Archive
02/26/2019 – Ephemeris – Mercury at greatest eastern elongation from the Sun tonight
Ephemeris for Tuesday, February 26th. Today the Sun will be up for 11 hours even, setting at 6:26, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:24. The Moon, at last quarter today, will rise at 2:49 tomorrow morning.
This evening the planet Mercury is at its greatest distance from the Sun to the east by an angle of 18 degrees. It’s called greatest eastern elongation from the Sun. Mercury has a very elliptical orbit of the Sun, and right now it’s near its closest to the Sun called perihelion, of 28.6 million miles (46.1 million km). In late winter and spring the ecliptic, the path in the sky that the planets appear near, meets the horizon at a steep angle near sunset, which allows us to see planets near and east of the Sun more easily. The same is true for the planets west of the Sun in the morning in the fall. Southern hemisphere observers see Mercury best when its is at aphelion, farthest from the Sun, 66 percent farther away.
The times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Looking at Mercury at greatest eastern elongation tonight February 26, 2019 from Northern Michigan displaying its orbit with a transparent horizon at sunset. Notice how lopsided the orbit appears, extending farther below the horizon (green line) than above. The yellow line is the ecliptic. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.
The next greatest elongation of Mercury is the western elongation on April 11, 2019. Here we are looking at it from the southern hemisphere, where it’s autumn displaying its orbit with a transparent horizon at sunrise. Notice how lopsided the orbit appears, extending farther above the horizon (green line) than below. The yellow line is the ecliptic. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.
Note the same is true for both northern and southern hemispheres:
Late winter and spring – planets near and east of the Sun are seen more easily after sunset.
Late summer and autumn – planets near and west of the Sun are seen more easily before sunrise.
02/20/2019 – Ephemeris – Theoretical all 5 bright planets are now visible
Ephemeris for Wednesday, February 20th. Today the Sun will be up for 10 hours and 42 minutes, setting at 6:18, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:34. The Moon, 1 day past full, will rise at 7:47 this evening.
Let’s look at the planets for this week. We have two evening planets visible now. Tiny and elusive Mercury should be visible low in the west for about a half hour after 7 p.m. It should be visible for a little over a week. Binoculars are a big help in spotting it. Mars will be in the southwestern sky this evening and will set at 11:46 p.m. In the morning sky we have Jupiter which will rise tomorrow at 3:32 a.m. It is second to Venus in brightness. Saturn will be next to rise at 5:22 a.m. It is just to the right of Venus which will rise at 5:29 a.m. tomorrow. In small telescopes Saturn will show its rings and Venus will show a small slightly gibbous moon shape which will shrink and grow more full over the next months
The times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Mars, Mercury and bright stars in twilight at 7 p.m. February 20, 2019. Created using Stellarium.
Morning planets and the Moon at 6:30 a.m. February 21, 2019. Click on the image to enlarge. created using Stellarium.
The waning gibbous Moon as it should appear tomorrow morning with binoculars. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter, Saturn and Venus with the same magnification at 6:30 a.m. tomorrow morning February 21, 2019. See the table of Jupiter moon events tomorrow morning. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
| Satellite | Event | Date | UT | EST | Notes |
| Ganymede | Occultation start | 21 Feb 2019 | 07:05:00 AM | 2:05 a.m. | Not visible from Michigan |
| Europa | Shadow start | 21 Feb 2019 | 08:36:00 AM | 3:36 a.m. | |
| Ganymede | Occultation end | 21 Feb 2019 | 09:15:00 AM | 4:15 a.m. | |
| Europa | Transit start | 21 Feb 2019 | 10:57:00 AM | 5:57 a.m. | |
| Europa | Shadow end | 21 Feb 2019 | 10:58:00 AM | 5:58 a.m. | |
| Io | Eclipse start | 21 Feb 2019 | 11:49:00 AM | 6:49 a.m. | |
| Europa | Transit end | 21 Feb 2019 | 01:21:00 PM | 8:27 a.m. | Not visible from Michigan |
Jupiter satellite events are from https://www.projectpluto.com/jevent.htm
Planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise of a single night starting with sunset on the right on February 20, 2019. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 21st. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using my LookingUp program.
12/19/2018 -Ephemeris – The Bright planets and a departing comet for this week
Ephemeris for Wednesday, December 19th. The Sun will rise at 8:15. It’ll be up for 8 hours and 48 minutes, setting at 5:04. The Moon, 3 days before full, will set at 5:34 tomorrow morning.
Let’s look at the bright planets for tonight. In the evening sky we have Mars still visible, but Saturn is lost in the bright twilight. It will pass conjunction with the Sun on New Years day. Mars will be due south at 6:19 p.m., and it will set at 12:08 a.m. Mars is moving eastward, crossing the constellation of Aquarius until the 21st, when it enters Pisces. Comet Wirtanen is moving northward, to the left of the Pleiades and fading as the moonlight gets brighter. On the 23rd at 9 p.m. it will be a degree and a half, that’s 3 moon widths below and a bit left of the star Capella. Venus, our brilliant morning star, will rise at 4:20 a.m. in the east-southeast. The planets Jupiter and Mercury will be low on the southeastern horizon by 7 a.m. tomorrow..
The times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addenda
Bright planets and the Moon
Mars, and the Moon at 8 p.m. tonight December 19, 2018. Click on image to enlarge. Created using Stellarium.
The waxing gibbous Moon as it should appear tonight in binoculars. Created using Stellarium.
Morning planets Venus, Mercury and Jupiter on December 20, 2018, 7 a.m.. Created using Stellarium.
Telescopic view of Venus tomorrow morning December 20, 2018. Created using Stellarium.
Planets, two comets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise of a single night starting with sunset on the right on December 19, 2018. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 20th. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using my LookingUp program.
Comets
Comet C/2018 V1 (Machholz-Fijikawa-Iwamoto) in twilight starting tonight December 19, 2018. This comet is basically invisible in the evening twilight of 6 p.m. on the rest of the nights because the stars in the field will set 4 minutes earlier each successive evening. The latest magnitude observed is two magnitudes brighter than shown here. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
Comet 46P/Wirtanen positions for the next week in a bright moonlit sky. Positions are marked with month-date and magnitude. The observations are about 5.5 magnitudes brighter than shown here. Star field position is for 9 p.m. on the 19th. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
12/12/2018 – Ephemeris – The bright planets and a comet this week
Ephemeris for Wednesday, December 12th. The Sun will rise at 8:10. It’ll be up for 8 hours and 51 minutes, setting at 5:02. The Moon, 3 days before first quarter, will set at 10:05 this evening.
Let’s look at the bright planets for tonight. In the evening sky we have Mars still visible, but Saturn is all but lost in the bright twilight, setting at 6:22 p.m. It will pass conjunction with the Sun on New Years day. Mars will be due south at 6:30 p.m., and it will set at 12:10 a.m. Mars is moving eastward, crossing the constellation of Aquarius until the 21st, when it enters Pisces. Comet Wirtanen is moving northward, to the right of the V of stars that’s the head of Taurus the bull, and should be an excellent binocular object. On the 15th and 16th it will pass to the left of the Pleiades or Seven Sisters. Venus, our brilliant morning star, will rise at 4:19 a.m. in the east-southeast. The elusive planet Mercury will be seen below and left of Venus after it rises at 6:20 a.m.
The times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addenda
Planets and the Moon
Mars, and Saturn over a Lake Michigan horizon seen at 5:45 p.m. tonight December 12, 2018. Created using Stellarium.
The waxing crescent Moon as it should appear tonight in binoculars. Created using Stellarium.
Morning planets Venus and Mercury. Jupiter is rising. December 13, 2018, 7:15 a.m.. Created using Stellarium.
Telescopic view of Venus tomorrow morning December 13, 2018. Created using Stellarium.
Planets, two comets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise of a single night starting with sunset on the right on December 12, 2018. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 13th. Click on the image to enlarge. Comet Wirtanen is very close to opposition and to the south, so it rises after sunset and sets before sunrise. Created using my LookingUp program.
Two comets
Comet C/2018 V1 (Machholz-Fijikawa-Iwamoto) in twilight starting tonight December 12, 2018. The comet won’t climb that dramatically at 6 p.m. on the rest of the nights because the stars in the field will set 4 minutes earlier each successive evening. The latest magnitude estimate of the comet on December 15 is 7.3, two magnitudes brighter than shown here. It is just about impossible to spot in twilight. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
Comet 46P/Wirtanen positions for the next week. Positions are marked with month-date and magnitude. The latest magnitude prediction for December 15th is 3.3, 5.5 magnitudes brighter than shown here. Star field position is for 9 p.m. on the 12th. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
08/29/2018 – Ephemeris –
Ephemeris for Wednesday, August 29th. The Sun will rise at 7:01. It’ll be up for 13 hours and 23 minutes, setting at 8:24. The Moon, 3 days past full, will rise at 10:13 this evening.
It’s our Wednesday look at the bright planets. Four of them are visible in the evening sky. The brilliant Venus will be visible in the western twilight from about 8:40 p.m. until it sets at 9:44 p.m. Jupiter will be in the southwest as it gets dark. It is only outshone by Venus, the Moon, and currently Mars. Jupiter will set at 11:05 p.m. Saturn will start the evening low in the southern sky and will stay relatively low, above the Teapot of Sagittarius. It will be due south at 9:21 p.m. and will set at 1:47 a.m.. Mars will be low in the southeast as the skies darken tonight. and is now 41.3 million miles (66.6 million km) away. It will set at 3:25 a.m. Mercury will rise in the east-northeast at 5:29 a.m. and be visible until about 6:40 tomorrow morning.
The times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The evening planets visible at 9 p.m., almost an hour after sunset. August 29th, 2018. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using Stellarium.
Venus, Jupiter, Saturn and Mars with the same magnification at 9 p.m. August 29, 2018. Mars is also shown enlarged. The global dust storm is abating, so the albedo features are beginning to be seen. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
Mercury seen at 6:15 a.m. August 30, 2018, about 45 minutes before sunrise. Bonus Orion appears without the possibility of frostbite. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using Stellarium.
The gibbous Moon as it should appear tomorrow morning. Created using Stellarium.
Planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise of a single night starting with sunset on the right on August 29, 2018. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 30th. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using my LookingUp program.
08/22/2018 – Ephemeris – All five bright planets visible now
Ephemeris for Wednesday, August 22nd. The Sun rises at 6:53. It’ll be up for 13 hours and 43 minutes, setting at 8:37. The Moon, half way from first quarter to full, will set at 4:00 tomorrow morning.
It’s Wednesday and time to look for and at the bright planets. Four of them are visible in the evening sky. The brilliant Venus will be visible in the western twilight from about 9 p.m. until it sets at 10:02 p.m. Jupiter will be in the southwest as it gets dark. It is only outshone by Venus, the Moon, and currently Mars. Jupiter will set at 11:30 p.m. Saturn will start the evening low in the southern sky and will stay relatively low, above the Teapot of Sagittarius. It will be due south at 9:49 p.m. and will set at 2:15 a.m.. Mars will be low in the southeast as the skies darken tonight. and is now 38.9 million miles (62.7 million km) away. It will set at 3:51 a.m. The fifth planet Mercury will rise at 5:27 a.m. tomorrow morning.
The times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The evening planets visible at 9:30 p.m., almost an hour after sunset. August 22nd, 2018. Also shown is the Moon. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using Stellarium.
Venus, Jupiter, Saturn and Mars with the same magnification at 9:30 p.m. August 22, 2018. Mars is also shown enlarged. The global dust storm is abating, so the albedo features are beginning to be seen. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
The gibbous Moon as it should appear tonight. Created using Stellarium. Stellarium.
Demonstration of the Moon’s gibbous phase with the Styrofoam moon ball we use for Project Astro held up to a light off frame to the right. The night side of the ball is illuminated a bit by the translucency of the ball, and the reflection off my hand. Note the roughness of the ball is visible only at the terminator.
My program about the Moon’s crescent phase aired last Thursday and a demonstration of it using a moonball is here.
Mercury seen at 6 a.m., about an hour before sunrise. A bonus, the constellation Orion appears without the possibility of frostbite. 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 August 22, 2018. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 23rd. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using my LookingUp program.
07/25/2018 – Ephemeris – The bright planets this week
Ephemeris for Wednesday, July 25th. The Sun rises at 6:21. It’ll be up for 14 hours and 55 minutes, setting at 9:16. The Moon, 2 days before full, will set at 5:13 tomorrow morning.
It’s Wednesday and time to look for and at the bright planets. Three of them are visible in the evening sky. The brilliant beacon of Venus will be visible in the western twilight from about 9:40 p.m. until it sets at 11:07 p.m. Mercury, is now too close to the Sun be seen. Jupiter will be in the south-southwest as it gets dark. It is only outshone by Venus, the Moon, and for a few weeks by Mars at its closest. Jupiter will set at 1:15 a.m. Saturn will start the evening low in the southeast and will stay relatively low, above the Teapot of Sagittarius. It will be due south at 11:45 p.m. and will set at 4:10 a.m.. Mars will rise at 9:49 p.m. and is now only 36.0 million miles (57.9 million km) away. It will reach opposition early Friday morning.
The times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Evening planets from Venus to Saturn plus Moon and the officially morning planet (for two more days) Mars at 10:30 p.m., July 25, 2018. Click on image to enlarge. Created using Stellarium.
The Moon as it might be seen in binoculars this evening. Created using Stellarium.
Venus, Jupiter, Saturn and Mars with the same magnification at 10:30 p.m. July 25, 2018.
Mars is also shown enlarged. It seems that the global dust storm may be abating according to one report I saw on Twitter. 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 25, 2018. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 26th. Mars, being close to opposition and very much south of the ecliptic is not in the sky at either sunrise or sunset, I showed a patch of sky with Mars in it in the morning that was below the horizon. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using my LookingUp program.
07/18/2018 – Ephemeris – Our weekly look at the bright planets
Ephemeris for Wednesday, July 18th. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 8 minutes, setting at 9:23, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:15. The Moon, 1 day before first quarter, will set at 1:01 tomorrow morning.
It’s Wednesday and time to look for and at the bright planets. Four of them are in the evening sky. The brilliant beacon of Venus will be visible in the western twilight from about 9:40 p.m. until it sets at 11:21 p.m. Mercury, is fading and is far below and right of Venus, setting at 10:18 p.m. Jupiter will be in the south as it gets dark. It is only outshone by Venus, the Moon, and for a few weeks by Mars at its closest. Jupiter will set at 1:42 a.m. Saturn will start the evening low in the southeast and will stay relatively low, above the Teapot of Sagittarius. It will be due south at 12:14 a.m. and will set at 4:40 a.m.. Mars will rise at 10:20 p.m. and is now only 36.8 million miles (59.2 million km) away, in telescopes it appear to be 23.7″ (seconds of arc) in diameter. It will be due south and at its highest in the sky at 2:35 a.m. at 21 degrees altitude.
The times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Evening planets from Mercury to Saturn and Moon at 9:50 p.m., July 18, 2018. Click on image to enlarge. Created using Stellarium.
Mars at its highest in the south with Saturn at 2:35 a.m. Click on image to enlarge. Created using Stellarium.
The moon as it might be seen in binoculars this evening. Created using Stellarium.
Telescopic view of Jupiter, Saturn and Mars at 11 p.m. on July 18. All at the same magnification. 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 18, 2018. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 19th. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using my LookingUp program.
07/11/2018 – Ephemeris – The bright planets for this week
Ephemeris for Wednesday, July 11th. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 20 minutes, setting at 9:28, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:08. The Moon, 1 day before new, will rise at 5:36 tomorrow morning.
It’s Wednesday and time to look for and at the bright planets. Four of them are in the evening sky. The brilliant beacon of Venus will be visible in the western twilight from about 9:50 p.m. until it sets at 11:33 p.m. Mercury, reaching its greatest separation from the Sun just after midnight, is far below and right of it, setting at 10:44 p.m. Jupiter will be in the south as it gets dark. Jupiter is only outshone by Venus and the Moon, though Mars will outshine it later this month at its closest. Jupiter will set at 2:09 a.m. Saturn will start the evening low in the southeast will stay relatively low, above the Teapot of Sagittarius and will set at 5:10 a.m.. Mars will rise at 10:46 p.m. and is now outshining Saturn.
The times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Venus and Mercury at 10 p.m. July 11, 2018. Created using Stellarium.
The evening planets except Mercury at 10:30 p.m. July 11, 2018. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using Stellarium.
Mars and Saturn in the morning at 4:30 a.m. July 12, 2018. Created using Stellarium.
Telescopic views of Venus, Jupiter and Saturn at 10:30 p.m. on July 11, and Mars at 4:30 a.m. on July 12. All images are at the same magnification. 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 11, 2018. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 12th. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using my LookingUp program.
07/04/2018 – Ephemeris – The bright planets for the week of Independence Day
Ephemeris for Independence Day, Wednesday, July 4th. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 28 minutes, setting at 9:31, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:03. The Moon, 2 days before last quarter, will rise at 1:13 tomorrow morning.
It’s Wednesday again and time to look for and at the bright planets. Four of them are in the evening sky. The brilliant beacon of Venus will be visible in the western twilight from about 9:50 p.m. until it sets at 11:42 p.m. Mercury is far below and right of it, setting at 10:57 p.m. Jupiter will be in the south as it gets dark. Jupiter is only outshone by Venus and the Moon, though Mars will outshine it next month at its closest. Jupiter will set at 2:37 a.m. Binoculars will show it to be bigger than star-like in size. Saturn will start the evening low in the southeast will stay relatively low, above the Teapot of Sagittarius and will set at 5:39 a.m.. Mars will rise at 11:17 p.m. and is now outshining Saturn.
The times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
All the evening planets for July 4, 2018 at 10:30 p.m. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using Stellarium.
Telescopic appearance of Venus on July, 4, 2018. A moon filter helps cut down the glare to be able to more easily see the phase. Created using Stellarium.
Telescopic views of Jupiter and Saturn at 10:30 p.m. on July 4, and Mars at 12 midnight on July 5, 2018 at the same magnification. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
Europa’s transit of the face of Jupiter starts at 1:55 a.m. July 5th. The Great Red Spot will cross the central meridian of Jupiter at 11:19 p.m.
Mars Saturn and the Moon at 5 a.m. July 5, 2018. 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 July 4, 2018. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 5th. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using my LookingUp program.
