Archive
06/05/2015 – Ephemeris – Astronomy in Traverse City tonight: Parallax and Planets
Ephemeris for Friday, June 5th. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 25 minutes, setting at 9:24. The Moon, 3 days past full, will rise at 11:53 this evening and tomorrow the Sun will rise at 5:58.
Stellar parallax is a way to measure distances to the nearest stars by observing them six months apart, from opposite ends of the Earth’s orbit. Parallax is why we have two eyes to judge distance. Parallax is also proof that the earth revolves around the Sun. Dr. David Penney will investigate this at this evening’s meeting of the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society at 8 p.m. at Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory. Everyone is welcome. Also at 9 p.m. there will be a star party at the observatory. The astronomical objects of the evening will be the planets Venus, Jupiter and Saturn. The observatory is located south of Traverse City on Birmley Road between Garfield and Keystone roads.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
11/07/2014 – Ephemeris – GTAS meeting tonight and Star Party
Ephemeris for Friday, November 7th. The sun will rise at 7:28. It’ll be up for 9 hours and 55 minutes, setting at 5:23. The moon, 1 day past full, will rise at 6:15 this evening.
Tonight the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will hold their monthly meeting at he Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory at 8 p.m. featuring yours truly presenting the Hitchhikers Guide to the Solar System. I have found, what NASA and other space agencies have found, that once orbiting the Sun in the solar system. One can go anywhere in the solar system with a minimum of energy, if one has the time. We’ll start by looking at orbits about the Earth and how they can be changed. We’ll look at escape velocity and those seemingly strange Lagrangian points, plus stealing energy from the planets. At 9 p.m. there will be a star party featuring the Moon and some of the brighter deep sky objects. The observatory is located on Birmley road.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Artist’s concept of interplanetary superhighway or Interplanetary Transport Network. Credit: NASA/JPL.
06/19/2012 – Ephemeris – Astronomy at the Traverse Area District Library
Ephemeris for Tuesday, June 19th. Today the sun will be up for 15 hours and 33 minutes, setting at 9:30. The moon is new today, and won’t be visible. | Tomorrow the sun will rise at 5:57.
The Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will host an event at the Traverse Area District Library, on Woodmere Street in Traverse City, starting at 11 am this morning. They will be showing the sun through safely filtered telescopes and have other hands on activities. The sun is really getting fascinating to view with a great number of sunspots that are appearing now. The sunspots come and go. Right now a big group is rotating off the edge of the sun that caused northern lights over North America last weekend. There may be some active regions that will rotate on to the sun’s disc soon. Usually sunspots last a couple of weeks. They are the result of intense magnetic fields within the sun that cool the gasses and cause the dark spots.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog 