Archive
11/16/2022 – Ephemeris – Let’s see where the naked-eye planets have wandered off to this week
This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Wednesday, November 16th. Today the Sun will be up for 9 hours and 32 minutes, setting at 5:13, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:42. The Moon, at last quarter today, will rise at 12:19 tomorrow morning.
Let’s see where the naked-eye planets have wandered off to this week. Jupiter and Saturn will be visible this evening, in the southeastern sky, as soon after sunset as it will be dark enough to see them, which would be by 6 pm. Jupiter is the brighter of the two to the left, in the southeast, while dimmer Saturn is in the south. The red planet Mars, though a morning planet, will rise tonight at 6:43 pm in the east-northeast. It’s located between the tips of the long horns of Taurus the bull. Mars is beginning to move westward in its retrograde motion as the Earth is starting to pass it. Which it will do in three weeks time. Venus and Mercury, though in the evening sky, are too close to the Sun to be seen.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EST, UT -5 hours). They may be different for your location.
Addendum

A panorama from northeast to southwest of planets and Zodiac constellations in the evening. Showing between just the sky and constellation lines and labels alternately. For tonight at 8 pm, November 16, 2022. Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.

Fat waning crescent Moon with labels showing alternately for 6 am tomorrow, November 17, 2022. Labels are centered on their features, unless a pointer is used in congested areas. Created using Stellarium, LibreOffice Draw, and GIMP.

Telescopic views of Saturn Jupiter and Mars (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope, with the same magnification. The image of Mars doesn’t show it, but the white north polar cap will appear at the top or north limb of Mars. Saturn and Jupiter are shown at 9 pm on the 16th, Mars at 6 am on the 17th. Apparent diameters: Saturn 16.80″, its rings 39.14″; Jupiter 45.55″. Mars 16.67″. Mars’ distance is 52.0 million miles (83.8 million kilometers). The ” symbol means seconds of arc (1/3600th of a degree.) Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
At 9 pm, only two of Jupiter’s moons will be visible next to the planet. They are Ganymede and Callisto. Io is behind the planet, while Europa is transiting the planet. In actuality, a transiting moon is very difficult to spot. However, its shadow crossing the planet is easier to spot. Europa’s shadow will start to cross the face of Jupiter at 11:42 pm EST, with Io popping out from Jupiter’s shadow 5 minutes later. The phenomena of Jupiter’s moons are printed each month in Sky and Telescope Magazine.
11/11/2022 – Ephemeris – Family Night at the Rogers Observatory tomorrow night
This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Veterans Day, Friday, November 11th. Today the Sun will be up for 9 hours and 44 minutes, setting at 5:18, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:35. The Moon, 3 days past full, will rise at 7:15 this evening.
Tomorrow evening the 12th, the Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory will hold a Family Night starting at 8 pm, but only if it’s clear or mostly clear. Visible in telescopes will be the waning gibbous Moon, and the planets Jupiter, its cloud bands and four of its moons, and Saturn with its rings and its large moon Titan. The observatory is on Birmley road, south of Traverse City. It can be reached from either Garfield or Keystone roads. This is in celebration of the NASA Kiosk that’s at the Dennos Museum Center through December. There will also be a special Family Day with activities at the Museum Center on December 3rd.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EST, UT – 5 hours). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
One of the problems of scheduling an observing event is the inability to guarantee clear skies. And looking at the family night, 48 hours away from when I’m writing this, the weather forecast is for snow, and temperatures near freezing for Saturday, and Saturday and for the next few days. It looks like we’re getting our first real taste of winter. I will post the status of the event on the gtastro.org website several hours before the event on Saturday, and also on this blog as an Ephemeris Extra post.
11/09/2022 – Ephemeris – Let’s see where the naked-eye planets have wandered off to this week
This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Wednesday, November 9th. Today the Sun will be up for 9 hours and 49 minutes, setting at 5:21, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:33. The Moon, 1 day past full, will rise at 5:57 this evening.
Let’s see where the naked-eye planets have wandered off to this week. Jupiter and Saturn will be visible this evening, in the southeastern sky, as soon after sunset as it will be dark enough to see them, which would be by 6:30 pm, now that we’re back on standard time. Jupiter is the brighter of the two to the left, in the southeast, while dimmer Saturn is in the south. The red planet Mars, though a morning planet, will rise tonight at 7:13 pm in the east-northeast. It’s located between the tips of the long horns of Taurus the bull. Those stars may be hard to spot with the bright Moon nearby. Mars is beginning to move westward in its retrograde motion as the Earth is beginning to pass it. Which it will do in a month’s time.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT – 5 hours). They may be different for your location.
Addendum

Planets and the Moon visible at 8 pm this evening. Jupiter and Saturn in the south with Mars, rising in the east-northeast. Mars is not yet an evening planet. It’s a month away from rising before sunset and becoming one. Created using Stellarium.

Annotated waning Gibbous Moon Animation for tonight, November 9, 2022, as it might look like in binoculars or a small telescope. Created using Stellarium, LibreOffice Draw and GIMP.
Translations of some lunar feature names according to Virtual Moon Atlas
Mare Crisium – Sea of Crises
Mare Frigoris – Sea of Cold
Mare Humorum – Sea of Moisture
Mare Imbrium – Sea of Showers
Mare Nubium – Sea of Clouds
Mare Serenitatis – Sea of Serenity
Mare Tranquillitatis – Sea of Tranquility
Mare Vaporum – Sea of Vapors
Montes Alpes – Alps Mountains
Montes Apenninus – Apennines Mountains
Oceanus Procellarum – Ocean of Storms
Sinus Asperitatis – Golfe des Asperites
Sinus Iridium – Bay of Rainbows
Sinus Medii – Central Bay
Craters are generally named after astronomers, people of science, or explorers
Note that Mare is pronounced Mar-é

Telescopic views of Saturn Jupiter and Mars (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope, with the same magnification. The image of Mars doesn’t show it, but the white north polar cap will appear at the top or north limb of Mars. The planets are shown at 10 pm. Apparent diameters: Saturn 17.00″, its rings 39.60″; Jupiter 46.50″; Mars 16.04″. Mars’ distance is 54.3 million miles (87.4 million kilometers). The ” symbol means seconds of arc (1/3600th of a degree.) Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
A note on Jupiter’s moon Ganymede: It will end its transit of the face of Jupiter at 10:04 pm.

The naked-eye planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise on a single night, starting with sunset on the right on November 9, 2022. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 10th. Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using my LookingUp app and GIMP.
11/02/2022 – Ephemeris – Let’s see where the naked-eye planets have wandered off to this week
This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Wednesday, November 2nd. The Sun will rise at 8:22. It’ll be up for 10 hours and 7 minutes, setting at 6:29. The Moon, 1 day past first quarter, will set at 2:38 tomorrow morning.
Let’s see where the naked-eye planets have wandered off to this week. Jupiter and Saturn will be visible this evening, in the southeastern sky with the bright moon between them, as soon after sunset as it will be dark enough to see them, which would be by 7:45 pm. Jupiter is the brighter of the two to the left of the Moon, while dimmer Saturn is closer to the Moon on the right. The red planet Mars, though a morning planet, will rise tonight at 8:46 pm in the northeast. It’s located between the tips of the long horns of Taurus the bull, slowly moving northward between those horn tip stars in its big torn to the west among the stars. By seven tomorrow morning, the red planet Mars will be fairly high in the southwestern sky, above and right of the winter constellation of Orion.
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

Planets and the Moon visible in the evening. Jupiter and Saturn in the south with Mars, rising in the northeast. Mars is not yet an evening planet. It’s still more than a month away from rising before sunset and becoming one. Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.

The Moon as it might be seen in binoculars or small telescope tonight, November 2, 2022 with labels of prominent features. Created using Stellarium, LibreOffice Draw and GIMP.
Translations of some lunar feature names according to Virtual Moon Atlas
Mare Crisium – Sea of Crises
Mare Fecunditatis – Sea of Fertility
Mare Imbrium – Sea of Showers
Mare Nubium – Sea of Clouds
Mare Serenitatis – Sea of Serenity
Mare Tranquillitatis – Sea of Tranquility
Mare Vaporum – Sea of Vapors
Montes Apenninus – Apennines Mountains
Sinus Asperitatis – Golfe des Asperites
Sinus Medii – Bay of the Center
Craters are generally named after astronomers, people of science, or explorers
Note that Mare is pronounced Mar-é

Telescopic views of Saturn Jupiter and Mars (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope, with the same magnification. The image of Mars doesn’t show it, but the white north polar cap will appear at the top or north limb of Mars. Saturn and Jupiter are shown at 9 pm, Mars at 11 pm. Apparent diameters: Saturn 17.20″, its rings 40.07″; Jupiter 47.37″. Mars 15.34″. Mars’ distance is 56.7 million miles (91.4 million kilometers). The ” symbol means seconds of arc (1/3600th of a degree.) Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
A note on Jupiter and its moons: Before 7:56 pm, Io will be in Jupiter’s shadow. At 8:22 pm, Ganymede’s shadow will begin to cross the face of Jupiter. In the image above, the shadow, a small dot, is seen on the lower left of the disk. Europa’s shadow was on the disk prior to 9 pm. Ganymede’s shadow will leave the disk at 11:08 pm. Shadows cross Jupiter’s disk from east to west (right to left) in this view.
10/28/2022 – Ephemeris – Mars is turning around this weekend
This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Friday, October 28th. Today the Sun will be up for 10 hours and 21 minutes, setting at 6:37, and it will rise tomorrow at 8:16. The Moon, 3 days past new, will set at 8:39 this evening.
This Sunday the 30th, the planet Mars will cease its normal eastward motion in relation to the stars, and backtrack to the west for a while. The instant Mars stops its eastward motion, it is said to be stationary. The backtracking is called retrograde motion, which was hard for ancient astronomers to explain because they thought the Earth was not moving and in the center of the universe. And the planets moved in uniform circular motion. So said the Greeks, because they thought that things in the heavens were perfect, not like the imperfect things of the Earth. Mars was a hard case. Its motion was definitely not uniform or circular. To Copernicus, the retrograde motion meant that the Earth was a planet passing another planet in their race around the Sun.
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

Mars retrograde path from October 29, 2022 to January 11, 2023 against the stars of Taurus the bull. It will be at opposition on December 7, and actually closest to the Earth on November 30 at 50.61 million miles or 81.45 million kilometers. In the upper right is the beautiful Pleiades star cluster, also known as the Seven Sisters. Below and right is the V shaped star cluster that represents the face of Taurus the bull, with the bright red star Aldebaran as the bull’s angry red eye. That V of stars is called the Hyades, who in mythology were the half sisters to the Pleiades. Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts) and GIMP.
10/26/2022 – Ephemeris – Let’s see where the naked-eye planets have wandered off to this week
This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Wednesday, October 26th. Today the Sun will be up for 10 hours and 27 minutes, setting at 6:40, and it will rise tomorrow at 8:14. The Moon, 1 day past new, will set at 7:21 this evening.
Let’s see where the naked-eye planets have wandered off to this week. Jupiter and Saturn will be visible this evening, in the east-southeast and south-southeast respectively, as soon after sunset as it will be dark enough to see them, which would be by 7:45 pm. Jupiter is seen against the stars of Pisces the fish, while Saturn is spotted in the eastern end of Capricornus the sea goat. The red planet Mars, though a morning planet, will rise tonight at 9:15 pm in the northeast. It’s located between the tips of the long horns of Taurus the bull. By seven tomorrow morning, the red planet Mars will be high in the southwestern sky, above the winter constellation of Orion. Mars has traveled about as far east as it will get for a while. It will head back westward after Sunday.
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

Jupiter and Saturn with label animation for 8 pm tonight, October 26, 2022. Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.

Though Mars is a morning planet, since it is in the sky at sunrise, perhaps the best time to vies it is in the evening after it rises in the east-northeast at 9:15 pm. By 11 pm, as seen here, Mars should be high enough to present a decent image in a telescope. Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using Stellarium.

Telescopic views of Saturn Jupiter and Mars (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope, with the same magnification. The image of Mars doesn’t show it, but the white north polar cap will appear at the top or north limb of Mars. Saturn and Jupiter are shown at 8 pm, Mars at 11 pm. Apparent diameters: Saturn 17.41″, its rings 40.55″; Jupiter 48.16″. Mars 14.58″. Mars’ distance is 59.7 million miles (96.2 million kilometers). The ” symbol means seconds of arc (1/3600th of a degree.) Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
10/19/2022 – Ephemeris – Let’s search for the naked-eye planets for this week
This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Wednesday, October 19th. Today the Sun will be up for 10 hours and 47 minutes, setting at 6:51, and it will rise tomorrow at 8:04. The Moon, 2 days past last quarter, will rise at 2:29 tomorrow morning.
Let’s search for the naked-eye planets for this week. Jupiter and Saturn will be visible this evening, in the east-southeast and south-southeast respectively, as soon after sunset as it will be dark enough to see them, which would be by 7:45 pm. Jupiter is seen against the stars of Pisces the fish, while Saturn is spotted in the eastern end of Capricornus the sea goat. The red planet Mars, though a morning planet, will rise tonight at 9:41 pm in the northeast. It’s located between the tips of the long horns of Taurus the bull. By seven tomorrow morning, the red planet Mars will be high in the southwestern sky, above the winter constellation of Orion. Tiny Mercury might be spotted very low in the east around 7:30 am for the next few days.
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

Jupiter and Saturn in the evening finder animation for 9 pm tonight, October 19, 2022. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.

Mars among the winter stars at 7 tomorrow morning, October 20, 2022. Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using Stellarium.

Waning crescent Moon labeled/unlabeled animation for 7 tomorrow morning, October 20, 2022. Created using Stellarium, LibreOffice Draw, and GIMP.

Telescopic views of Saturn Jupiter and Mars (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope, with the same magnification. The image of Mars doesn’t show it, but the white north polar cap will appear at the top or north limb of Mars. Saturn and Jupiter are shown at 9 pm, Mars at 7 am. I do not show planets less than 10 seconds of arc in diameter, so Mercury is not shown. Apparent diameters: Saturn 17.61″, its rings 41.02″; Jupiter 48.82″. Mars 13.86″. Mars’ distance is 63.0 million miles (101.4 million kilometers). The ” symbol means seconds of arc (1/3600th of a degree.) Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
10/12/2022 – Ephemeris – Let’s search for the naked-eye planets for this week
This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Wednesday, October 12th. Today the Sun will be up for 11 hours and 8 minutes, setting at 7:03, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:55. The Moon, 3 days past full, will rise at 8:28 this evening.
Let’s search for the naked-eye planets for this week. Jupiter and Saturn will be visible this evening, in the east-southeast and south-southeast respectively, as soon after sunset as it will be dark enough to see them, which would be by 7:45 pm. Jupiter is seen against the stars of Pisces the fish, while Saturn is spotted in the eastern end of Capricornus the sea goat. The red planet Mars, though a morning planet, will rise tonight at 10:04 pm in the northeast. It’s located between the long horns of Taurus the bull. By seven tomorrow morning, the red planet Mars will be high in the southwestern sky, above the winter constellation of Orion. Tiny Mercury can be spotted at that hour very low in the east and by 7:30 for the next week or so.
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

Evening planets and the Moon at 9 pm tonight, October 12, 2022, with the line figures of the zodiacal constellations in their part of the sky. Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using Stellarium.

Annotated waning Gibbous Moon Animation for tonight, October 12, 2022, as it might look like in binoculars or a small telescope. Created using Stellarium, LibreOffice Draw and GIMP.
Translations of some lunar feature names according to Virtual Moon Atlas
Mare Frigoris – Sea of Cold
Mare Humorum – Sea of Moisture
Mare Imbrium – Sea of Showers
Mare Nubium – Sea of Clouds
Mare Serenitatis – Sea of Serenity
Mare Tranquillitatis – Sea of Tranquility
Mare Vaporum – Sea of Vapors
Montes Alpes – Alps Mountains
Montes Apenninus – Apennines Mountains
Oceanus Procellarum – Ocean of Storms
Sinus Asperitatis – Golfe des Asperites
Sinus Iridium – Bay of Rainbows
Sinus Medii – Central Bay
Craters are generally named after astronomers, people of science, or explorers
Note that Mare is pronounced Mar-é

Morning planets Mars, Mercury and the Moon at 7 am tomorrow morning, October 13, 2022. Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using Stellarium.

Telescopic views of Saturn Jupiter and Mars (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope, with the same magnification. The image of Mars doesn’t show it, but the white north polar cap will appear at the top or north limb of Mars. Saturn and Jupiter are shown at 9 pm, Mars at 6 am. I do not show planets less than 10 seconds of arc in diameter, so Mercury is not shown. Apparent diameters: Saturn 17.81″, its rings 41.48″; Jupiter 49.34″. Mars 13.13″. Mars’ distance is 66.5 million miles (107.1 million kilometers). Mercury, which isn’t shown, is 6.17″ in diameter and 71.1% illuminated. The ” symbol means seconds of arc (1/3600th of a degree.) Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
10/05/2022 – Ephemeris – Let’s search for the naked-eye planets for this week
This is Ephemeris for Wednesday, October 5th. Today the Sun will be up for 11 hours and 30 minutes, setting at 7:15, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:46. The Moon, 3 days past first quarter, will set at 3:33 tomorrow morning.
Let’s search for the naked-eye planets for this week. The waxing gibbous Moon will be visible near Saturn tonight, with the ringed planet right and above our Moon. Super bright Jupiter is to the far right of the Moon at 9 pm in the east southeast, the brightest star-like object in the sky. Jupiter is seen against the stars of Pisces the fish, while Saturn is spotted in the eastern end of Capricornus the sea goat. I don’t think the stars will be visible with the bright Moon. One star in their direction may be visible and low on the horizon and in line tonight with Saturn and the Moon. It’s Fomalhaut, normally the loneliest star in the sky. Before seven tomorrow morning, the red planet Mars will be high in the south, above the winter constellation of Orion. At that hour, Mercury can also be spotted low in the east.cc
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

Evening planets and the Moon tonight, October 5, 2022, at 9 pm. Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using Stellarium.

Annotated Gibbous Moon Animation for tonight, October 5, 2022, as it might in binoculars or a small telescope. Created using Stellarium, LibreOffice Draw and GIMP.
Translations of some lunar feature names according to Virtual Moon Atlas
Mare Crisium – Sea of Crises
Mare Fecunditatis – Sea of Fertility
Mare Frigoris – Sea of Cold
Mare Imbrium – Sea of Showers
Mare Nectaris – Sea of Nectar
Mare Nubium – Sea of Clouds
Mare Serenitatis – Sea of Serenity
Mare Tranquillitatis – Sea of Tranquility
Mare Vaporum – Sea of Vapors
Montes Apenninus – Apennines Mountains
Sinus Asperitatis – Golfe des Asperites
Sinus Iridium – Bay of Rainbows
Sinus Medii – Bay of the Center
Craters are generally named after astronomers, people of science, or explorers
Note that Mare is pronounced Mar-é

Morning planets, Mars and Mercury with the winter stars and Orion at 7 am tomorrow morning, October 6, 2022. Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using Stellarium.

Telescopic views of Saturn Jupiter and Mars (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope, with the same magnification. The image doesn’t show it, but the white north polar cap will appear at the top or north limb of Mars. Saturn and Jupiter are shown at 9 pm, Mars at 6 am. I do not show planets less than 10 seconds of arc in diameter. Apparent diameters: Saturn 18.00″, its rings 41.91″; Jupiter 49.69″. Mars 12.44″. Mars’ distance is 69.7 million miles (112.2 million kilometers). Mercury, which isn’t shown, is 7.51″ in diameter and 40.8% illuminated. The ” symbol means seconds of arc (1/3600th of a degree.) Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
09/28/2022 – Ephemeris – Searching for the naked-eye planets for this week
This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Wednesday, September 28th. Today the Sun will be up for 11 hours and 51 minutes, setting at 7:28, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:38. The Moon, 3 days past new, will set at 8:51 this evening.
Let’s search for the naked-eye planets for this week. The thin sliver of a waxing crescent Moon may be visible very low in the southwest at 8 pm. We’re back to two naked-eye planets in the evening sky. Jupiter was in opposition from the Sun on Monday, and closest to the Earth. As it gets darker, Jupiter will be seen first low in the east. At that time, Saturn can be seen in the southeast. Jupiter is seen against the stars of Pisces the fish, while Saturn is spotted in the eastern end of Capricornus the sea goat. At 6:45 tomorrow morning, Mars will be high in the south, above the winter constellation of Orion, and Jupiter will be very low in the west. Venus will rise in the east at 7:02 into bright twilight.
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

What the three-day-old Moon might look like in binoculars in twilight at 8 pm tonight, September 28, 2022. Illumination of the night part of the Moon will be provided by the bright gibbous Earth in its sky. The phenomenon is called earth shine. Created using Stellarium.

Evening planet finder animation by showing Jupiter and Saturn with and without the constellation lines. For 9 pm this evening, September 28, 2022. Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.

Morning planet Mars with the last gasp of the new evening planet Jupiter and bright winter stars at 6:45 tomorrow morning, September 29, 2022. Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using Stellarium.

Telescopic views of Saturn, Jupiter and Mars (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope, with the same magnification. The image doesn’t show it, but the white north polar cap will appear at the top or north limb of Mars. Saturn and Jupiter are shown at 10 pm, Mars at 6 am. Apparent diameters: Saturn 18.17″, its rings 42.33″; Jupiter 49.86″. Mars 11.01″. Mars’ distance is 73.8 million miles (118.7 million kilometers). The ” symbol means seconds of arc (1/3600th of a degree.) Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
One surprising thing about Mars in a telescope is how bright it is. That’s because it’s much closer to the Sun than Jupiter or Saturn, even thought it has a lower albedo (reflectance) than those planets.







