning.
Tonight’s meeting of the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will start at a special time, 7 pm, at Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory, because we will join the Kalamazoo Astronomical Society via Zoom for a talk by Fred Espenak formerly of NASA. He is known as Mr. Eclipse and of course he will be talking about the April 8th total solar eclipse. Fred Espenak has been responsible for NASA’s eclipse website through the 2017 total solar eclipse. He’s chased the shadow of the Moon around the world. Now retired, he hosts two websites. One of which is mreclipse.com. The observatory is located south of Traverse City on Birmley Road between Garfield and Keystone roads.
You may also join the Kalamazoo Astronomical Society meeting directly: Follow this link to register for Zoom. They have room for 500 people on Zoom, and they’d like to max that out!
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EST, UT –5 hours). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Ephemeris: 08/18/2023 – There will be a Sun & Star Party tomorrow at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
This is Ephemeris for Friday, August 18th. Today the Sun will be up for 13 hours and 55 minutes, setting at 8:44, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:49. The Moon, 2 days past new, will set at 9:57 this evening.
Weather permitting, a Sun and Star Party will be held tomorrow night at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore at the Dune Climb. The solar part will start at 5 pm, while the evening viewing will start at 9 pm. These events will be hosted by the park rangers and the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society, who will bring their telescopes to view the heavens, including the planet Saturn and the wonders of the summer Milky Way. The telescopes will be setup in the parking area closest to the dune. While as twilight fades Saturn will be about the only object to view, as it gets darker more and more wonders of the Milky Way will be seen. They include star clusters and nebulae, clouds of gas and dust.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT –4 hours). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Ephemeris: 07/28/2023 – Sun and Star Party scheduled for tomorrow at the Sleeping Bear Dunes
This is Ephemeris for Friday, July 28th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 49 minutes, setting at 9:13, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:25. The Moon, 3 days past first quarter, will set at 2:19 tomorrow morning.
Tomorrow, the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will host a Sun and Star Party at the Dune Climb area of the park. There will be a solar viewing period from 5 pm to about 7 pm. The society has two hydrogen alpha solar telescopes to view the Sun’s chromosphere and prominences. Plus, some members also have solar scopes and white light filtered telescopes to view sunspots on the face of the Sun. Night viewing will start at 9 pm with the Moon featured, along with the brighter telescopic wonders of summer. The park rangers will leave at 11 pm, but society members will stay later to get a good view of Saturn as it moves higher in the sky. All this will happen only if clouds permit.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT –4 hours). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
There will be a pass of the International Space Station starting in the WNW at 9:48 pm, reaching maximum altitude at 9:52 pm of 63o in the SW, entering the Earth’s shadow at 9:55 pm. Note, these are specific times to the nearest minute for the Dune Climb, but close for the Grand Traverse area of Michigan. For other locations, go to: heavens-above.com.
06/02/2023 – Ephemeris – A South Pole adventure and a comet collision presentation – Tonight!
This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Friday, June 2nd. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 22 minutes, setting at 9:22, and it will rise tomorrow at 5:59. The Moon, 1 day before full, will set at 5:14 tomorrow morning.
An Antarctic Odyssey: Winter-Over at South Pole Station will be the presentation by John W. Briggs, via Zoom, at tonight’s meeting of the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society at Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory at 9 pm. John was a team member building a 24-inch infrared telescope and related experiments that were set up at the South Pole in time for him and colleagues to observe the July 1994, explosive crash of fragmented comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 into the planet Jupiter. There are two ways to attend: In person at the observatory, south of Traverse City on Birmley Road, or via Zoom with a link provided by the society’s website gtastro.org just prior to the meeting.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT –4 hours). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
About the Program
An Antarctic Odyssey: Winter-Over at South Pole Station
A presentation via Zoom by John W. Briggs
Abstract:
In a lavishly illustrated presentation, John W. Briggs of New Mexico will describe his year-long experience living at the Geographic South Pole while working for the Center for Astrophysical Research in Antarctica. In preparation for this at Yerkes Observatory of the University of Chicago, John was a team member building a 24-inch infrared telescope and related experiments that were set up at the Pole in time for him and colleagues to observe the July 1994, explosive crash of fragmented comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 into the planet Jupiter.
John weathered the “winter-over” with 26 other members of the U.S. Antarctic Program in an experience that many believe approximates what life will be like someday at a lunar or Martian outpost. Once begun, South Pole winter-over is an irreversible commitment, since the Program’s special LC-130 ski planes can’t land in the winter temperatures — in 1994, sometimes as low as 107 degrees F. below zero (with windchill, as low as -180 degrees). John will delight the audience with his perspective on the total South Pole experience — the strange natural environment, the odd social atmosphere, and the challenging, ongoing science.
05/05/2023 – Ephemeris – Learn about the upcoming total solar eclipse tonight
This is Ephemeris for Cinco de Mayo, Friday, May 5th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 25 minutes, setting at 8:52, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:25. The Moon, at full today, will rise at 9:13 this evening.
Eleven months is not too early to plan for a total solar eclipse. On April 8th next year there will be such an eclipse whose path of totality clips the southeastern corner of Michigan. Indianapolis, Toledo and Cleveland also lie in the path of totality. The path runs from Texas to Maine. Member Dan Dall’Olmo will have all the particulars at this month’s meeting of the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society, starting at 8 pm tonight at Northwestern Michigan College’s Joseph H. Rogers Observatory. For those staying home, the Sun for this eclipse will be a bit more covered by the Moon than the 2017 August solar eclipse. We’ll also have another partial solar eclipse to practice on this October 14th.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT –4 hours). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The paths of maximum eclipse of the October 14, 2023, and April 8, 2024. Click or tap on the image to enlarge it. Credit: NASA/Scientific Visualization Studio/Michala Garrison; eclipse calculations by Ernie Wright, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.
09/23/2022 – Ephemeris – Weather prospects look dim for a star party tomorrow night, but we won’t know for sure until we get closer
Update: The Star Party has been Canceled
Here’s a deep dark secret: Ephemeris programs are recorded the Sunday night for the week beginning Tuesday through the following Monday. However, the posting of the scripts here is generally done the night before the air date. From this vantage point, with the weather forecast not changing for the past week, it looks like we’ll be greeted with not only clouds but rain. The operative words in the post below are “weather permitting”, Which explains the headline.
This is Ephemeris for Friday, September 23rd. Today the Sun will be up for 12 hours and 7 minutes, setting at 7:38, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:32. The Moon, 2 days before new, will rise at 5:54 tomorrow morning.
Weather permitting, a star party will be held tomorrow night, Saturday, September 24th at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore at the Dune Climb starting at 8 pm. The star party will be hosted by the Park Rangers and members of the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society (GTAS), who will bring their telescopes to view the heavens, including the planets Jupiter and Saturn plus the wonders of the summer Milky Way. The telescopes will be set up in the parking area closest to the dune. Saturn will be available immediately, while we wait for Jupiter to rise higher. As it gets darker, more and more wonders of the Milky Way will be seen. They include star clusters and nebulae, clouds of gas and dust from which stars form, and which are expelled in the process of star death.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT – 4 hours). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
If you are not sure if it will be clear enough to hold the star party, please call the park rangers at 231-326-4700, ext. 5005, for a voicemail message with the decision. Alternately, gtastro.org, the GTAS website, will also display the status of the star party, and if it is canceled by 5 pm on Saturday the 24th.
This in the beginning of setup for the October 21, 2017 star party at the dune climb. Taken early, looking to the south-southwest, while there was enough light. The dune blocks up to 12 degrees from the southwest to northwest, but the rest of the horizon is quite low. Note the lone trees on the hill right of the top of the ladder. They are my targets to align my telescope’s finder. Once, while performing the alignment, a fog bank tumbled over that ridge and wiped it out for a time. It was eventually a good night.
We’ve had more than our share of iffy weather at or travelling to the site. A good share of GTAS members live in the Traverse City area, some 30 miles east of the park. More than a few of us, over the years, have driven through rain showers, on our way to the park, for a successful star party. Here’s a link to another night with iffy weather, this time with a lunar eclipse.
07/02/2021 – Ephemeris – Virtual star party to be held tonight
This is Ephemeris for Friday, July 2nd. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 29 minutes, setting at 9:31, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:02. The Moon, 1 day past last quarter, will rise at 2:14 tomorrow morning.
The Grand Traverse Astronomical Society hold a virtual star party starting at 10 pm tonight via Zoom app on the Internet. Jerry Dobek, professor of astronomy at Northwestern Michigan College, will host the event with the 16-inch telescope and an imager, but only if it’s clear in Traverse City. It should feature a look at Venus to start. There will be other objects visible in the darkening twilight, such as binary stars and a dramatic pair with contrasting colors. As it gets darker, we might spot clusters of stars including the Great Hercules Globular Cluster, a veritable popcorn ball of stars. Also, bright clouds of gas expelled by dying stars. Instructions to join the meeting and a link can be found on the society’s website, www.gtastro.org.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT-4). They may be different for your location.
01/08/2021 – Ephemeris – There will be a virtual star party tonight
This is Ephemeris for Friday, January 8th. Today the Sun will be up for 9 hours and 1 minute, setting at 5:20, and it will rise tomorrow at 8:19. The Moon, 2 days past last quarter, will rise at 4:31 tomorrow morning.
The Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will host a virtual star party at 8 pm tonight. It is via the Zoom app for smartphones, tablets or computers. Instructions and a link can be found on the society’s website gtastro.org. It will be hosted by Dr. Jerry Dobek, astronomy professor at Northwestern Michigan College. During a virtual star party the images are produced real time or near real time using a telescope mounted CCD camera. That is if it’s clear. If cloudy we’ll have a virtual, virtual star party using recently acquired images captured for his astronomy students. A couple of months ago we got a tantalizing look at the Great Orion Nebula as it rose in moonlight. Now it’s higher in the sky with no Moon. It should be spectacular!
The event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog 