Archive
10/19/2016 – Ephemeris – Jupiter is in morning twilight, Venus in evening twilight
Ephemeris for Wednesday, October 19th. The Sun will rise at 8:04. It’ll be up for 10 hours and 46 minutes, setting at 6:50. The Moon, half way from full to last quarter, will rise at 9:58 this evening.
Low in the east this morning at 7:15 Jupiter might be glimpsed in the twilight. Jupiter’s rise time is at 6:28 a.m. Venus, Saturn and Mars are in the evening sky. Venus is briefly visible after sunset, low in the west-southwest. It will set at 8:16 p.m., following the Sun’s earlier setting times. Venus is still moving a bit southward and will still be hugging the southwestern horizon for the next month or so, but it’s high enough to spot with a reasonably low horizon. Mars and Saturn can be seen in the darkened sky after Venus sets. Mars is way out to the left of Saturn passing above the Teapot of Sagittarius. Saturn, spectacular in telescopes with its rings, will set at 9:09 p.m. Mars will set at 11:11 p.m,
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Venus, Saturn and Mars at 7:30 p.m. October 19, 2016. Last night I saw Venus and Mars, but not Saturn with the naked eye at that hour. Created using Stellarium.
Saturn and Mars at 8:30 p.m. October 19, 2016. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter rising at 7 a.m. this morning, October 19, 2016. Created using Stellarium.
The Moon as it might be seen in binoculars at 7 a.m. this morning, October 19, 2016. Created using Stellarium.
Planets and Moon at sunset and sunrise of a single night starting with sunset on the right on October 19, 2016. The night ends on the left with sunrise on October 20. If you are using Firefox right-click on the image and select View Image to enlarge the image. That goes for all the large images. Created using my LookingUp program.
10/12/2016 – Ephemeris – Jupiter joins Mercury in the morning sky22
Ephemeris for Wednesday, October 12th. The Sun will rise at 7:55. It’ll be up for 11 hours and 7 minutes, setting at 7:02. The Moon, 3 days past first quarter, will set at 4:35 tomorrow morning.
Low in the east this morning at 7:15 both Mercury and Jupiter might be glimpsed, with Mercury just below Jupiter which is a bit brighter. Jupiter will rise at 6:38 a.m. and Mercury will rise at 6:47 a.m. Venus, Saturn and Mars are in the evening sky. Venus is briefly visible after sunset, low in the west. It will set at 8:20 p.m., following the Sun’s earlier setting times. Venus is still moving a bit southward and will still be hugging the southwestern horizon for the next month or so. Mars and Saturn can be seen in the darkened sky after Venus sets. Mars is way out to the left of Saturn passing above the Teapot of Sagittarius. Saturn, spectacular in telescopes with its rings, will set at 9:35 p.m. Mars will set at 11:14 p.m.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Jupiter and Mercury at 7:15 a.m. low in the east today October 12, 2016. Created using Stellarium.
Venus and Saturn at 7:22 p.m. tonight October 12, 2016, looking to the southwest. I doubt if you could spot Saturn at this time. Created using Stellarium.
Saturn, Mars and the Moon at 8:30 p.m. October 12, 2016. Created using Stellarium.
Saturn and moon as it might be seen in a telescope. at 8:30 p.m. October 12, 2016. More than likely only the satellite Titan would be seen with Saturn. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
The Moon as it might be seen with binoculars tonight at 8:30 p.m. October 12, 2016. Created using Stellarium.
Planets and Moon at sunset and sunrise of a single night starting with sunset on the right on October 12, 2016. The night ends on the left with sunrise on October 13. If you are using Firefox right-click on the image and select View Image to enlarge the image. That goes for all the large images. Created using my LookingUp program.
10/04/2016 – Ephemeris – The bright planets score: three in the evening and one in the morning
Ephemeris for Wednesday, October 5th. The Sun will rise at 7:46. It’ll be up for 11 hours and 28 minutes, setting at 7:15. The Moon, 4 days before first quarter, will set at 10:04 this evening.
Mercury is seen in the morning now, rising at 6:21 today, and should be high enough to be visible between 7 and 7:30 this morning low in the east if it’s clear. Venus, Saturn and Mars are in the evening sky. Venus is briefly visible after sunset, low in the west-southwest. It will set at 8:28 p.m., following the Sun’s earlier setting times. Mars, Saturn and the star Antares start the evening in the southwestern sky in a lengthening triangle, with Saturn on top and Antares below. Mars is way out to the left of the other two. Tonight Saturn will be about 10 of the Moon’s diameter to the left of the crescent Moon. Saturn, spectacular in telescopes with its rings, will set at 10 p.m. and Mars will set at 11:18 p.m.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Mercury in the east at 7 a.m. this morning, October 5, 2016. Created using Stellarium.
Venus, low in west-southwest with the Moon (enlarged to show phase), Saturn and Mars at 7:35 p.m. (20 minutes after sunset). Created using Stellarium.
The Moon, Saturn, Antares and Mars with the low constellations in the southwest at 8:30 p.m. October 5, 2016. Created using Stellarium.
The Moon as it might appear in binoculars at 8:30 p.m. October 5, 2016. Created using Stellarium.
Saturn and some of its moons at 8:30 p.m. October 5, 2016. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
Planets and Moon at sunset and sunrise of a single night starting with sunset on the right on October 5, 2016. The night ends on the left with sunrise on October 6. If you are using Firefox right-click on the image and select View Image to enlarge the image. That goes for all the large images. Created using my LookingUp program.
09/21/2016 – Ephemeris – Mercury escaped to the morning sky and Jupiter will soon follow
Ephemeris for Wednesday, September 21st. The Sun will rise at 7:29. It’ll be up for 12 hours and 11 minutes, setting at 7:41. The Moon, 2 days before last quarter, will rise at 11:15 this evening.
Tonight we have four of the five bright classical planets in the evening sky. Mercury crossed into the morning sky last week, and Jupiter will follow next Monday. Jupiter is too close to the Sun to be seen. We are left with Venus, Saturn and Mars. Venus is briefly visible after sunset, low in the west. It will set at 8:42 p.m., following the Sun’s earlier setting times. Mars, Saturn and the star Antares start the evening in the southwestern sky in a lengthening triangle, with Saturn on top, Mars below and way out to the left, and Antares below Saturn. Saturn, spectacular in telescopes with its rings, will set at 10:52 p.m. And Mars, moving rapidly to the east against the stars will set at 11:31 p.m.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Looking very low in the west at 8:01 p.m., 20 minutes after sunset, September 21, 2016. To see how Venus’ position changes from week to week, check out the last few Wednesday’s posts. I’m using the same landscape for each which is supplied by Stellarium. Created using Stellarium.
The lengthening Mars-Saturn-Antares triangle and the background constellations at 9 p.m., September 21, 2016. Created using Stellarium.
Saturn and some of its moons at 9 p.m. September 21, 2016. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
Planets and Moon at sunset and sunrise of a single night starting with sunset on the right on September 21, 2016. The night ends on the left with sunrise on September 22. Mercury has escaped to the Morning sky and will rise at 614 a.m. on the 22nd. If you are using Firefox right-click on the image and select View Image to enlarge the image. That goes for all the large images. Created using my LookingUp program.
09/14/2016 – Ephemeris – Then there were four… Evening planets that is.
Ephemeris for Wednesday, September 14th. The Sun will rise at 7:21. It’ll be up for 12 hours and 33 minutes, setting at 7:54. The Moon, 2 days before full, will set at 5:49 tomorrow morning.
Tonight we have only four of the bright classical planets in the evening sky. Mercury crossed into the morning sky Monday, Jupiter will follow shortly. Jupiter is impossible to spot being very close to the direction of the Sun. We are left with Venus, Saturn and Mars. Venus is briefly visible after sunset, low in the west. It will set at 8:52 p.m., following the Sun’s earlier setting times. Mars, Saturn and the star Antares start the evening in the southwestern sky in a triangle, with Saturn on top, Mars below and to the left, and Antares below Saturn and right of and below Mars. Saturn, spectacular in telescopes with its rings, will set at 11:18 p.m. And Mars, moving rapidly to the east against the stars will set at 11:39 p.m.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Looking very low in the west at 8:14 p.m., 20 minutes after sunset, September 14, 2016. Created using Stellarium.
The Moon and the lengthening Mars-Saturn-Antares triangle at 9:30 p.m., September 14, 2016. Created using Stellarium.
Saturn and some of its moons at 9:30 p.m. September 14, 2016. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
The Moon tonight as it might be seen in binoculars at 9:30 p.m. September 14, 2016. Created using Stellarium.
Planets and Moon at sunset and sunrise of a single night starting with sunset on the right on September 14, 2016. The night ends on the left with sunrise on September 14. Mercury has escaped to the morning sky. If you are using Firefox right-click on the image and select View Image to enlarge the image. That goes for all the large images. Created using my LookingUp program.
09/09/2016 – Ephemeris – There’s a star party tomorrow at the NMC Rogers Observatory
Ephemeris for Friday, September 9th. The Sun will rise at 7:15. It’ll be up for 12 hours and 48 minutes, setting at 8:03. The Moon, at first quarter today, will set at 12:50 tomorrow morning.
For the sixth weekend in a row the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will host an observing event. Just one this weekend. It will be a star party at Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory tomorrow night, Saturday night the 10th from 9 to 11 p.m. The observatory’s and GTAS members telescopes will be used to view the Moon and the planets Saturn and Mars. Some of the brighter deep-sky objects of the summer sky will also be visible. There will be an alternate program available if it’s cloudy. Last weekend’s star party , out at the Sleeping Bear Dunes was a perfectly clear night with and nearly 1800 folks showed up to view the wonders of the Milky Way. The society and the park thank all who attended.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
09/07/2016 – Ephemeris – Then there was one in the west and two in the southwest
Ephemeris for Wednesday, September 7th. The Sun will rise at 7:12. It’ll be up for 12 hours and 54 minutes, setting at 8:07. The Moon, 2 days before first quarter, will set at 11:29 this evening.
Tonight we still have all the bright classical planets in the evening sky, barely. Venus, Mercury, Jupiter are very low in the west, but only Venus is briefly visible after sunset. It will set at 9:03 p.m. Later this month Mercury and Jupiter will pass the Sun to become visible in the morning sky. Venus alone will remain in the evening sky, slowly pulling away from the Sun. Mars, Saturn and the star Antares start the evening in the southwestern sky in a triangle, with Saturn on top, Mars below and to the left, and Antares below and right of Mars. Saturn, spectacular in telescopes with its rings, will set at 11:45 p.m. And Mars, moving rapidly to the east against the stars will set at 11:50 p.m.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Looking very low in the west at 8:30 p.m., 20 minutes after sunset, September 7, 2016. Created using Stellarium.
The Moon and the Mars-Saturn-Antares triangle at 9:30 p.m., September 7, 2016. Created using Stellarium.
The Moon tonight as it might be seen in binoculars at 9:30 p.m. September 7, 2016. Created using Stellarium.
Saturn and some of its moons at 9:30 p.m. September 7, 2016. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
Planets and Moon at sunset and sunrise of a single night starting with sunset on the right on September 7, 2016. The night ends on the left with sunrise on September 8. Actually all the naked eye planets are in the evening sky. If you are using Firefox right-click on the image and select View Image to enlarge the image. That goes for all the large images. Created using my LookingUp program.
08/31/2016 – Ephemeris – Two of the evening planets are easily visible, the other three, not so much
Ephemeris for Wednesday, August 31st. The Sun will rise at 7:04. It’ll be up for 13 hours and 15 minutes, setting at 8:20. The Moon, 1 day before new, will rise at 7:17 tomorrow morning.
Tonight we still have all the bright classical planets in the evening sky, barely. Mercury, Jupiter and Venus are very low in the west and will set at 9:02, 9:05 and 9:13 p.m. respectively. They are all but invisible. Next month Mercury and Jupiter will pass the Sun to become visible in the morning sky. Venus alone will remain in the evening sky, slowly pulling away from the Sun. Mars, Saturn and the star Antares start the evening in the southwestern sky in a triangle, with Saturn on tip, Mars below and to the left, and Antares below and right of Mars. Mars, moving rapidly to the east against the stars will set at 12:15 a.m. Saturn, spectacular in telescopes with its rings, will set at 12:39 a.m.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Looking very low in the west at 8:40 p.m., 20 minutes after sunset, August 31, 2016. Created using Stellarium.
Mars-Saturn-Antares triangle at 9:30 p.m., August 31, 2016. Created using Stellarium.
Saturn and some of its moons at 9:30 p.m. August 31, 2016. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
Planets at sunset and sunrise of a single night starting with sunset on the right on August 31, 2016. The night ends on the left with sunrise on September 1. Actually all the naked eye planets are in the evening sky. If you are using Firefox right-click on the image and select View Image to enlarge the image. That goes for all the large images. Created using my LookingUp program.
08/24/2016 – Ephemeris – Planets gather into two groups this evening
Ephemeris for Wednesday, August 24th. The Sun rises at 6:56. It’ll be up for 13 hours and 36 minutes, setting at 8:32. The Moon, at last quarter today, will rise at 12:31 tomorrow morning.
Tonight we still have all the bright classical planets in the evening sky, barely. Mercury, Venus and Jupiter are very low in the west and will set at 9:08, 9:24 and 9:29 p.m. respectively. Saturday evening, right after sunset, Venus will be passing very close to Jupiter while they are low in the west, well within a low power telescope field. Mars, Saturn and the star Antares start the evening in the southwestern sky in a nearly perfect line. Antares, whose name means Rival of Mars is On the bottom with brighter Mars just above it, with Saturn above. Mars, moving rapidly to the east against the stars will set at 12:15 a.m. Saturn, spectacular in telescopes with its rings, will set at 12:39 a.m.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addenda
The Planets Tonight
Looking very low in the west at 9 p.m., 28 minutes after sunset, August 24, 2016. For scale, Jupiter is a bit less than 5 degrees above the horizon, Mercury a bit lass than 2. Created using Stellarium.
Mars breaks out the Saturn-Antares lineup at 9:30 p.m., August 24, 2016. Created by Stellarium.using Stellarium.
Saturn and some of its moons at 9:30 p.m. August 24, 2016. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
Planets at sunset and sunrise of a single night starting with sunset on the right on August 24, 2016. The night ends on the left with sunrise on August 25. Actually all the naked eye planets are in the evening sky. If you are using Firefox right-click on the image and select View Image to enlarge the image. That goes for all the large images. Created using my LookingUp program.
Mars, Antares and Saturn Last Night
Saturn, Mars and Antares and the setting Scorpius to the right of the tree, and the Sagittarius Teapot with the Milky Way boiling out of the spout at 11:03 p.m. EDT, August 24, 2016. Credit Bob Moler from my back yard.
08/23/2016 – Ephemeris – Mars, Antares and Saturn line up
Ephemeris for Tuesday, August 23rd. The Sun rises at 6:55. It’ll be up for 13 hours and 39 minutes, setting at 8:34. The Moon, 1 day before last quarter, will rise at 11:49 this evening.
Tonight if you look out to the southwest, you will see a nearly perfect, nearly vertical line of bright stars. But two of these are planets. The brightest is the red planet Mars. Below is it’s rival, the red giant star Antares. Above is the ringed planet Saturn. Tonight Mars will be just to the right of the Saturn Antares line. After they set tonight and before we see them tomorrow night Mars will have moves to be just out of the line to the left. I hope it’s clear tonight so I can get a picture of them. A digital camera on a tripod with a low f-stop, and a high ISO speed with a shutter open for maybe 15 seconds ought to do it. Manually focus on infinity. Dark skies confuse auto focusers. And turn the flash off. Try it again tomorrow night.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Animation of Mars approaching Antares from August 4 to the 24th, 2016 at 10 p.m. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.
The lineup is forming. Saturn, Mars and Antares at 10:20 p.m., August 22, 2016. The globular cluster M 4 is also barely visible. Credit: Bob Moler.
75 mm focal length, 5 Seconds, F/4, ISO 6400
Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog 