Archive
04/07/2021 – Ephemeris – Three naked-eye planets are visible overnight
This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Wednesday, April 7th. Today the Sun will be up for 13 hours and 6 minutes, setting at 8:18, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:10. The Moon, 3 days past last quarter, will rise at 6:14 tomorrow morning.
Let’s search for the naked-eye planets for this week. Unfortunately, the only one you’ll find in the evening is Mars. It can be found in the west at 10 pm tonight, above the orange star Aldebaran in the face of Taurus the bull. Mars will set at 1:47 am. Venus is now just a bit east of the Sun, setting fourteen minutes after sunset. It will be late May or early June before it will be easily spotted in the evening twilight. The other three naked-eye planets are just west of the Sun in the Morning sky. Only Saturn and Jupiter are at a far enough angle from the Sun to be spotted in the morning twilight. Saturn will rise at 4:43 am, with Jupiter rising 34 minutes later. By 6:30 am they will be low in the southeast.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
03/31/2021 – Ephemeris – Let’s search for the naked-eye planets for this week
This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Wednesday, March 31st. Today the Sun will be up for 12 hours and 44 minutes, setting at 8:09, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:23. The Moon, 3 days past full, will rise at 12:11 tomorrow morning.
Let’s search for the naked-eye planets for this week. Unfortunately the only one you’ll find in the evening is Mars. It can be found in the west-southwest at 9 pm tonight, above the orange star Aldebaran in the face of Taurus the bull. Mars will set at 1:54 am. Right now three of the other four naked eye planets are just west of the Sun in the Morning sky. Venus is now below and just a bit east of the Sun, setting four minutes after sunset. Only Saturn and Jupiter are at a far enough angle from the Sun to be just spotted in the morning twilight. Saturn will rise at 5:10 am, with Jupiter rising 31 minutes later. By 6:30 am they will be low in the southeast. The Sun is rising earlier by 2 minutes a day now, while sunset is nearly matching that pace in the opposite direction.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The new version of Stellarium I’m using, 0.21.0, has new textures for the Moon that are more realistic and show finer detail than earlier versions. If the Moon is enlarged to fill the window, clicking on a feature will reveal its name.
03/24/2021 – Ephemeris – Let’s search for the naked-eye planets for this week
This is Ephemeris for Wednesday, March 24th. Today the Sun will be up for 12 hours and 22 minutes, setting at 8:00, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:36. The Moon, 3 days past first quarter, will set at 6:26 tomorrow morning.
Let’s search for the naked-eye planets for this week. Unfortunately the only one you’ll find in the evening is Mars. It can be found high in the west-southwest at 9 pm tonight, above the orange star Aldebaran in the face of Taurus the bull, between it and the much higher star Capella in the west northwest. Mars will set at 2:01 am. Right now three of the other four naked eye planets are just west of the Sun in the Morning sky. Venus is now below and just a bit west of the Sun. Only Saturn and Jupiter are at a far enough angle from the Sun to be just spotted in the morning twilight. Saturn will rise at 5:35 am, with Jupiter rising a half hour later. By 7 am they will be low in the southeast.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Mars appears above Aldebaran and the letter V of stars of the Hyades which is the face of Taurus the bull tonight March 24, 2021. This image is for 9 pm. or about an hour after sunset. Created using Stellarium.
The waxing gibbous Moon as it might be seen in binoculars tonight at 9 pm, March 24, 2021. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter and Saturn low in the southeast at 7 am tomorrow morning, March 25, 2021. Note that they will probably appear dimmer than shown. Created using Stellarium.
Planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise of a single night starting with sunset on the right on March 24, 2021. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 25th. Venus is too close and south of the Sun to be plotted. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using my LookingUp program.
03/17/2021 – Ephemeris – Let’s search for the naked-eye planets for this week
This is Ephemeris for St. Patrick’s Day, Wednesday, March 17th. Today the Sun will be up for 12 hours and one minute, setting at 7:51, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:49. The Moon, halfway from new to first quarter, will set at 12:18 tomorrow morning.
Let’s search for the naked-eye planets for this week. Unfortunately the only one you’ll find in the evening is Mars. It can be found high in the west-southwest at 9 pm tonight, above a line between the Pleiades star cluster on its lower right and the letter V of stars that is the face of Taurus the bull on its lower left. The Pleiades will be above tonight’s waxing crescent Moon. Mars will set at 2:07 am.
Right now the other four naked eye planets are just west of the Sun in the Morning sky. But only Saturn and Jupiter are at a far enough angle from the Sun to be just be glimpsed in the morning sky. Saturn will rise at 6 am, with Jupiter a half hour later. By 7 am they will be low in the southeast.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Mars finder animation for 9 pm, or about 70 minutes after sunset, tonight March 17, 2021. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.
The Moon as it might appear tonight, March 17, 2021, in binoculars or a small telescope. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter and Saturn tomorrow morning at 7 am, March 18, 2021. Created by using Stellarium.
Planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise of a single night starting with sunset on the right on March 17, 2021. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 18th. Venus is too close and south of the Sun to be plotted. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using my LookingUp program.
Venus in the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) LASCO C3 image. It will pass south and behind the Sun on the 26th and officially enter the evening sky.
03/10/2021 – Ephemeris – Searching for the naked-eye planets for this week
This is Ephemeris for Wednesday, March 10th. Today the Sun will be up for 11 hours and 39 minutes, setting at 6:42, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:01. The Moon, 3 days before new, will rise at 6:43 tomorrow morning.
Let’s search for the naked-eye planets for this week. Unfortunately the only one you’ll find in the evening is Mars. It can be found high in the west-southwest at 8 pm tonight, between the Pleiades star cluster on its right and the letter V of stars that is the face of Taurus the bull on its left. Mars will set at 1:13 am. Right now the other four naked eye planets are just west of the Sun in the Morning sky. But only Saturn is at a far enough angle to be just be glimpsed in the morning sky. It will rise at 5:27, about an hour and a half before sunrise in the east-southeast. By 6 am it will have risen and moved to the southeast. Even Jupiter might be spotted lower and left of Saturn, especially if you’re looking across the Lake Huron horizon.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Mars finder chart for tonight March 10, 2021 at 8 pm. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using Stellarium.
The morning planets at 6 am, Thursday, March 11, 2021. Created using Stellarium.
Planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise of a single night starting with sunset on the right on March 10, 2021. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 11th. The planet traffic jam in the morning is starting to break up. Saturn and possibly Jupiter can be spotted before sunrise now. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using my LookingUp program.
03/03/2021 – Ephemeris – Let’s search for the naked-eye planets for this week
This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Wednesday, March 3rd. Today the Sun will be up for 11 hours and 17 minutes, setting at 6:33, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:14. The Moon, 2 days before last quarter, will rise at 12:09 tomorrow morning.
Let’s search for the naked-eye planets for this week. Unfortunately the only one you’ll find is Mars. The other four are hanging out in the direction of the Sun and won’t be seen for a week or so. Mars can be found high in the west-southwest and below left of the Pleiades at 8 pm tonight. Mars will be due south of the Pleiades tonight, which from our cockeyed view of the heavens, from north of the equator, places Mars below and left of the Pleiades. The Red Planet will set at 1:20 am. Of the outer planets Mars is the fastest, being the nearest to the Sun, and to the Earth. So unlike Jupiter, Saturn, and the stars which rise and set about four minutes earlier each night, Mars sets about a minute earlier each night now.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Here’s an animation showing why Mars being south of the Pleiades doesn’t look like it in the sky. This is all about directions on the celestial sphere. This will be the position of Mars at 8 pm on March 3rd, 2021, seen in the west-southwest. It is a three frame animation. The first is without coordinate grids as one would see it from about 45 degrees north latitude. The second frame contains the equatorial grid. The lines to the upper right point to the North Pole of the sky near Polaris, so that’s north. The third frame has an alt-azimuth grid. Its lines run vertically and horizontally. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.
The moon as it might appear in binoculars at 6 am tomorrow morning March 4, 2021. Created using Stellarium.
Planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise of a single night starting with sunset on the right on March 3, 2021. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 4th. There is a planet traffic jam in the morning and the symbols and labels for Jupiter and Mercury overlap. Unfortunately these planets rise too soon before the Sun to be seen for us up north. It is a great sight for Southern Hemisphere observers. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using my LookingUp program.
02/24/2021 – Ephemeris – Let’s search for the naked-eye planets for this week
This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Wednesday, February 24th. Today the Sun will be up for 10 hours and 55 minutes, setting at 6:24, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:26. The Moon, 3 days before full, will set at 6:56 tomorrow morning.
Let’s search for the naked-eye planets for this week. Unfortunately the only one you’ll find is Mars. The other four are hanging out in the direction of the Sun and won’t be seen for a week or two. They’ll be first seen low in the morning sky. Mars can be found high in the west-southwest and below the Pleiades at 8 pm tonight. Mars is moving rapidly eastward. It just entered the constellation of Taurus the bull, which is a lot wider than Aries, astronomically*, and will set at 1:26 am. Of the outer planets Mars is the fastest, being the nearest to the Sun, and to the Earth, so unlike Jupiter, Saturn and the stars which rise and set about four minutes earlier each night, Mars sets about a minute earlier each night now.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
* Astrologically the all the constellations or signs of the zodiac are 30 degrees wide. According to the International Astronomical Union (IAU) Aries is 25 degrees wide along the ecliptic, while Taurus is 37 degrees wide as measured using the Stellarium planetarium program. I do astronomy on Ephemeris, and consider astrology astronomy’s illegitimate parent.
Addendum
Mars finder animation with 3 layers: Unannotated chart, Labels and constellation lines added, and boundaries added. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.
The gibbous Moon as it might be seen in binoculars this evening at 8 pm tonight, February 24, 2021. Created using Stellarium.
Planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise of a single night starting with sunset on the right on February 24, 2021. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 25th. There is a planet traffic jam in the morning and the labels for Jupiter and Mercury overlap. Unfortunately these planets rise too soon before the Sun to be seen for us up north. It is a great sight for Southern Hemisphere observers. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using my LookingUp program.
02/17/2021 – Ephemeris – Let’s search for the naked-eye planets for this week
This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Ash Wednesday, Wednesday, February 17th. Today the Sun will be up for 10 hours and 34 minutes, setting at 6:14, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:38. The Moon, 2 days before first quarter, will set at 12:27 tomorrow morning.
Let’s search for the naked-eye planets for this week. Unfortunately the only one you’ll find is Mars. The other four are hanging out in the direction of the Sun and won’t be seen until spring. They’ll be first seen in the morning sky. Mars can be found high in the southwest and above the waxing crescent Moon at 8 pm tonight. They will be even closer Thursday night. Mars is increasing its speed eastward through the constellation of Aries the ram, which it’s two thirds the way through, and will set at 1:32 am. Of the outer planets Mars is the fastest, being the nearest to the Sun, and the Earth, so unlike Jupiter, Saturn and the stars which rise and set about four minutes earlier each night, Mars sets less than a minute earlier each night now.
The event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Mars and the Moon in the southwestern sky at 8 pm tonight, February 17, 2021. Created using Stellarium.
The Moon as it might appear tonight at 8 pm, February 17, 2021. Created using Stellarium.
Planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise of a single night starting with sunset on the right on February 17, 2021. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 18th. There is a planet traffic jam in the morning and the labels for Jupiter and Mercury overlap. Unfortunately these planets rise too soon before the Sun to be seen for us up north. It is a great sight for Southern Hemisphere observers. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using my LookingUp program.
02/10/2021 – Ephemeris – Let’s have a lookout for the naked-eye planets for this week
This is Ephemeris for Wednesday, February 10th. Today the Sun will be up for 10 hours and 14 minutes, setting at 6:04, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:48. The Moon, 1 day before new, will rise at 8:11 tomorrow morning.
Let’s have a lookout for the naked-eye planets for this week. It’s slim pickings for the bright naked-eye planets, known from antiquity, in our skies now. Only Mars can be spotted. The rest of them are hanging out in the direction of the Sun and won’t be seen until spring in the morning sky. Mars can be found high in the southwest at 8 pm. Mars is increasing its speed eastward through the constellation of Aries the ram, which it’s two thirds the way through, and will set at 1:38 am. Of the outer planets Mars is the fastest, being the nearest to the Sun, so unlike Jupiter, Saturn and the stars which rise and set about four minutes earlier each night, Mars sets about a minute earlier each night now.
The event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Mars with zodiacal constellations along its future path with Orion as a prominent marker. The orange line is the ecliptic, the path of the Sun in the sky, and near which the planets can be found. Along with the constellation lines in blue are the official astronomical constellation boundaries in red. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using Stellarium.
Planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise of a single night starting with sunset on the right on February 10, 2021. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 11th. There is a planet traffic jam in the morning and the labels for Jupiter and Venus overlap. Unfortunately these planets rise too soon before the Sun to be seen for us up north. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using my LookingUp program.
02/03/2021 – Ephemeris – Let’s have a lookout for the naked-eye planets
This is Ephemeris for Wednesday, February 3rd. Today the Sun will be up for 9 hours and 55 minutes, setting at 5:54, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:57. The Moon, 1 day before last quarter, will rise at 1:03 tomorrow morning.
Let’s have a lookout for the naked-eye planets for this week. It’s slim pickings for the bright naked-eye planets, known from antiquity in our skies right now. Only Mars can be spotted. The rest of them are hanging out in the direction of the Sun and won’t be seen for a month or more. Mars can be found high in the south at 7 pm. It will actually be due south at 6:30 tonight. Mars is increasing its speed eastward through the constellation of Aries the ram, which it’s halfway through, and will set at 1:45 am. Of the outer planets Mars is the fastest, being the closest to the Sun, so unlike Jupiter, Saturn and the stars which rise and set about four minutes earlier each night, Mars rises and sets about a minute and a half earlier each day.
The event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Mars finder chart. Showing Mars in Aries. Also shown are Taurus and Orion. All are seen tonight at 8 pm, February 3, 2021. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using Stellarium.
The Moon as it might look like at last quarter tomorrow morning at 6 am, February 4, 2021. Created using Stellarium.
Planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise of a single night starting with sunset on the right on February 3, 2021. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 4th. I’m afraid that the labels for Jupiter and the Sun overlap, since the planets and Sun are very close. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using my LookingUp program.
Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog 