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04/02/2014 – Ephemeris – When it’s Wednesday it’s Planet Time!
Ephemeris for Wednesday, April 2nd. The sun will rise at 7:21. It’ll be up for 12 hours and 49 minutes, setting at 8:11. The Moon, 3 days past new, will set at 11:41 this evening.
Wednesday is Bright Planets Day here on Ephemeris. Jupiter will be in the south-southwestern sky as darkness falls tonight. It’s cruising against the stars of Gemini now, and moving slowly eastward after spending a couple of months backtracking to the west. It will set at 3:31 a.m. in the west-northwest. Reddish Mars is in Virgo now above and a bit left of the bright star Spica in the late evening, which it now outshines. Mars will rise at 8:39 p.m. It will pass due south at 2:18 a.m. It’s 58.6 million miles away now. Mars is 6 days from opposition and 12 days from closest approach this go round. Saturn will rise at 11:23 p.m. in the east-southeast and pass due south at 4:20 a.m.. It’s seen against the stars of Libra the scales this year. Venus will rise at 5:37 tomorrow morning and be seen in the southeast.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Jupiter, the Moon and the winter constellations at 10 p.m. on April 2, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
The Moon through a small telescope at 10 p.m. on April 2, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter and moons through a small telescope at 10 p.m. on April 2, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
Mars rising at 10 p.m. on April 2, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
Mars through a telescope at 11 p.m. on April 2, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
Mars and Saturn with some spring and summer constellations at 6 a.m. on April 3, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
Mars through a telescope at 6 a.m. on April 3, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
In the morning Mars currently turns a more interesting face to us than in the evening. The big dark area on the lower left of Mars is Syrtis Major, which translates to the “Great Swamp”. I prefer the Latin. It is the most recognizable dark features on the planet. Where it appears on the face of Mars depends on the optical arrangement and eyepiece placement in your telescope.
Saturn through a telescope at 6 a.m. on April 3, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
Venus in twilight at 6:30 a.m. on April 3, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
Venus through a telescope at 6:30 a.m. on April 3, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
03/26/2014 – Ephemeris – It’s Wednesday, do you know where the bright planets are?
Ephemeris for Wednesday, March 26th. The sun will rise at 7:34. It’ll be up for 12 hours and 28 minutes, setting at 8:02. The moon, 3 days past last quarter, will rise at 5:31 tomorrow morning.
Wednesday is Bright Planets Day here on Ephemeris. Jupiter will be in the southern sky as darkness falls tonight. It’s cruising against the stars of Gemini now, and moving east after spending a couple of months backtracking to the west. It will set at 3:56 a.m. in the west-northwest. Reddish Mars is in Virgo now and left and a bit above bright star Spica in the late evening, which it now outshines. Mars will rise at 9:19 p.m. It will pass due south at 2:54 a.m. It’s 61 million miles away now. Saturn will rise at 11:53 p.m. in the east-southeast. It’s seen against the stars of Libra the scales this year. Venus will rise at 5:43 tomorrow morning. The crescent moon will appear above left of Venus then.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Jupiter and the winter constellations at 10 p.m. on March 26, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
Mars and the spring constellations at 10 p.m. on March 26, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
Saturn, Venus and the Moon with the constellations of summer at 6:30 a.m. on March 27, 2014. I’ve added Venus’ orbit and the ecliptic. Created using Stellarium.
Venus and the crescent Moon at 6:30 a.m. March 27, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
Relative sizes of the planets as seen in a telescope using the same magnification. Created using Stellarium.
03/19/2014 – Ephemeris – Wednesday is bright planet day
Ephemeris for Wednesday, March 19th. The sun will rise at 7:47. It’ll be up for 12 hours and 6 minutes, setting at 7:53. The moon, 3 days past full, will rise at 11:19 this evening.
Wednesday is bright planet day on Ephemeris. Jupiter will be in the southern sky as darkness falls tonight. It’s cruising against the stars of Gemini now, and moving east after spending a couple of months backtracking to the west. It will pass due south at 8:39 p.m., and will set at 4:22 a.m. in the west-northwest. Reddish Mars is in Virgo now and left and a bit above bright star Spica in the late evening, which it now outshines. Mars will rise at 9:56 p.m. It will pass due south at 3:29 a.m. Saturn will rise at 12:21 a.m. in the east-southeast. It’s seen against the stars of Libra the scales this year. Venus will rise at 5:48 tomorrow morning and shines brightly in the southeast before sunrise. It will reach its greatest angle from the sun on Saturday.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Jupiter and the winter constellations at 10 p.m. on March 19, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
- Jupiter and moons at 10 p.m. on March 19, 2014. Created using Cartes du Ciel.
Note the Great Red Spot. It will transit the disk ( be centered) at 10:48 p.m. Since the 1960’s the Great Red Spot has not been that red. It’s faded quite a bit since then. I tend to think of it a a pastel pink. This is a north is up view, but most telescopes invert the image and/or show a mirror image, so don’t give up too soon.
Mars low in the east at 11 p.m. on March 19, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
- Mars, Saturn, and Venus with the constellations of summer at 6:30 a.m. on March 20, 2014. I’ve added Venus’ orbit and the ecliptic. Created using Stellarium.
Saturday Venus will be at its greatest western elongation from the sun of 47º. As can be seen it’s about there now. The ecliptic is the plane of the earth’s orbit, and the other planets stick reasonably close to it because the solar system is essentially flat. I’m sure the new Cosmos will cover how the solar system formed and the reason the solar system is flat and also one way.
Saturn and its moons at 6:30 a.m., March 20, 2014. Only the moon Titan can be easily seen in small telescopes. Created using Stellarium.
Venus at 6:30 a.m., March 20, 2014. I burned in the image of Venus because that’s what it looks like. Stellarium shows the Venusian clouds as seen in ultraviolet light. In white light Venus is a cue ball. Created using Stellarium.
Spring starts tomorrow!
03/05/2014 – Ephemeris – It’s Wednesday, do you know where your planets are?
Ephemeris for Ash Wednesday, Wednesday, March 5th. The sun will rise at 7:12. It’ll be up for 11 hours and 22 minutes, setting at 6:35. The moon, 3 days before first quarter, will set at 11:56 this evening.
Wednesday is the “Where are the bright planets?” day on Ephemeris. Jupiter will be in the southeastern sky as darkness falls tonight. It’s cruising against the stars of Gemini now. It will pass due south at 8:33 p.m., and will set at 4:16 a.m. in the west-northwest. Reddish Mars is in Virgo now and above and left of the bright star Spica, which it now outshines. Mars will rise at 10:01 p.m. It will pass due south at 3:32 a.m. Saturn will rise at 12:18 a.m. in the east-southeast. It’s seen against the stars of Libra the scales this year. Venus will rise at 4:57 tomorrow morning and shines brightly in the southeast before sunrise.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Jupiter, the Moon and the winter constellations at 9 p.m. on March 5, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
The Moon at 9 p.m. on March 5, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter and its moons at 9 p.m. on March 5, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
The Stellarium timing is a bit off. Ganymede won’t emerge from behind Jupiter until 9:37 p.m. It will disappear into Jupiter’s shadow at 11:07 p.m. and emerge from the shadow at 1:17 a.m.
Mars rising near the star Spica at 11 p.m. March 5, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
The morning planets Mars, Saturn and Venus with the moon at 6 a.m. March 6, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
The planets below is how they’d look in a small telescope. They are magnified twice as much as Jupiter and its moons above.
Mars at 6 a.m., March 6, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
Saturn and its moons at 6 a.m., March 6, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
Venus at 6 a.m., March 6, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
02/26/2014 – Ephemeris – Where are the bright planets this week?
Ephemeris for Wednesday, February 26th. The sun will rise at 7:25. It’ll be up for 11 hours and 1 minute, setting at 6:26. The moon, 3 days before new, will rise at 5:58 tomorrow morning.
Let’s take our weekly look at the planets. Jupiter will be in the southeastern sky as darkness falls tonight. It’s cruising against the stars of Gemini now. It will pass due south at 9:01 p.m., and will set at 4:44 a.m. in the west-northwest. Reddish Mars is in Virgo now and above and left of the bright star Spica, which it now outshines. Mars will rise at 10:29 p.m. and will appear above the moon when it rises a half an hour later. It will pass due south at 4 a.m. Saturn will rise at 12:45 a.m. in the east-southeast. It’s seen against the stars of Libra the scales this year. Venus will rise at 5:03 tomorrow morning but this morning it will appear above and right of the Moon. and shines brightly in the southeast before sunrise.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Jupiter and the winter constellations at 9 p.m. on February 26, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
Telescopic Jupiter. The missing moon Ganymede is near Io from our vantage point, however it’s in Jupiter’s shadow. It will emerge into sunlight at 10:25 p.m. (3:25 UT on the 27th) between Io and Europa. Created using Stellarium.
Stellarium models the eclipses of the satellites fine, but for this one it is more than a half hour early. It may not take into account the light travel time between Jupiter and the earth. Another free program Cartes du Ciel does not model Jovian satellite eclipses at all.
Mars rising near the star Spica at 11:30 p.m. February 26, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
The morning planets Mars, Saturn and Venus with the moon at 6:15 a.m. February 27, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
Saturn through a telescope on the morning of February 27, 2014. It would be difficult to see any satellites other than Titan with a small telescope. Created using Stellarium
Venus through a telescope, except there will be no cloud detail, in the morning of February 27, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
The thin crescent moon at 6:15 a.m. on February 27, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
02/20/2014 – Ephemeris – Winter Circle plus 1
Ephemeris for Thursday, February 20th. The sun will rise at 7:34. It’ll be up for 10 hours and 43 minutes, setting at 6:18. The moon, 2 days before last quarter, will rise at 12:27 tomorrow morning.
The winter skies are blessed with more first magnitude stars than any other season. Six of these stars lie in a large circle centered on the seventh. This circle is up at 9 p.m. Starting high overhead is Capella in Auriga the charioteer. Moving down clockwise is Aldebaran in the face of Taurus the Bull. Then down to Orion’s knee we find Rigel. Down and left is the brightest star of all Sirius the Dog Star in Canis Major, lowest of these stars in the south-southeast. Moving up and left is Procyon in Canis Minor, Above Procyon is Pollux in Gemini the twins. All these are centered on Betelgeuse the bright red star in Orion’s shoulder. The interloper this year is Jupiter which is situated in Gemini and outshines them all.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The Winter Circle plus Jupiter at 9 p.m. on February 20, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
02/19/2014 – Ephemeris – Where are the bright planets this week?
Ephemeris for Wednesday, February 19th. The sun will rise at 7:36. It’ll be up for 10 hours and 40 minutes, setting at 6:16. The moon, 3 days before last quarter, will rise at 11:23 this evening.
Let’s take our weekly look at the planets. Jupiter will be in the southeastern sky as darkness falls tonight. It’s cruising against the stars of Gemini now. It will pass due south at 9:29 p.m., and will set at 5:12 a.m. in the west-northwest. Reddish Mars is in Virgo now and above and left of the bright star Spica, which it now outshines. Mars will rise at 10:54 p.m. and will appear above the moon when it rises a half an hour later. It will pass due south at 4:26 a.m. Saturn will rise at 1:13 a.m. in the east-southeast. It’s seen against the stars of Libra the scales this year. Venus will rise at 5:10 tomorrow morning, and shines brightly in the southeast before sunrise. It’s in Sagittarius, left of its Teapot shape of stars.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Jupiter and the constellations of winter at 9 p.m. February 18, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter at 9 p.m. on February 18, 2014. Created using Cartes du Ciel.
Mars and the Moon at midnight on February 20, 2014. Created using Cartes du Ciel.
The Moon at midnight on February 20, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
The morning planets at 6:30 a.m. February 20, 2014, including the orbit of Venus. Created using Stellarium.
Venus will reach the end of the red loop, its orbit as seen from Earth, on March 22nd. Of course we and Venus are moving, and so the apparent position of Venus will change also by the Earth’s motion.
Saturn and its moons at 6:30, February 20, 2014. Of the moons, Titan will be the only one visible in small telescopes. Created using Stellarium.
Venus through a telescope. The planet is getting smaller and its crescent is getting fatter as it moves away from the Earth. This image is for 6:30 a.m. February 20, 2014.Created using Stellarium.
02/12/2014 – Ephemeris – Where are the bright planets this week?
Ephemeris for Wednesday, February 12th. The sun will rise at 7:47. It’ll be up for 10 hours and 19 minutes, setting at 6:06. The Moon, 2 days before full, will set at 6:39 tomorrow morning.
Let’s take our weekly look at the planets. Jupiter will be in the southeastern sky as darkness falls tonight. It’s cruising against the stars of Gemini now. It will pass due south at 9:58 p.m., and will set at 5:41 a.m. in the west-northwest. The moon is seen where Cancer is tonight. Mars will rise at 11:17 p.m. in the east-southeast. Reddish Mars is in Virgo now and above and left of the bright star Spica, which it now outshines. Mars will pass due south at 4:49 a.m. Saturn will rise at 1:39 a.m. in the east-southeast. It’s seen against the stars of Libra the scales this year. Venus will rise at 5:21 tomorrow morning, and shines brightly in the southeast before sunrise. It’s in Sagittarius, above the Teapot asterism.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Jupiter, the Moon and the bright stars of winter at 9 p.m. February 12, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter at 9 p.m. on February 12, 2014. IO is pretty much invisible in front of the planet. Created using Cartes du Ciel.
The Moon at 9 p.m. on February 12, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
Mars, Saturn, and Venus at 6:30 a.m. February 13, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
Tiny Mars in a telescope at 6:30 a.m. on February 13, 2014. Don’t expect to see it’s satellites Phobos and Deimos. Created using Stellarium.
Saturn and its moons at 6:30, February 13, 2014. Of the moons, Titan will be the only one visible in small telescopes. Created using Stellarium.
Venus through a telescope. The planet is getting smaller and its crescent is getting fatter as it moves away from the Earth. This image is for 6:30 a.m. February 13, 2014.Created using Stellarium.
02/10/2014 – Ephemeris – Jupiter will appear near the Moon tonight
Ephemeris for Monday, February 10th. The sun will rise at 7:49. It’ll be up for 10 hours and 14 minutes, setting at 6:04. The Moon, half way from first quarter to full, will set at 5:28 tomorrow morning.
The planet Jupiter will appear above the moon tonight. At 9 p.m. Jupiter will be 5 and a half degrees, or 11 moon widths above the Moon. It will only get a little closer as the night progresses. The Moon will pass below Jupiter from our vantage point. In binoculars or a telescope the planets satellites can be seen spread out around the planet. Some of us amateur astronomers with pretty good-sized telescopes still can see only the same 4 moons that Galileo saw in 1610. The count of the Jovian satellites is up to something like 67, but these are small bodies Jupiter picked up from the outer part of the asteroid belt. Many of these are in retrograde of backward orbits, a sure sign of capture.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The Moon and Jupiter at 9 p.m. on February 10, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
The Moon at 9 p.m. on February 10, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter at 9 p.m. on February 10, 2014. There’s quite a few interloper stars nearby. Created using Stellarium.
02/05/2014 – Ephemeris – Where are the bright planets this week?
Ephemeris for Wednesday, February 5th. The sun will rise at 7:56. It’ll be up for 10 hours and 1 minute, setting at 5:57. The moon, 1 day before first quarter, will set at 1:10 tomorrow morning.
Let’s take our weekly look at the planets. Tiny Mercury is 4 days after its greatest eastern elongation and is seen low in the west-southwest between sunset and 7:25, when it sets. After that Jupiter takes over the evening sky. It will be in the southeastern sky as darkness falls tonight. It’s cruising against the stars of Gemini now. It will pass due south at 10:28 p.m., and will set at 6:11 a.m. in the west-northwest. Mars will rise at 11:37 p.m. in the east-southeast. Reddish Mars is in Virgo now and above the bright star Spica, which it now outshines. Saturn will rise at 2:06 a.m. in the east-southeast. It’s seen against Libra the scales this year. Venus will rise at 5:38 tomorrow morning, and shines brightly in the southeast before sunrise.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Mercury, its orbit and the ecliptic (you’ll only see Mercury) at 6:30 p.m. on February 5, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter, the Moon and the constellations of winter at 9 p.m. February 5, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
The Moon at 9 p.m. February 5, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter and it’s satellites at 9 p.m. February 5, 2014. The satellites from left to right are Ganymede, Europa, Callisto and Io) Callisto may not be visible against the face of Jupiter. Created using Stellarium.
Mars, Saturn, and Venus at 6:30 a.m. February 6, 2014 along with imaginary lines of Venus’ orbit and the ecliptic. Created using Stellarium.
Saturn and its satellites at 6:30 a.m. February 6, 2014. You’ll need a big telescope to see any satellites other than Titan. Created using Stellarium.
Venus through a telescope. The planet is getting smaller and its crescent is getting fatter as it moves away from the Earth. Created using Stellarium.
Sorry for the late post, but I was watching the Bill Nye – Ken Ham creationist debate last night. Bill took him apart like Inherit the Wind 2.
Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog 