Archive
08/27/2014 – Ephemeris – Where are the bright planets for this week?
Ephemeris for Wednesday, August 27th. The sun will rise at 6:59. It’ll be up for 13 hours and 28 minutes, setting at 8:27. The moon, 2 days past new, will set at 9:12 this evening.
Let’s take our weekly look at the bright planets. Reddish Mars is in the constellation of Libra the scales, skirting below, left of Saturn in the southwest as darkness falls. It is in conjunction with Saturn today, as it passes due south of the ringed planet. Mars will set at 11:07 p.m. Saturn will set at 11:23 p.m. Saturn viewing with a telescope will suffer because it’s getting close to the horizon but it’s still possible to see those fabulous rings and its large moon Titan. Brilliant Jupiter will rise in the east-northeast at 4:44 a.m. tomorrow, followed by the brighter Venus, which will rise at 5:37 a.m. Jupiter is increasing its distance from the sun, while Venus is retreating toward the Sun from our point of view.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Saturn and Mars in conjunction at 9:30 p.m., August 27, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
Telescopic Saturn. Do not expect to spot any other of Saturn’s moon other than Titan. 9:30 p.m., August 27, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter and Venus and the rising winter constellations at 6 a.m. August 28, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
Telescopic view of Jupiter and its 4 Galilean moons at 6 a.m. on August 28, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
08/20/2014 – Ephemeris – Where are the bright planets for this week?
Ephemeris for Wednesday, August 20th. The sun rises at 6:50. It’ll be up for 13 hours and 48 minutes, setting at 8:39. The moon, 3 days past last quarter, will rise at 3:17 tomorrow morning.
Wednesday is bright planet day on Ephemeris. Reddish Mars is on the western edge of Libra the scales, skirting below Saturn in the southwest as darkness falls. It will set at 11:23 p.m. Saturn will be in the southwest, above and left of Mars as darkness falls. It will set at 11:50 p.m. Saturn’s is still great viewing with small or large telescopes to see those fabulous rings and its large moon Titan. Mars will pass Saturn traveling eastward next Wednesday. Brilliant Jupiter will rise in the east-northeast at 5:03 a.m. in morning twilight, followed by the brighter Venus, which will rise 17 minutes later. Jupiter is increasing its distance from the sun, while Venus is retreating toward the Sun from our point of view
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Mars and Saturn with the stars of the zodiac from Virgo to Sagittarius at 10 p.m. August 20, 2014. Created with Stellarium.
Saturn and moons through a telescope on August 20, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter, Venus and the Moon and winter stars at 6 a.m. August 21, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
The crescent Moon as seen in binoculars at 6 a.m., August 21, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
08/15/2014 – Ephemeris – Jupiter and Venus will appear to cross paths Monday morning
Ephemeris for Friday, August 15th. The sun rises at 6:45. It’ll be up for 14 hours and 2 minutes, setting at 8:47. The moon, 2 days before last quarter, will rise at 11:33 this evening.
Over this weekend the planets Venus and Jupiter will be seen to approach each other. In reality Jupiter is five times the Earth’s distance behind the sun, while Venus is about 70 percent of Earth’s distance behind the sun. Most of the motion against what stars can be seen after 5:30 a.m. will be Venus, being dragged by the sun plus its own orbital motion toward the east. Jupiter is moving eastward too, but is taking its sweet time of 12 years to orbit the sun. The planets will cross, or be in conjunction at about midnight Monday morning, before they rise. By the time they will rise around 5:12 a.m. the two planets will be half the width of the Moon apart, slightly farther apart than they were at midnight.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Watch Jupiter and Venus approach each other and separate. From August 15 to August 18, 2018. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.
08/13/2014 – Ephemeris – This week’s parade of the bright planets
Ephemeris for Wednesday, August 13th. The sun rises at 6:42. It’ll be up for 14 hours and 8 minutes, setting at 8:51. The moon, 3 days past full, will rise at 10:24 this evening.
Wednesday is bright planet day on Ephemeris. Reddish Mars is between the constellations of Virgo and Libra, approaching Saturn in the southwest as darkness falls. It will set at 11:40 p.m. Saturn will be in the southwest, above and left of Mars as darkness falls, in the Libra the scales. It will set at 12:16 a.m. Saturn’s is still great viewing with small or large telescopes to see those fabulous rings and its large moon Titan. Mars will pass Saturn traveling eastward later this month on the 27th. Brilliant Venus will rise in the east-northeast at 5:03 a.m. in morning twilight. Below left of Venus, we welcome back Jupiter which will rise at 5:23 tomorrow morning. Jupiter and Venus will appear to cross paths on the 18th.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Mars and Saturn with the zodiacal constellations Virgo, Libra, Scorpius and Sagittarius at 10 p.m. August 13, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
Saturn and its moons. Small telescopes will reveal only Saturn and Titan. Created using Stellarium.
The Moon low in the east at 11 p.m. Created using Stellarium.
Venus and Jupiter at 6 a.m. in the bright morning twilight with the rising stars of winter. Created using Stellarium.
07/09/2014 – Ephemeris – Where are the bright planets this week?
Ephemeris for Wednesday, July 9th. Today the sun will be up for 15 hours and 22 minutes, setting at 9:28. The Moon, 3 days before full, will set at 4:20 tomorrow morning. Tomorrow the sun will rise at 6:07.
It’s Wednesday and once again time to locate the bright planets for this week. Jupiter sets less than a half hour after the sun, so it’s gone for us until September mornings. Reddish Mars is in Virgo in the southwest as darkness falls. It’s 97 million miles (156 million km) away now, nearly 2 and a half times farther away than last April, and will set at 1:17 a.m. Saturn will be low in the south-southwest as darkness falls, in the faint constellation of Libra the scales. It will set at 2:34 a.m. Saturn’s in perfect position for viewing with a small or large telescope to see those fabulous rings and its large moon Titan. Somewhat larger telescopes can spot some smaller moons closer in. Brilliant Venus will rise in the east at 4:09 a.m. in morning twilight.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Mars, Saturn and the Moon will appear along with the brighter stars of summer at 11 p.m. on July 9, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
Mars as seen through a large telescope. It appears really tiny in any other telescope. Time: 11 p.m. on July 9, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
Saturn and some of its moons. Smaller telescopes will see only Titan, but see how many moon you can see. July 9, 11 p.m. Created using Stellarium.
A binocular view of the gibbous Moon on July 9, 2014 at 11 p.m. Created using Stellarium.
Venus low in the east at 5:45 a.m. July 11, 2014; roughly a half hour before sunrise. Created using Stellarium.
Venus low in the east at 5:45 a.m. July 11, 2014; roughly a half hour before sunrise. Created using Stellarium.
Bright gibbous disk of Venus as seen through a telescope on July 10, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
06/25/2014 – Ephemeris – Wednesday is bright planet day here on Ephemeris
Ephemeris for Wednesday, June 25th. Today the sun will be up for 15 hours and 33 minutes, setting at 9:31. The moon, 2 days before new, will rise at 5:41 tomorrow morning. Tomorrow the sun will rise at 5:58.
It’s Wednesday and once again time to locate the bright planets for this week. Brilliant Jupiter will be in the west-northwestern sky in Gemini as darkness falls tonight. It’s getting lower each night and will set at 10:51 p.m. Reddish Mars is in Virgo in the southwest as darkness falls. It’s 88 million miles (142 million km) away now, and will set at 2:01 a.m. Saturn will be low in the south as darkness falls. It’s in the faint constellation of Libra the scales this year. It will pass due south at 10:28 p.m. It will set at 3:30 a.m. Saturn’s in perfect position for viewing with a small or large telescope to see those fabulous rings. Brilliant Venus will rise in the east at 4:07 a.m. in morning twilight.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The Evening Planets and constellations at 10:30 p.m. June 25, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
Mars through a powerful telescope at 10:30 p.m. June 25, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
Saturn with its moons on June 25, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
Venus and a glimpse of the Pleiades at 4:45 a.m. on June 26, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
Telescopic Venus on June 26, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
06/18/2014 – Ephemeris – The bright planets for this week
Ephemeris for Wednesday, June 18th. Today the sun will be up for 15 hours and 33 minutes, setting at 9:30. The moon, 1 day before last quarter, will rise at 1:18 tomorrow morning. Tomorrow the sun will rise at 5:56.
It’s Wednesday and once again time to locate the bright planets for this week. Brilliant Jupiter will be in the west-northwestern sky in Gemini as darkness falls tonight. It’s getting lower each night and will set at 11:13 p.m. tonight. Reddish Mars is in Virgo in the southwest as darkness falls. It’s 83 million miles (135 million km) away now, and will set at 2:25 a.m. Saturn will be low in the south-southeast as darkness falls. It’s in the faint constellation of Libra the scales this year. It will pass due south at 10:57 p.m. It will set at 3:59 a.m. Saturn’s in perfect position for viewing with a small or large telescope. Brilliant Venus will rise in the east at 4:10 a.m. in morning twilight.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The bright evening planets and stars at 10:30 p.m., June 18, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter and moons in a telescope on June 18, 2014. Due to the low altitude of Jupiter not all the moons may be visible and Jupiter will suffer color fringes due to atmospheric dispersion. Created using Stellarium.
Mars through a telescope on June 18, 2018. Note that Mars is not fully illuminated, and appears as a gibbous disc. This effect will increase for another month. Created using Stellarium.
Saturn and its moons through a telescope on June 18, 2018. Titan is easy to spot, the other moons will be more difficult. Created using Stellarium.
Venus and the Moon at 4:30 a.m. on June 19, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
The Moon as seen in binoculars on June 19, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
Venus as seen in a telescope on June 19, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
06/12/2014 – Ephemeris – Jupiter is making up for lost time and is heading rapidly eastward
Ephemeris for Thursday, June 12th. Today the sun will be up for 15 hours and 31 minutes, setting at 9:28. The moon, 1 day before full, will set at 6:38 tomorrow morning. Tomorrow the sun will rise at 5:56.
The planet Jupiter which is the brilliant star-like object in the west is starting to pick up its eastward motion in the stars. Several months ago as the earth was passing Jupiter when it was rising in the east at sunset, it had stopped its eastward motion against the stars and headed westward. This retrograde motion was due to Earth in essence passing the slower moving Jupiter. Now that it’s on the other side of the sun Jupiter is making up for lost time because it and Earth are now moving in opposite directions. This I see in the week to week setting times of Jupiter. Stars rise and set 4 minutes earlier each night. For Jupiter its down to three minutes, meaning it’s moving eastward. When we see it again in December it will have blown past Cancer to Leo, but it will later backtrack into Cancer.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Jupiter’s apparent motion over the next 180 days. Note by December Jupiter will slow and will begin its retrograde loop as the Earth catches up with it again. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
06/11/2014 – Ephemeris – It’s 11 p.m., do you know where your bright planets are?
Actually yes we do. Three are visible at 11 p.m., One, Mercury is MIA too close to the sun to be seen. And the 5th bright planet is a morning person planet. Uranus and Neptune are beyond the scope of this radio program. Well, on with the transcript:
Ephemeris for Wednesday, June 11th. Today the sun will be up for 15 hours and 30 minutes, setting at 9:27. The moon, 2 days before full, will set at 5:40 tomorrow morning. Tomorrow the sun will rise at 5:56.
It’s Wednesday and once again time to locate the bright planets for this week. We have lost Mercury to the bright twilight glow, and the fact that it’s getting dimmer as a crescent. Brilliant Jupiter will be in the western sky in Gemini as darkness falls tonight. It’s getting lower each night and will set at 11:36 p.m. tonight. Reddish Mars is in Virgo in the south-southwest as darkness falls. It’s 80 million miles (128 million km) away now, and moving away, and will set at 2:49 a.m. Saturn will be low in the southeast as darkness falls. It’s in the faint constellation of Libra the scales this year. It will pass due south at 11:26 p.m. Brilliant Venus will rise in the east at 4:14 a.m. in morning twilight.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The evening planets at 11 p.m. on June 11, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter and moons at 10 p.m., June 11, 2014 Callisto is in Jupiter’s shadow and wont emerge until 11:09 p.m. when Jupiter will be less than 5 degrees above the horizon in Michigan. Created using Stellarium.
Mars through a telescope at 11 p.m., June 11, 2014. The large dark feature Syrtis Major is rotating onto the Earth side face of the planet from the left. Created using Stellarium.
Saturn and some of its brighter moons at 11 p.m. June 11, 2014. The moon Titan can be seen in small telescopes, but larger scopes may be necessary to pick out the other satellites. Created using Stellarium.
The Moon as seen in binoculars at 11 p.m., June 11, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
Venus in morning twilight at 5 a.m., June 12, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
A telescopic view of Venus as it would be seen at 5 a.m., June 12, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
06/04/2014 – Ephemeris – Last week for all 5 pre-telescopic planets to be visible for a while
Ephemeris for Wednesday, June 4th. Today the sun will be up for 15 hours and 23 minutes, setting at 9:22. The moon, 1 day before first quarter, will set at 1:39 tomorrow morning. Tomorrow the sun will rise at 5:58.
It’s Wednesday and once again time to locate the bright planets for this week. Mercury is showing up in the west shortly after sunset, It is getting dimmer (magnitude 1.6) as it is becoming a thin crescent. It will set at 10:47. Brilliant Jupiter will be in the western sky in Gemini as darkness falls tonight. It will set at 11:59 p.m. Reddish Mars is in Virgo in the south-southwest as darkness falls. It’s 76 million miles (122 million km) away now, and moving away, and will set at 3:14 a.m. Saturn will be low in the southeast as darkness falls. It’s in the faint constellation of Libra the scales this year. It will pass due south at 11:55 p.m. Brilliant Venus will rise in the east at 4:21 a.m. in morning twilight.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Jupiter, Mars, Saturn and the Moon seen at 11 p.m. June 4, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter and moons in a telescope at 11 p.m. June 4, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
The Moon as it might appear in binoculars at 11 p.m. on June 4, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
Mars, probably a bit better than it will appear in a small telescope at 11 p.m. June 4, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
Saturn with some of its moons, not all of them will be visible in a small telescope, at 11 p.m. on June 4, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
Venus in morning twilight in the east at 5:15, June 5, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
Venus showing its gibbous phase in a telescope at 5:15 a.m. on June 5, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog 