Archive
Ephemeris: 03/09/2026 – The Great Underwater Panther in the stars
This is Ephemeris for Monday, March 9th. Today the Sun will be up for 11 hours and 35 minutes, setting at 7:41, and it will rise tomorrow at 8:04. The Moon, 2 days before last quarter, will rise at 2:50 tomorrow morning.
As Orion tilts into the southwest at 9 PM I’m reminded of our Anishinaabek native peoples here in Michigan, who saw it as the Winter Maker slowly beginning to leave the scene in the southwest. At this time in the southeast is Curly Tail, the Great Panther. I first knew him as the Great Underwater Panther, which tells us where he lives… beneath the ice. He’s in the sky to warn us that the warmer weather of spring is coming, and the ice on the lakes and rivers is getting thin. Be careful to not fall through and drown, becoming a victim of the Great Panther. The stars of the panther include those of the head of Leo the lion the great backwards question mark, as his curly tail, to his head, the head of what we call Hydra the water snake.
The astronomical event times given in this blog are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (Lat 44.7° N, Long 85.7° W; EST, UT – 5 hours) unless stated otherwise. Times will be different for other locations.
Addendum
Ephemeris: 04/25/2024 – Finding Hydra, the longest constellation
This is Ephemeris for Thursday, April 25th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours exactly, setting at 8:41, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:39. The Moon, 2 days past full, will rise at 11:00 this evening.
Stretching from midway up the sky in the southwest to low in the southeast at 10 p.m. can be found the constellation of Hydra the water snake, the longest constellation of all. Unlike the monster of the same name that Hercules slew, this Hydra has but one head, which is its most distinctive part. The head of Hydra is located between the bright stars Procyon in the southwest. Which is above the brighter star Sirius low in the sky, and Regulus in Leo the lion, higher in the south. Hydra’s head is a small but distinctive group of 6 stars that make a drooping loop to the right. The rest of Hydra wends its way in a reasonably straight line down to the southeastern horizon.
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
05/15/2023 – Ephemeris – Why are crows black?
This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Monday, May 15th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 49 minutes, setting at 9:04, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:13. The Moon, 3 days past last quarter, will rise at 4:47 tomorrow morning.
The small constellation of Corvus the crow is located low in the south at 10:30 this evening. It’s made of 6 dim stars, the pattern is a distinctive but distorted box with two stars in the upper left corner and two stars in the lower right corner. To the right is a fainter constellation of a thick stemmed goblet called Crater. Both appear above the long constellation of Hydra, the water snake who is slithering above the southern horizon. In Greek mythology Corvus, then white, was the god Apollo’s pet who once bid the crow to take a cup and fetch him some water. Corvus, however, dallied and waited for a green fig to ripen. Corvus then grabbed a snake and returned with a story on how the snake had delayed him. The angry Apollo saw through the story and turned the crow black.
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
Corvus, Crater and Hydra finder chart. The chart was made for earlier in the month, so when it’s dark enough to see them, the constellations will have shifted to the west or right. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.
03/24/2022 – Ephemeris – A native constellation that’s a warning
This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Thursday, March 24th. Today the Sun will be up for 12 hours and 22 minutes, setting at 8:00, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:36. The Moon, 1 day before last quarter, will rise at 3:59 tomorrow morning.
The Anishinaabe peoples of the Great Lakes Region, which include the Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, have several constellations of spring. The first of them is Curly Tail, or the Great Underwater Panther, who lurks under the ice in lakes. It uses the stars of Leo the lion’s backward question mark, in the southeast at 9:30 in the evening, as its curved tail and the small knot of stars that are the head of Hydra the water snake as its head. The head of Hydra is below the constellation of Cancer, and in the south-southwest and to the right of the backwards question mark of Leo. The warning he gives is to keep off the thinning ice or break through and be snatched by the great panther that lives below.
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
An animation showing the stars centered in the southeastern skies, the “official” constellations and the Anishinaabe constellation of Curly Tail and the Great (Underwater) Panther. Approximate time is 9:30 pm March 24th. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.
05/06/2021 – Ephemeris – Corvus, Crater, Hydra and Apollo
This is Ephemeris for Thursday, May 6th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 28 minutes, setting at 8:54, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:24. The Moon, 3 days past last quarter, will rise at 5:04 tomorrow morning.
The small constellation of Corvus the crow is located low in the south at 10:30 this evening. It’s made of 5 dim stars, but the pattern is a distinctive but distorted box with two stars at the upper left marking that corner. To the right is a fainter constellation of a thick stemmed goblet called Crater. Both appear above the long constellation of Hydra the water snake who is slithering just above the southern horizon. In Greek mythology Corvus, then white, was the god Apollo’s pet. Apollo once bid Corvus to take a cup and fetch him some water. Corvus however dallied and waited for a green fig to ripen. He grabbed a snake and returned with a story as to how the snake had delayed him. The angry Apollo turned the crow and all crows to this day black.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
04/13/2021 – Ephemeris – Hydra slithers across the southern sky
This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Tuesday, April 13th. Today the Sun will be up for 13 hours and 24 minutes, setting at 8:25, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:59. The Moon, 2 days past new, will set at 10:08 this evening.
In the southern evening sky can be found the constellation of Hydra the water snake. Unlike the monster of the same name this Hydra has but one head, which is its most distinctive part. At 10 p.m. look midway up the sky in the south-southwest. The head of Hydra is located below a line from the constellation Leo the Lion in the south and Gemini high in the west-southwest. Its head is directly below Cancer the crab in the southwest. Hydra’s head is a small but distinctive group of 6 stars that make a loop and the snake’s slightly drooping head. The rest of Hydra wends its way to the southeastern horizon, and eventually ends near the late spring constellation of Libra the scales. Over the next few hours Hydra will be seen slithering across the southern sky.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
03/09/2021 – Ephemeris – A celestial warning to keep off thin ice
This is Ephemeris for Tuesday, March 9th. Today the Sun will be up for 11 hours and 35 minutes, setting at 6:41, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:03. The Moon, halfway from last quarter to new, will rise at 6:12 tomorrow morning.
The native Anishinaabe peoples of the Great Lakes Region, which includes the tribes of our area, have one constellation of winter I know of. It is The Wintermaker which uses many of Orion’s stars and whose arms stretch from Aldebaran in Taurus the bull to Procyon the Little Dog Star, embracing the whole of the winter sky. Now that spring is nearly here he is sinking into the west, losing to the heat of the Sun. The first constellation of spring is Curly Tail, or the Great Underwater Panther. It uses the stars of Leo the lion’s backward question mark as its curly tail and the small knot of stars that are the head of Hydra the water snake below Cancer the crab as its head. His warning: Keep off the thinning ice or break through and be snatched by the great panther that lives below.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The Great Underwater Panther finder animation. Three frame animation of Unannotated sky, International Astronomical Union constellations, and Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) constellations of Curly Tail and Wintermaker. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using Stellarium and GIMP. Additional credits below.
The time is set for the above image is 10 pm on March 9th.
The constellation art is part of the latest versions of Stellarium. Ojibwe (Anishinaabe) constellation art by Annette S Lee and William Wilson from Ojibwe Sky Star Map Constellation Guide, ISBN 978-0-615-98678-4. There is also an Ojibwe Sky Star Map poster suitable for framing.
05/12/2020 – Ephemeris – Hydra the water snake slithers along the southern horizon
This is Ephemeris for Tuesday, May 12th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 44 minutes, setting at 9:01, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:16. The Moon, 2 days before last quarter, will rise at 2:33 tomorrow morning.
Low in the south and southwestern sky at 10 p.m. and later can be found the constellation of Hydra the water snake. Unlike the monster of the same name this Hydra has but one head, which is its most distinctive part. At 11 p.m. the head of Hydra is located between the bright stars Procyon in the west southwest and Regulus in Leo the lion in the southwest. Hydra’s head is a small but distinctive group of 6 stars that make a drooping loop to the right. The rest of Hydra wends its way diagonally to near the southern horizon below the bright blue star Spica in Virgo. Some delineations of Hydra have the tail tickling the constellation Libra which has just risen in the southeast.
The event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Hydra finder animation for tonight, May 12, 2020. Hydra is the longest constellation. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using Stellarium.
03/26/2020 – Ephemeris – A spring warning about thin ice in the sky
Ephemeris for Thursday, March 26th. Today the Sun will be up for 12 hours and 29 minutes, setting at 8:03, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:31. The Moon, 2 days past new, will set at 10:22 this evening.
The Anishinaabe peoples of the Great Lakes Region, which includes the Ottawa, Chippewa and Ojibwe Indians have one constellation of winter. It is The Winter Maker which uses many of Orion’s stars and whose arms stretch from Aldebaran in Taurus the bull to Procyon the Little Dog Star, embracing the whole of the winter sky. Now that spring is here he is sinking into the west. The first constellation of spring is Curly Tail, or the Great Underwater Panther. Which uses the stars of Leo the lion’s backward question mark as its tail and the small knot of stars that are the head of Hydra the water snake below Cancer the crab as its head. The warning: Keep off the thinning ice or break through and be snatched by the panther that lives below.
The event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Great Underwater Panther finder animation relating western to Anishinaabe constellations for 9 p.m. in late March. Click on image to enlarge. Created using Stellarium.
06/20/2019 – Ephemeris – Hercules wuz robbed!
Ephemeris for Thursday, June 20th. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 34 minutes, setting at 9:31, and it will rise tomorrow at 5:57. The Moon, 3 days past full, will rise at 12:12 tomorrow morning.
Orion, the hard luck mythological Greek hunter gets a splashy constellation in the winter sky, but the greatest hero of all, Hercules, gets a dim group of stars on the border between the spring and summer stars. At 11 p.m. Hercules is high in the southeast. It is located above and right of the bright star, Vega in the east. Hercules’ central feature is a keystone shaped box of stars, called the Keystone, which represents the old boy’s shorts. From each top corner extend lines of stars that are his legs, from the bottom stars, the rest of his torso and arms extend. So in one final indignity he’s upside down in our sky. Some see him crouched down, club upraised holding the Hydra about to throttle it. For those with a telescope it contains the beautiful globular star cluster M13.
The times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Hercules animation showing neighboring stars at 11 p.m. for mid June, Click on image to enlarge. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.
Stars and M13 (Great Star Cluster in Hercules) visible in binoculars in the Keystone of Hercules. Click in the image to enlarge. Created using Stellarium.
M13, the Great Globular Star Cluster in Hercules. It takes a telescope with an aperture (diameter) of 6 inches (150 mm) to begin the resolve the stars in it. Credit: Scott Anttila
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