Archive
09/09/2020 – Ephemeris – Let’s look at a the naked-eye planets for this week
This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Wednesday, September 9th. Today the Sun will be up for 12 hours and 48 minutes, setting at 8:03, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:16. The Moon, 1 day before last quarter, will rise at 11:48 this evening.
Let’s look at a the naked-eye planets for this week. Jupiter and Saturn are both low in the southern sky at 10 pm. Jupiter is the very bright one. To the left of it will be the somewhat dimmer Saturn. They seem to be separating a teeny bit due to the Earth’s motion now, but they will cross paths in December. Both planets will be up until the morning hours with Jupiter setting first at 2:05 tomorrow morning and Saturn following at 2:47 am. The next planet visible will be Mars which will rise at 9:44 pm. Its now down to 43.3 million miles (69.7 million km) away, as the Earth slowly overtakes it at the rate of about 2.3 million miles (3.8 million km) a week as the Earth begins to pull abreast of it. Brilliant Venus will rise at 3:30 am as it retreats toward the Sun.
The event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Jupiter and Saturn with the zodiacal constellations at 9 pm tonight September 9, 2020. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.
Jupiter, Saturn and Mars with the zodiacal constellations at 11 pm tonight September 9, 2020. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.
Mars, the Moon, Venus and the zodiacal constellations and Orion at 6 am tomorrow morning September 10, 2020. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.
The last quarter Moon as it might be seen in binoculars at 6 am tomorrow September 10, 2020. Created using Stellarium.
The planets as seen in a telescope (north up) with the same magnification for the night of September 9/10, 2020. Times of the display are: Jupiter and Saturn, 9 pm; Mars, Midnight; Venus, 6 am. Apparent diameters: Jupiter, 43.21″; Saturn, 17.77″, rings, 41.39″. Mars, 20.26″, and Venus 18.04″. Mars also displays an enlargement showing surface detail. The ” symbol means seconds of arc (1/3600th of a degree.) Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
Planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise of a single night starting with sunset on the right on September 9, 2020. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 10th. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using my LookingUp program.
09/02/2020 – Ephemeris – Let’s look at a the naked-eye planets for this week
This is Ephemeris for Wednesday, September 2nd. Today the Sun will be up for 13 hours and 9 minutes, setting at 8:16, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:08. The Moon, at full today, will rise at 8:58 this evening.
Let’s look at a the naked-eye planets for this week. Jupiter and Saturn are both low in the south-southeastern sky at 10 pm. Jupiter is the very bright one. To the left of it will be Saturn. They now seem to be separating a bit due to the Earth’s motion now, but they will cross paths in December. Both planets will be up until the morning hours with Jupiter setting first at 2:33 tomorrow morning and Saturn following at 3:16 am. The next planet visible will be Mars which will rise at 10:11 pm. Its now down to 45.6 million miles (73.5 million kilometers) away, as the Earth slowly overtakes it at the rate of about 2.7 million miles (4.3 million kilometers) a week as the Earth begins to pull abreast of it. Brilliant Venus will rise at 3:14 am.
The event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Planets and the Moon in the evening at 10:30 tonight, September 2, 2020. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using Stellarium.
The full Moon tonight September 2, 2020 as it might appear at 10 pm in a low power telescope. Created using Stellarium.
Planets and the Moon in the morning tomorrow, September 3, 2020. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using Stellarium.
The planets as seen in a telescope (north up) with the same magnification Apparent diameters: Jupiter, 44.07″; Saturn, 17.93″, rings, 41.77″. Mars, 19.26″, and Venus 19.12″. At 6 am. Mars also displays an enlargement showing surface detail. The ” symbol means seconds of arc (1/3600th of a degree.) Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
Planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise of a single night starting with sunset on the right on September 2, 2020. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 3rd. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using my LookingUp program.
08/26/2020 – Ephemeris – Let’s look at a the naked-eye planets for this week
This is Ephemeris for Wednesday, August 26th. Today the Sun will be up for 13 hours and 30 minutes, setting at 8:29, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:59. The Moon, 1 day past first quarter, will set at 1:09 tomorrow morning.
Let’s look at a the naked-eye planets for this week. Jupiter and Saturn are both low in the south-southeastern sky at 10 pm. Jupiter is the very bright one. To the left of it will be Saturn. They now seem to be separating a bit due to the Earth’s motion now, but they will cross paths in December. Both planets will be up most of the night with Jupiter setting first at 3:02 tomorrow morning and Saturn following at 3:45 am. The next planet visible will be Mars which will
rise at 10:36 pm. Its now down to 48.3 million miles (77.8 million kilometers) away, as the Earth slowly overtakes it at the rate of about 3.0 million miles (4.8 million kilometers) a week. Brilliant Venus will rise at 3:14 am and is moving ahead of the Earth in its orbit.
The event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Jupiter, Saturn and the Moon at 10 pm August 26, 2020. Note that the Moon is enlarged 3 times to show its phase. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using Stellarium.
The gibbous Moon as it might be seen tonight at 10 pm August 26, 2020. Created using Stellarium.
Venus and Mars at 6 am tomorrow morning August 27, 2020. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using Stellarium.
The planets as seen in a telescope (north up) with the same magnification Apparent diameters: Jupiter, 44.89″; Saturn, 18.08″, rings, 42.12″. Mars, 18.21″, and Venus 20.37″. At 6 am. Mars also displays an enlargement showing surface detail. The ” symbol means seconds of arc (1/3600th of a degree.) Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
Planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise of a single night starting with sunset on the right on August 26, 2020. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 27th. Comet NEOWISE is now 8th magnitude, almost too faint for binoculars. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using my LookingUp program.
08/19/2020 – Ephemeris – Looking at the naked-eye planets for this week
This is Ephemeris for Wednesday, August 19th. Today the Sun will be up for 13 hours and 50 minutes, setting at 8:41, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:51. The Moon, 1 day past new, will set at 9:30 this evening.
Let’s look at the naked-eye planets for this week. Jupiter and Saturn are both low in the south-southeastern sky at 10 pm. Jupiter is the very bright one. To the left of it will be Saturn. They now seem to be separating a bit due to the Earth’s motion now, but they will cross paths in December. Both planets will be up most of the night with Jupiter setting first at 3:32 tomorrow morning and Saturn following at 4:15 am. The next planet visible will be Mars which will rise at 10:59 pm. Its now down to 51.3 million miles (82.6 million kilometers) away, as the Earth slowly overtakes it at the rate of about 3.0 million miles (4.9 million kilometers) a week. Brilliant Venus will rise at 3:09 am and is moving ahead of the Earth in its orbit.
The event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Jupiter and Saturn with three constellations of the zodiac at 10 pm tonight August 19, 2020. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.
Venus and Mars finder animation as seen at 6 am or about an hour before sunrise tomorrow morning August 20, 2020 with and without the lines delineating nearby constellations. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.
The planets as seen in a telescope (north up) with the same magnification Apparent diameters: Jupiter, 45.64″; Saturn, 18.21″, rings, 42.42″. Mars, 17.17″, and Venus 21.81″. Mars also displays an enlargement showing surface detail. The ” symbol means seconds of arc (1/3600th of a degree.) Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
Planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise of a single night starting with sunset on the right on August 19, 2020. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 20th. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using my LookingUp program.
08/12/2020 – Ephemeris – Let’s look at a the naked-eye planets for this week
This is Ephemeris for Wednesday, August 12th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 10 minutes, setting at 8:52, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:43. The Moon, 1 day past last quarter, will rise at 1:16 tomorrow morning.
Let’s look at a the naked-eye planets for this week. Jupiter and Saturn are both low in the south-southeastern sky at 10 pm. Jupiter is the very bright one. To the left of it will be Saturn. They now seem to be separating a bit due to the Earth’s motion now, but they will cross paths in December. Both planets will be up most of the night with Jupiter setting first at 4:02 tomorrow morning and Saturn following at 4:44 am. The next planet visible will be Mars which will rise at 11:22 pm. Its now down to 54.3 million miles (87.5 million kilometers) away, as the Earth slowly overtakes it at the rate of about 3.4 million miles (5.4 million kilometers) a week. Brilliant Venus will rise at 3:09 am in the east-northeast and is as far west from the Sun as it can get today.
The event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Jupiter and Saturn animation at 10 pm with Sagittarius and Scorpius constellation lines. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.
The morning planets and the Moon as seen at 5:30 am or about an hour before sunrise tomorrow morning August 13, 2020 with and without the lines delineating nearby constellations. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using Stellarium.
The Moon as it might be seen in binoculars at 5:30 am tomorrow August 13, 2020. Created using Stellarium.
The planets as seen in a telescope (north up) with the same magnification (Jupiter and Saturn) tonight at 10 pm August 12 and (Venus and Mars) 5:30 am tomorrow August 13, 2020. Apparent diameters: Jupiter, 46.31″; Saturn, 18.32″, rings, 42.67″, Mars, 16.18″, and Venus 23.49″. Mars also displays an enlargement showing surface detail. The ” symbol means seconds of arc (1/3600th of a degree.) Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
Planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise of a single night starting with sunset on the right on August 12, 2020. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 13th. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using my LookingUp program.
08/05/2020 – Ephemeris – Let’s look at the naked-eye planets for this week
This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Wednesday, August 5th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 28 minutes, setting at 9:02, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:35. The Moon, 2 days past full, will rise at 10:32 this evening.
Let’s look at the naked-eye planets for this week. Jupiter and Saturn are both low in the southeastern sky in the evening. Jupiter is the very bright one. To the left of it will be Saturn. They now seem to be separating a bit due to the Earth’s motion now, but they will cross paths in December. Both planets will be up most of the night with Jupiter setting first at 4:33 am tomorrow morning and Saturn following at 5:14 am. The next planet visible will be Mars which will rise at 11:43 pm. Its now down to 57.7 million miles (92.9 million km) away, as the Earth slowly overtakes it at the rate of about 3.4 million miles (5.5 million km) a week. Brilliant Venus will rise at 3:09 am in the east-northeast as our Morning Star.
The event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Evening planets Jupiter and Saturn seen in the southeast along with the constellations of Sagittarius (looks like a teapot) and Scorpius at 10 pm, about 45 minutes after sunset tonight August 5, 2020. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using Stellarium.
The Moon as it might be seen in binoculars at 11 pm tonight August 5, 2020, about a half hour after it rises. Created using Stellarium.
The morning planets and the Moon as seen at 5:30 am or about an hour before sunrise tomorrow morning August 6, 2020. Note the winter constellation of Orion rising in the east with its two brightest stars Betelgeuse and Rigel labeled. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using Stellarium.
The planets as seen in a telescope (north up) with the same magnification tonight and tomorrow, August 5/6, 2020. Apparent diameters: Jupiter, 46.85″; Saturn, 18.40″, rings, 42.85″ at 10 pm. Mars, 15.26″, and Venus 25.46″. At 5:30 am. Mars also displays an enlargement showing surface detail. The ” symbol means seconds of arc (1/3600th of a degree.) Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
Planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise of a single night starting with sunset on the right on August 5, 2020. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 6th. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using my LookingUp program.
07/29/2020 – Ephemeris – Let’s look at a the naked-eye planets and not so naked-eye comets for this week
This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Wednesday, July 29th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 45 minutes, setting at 9:11, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:27. The Moon, 2 days past first quarter, will set at 2:27 tomorrow morning.
Let’s look at a the naked-eye planets for this week. Jupiter and Saturn are both low in the southeastern sky in the evening. Jupiter is the very bright one. To the left of it will be Saturn. Both planets will be up most of the night with Jupiter setting first at 5:05 am tomorrow morning and Saturn following at 5:44 am. Comet NEOWISE is in the evening sky fading to below naked-eye visibility and also it is hampered by the bright moon. It was a great sight in this bleak year of 2020. The next planet visible will be Mars which will rise at 12:03 am. Its now down to 60.6 million miles (97.5 million km) away, as the Earth slowly overtakes it at the rate of about 3.6 million miles (5.7 million km) a week. Venus will rise at 3:14 am in the east-northeast as our Morning Star. Finally Mercury will rise at 4:59 am.
The event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Evening planets Jupiter and Saturn seen in the southeast at 10 pm, about 45 minutes after sunset July 29, 2020. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using Stellarium.
The gibbous Moon as it might be seen tonight at 10 pm July 29, 2020. Created using Stellarium.
The morning planets as seen at 5:30 am or about an hour before sunrise July 30,2020. Mercury is showing up, rising at 4:56 amClick on the image to enlarge. Created using Stellarium.
The planets as seen in a telescope (north up) with the same magnification tonight and tomorrow July 29/30, 2020. Apparent diameters: Jupiter, 47.26″; Saturn, 18.45″, rings, 42.98″ at 10 pm. Mars, 14.40″, and Venus 27.78″ at 5:30 am. Mars also displays an enlargement showing surface detail. The ” symbol means seconds of arc (1/3600th of a degree.) Click on the image to enlarge. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
Planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise of a single night starting with sunset on the right on July 29, 2020. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 30th. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using my LookingUp program.
Finder chart for Comets NEOWISE and Lemmon at 11 pm for the week of 07/29/20 to 08/04/20. NEOWISE will be a visible in binoculars. Lemmon will require a telescope. Labels give name, month/day and predicted magnitude. Click on the chart to enlarge. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
07/22/2020 – Ephemeris – Let’s look at a comet and the naked-eye planets for this week
This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Wednesday, July 22nd. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours even, setting at 9:19, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:19. The Moon, 2 days past new, will set at 11:01 this evening.
Let’s look at a comet and the naked-eye planets for this week. Jupiter now rises at before sunset, so does Saturn. Both are now official evening planets. They are both low in the southeast in the evening. Jupiter is the very bright one. To the left of it will be Saturn. Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) is visible in the evening sky. A good time to start looking would be about 11 pm toward the northwest. The comet be beneath the bowl of the Big Dipper. The comet is fading as it recedes from the Sun. After tonight the waxing Moon will light up the sky and make the comet harder to spot. The next planet up will be Mars which will rise at 12:41 am. Its now down to 64.2 million miles (103.2 million km) away, as the Earth slowly overtakes it at the rate of about 3.7 million miles (6 million km) a week. Venus will rise at 3:22 am in the east-northeast as our Morning Star.
The event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Comet NEOWISE finder chart for tonight July 22, 2020 at 11 pm or about an hour and a half after sunset. Created using Stellarium.
Saturn and Jupiter planets plus two southern constellations to the right of them at 11 pm tonight July 22, 2020. Just right of Jupiter is Sagittarius that looks more like a teapot than a centaur with a bow and arrow. Further right is Scorpius the scorpion. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using Stellarium.
Planets visible at 5 am tomorrow morning July 23, 2020. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using Stellarium.
The planets as seen in a telescope (north up) with the same magnification tonight and tomorrow July 22/23, 2020. Apparent diameters: Jupiter, 47.52″; Saturn, 18.48″, rings, 43.04″, Mars, 13.60″, and Venus 33.53″. At 11 pm. Mars also displays an enlargement showing surface detail. The ” symbol means seconds of arc (1/3600th of a degree.) Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
Planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise of a single night starting with sunset on the right on July 22, 2020. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 23rd. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using my LookingUp program.
07/15/2020 – Ephemeris – Let’s look at a comet and the naked-eye planets for this week
This is Ephemeris for Wednesday, July 15th. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 13 minutes, setting at 9:25, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:12. The Moon, 3 days past last quarter, will rise at 2:47 tomorrow morning.
Let’s look at a comet and naked-eye planets for this week. Jupiter now rises before sunset and now is an official evening planet. It’s seen low in the southeast in the evening. To the left of it will be Saturn. The next planet up will be Mars which will rise at 12:41 am. Its now down to 67.8 million miles (109.2 million km) away, as the Earth slowly overtakes it at the rate of about 3.7 million miles (6 million km) a week. Venus will rise at 3:33 am in the east-northeast as our Morning Star. Newly discovered Comet NEOWISE is now visible in the evening sky A good time to start looking would be about 10:45 pm toward the northwest. The comet is trending brighter than early predictions and sports a wide tail. The comet gets its name from the NASA Satellite and mission to detect near Earth objects or NEOs in the infrared.
The event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Comet NEOWISE in the evening tonight July 15, 2020 at 11 pm. The comet’s head or coma is shown somewhat brighter than it actually appears. What shows up first is the streak oa the tail. 11 pm here in western Michigan is equivalent to about an hour and a half after sunset. Created using Stellarium.
Saturn and Jupiter in the evening tonight at 11 pm July 15, 2020. Also shown are the stars of the Teapot of Sagittarius and Scorpius to the right. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using Stellarium.
Mars, Saturn and Jupiter at 4:30 tomorrow morning July 16, 2020. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using Stellarium.
Venus, the Moon and the comet in the morning at 4:30 am or about an hour, 45 minutes before sunrise. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using Stellarium.
Binocular Moon tomorrow morning at 4:30 a.m. July 16, 2020. The large dark gray area centered on the 9 o’clock position that dominates the crescent is Oceanus Procellarum (Ocean of Storms). The dark floored crater near the limb at the 8 o’clock position is Grimaldi. Created using Stellarium.
The planets as seen in a telescope (north up) with the same magnification tonight and tomorrow July 15/16, 2020. Apparent diameters: Jupiter, 47.63″; Saturn, 18.47″, rings, 43.02″, Mars, 12.87″, and Venus 33.81″. At 11 pm the moon Io is transiting the face of Jupiter. I’ve ever been able to spot a moon in transit, though I can sometimes see the shadow cast on the planet. By 4:30 am Io will appear next to Jupiter on the same side as Callisto. Mars also displays an enlargement showing surface detail. The ” symbol means seconds of arc (1/3600th of a degree.) Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
Planets, a comet, and the Moon at sunset and sunrise of a single night starting with sunset on the right on July 15, 2020. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 16th. Jupiter made it into the evening sky yesterday when it passed opposition. Saturn will do the same on the 20th. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using my LookingUp program.
07/08/2020 – Ephemeris – Let’s look at the naked-eye planets and a comet for this week
This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Wednesday, July 8th. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 23 minutes, setting at 9:29, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:06. The Moon, 3 days past full, will rise at 12:05 tomorrow morning.
Let’s look at the naked-eye planets and a comet for this week. Jupiter now rises at 9:41 pm in the east-southeast. Saturn will rise 22 minutes later at 10:03 pm right behind Jupiter. Mars, is stretching its lead left of Saturn and will rise at 1 am in the east. Its now down to 71 and a half million miles (115.2 million km) away, as the Earth slowly overtakes it at the rate of about 3.9 million miles (6.2 million km) a week. Venus will rise at 3:47 am in the east-northeast as our Morning Star. Newly discovered Comet NEOWISE will rise at 3:16 am and be visible in the northeast before the twilit sky brightens too much. The comet gets its name from the NASA Satellite and mission to detect near Earth objects or NEOs in the infrared.
The event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Saturn and Jupiter planets plus two southern constellations to the right of them at 11 pm tonight July 8, 2020. Just right of Jupiter is Sagittarius that looks more like a teapot than a centaur with a bow and arrow. Further right is Scorpius the scorpion. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using Stellarium.
Planets, the Moon and a comet visible at 5 am tomorrow morning July 9, 2020. Venus appears just above the star Aldebaran. Comet NEOWISE’ tail is visible, but not at this scale, and it is shown as being too bright. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using Stellarium.
The Moon as it might appear tomorrow morning at 5 a.m. July 9, 2020. Created using Stellarium.
The planets as seen in a telescope (north up) with the same magnification tonight and tomorrow July 8/9, 2020. Apparent diameters: Jupiter, 47.57″; Saturn, 18.43″, rings, 42.94″, Mars, 12.19″, and Venus 37.66″. Mars also displays an enlargement showing surface detail. The ” symbol means seconds of arc (1/3600th of a degree.) Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
Planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise of a single night starting with sunset on the right on July 8, 2020. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 9th. The closeness of Jupiter and Saturn in the morning sky unfortunately overlays planets and labels. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using my LookingUp program.
Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog 