Archive
Ephemeris: 10/04/2024 – GTAS meeting & star party tonight
This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Friday, October 4th. Today the Sun will be up for 11 hours and 31 minutes, setting at 7:16, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:46. The Moon, 2 days past new, will set at 7:51 this evening. | The Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will host its October meeting tonight at 8:00 PM at Northwestern Michigan College’s Joseph H Rogers Observatory, featuring the society’s Library Telescope program. For over five years now the society has given small telescopes to a number of local libraries and branches to lend out. It has been quite successful. After the meeting, about 9 PM if it’s clear, there will be viewing of the heavens through the observatory’s telescopes, featuring Saturn and the wonders of the Milky Way, including nebulae, open and globular star clusters, containing hundreds to hundreds of thousands of stars. The observatory is located on Birmley Rd. South of Traverse City between Garfield and Keystone roads.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT – 4 hours). Times will be different for other locations.
Addendum
08/20/2015 – Ephemeris – Library Lending Telescopes
Ephemeris for Thursday, August 20th. The Sun rises at 6:50. It’ll be up for 13 hours and 50 minutes, setting at 8:40. The Moon, 2 days before first quarter, will set at 11:30 this evening.
The Moon has always been a favorite target for binoculars and telescopes. Tonight is no exception. The trouble is that most inexpensive telescopes are overly complicated and hard to use. One way to help the prospective telescope buyer is to try one and get used to a telescope before plunking down money for it. In that regard The Grand Traverse Astronomical Society (GTAS) and Enerdyne of Suttons Bay have donated a telescope to the Traverse Area District Library and The Betsie Valley District Library. The library’s themselves will determine how the telescopes will be lent out. The first two telescopes are Orion StarMax 90mm TableTop telescopes, suitable for viewing the Moon and planets Saturn, Jupiter, Venus and Mars.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
A youngster trying to see where the telescope is pointing at the star party at The Betsie Valley District Library, Thompsonville, MI. Credit: Library staff.
The Traverse Area District Library will host an event inaugurating the use of their telescope on Wednesday night August 26th starting at 8 p.m.
Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog 