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12/25/2015 – Ephemeris – Where are the bright planets and Comet Lovejoy this week?
Ephemeris for Christmas Day, Wednesday, December 25th. The sun will rise at 8:18. It’ll be up for 8 hours and 49 minutes, setting at 5:07. The moon, at last quarter today, will rise at 1:34 tomorrow morning.
This is our weekly look at the planets. Venus is brilliant in the southwest after sunset. It will set at 7:08 p.m. Venus is noticeably closing with the sun. It will be lost in the glare of the sun in less than 2 weeks. Venus is a thin crescent, and we’re at the point where the crescent can be visible in binoculars. The giant planet Jupiter will rise at 5:56 p.m. in the east northeast. It’s cruising against the stars of Gemini now. It will pass due south at 1:35 a.m. Mars will rise at 1:02 a.m. in the east. Reddish Mars is to the upper right of the bright star Spica. It will be above the moon tomorrow morning. Saturn will rise at 4:36 a.m. in the east southeast. The ringed planet will best be seen in the evening next summer. There is a comet visible in binoculars in the morning sky. It’s Comet Lovejoy.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Venus in the southwest at 6 p.m. on December 25, 2013. Created using Stellarium.
The thin crescent of Venus seen in a telescope. December 25, 2013. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter and the constellations of winter at 9 p.m. on December 25, 2013. Created using Stellarium.
Apparent traffic jam of Jovian satellites as seen in a telescope at 9 p.m. on December 25, 2013. That actual rotation of the image depends on the telescope. Created using Stellarium.
Mars and Saturn among the spring constellations at 6 a.m. December 26, 2013. Created using Stellarium.
The Moon as seen in binoculars or telescope at 6 a.m. December 26, 2013. Created using Stellarium.
The track of Comet Lovejoy, which still should be visible in binoculars from 12/26/2013 to 01/01/2014 at 6 a.m. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
Note that Stellarium and Cartes du Ciel as free programs. Links to them can be found at the right under Free Astronomical Programs.
12/24/2013 – Ephemeris – Two Christmas stars are visible this year
Ephemeris for Christmas Eve, Tuesday, December 24th. The sun will rise at 8:17. It’ll be up for 8 hours and 49 minutes, setting at 5:06. The moon, 1 day before last quarter, will rise at 12:31 tomorrow morning.
We are to be visited by not one but two Christmas Stars this year. And like what the original Star of Bethlehem may have been, these aren’t stars either but planets. Between Venus and Jupiter we will have full coverage until dawn. Venus will dazzle in the southwest after sunset. After it sets Jupiter will hold forth as the second brightest planet after Venus, rising in the east northeast in twilight, then moving very high in the sky near midnight, and will be near the west northwestern horizon and dawn breaks Christmas Day. These were the two planets whose very close conjunctions in 3 and again in 2 BC may have been interpreted by the Magi as the Star that announced the new King of Israel.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Venus setting and Jupiter rising. The two Christmas stars this year. Christmas Eve 2013 at 6:45 p.m. Created using Stellarium.
12/19/2013 – Ephemeris – The mystery of the Star of Bethlehem
Ephemeris for Thursday, December 19th. The sun will rise at 8:15. It’ll be up for 8 hours and 49 minutes, setting at 5:04. The moon, 2 days past full, will rise at 7:34 this evening.
The Star of Bethlehem is one of the great mysteries of Christmas. The Chinese of that time were the only ones that recorded the happenings in the heavens. There were no bright stars that appeared near the time of Christ’s birth. That leads us to the Magi themselves, if that’s who they were. Magi were astrologer priests of the Zoroastrian religion in Persia. They saw signs in the positions of the planets that would go unnoticed to the Jews to which astrology was forbidden. Conjunctions where two or more planets gathered together were the most powerful of these configurations. There was a triple conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in seven BC, and two extremely close conjunctions between Jupiter and Venus in 3 and 2 BC. Could one of those be it?
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The Jupiter-Saturn triple conjunction of 7 BC. Click on the image to enlarge and animate. Created using Cartes du Ciel.
Animation of the Jupiter-Venus conjunction of August 3, 3 BC. in the morning twilight. Created using Stellarium.
Click on the image to enlarge and show the animation. Jupiter is rising while Venus, the brighter one, is heading back to the sun. Jupiter will seem to mate with Venus. 9 months later, the human gestation period their paths seem to cross again.
June of 2 BC just after sunset Jupiter and Venus again cross paths. Created using Stellarium.
Click on the image to enlarge and show the animation.
12/18/2013 – Ephemeris – Where are the bright planets and Comet Lovejoy?
Ephemeris for Wednesday, December 18th. The sun will rise at 8:14. It’ll be up for 8 hours and 49 minutes, setting at 5:03. The moon, 1 day past full, will rise at 6:38 this evening.
This is our weekly look at the planets. Venus is brilliant in the southwest after sunset. It will set at 7:30 p.m. Venus us beginning to noticeably close with the sun. It will be gone from our evening sky in a month. Venus is a crescent, and we’re coming to the point where the crescent can be visible in binoculars. The giant planet Jupiter will rise at 6:28 p.m. in the east northeast. It’s cruising against the stars of Gemini now. It will pass due south at 2:07 a.m. Mars will rise at 1:13 a.m. in the east. Reddish Mars is closer to Spica in Virgo than to Regulus in Leo. Saturn will rise at 5 a.m. in the east southeast. There is a comet visible in binoculars in the morning sky. It’s Comet Lovejoy. A finder chart for the next week will be at bobmoler.wordpress.com with today’s transcript.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Venus in the southwest at 6 p.m. on December 18, 2013. Created using Stellarium.
Venus as seen in a telescope at 6 p.m. December 18, 2013. The disk will be blindingly bright with no detail. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter and the Moon at 9 p.m. on December 18, 2013. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter and its moons as seen in a telescope at 9 p.m. December 18, 2013. The orientation may be rotated or even mirror image. Created using Stellarium.
Mars, Saturn and the ghost of Comet ISON at 6 a.m. on December 19, 2013. Created using Stellarium.
Comet Lovejoy finder chart for the next week at 6 a.m. We’re stuck also with the ghost of Comet ISON. Look in the northeast at the constellation Hercules. Created using Cartes du Ciel.
12/11/2013 – Ephemeris – Where are the bright planets this week, plus a consolation comet
Ephemeris for Wednesday, December 11th. The sun will rise at 8:09. It’ll be up for 8 hours and 52 minutes, setting at 5:02. The moon, 2 days past first quarter, will set at 3:23 tomorrow morning.
Let’s see where the bright planets are this week. Venus is brilliant in the southwest after sunset. It will set at 7:44 p.m. Venus has a crescent appearance because it is between the Earth and Sun which is easily seen in telescopes and can be detected in binoculars now. Venus is 57 million kilometers away from us now or 35.4 million miles. The giant planet Jupiter will rise at 7 p.m.. in the east northeast. It’s cruising against the stars of Gemini now. It will pass due south at 2:37 a.m. Mars will rise at 1:22 a.m. in the east. Mars is a bit closer to Spica in Virgo than Regulus in Leo, and can be distinguished by its yellow-orange color. Saturn will rise at 5:24 a.m. and should be visible low in the east south east by 6 a.m.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Venus in the southwest at 6 p.m. on December 11, 2013. Created using Stellarium.
Venus as seen in a telescope at 6 p.m. December 11, 2013. The disk will be blindingly bright with no detail. Created using Stellarium.
The gibbous Moon magnified at 9 p.m. on December 11, 2013. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter and some winter constellations at 9 p.m. on December 11, 2013. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter and its moons as seen in a telescope at 9 p.m. December 11, 2013. The orientation may be rotated or even mirror image. Created using Stellarium.
Mars, Saturn and the ghost of Comet ISON at 6 a.m. on December 12, 2013. Created using Stellarium.
Comet Lovejoy finder chart for the next week at 6 a.m. There a bit of a tail at the right edge from the ghost of ISON (It’s not visible). Look in the northeast at the constellation Hercules with binoculars. Created using Cartes du Ciel.
Comet Lovejoy is an easy binocular object. It’s brighter than Comet ISON was in dark skies.
12/05/2013 – Ephemeris – The constellation Taurus the bull
Ephemeris for Thursday, December 5th. The sun will rise at 8:03. It’ll be up for 8 hours and 58 minutes, setting at 5:02. The moon, 3 days past new, will set at 8:27 this evening.
Early in the evening the moon will appear above the bright planet Venus in the southwest. Low in the east at 9 p.m. is the constellation of Orion the giant hunter. Above him is Taurus the bull. His face is a letter V shape of stars lying on its side with the bright orange-red star Aldebaran at the bottom tip of the V as its angry blood-shot eye. Orion is depicted in the sky facing with club in one hand and a shield in the other the approaching and in some depictions charging Taurus. The V of stars is a star cluster called the Hyades. The Pleiades are in his shoulder above. Taurus in Greek mythology was the guise the god Zeus when he carried off the maiden Europa. Europa’s still with him, sort of, as the intriguing satellite orbiting Zeus’ Roman equivalent Jupiter.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Taurus and Orion in the east at 9 p.m, December 5, 2013. Created using Stellarium.
12/04/2013 – Ephemeris – Where are the bright planets this week?
Ephemeris for Wednesday, December 4th. The sun will rise at 8:02. It’ll be up for 9 hours even, setting at 5:02. The moon, 2 days past new, will set at 7:15 this evening.
Let’s see where the bright planets are this week. Venus is brilliant in the southwest after sunset. It will set at 7:51 p.m. The thin crescent moon will be to the right and a bit below Venus tonight. Venus is itself a crescent, and we’re coming to the point where the crescent can be visible in binoculars. Venus is as close to us now as the debris from Comet ISON will ever get to us. The giant planet Jupiter will rise at 7:31 p.m. in the east northeast. It’s cruising against the stars of Gemini now. It will pass due south at 3:08 a.m. Mars will rise at 1:31 a.m. in the east. Reddish Mars is midway between Regulus in Leo and Spica in Virgo. Saturn will rise at 5:47 a.m. and should be visible low in the east south east by 6:30.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Venus and the Moon in the southwest at 6 p.m. on December 4, 2013. Created using Stellarium.
The Moon magnified at 6 p.m. on December 4, 2013. Created using Stellarium.
Venus as seen in a telescope at 6 p.m. December 4, 2013. The crescent will be blindingly bright with no detail. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter and some winter constellations at 9 p.m. on December 4, 2013. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter and its moons as seen in a telescope at 9 p.m. December 4, 2013. The orientation may be rotated or even mirror image. Created using Stellarium.
Mars, Saturn and the ghost of Comet ISON at 6:30 a.m. on December 5, 2013. Created using Stellarium.
12/03/2013 – Ephemeris – Orion rises
Ephemeris for Tuesday, December 3rd. The sun will rise at 8:01. It’ll be up for 9 hours and 1 minute, setting at 5:03. The moon, 1 day past new, will set at 6:07 this evening.
At 9 p.m. the constellation of Orion the giant hunter will be rising in the east southeast, with its belt stars nearly vertically aligned. The belt stars are contained within a tilted rectangle of four bright stars that’s leaning to the left. The brightest of the top stars is Betelgeuse a bright red star about the hue of the planet Mars. It’s a huge red giant star. Both top stars are Orion’s shoulders. The other shoulder star is Bellatrix. The bottom stars are Orion’s knees. The brightest, diagonally opposite from Betelgeuse is Rigel, a bright blue-white giant star. The other knee star is named Saiph. Orion is home to a beautiful nebula or cloud of gas, which we’ll explore later this winter. Jupiter is the bright stellar looking object to the left of Orion.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Orion Rising and other winter constellations at 9 p.m. December 3, 2013. Created using Stellarium
11/27/2013 – Ephemeris – Where are the bright planets and what’s up with Comet ISON?
Ephemeris for Wednesday, November 27th. The sun will rise at 7:54. It’ll be up for 9 hours and 10 minutes, setting at 5:05. The moon, 2 days past last quarter, will rise at 2:46 tomorrow morning.
Let’s see where the bright planets are this eventful week. Venus is brilliant in the southwest after sunset. It will set at 7:53 p.m. The giant planet Jupiter will rise at 8:01 p.m. in the east northeast. It’s cruising against the stars of Gemini now. It will pass due south at 3:38 a.m. Mars will rise at 1:47 a.m. also in the east northeast. Reddish Mars is midway between Regulus in Leo and Spica in Virgo and tomorrow morning will be about 12 moon diameters above left of the moon. Mercury and Saturn will be together in the east southeast by 7 a.m. Mercury is the lower and brighter of the two. Comet ISON is now too close to the sun to be seen. Check bobmoler.wordpress.com (see below) for how to view Comet ISON near the sun.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Venus as it should appear at 6 p.m. on 11/27/2013. Created using Stellarium.
Telescopic view of Venus as it should appear at 6 p.m. on 11/27/2013. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter and some winter constellations as they should appear at 10 p.m. on 11/27/2013. Created using Stellarium.
Telescopic view of Jupiter and its satellites as they should appear at 10 p.m. on 11/27/2013. The satellite Io is behind the planet and won’t appear until after midnight. Created using Stellarium.
The morning planets Mars, Saturn and Mercury plus the Moon at 6:45 a.m. November 28, 2013. Created using Stellarium
The Moon at 6:45 a.m. November 28, 2013. Created using Stellarium.
Comet ISON
Phil Plait the Bad Astronomer reported Monday that Comet ISON had suddenly decreased the amount of ices that it was emitting and pretty much simultaneously greatly increased the amount of dust it was producing. One of the possible explanations was that its nucleus had been disrupted. The comet’s nucleus is the small, maybe 2 km diameter, solid part of the comet. All the other parts of the comet are the thin ejected gas and dust from that nucleus. The head and tail of the comet is still a pretty good vacuum by earthly standards. There is still questions about it today. Here’s a YouTube video posted by the Planetary Society’s Emily Lakdawalla created by Emily from images taken by the STEREO Ahead spacecraft. It seems to be holding its own:
Here is the Planetary Society Blog entry that discusses Comet ISON’s then current status.
At the time of this posting (10 p.m. 11/26) the STEREO Behind COR 2 image shows Comet ISON entering on the lower left. Also SOHO’s LASCO C3 imager shows Comet ISON entering the view from the lower right. There’s also a coronal mass ejection (CME) erupting toward the comet. It could pass behind it, in front of it or actually toward it. It should be interesting.
Live programming of NASA-TV Thanksgiving Day
November 28, Thursday
1 – 3:30 p.m. – NASA Google+ Hangout: Comet ISON – GSFC (All Channels)
Here’s a link to NASA-TV: http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/
11/20/2013 – Ephemeris – Where are the bright planets and Comet ISON this week?
Ephemeris for Wednesday, November 20th. The sun will rise at 7:46. It’ll be up for 9 hours and 23 minutes, setting at 5:09. The moon, 3 days past full, will rise at 7:52 this evening.
Let’s see where the bright planets are this week. Venus is brilliant in the southwest after sunset. It will set at 7:52 p.m. The giant planet Jupiter will rise at 8:31 p.m. in the east northeast. It’s cruising against the stars of Gemini now. It will pass due south at 7:47 a.m. Mars will rise at 1:47 a.m. also in the east northeast. Reddish Mars is two widths of a fist held at arm’s length below and left of the bright star Regulus in Leo now. Comet ISON is now about magnitude 5, now meeting current brightness predictions, Officially naked eye, you’ll probably still need binoculars to spot it. Comet ISON is below and left of the star Spica low in the east southeast and will rise about 5:50 a.m. and be visible until around 6:30 a.m. above the planet Mercury.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Venus low in the southwest at 6 p.m., November 20, 2013. Created using Stellarium.
Telescopic view of Venus on November 20, 2013. The cloud banding will not be visible. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter in the east at 10 p.m. on November 20, 2013. Created using Stellarium.
A telescopic view of Jupiter at 10 p.m. The moon Io is peeking around Jupiter. Up is to the top. The view in your telescope may vary. Created using Stellarium.
The magnified Moon. Created using Stellarium.
Mars and Leo at 6 a.m. November 21, 2013. Created using Stellarium.
Chart for finding Comet ISON this morning (November 20, 2013 at 6:30 a.m.). Chart created using Cartes du Ciel.
Chart for finding Comet ISON this morning (November 21, 2013 at 6:30 a.m.). Chart created using Cartes du Ciel.
Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog 