Archive
09/19/2017 – Ephemeris – The Great Rift
Ephemeris for Tuesday, September 19th. The Sun will rise at 7:26. It’ll be up for 12 hours and 18 minutes, setting at 7:45. The Moon, 1 day before new, will rise at 7:43 tomorrow morning.
High overhead the Milky Way is seen passing through the Summer Triangle of three bright stars. Here we find the Milky Way split into two sections. The split starts in the constellation of Cygnus the Swan or Northern Cross very high in the east. The western part of the Milky Way ends southwest of the Aquila the eagle. This dark dividing feature is called the Great Rift. Despite the lack of stars seen there, it doesn’t mean that there are fewer stars there than in the brighter patches of the Milky Way. The rift is a great dark cloud that obscures the light of the stars behind it. Sometimes binoculars can be used to find the edges of the clouds of the rift, as stars numbers drop off suddenly. This is especially easy to spot in Aquila the eagle.
The times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The Great Rift in the Milky Way. Created using Stellarium.
07/17/2017 – Ephemeris – Constellations of the Summer Triangle III: Aquila the Eagle
Ephemeris for Monday, July 17th. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 9 minutes, setting at 9:23, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:14. The Moon, 1 day past last quarter, will rise at 2:08 tomorrow morning.
Aquila the eagle is a constellation that lies in the Milky Way. It’s in the southeastern sky as it gets dark. Its brightest star, Altair is one of the stars of the Summer Triangle, the group of three bright stars dominating the eastern sky in the evening now. Altair, in the head of the eagle, is flanked by two slightly dimmer stars, the shoulders of the eagle. The eagle is flying northeastward through the Milky Way. Its wings are seen in the wing tip stars. A curved group of stars to the lower right of Altair is its tail. Within Aquila the Milky Way shows many dark clouds as part of the Great Rift that splits it here. The other summer bird is Cygnus the swan above and left of Aquila, flying in the opposite direction.
The times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The Summer Triangle. Created using Stellarium and The Gimp.
Animated Cygnus finder chart. Created using Stellarium.
07/29/2016 – Ephemeris – Aquila the Eagle, third constellation of the Summer Triangle
Ephemeris for Friday, July 29th. The Sun rises at 6:26. It’ll be up for 14 hours and 45 minutes, setting at 9:11. The Moon, 3 days past last quarter, will rise at 3:20 tomorrow morning.
Aquila the eagle is a constellation that lies in the Milky Way. It’s in the southeastern sky as it gets dark. Its brightest star, Altair is one of the stars of the Summer Triangle, a group of three bright stars seen now in the eastern sky in the evening. Altair, in the head of the eagle, is flanked by two slightly dimmer stars, the shoulders of the eagle. The eagle is flying northeastward through the Milky Way. Its wings are seen in the wing tip stars. A curved group of stars to the lower right of Altair is its tail. Within Aquila the Milky Way shows many dark clouds as part of the Great Rift that splits it here. The other summer bird is Cygnus the swan, which I talked about Tuesday, above and left of Aquila, flying in the opposite direction.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Aquila the Eagle in the southeastern sky. Created using Stellarium.
08/26/2014 – Ephemeris – The Great Rift
Ephemeris for Tuesday, August 26th. The sun rises at 6:57. It’ll be up for 13 hours and 31 minutes, setting at 8:29. The moon, 1 day past new, will set at 8:45 this evening.
High overhead the Milky Way is seen passing through the Summer Triangle of three bright stars. Here we find the Milky Way split into two sections. The split starts in the constellation of Cygnus the Swan or Northern Cross very high in the east. The western part of the Milky Way ends southwest of the Aquila the eagle. This dark dividing feature is called the Great Rift. Despite the lack of stars seen there, it doesn’t mean that there are fewer stars there than in the brighter patches of the Milky Way. The rift is a great dark cloud that obscures the light of the stars behind it. Sometimes binoculars can be used to find the edges of the clouds of the rift, as stars numbers drop off suddenly. This is especially easy to see in Aquila.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The Great Rift in the Milky Way. Created using Stellarium.
09/02/2013 – Ephemeris – The Milky Way’s Great Rift
Ephemeris for Labor Day, Monday, September 2nd. The sun will rise at 7:06. It’ll be up for 13 hours and 10 minutes, setting at 8:16. The moon, 3 days before new, will rise at 5:19 tomorrow morning.
High overhead the Milky Way is seen passing through the Summer Triangle of three bright stars. Here we find the Milky Way split into two sections. The split starts in the constellation of Cygnus the Swan or Northern Cross very high in the east. The western branch of the Milky Way ends in the south. The dark dividing feature is called the Great Rift. Despite the lack of stars seen there, it doesn’t mean that there are fewer stars there than in the brighter patches of the Milky Way. The rift is a number of overlapping clouds of dust and gas about 300 light years away that obscure the light of the stars behind them. Sometimes binoculars can be used to find the edges of the clouds of the rift, as stars numbers drop off suddenly. This is especially easily seen in the constellation of Aquila.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The Great Rift in the Milky Way. Created using Stellarium.
07/29/2013 – Ephemeris – The constellation Aquila the eagle
Ephemeris for Monday, July 29th. The sun rises at 6:25. It’ll be up for 14 hours and 45 minutes, setting at 9:11. The moon, at last quarter today, will rise at 12:46 tomorrow morning.
Aquila the eagle is a constellation that lies in the Milky Way. It’s in the southeastern sky as it gets dark. Its brightest star, Altair is one of the stars of the Summer Triangle, a group of three bright stars seen now in the eastern sky in the evening. Altair, in the head of the eagle, is flanked by two slightly dimmer stars, the shoulders of the eagle. The eagle is flying northeastward through the Milky Way. Its wings are seen in the wing tip stars. A curved group of stars to the lower right of Altair is its tail. Within Aquila the Milky Way shows many dark clouds as part of the Great Rift that splits it here. The other summer bird is Cygnus the swan, above and left of Aquila, flying in the opposite direction, southward.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Aquila with the other constellations in the Summer Triangle. Created using Stellarium.
09/13/2012 – Ephemeris – The Great Rift
Ephemeris for Thursday, September 13th. The sun will rise at 7:19. It’ll be up for 12 hours and 36 minutes, setting at 7:55. The moon, 2 days before new, will rise at 5:43 tomorrow morning.
High overhead the Milky Way is seen passing through the Summer Triangle of three bright stars. Here we find the Milky Way split into two sections. The split starts in the constellation of Cygnus the Swan or Northern Cross nearly overhead and heads southward. The western part of the Milky Way ends southwest of the Aquila the eagle. This dark dividing feature is called the Great Rift. The rift is a great series of clouds obscures the light of the stars behind it. It appears to be about 300 light years away and obscures the light of the stars of the next spiral arm in. It may contain the mass of a million suns. Dust clouds like this are a prominent features of spiral galaxies, like the Milky Way.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The Great Rift in the Milky Way. Created using Stellarium.
P.S.
Semper Fi
My grandson Chris the Marine celebrates his 22nd birthday today. He’s in the desert today in the US. Beats Afghanistan where he was last year at this time.
08/25/11 – Ephemeris – The Great Rift
Thursday, August 25th. The sun rises at 6:56. It’ll be up for 13 hours and 35 minutes, setting at 8:31. The moon, 3 days before new, will rise at 3:57 tomorrow morning.
High overhead the Milky Way is seen passing through the Summer Triangle of three bright stars. Here we find the Milky Way split into two sections. The split starts in the constellation of Cygnus the Swan or Northern Cross very high in the east. The western part of the Milky Way ends southwest of the Aquila the eagle. This dark dividing feature is called the Great Rift. Despite the lack of stars seen there, it doesn’t mean that there are fewer stars there than in the brighter patches of the Milky Way. The rift is a great dark cloud that obscures the light of the stars behind it. Sometimes binoculars can be used to find the edges of the clouds of the rift, as stars numbers drop off suddenly. This is especially easy in Aquila.
* Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The Great Rift in the Milky Way. Created using Stellarium.
Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog 