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10/11/2017 – Ephemeris – Lets find the bright planets tonight
Ephemeris for Wednesday, October 11th. The Sun will rise at 7:53. It’ll be up for 11 hours and 11 minutes, setting at 7:04. The Moon, 1 day before last quarter, will rise at 11:59 this evening.
Let’s take our weekly look at the bright planets. Jupiter, for all intents and purposes is gone from the evening sky. It will cross into the morning sky later this month. Saturn too is sinking lower in the southwestern sky in the evening. Saturn’s rings are still spectacular in telescopes, but since Saturn is so low in the sky the turbulence of the thick atmosphere makes Saturn fuzzy and seemingly to go in and out of focus. Saturn will set at 10:17 p.m. In the morning sky, Mars will rise in the east at 5:38 a.m., ahead of Venus. In the week since their conjunction Mars has gained 20 minutes on Venus, which will rise at 5:58 in the east. Mars is less than 100th the brightness of Venus, so catch it early, before twilight overpowers it..
The times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Saturn and the constellations of the evening tonight at 8:30 p.m., October 11, 2017. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using Stellarium.
Saturn and its brightest moons overnight October 11/12, 2017. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
Venus, Mars and the Moon at 7 a.m. October 12, 2017. Created using Stellarium.
The Moon as it might be seen in binoculars, 7 a.m. October 12, 2017. Created using Stellarium.
Planets at sunset and sunrise of a single night starting with sunset on the right on October 11, 2017. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 12th. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using my LookingUp program.
09/27/2017 – Ephemeris – Where are the naked eye planets tonight
Ephemeris for Wednesday, September 27th. The Sun will rise at 7:35. It’ll be up for 11 hours and 54 minutes, setting at 7:29. The Moon, at first quarter today, will set at 12:16 tomorrow morning.
Let’s take our weekly look at the bright planets. Jupiter is really low in the west-southwest after sunset setting in bright twilight at 8:22 p.m. Saturn can be seen low in the southwest tonight. The reddish star Antares is below and right of Saturn before it sets at 9:50 p.m. Saturn’s rings are spectacular in telescopes. With the demise of the Cassini spacecraft orbiting Saturn for the last 13 years, there is no telescope closer to Saturn than yours. The planet will set at 11:09 p.m. In the morning sky, brilliant Venus will rise at 5:23 a.m. in the east-northeast. Much dimmer Mars will rise in the east-northeast at 5:46 a.m. Mars will brighten greatly as it approaches us in the next 10 months. Mercury is too close to the glare of the Sun to be spotted.
The times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Saturn and the Moon tonight at 9 p.m., September 27, 2017. Created using Stellarium.
Saturn and its brightest moons overnight September 27/28, 2017. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
The Moon as it might be seen in binoculars, 9 p.m. September 27, 2017. Created using Stellarium.
Venus and Mars close up at 6:30 a.m. September 27, 2017. Created using Stellarium.
Planets at sunset and sunrise of a single night starting with sunset on the right on September 27, 2017. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 28th. I’ve rotated the sunrise plot so the planet labels wouldn’t overlap. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using my LookingUp program.
09/20/2017 – Ephemeris – Looking for the bright planets
Ephemeris for Wednesday, September 20th. The Sun will rise at 7:27. It’ll be up for 12 hours and 15 minutes, setting at 7:43. The Moon is new today, and won’t be visible.
Let’s take our weekly look at the bright planets. Jupiter is really low in the west-southwest after sunset setting in twilight at 8:47 p.m. Saturn can be seen low in the southwest tonight. The reddish star Antares is below and right of Saturn before it sets at 10:18 p.m. Saturn’s rings are spectacular in telescopes. With the demise of the Cassini spacecraft orbiting Saturn for the last 13 years, there is no telescope closer to Saturn than yours. The planet will set at 11:35 p.m. In the morning sky, brilliant Venus will rise at 5:03 a.m. in the east-northeast. The first magnitude star Regulus in Leo the lion will be to the upper right of it. Dim Mars will rise in the east-northeast at 5:50 a.m. followed by the brighter Mercury which will rise at 6:12 a.m.
The times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The setting Jupiter and Saturn at 8:15 p.m., September 20, 2017. Created using Stellarium. Click on the image to enlarge.
Saturn and constellations in dark skies at 9 p.m. September 20, 2017. Created using Stellarium. Click on the image to enlarge.
Saturn and its brightest moons overnight September 20/21, 2017. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
Morning planets close up at 6:30 a.m. September 21, 2017. Created using Stellarium.
Planets at sunset and sunrise of a single night starting with sunset on the right on September 20, 2017. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 21st. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using my LookingUp program.
09/13/2017 – Ephemeris – Looking for the bright planets this week
Ephemeris for Wednesday, September 13th. The Sun will rise at 7:19. It’ll be up for 12 hours and 36 minutes, setting at 7:56. The Moon, at last quarter today, will rise at 1:05 tomorrow morning.
Let’s take our weekly look at the bright planets. Jupiter is sinking really low in the west-southwest setting before the end of twilight. Jupiter will set at 9:11 p.m. Saturn can be seen moving from the south-southwest to the southwest tonight. The reddish star Antares is below and right of Saturn. Saturn’s rings are spectacular in telescopes. The planet will set at midnight. In the morning sky, brilliant Venus will rise at 4:48 a.m. Mercury will rise at 5:46 and Mars will rise at 5:54 a.m.
The times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The setting Jupiter and Saturn at 8:30 p.m., September 13, 2017. Created using Stellarium. Click on image to enlarge.
Saturn and its brightest moons overnight September 13/14, 2017. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
Planets in the morning sky at 6:30 a.m. September 14, 2017. Created using Stellarium. Click on the image to enlarge.
Morning planets close up at 6:30 a.m. September 14, 2017. Created using Stellarium.
The fat crescent Moon as it might be seen in binoculars at 6:30 a.m. September 14, 2017. Created using Stellarium.
Planets at sunset and sunrise of a single night starting with sunset on the right on September 13, 2017. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 14th. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using my LookingUp program.
09/08/2017 – Ephemeris – Dance of the planets in the morning
Ephemeris for Friday, September 8th. The Sun will rise at 7:13. It’ll be up for 12 hours and 52 minutes, setting at 8:05. The Moon, 2 days past full, will rise at 9:39 this evening.
In clear skies after 6:15 or so in the morning two planets and a star can be spotted below Venus in the east. This may take binoculars to spot. Brightest of the two highest stars will be the planet Mercury, which will reach its greatest elongation from the Sun next Tuesday. The star Regulus is a bit to the left of it, and dimmer. Hardest of all to spot will be Mars, below, left of them. On the 16th Mercury and Mars will be in a very close conjunction, about one fifth of the Moon’s diameter apart. Mars, now is very far away, and is as dim as a Big Dipper star, which though bright, fares poorly in twilight. Next July when Mars is close to us, it will be brighter than Jupiter. The positions of Mercury, Regulus and Mars will change rapidly in the next week or so.
The times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Dance of the morning planets Mercury, Mars, Venus with the star Regulus at 6:30 a.m. (about 45 minutes before sunrise) on the mornings of September 9 through 17, 2017. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.
09/06/2017 – Ephemeris – A look at the bright planets known from antiquity
Wednesday, September 6th. The Sun will rise at 7:11. It’ll be up for 12 hours and 58 minutes, setting at 8:09. The Moon, at full today, will rise at 8:38 this evening.
Let’s take our weekly look at the bright planets. Jupiter is sinking really low in the west-southwest setting before the end of twilight. The bright blue-white star Spica, which pales in comparison to Jupiter, is seen below it dimly in the twilight. It will pass north of Spica on September 11th. Jupiter will set at 9:36 p.m. Saturn can be seen moving from the south-southwest to the southwest tonight. The reddish star Antares is below and right of Saturn. Saturn’s rings are spectacular in telescopes. The planet will set at 12:29 a.m. In the morning sky, brilliant Venus will rise at 4:31 a.m. and be visible until about 6:45 tomorrow morning. Mars and Mercury follow Venus up in the east rising just before 6 a.m.
The times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The setting Jupiter and Saturn near the Moon at 9 p.m., September 6, 2017. Created using Stellarium. Click on image to enlarge.
The moon as it might be seen in binoculars at 10 p.m.. Created using Stellarium.
Saturn and its brightest moons overnight September 6/7, 2017. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
Venus with Mercury and Mars at 6:30 a.m. September 7, 2017. Created using Stellarium.
A 3 day animation od Mercury, te star Regulus and Mars starting September 7, 2017 at 6:30 a.m. Created using Stellarium and GIMP. Click on image to enlarge.
On Friday I’ll have an animation that will take these planets further.
Planets at sunset and sunrise of a single night starting with sunset on the right on September 6, 2017. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 7th. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using my LookingUp program.
08/09/2017 – Ephemeris – Where are the bright planets tonight?
Ephemeris for Wednesday, August 9th. The Sun rises at 6:38. It’ll be up for 14 hours and 18 minutes, setting at 8:56. The Moon, 2 days past full, will rise at 10:06 this evening.
Let’s take our weekly look at the bright planets. Jupiter is sinking in the west-southwest as it gets dark in the evening. The bright blue-white star Spica, which pales in comparison to Jupiter, is seen left of it. In even the smallest telescopes Jupiter’s four largest moons can be seen. They shift positions from night to night. Jupiter will set at 11:15 p.m. Saturn can now be seen in the south as evening as twilight fades. The reddish star Antares is off to the right of Saturn. Saturn’s rings are spectacular in telescopes. It will set at 2:20 a.m. In the morning sky, brilliant Venus will rise at 3:38 a.m. and be visible until about 6 tomorrow morning. Mars and Mercury are now too close to the Sun for us to see.
The times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Jupiter and Saturn at 10 p.m. August 9, 2017. Jupiter is slowly approaching Saturn in our skies and will pass Saturn on December 21, 2020, and every 20 years for the rest of this century. Created using Stellarium. Click on the image to enlarge.
Jupiter and its moons at 10 p.m. August 9, 2017. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
Saturn and its brightest moons overnight August 9/10, 2017. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
The Moon and Venus at 5:30 a.m. August 10, 2017. Created using Stellarium.
The Moon as it might be seen in binoculars at 5:30 p.m. August 10, 2017. Created using Stellarium.
Venus in a telescope on the morning of August 10, 2017. It is greatly enlarged here to show its phase. Created using Stellarium.
Planets at sunset and sunrise of a single night starting with sunset on the right on August 9, 2017. The night ends on the left with sunrise on August 10. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using my LookingUp program.
05/17/2017 – Ephemeris – Let’s look at the bright planets for this week
Ephemeris for Wednesday, May 17th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 54 minutes, setting at 9:06, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:11. The Moon, 1 day before last quarter, will rise at 2:20 tomorrow morning.
Let’s take our weekly look at the bright planets. Mars is still in the west-northwest after sunset and fading. It appears under the left edge of the constellation Auriga. It will set at 10:54 p.m. Dominating the evening sky now is Jupiter in the south-southeast. The bright blue-white star Spica is seen below and left of it. In even the smallest telescopes Jupiter’s four largest moons can be seen. They shift positions night from to night and sometimes even as you watch. Jupiter will set at 4:42 a.m. At 5:30 a.m. both Saturn and Venus will be in the morning twilight. Saturn will be low in the south-southwest. It will rise in the east-southeast at 11:14 p.m. Brilliant Venus will be low in the east tomorrow morning after rising at 4:27 a.m.
For us Mercury, at greatest western elongation of 25.8°will be on the horizon at 5:30, but those south of the equator it will be well placed for viewing in the morning.
The times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Mars and Jupiter with the spring constellations in the fading twilight at 10 p.m., May 17, 2017. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter and its four Galilean moons as they might be seen in a telescope at 10 p.,. May 17, 2017. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
Venus, Saturn and the Moon at 5:30 a.m. May 18, 2017. Created using Stellarium. Click on the image to expand.
Saturn and its brightest moons at 5:30 a.m. May 18, 2017. This is displayed at the same scale/magnification as the Jupiter image above. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
The Moon as it might be seen in binoculars at 5:30 a.m., May 18, 2017. Created using Stellarium.
Venus as seen through a telescope at 5:30 a.m. May 18, 2017. This is displayed at a larger scale/magnification than the Jupiter and Saturn images above. Created using Stellarium.
Planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise of a single night starting with sunset on the right on May 17, 2017. The night ends on the left with sunrise on May 18. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using my LookingUp program.
05/03/2017 – Ephemeris – First look at the bright planets for May
Ephemeris for Wednesday, May 3rd. The Sun rises at 6:29. It’ll be up for 14 hours and 20 minutes, setting at 8:49. The Moon, 1 day past first quarter, will set at 3:43 tomorrow morning.
Let’s take our weekly look at the bright planets. Mars is still in the west after sunset and fading. It’s approaching the star Aldebaran in Taurus now. It will set at 11:01 p.m. Not quite dominating the evening sky now due to the Moon is Jupiter in the southeast. It’s seen above the bright blue-white star Spica. In even the smallest telescopes Jupiter’s four largest moons can be seen. They shift positions night to night and even as you watch. Tonight early in the evening all 4 bright moons can be seen, but the one closest to Jupiter will disappear behind the planet at 10:11 p.m. It will reappear on the other side at 12:48 a.m. Jupiter will set at 5:36 a.m. At 6 a.m. both Saturn and Venus will be in the morning twilight. At 6 a.m. Saturn will appear to be a bit to the west of south compass point. It will rise in the east-southeast at 12:13 a.m. tomorrow. Venus will be low in the east at 6 a.m. tomorrow morning after rising at 4:52.
The times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Mars in the west with bright stars at 10 p.m. May 3, 2017. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter above Spica and the Moon with the bright stars 10 p.m. May 3, 2017. Created using Stellarium.
The Moon as it might be seen in binoculars at 10 p.m. May 3, 2016. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter and its moons at 10 p.m. May 3, 2017. The moon Io here is about to be occulted, that is pass behind Jupiter, which it will do at 10:11 p.m. (2:11 UT the 4th) It will reappear at 12:58 a.m. (4:58 UT). Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
Saturn and Venus at 6 a.m. May 4, 2017 in morning twilight. Created using Stellarium.
Saturn and its moons at 6 a.m. May 4, 2017. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
Venus as seen in a telescope at 6 a.m., May 4, 2017. Magnified much more than the other planet images seen here. Created using Stellarium.
Planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise of a single night starting with sunset on the right on May 3, 2017. The night ends on the left with sunrise on May 4. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using my LookingUp program.
04/05/2017 – Ephemeris – It’s Wednesday, do you know where your bright planets are?
Ephemeris for Wednesday, April 5th. The Sun will rise at 7:15. It’ll be up for 12 hours and 59 minutes, setting at 8:15. The Moon, 2 days past first quarter, will set at 5:04 tomorrow morning.
In the evening twilit sky tonight will feature the elusive planet Mercury. This tiny planet might be seen to the upper right of the Sun’s setting point starting about 9 p.m. It will set at 9:55 p.m. Mercury is getting rapidly fainter because it’s now exhibiting a diminishing crescent to us. It takes a good telescope and very steady skies to spot Mercury’s phase. Mars is still hanging on, in the west above and left of Mercury, and will set at 11:09 p.m. Jupiter will rise about sunset a half hour before the star Spica, which it will be seen to hang out with this year. Jupiter will be still seen in the morning sky low in the southwest at 6 a.m. Saturn then is in the south above the Teapot figure of Sagittarius. It will rise at 2:06 a.m. in the east-southeast.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Mercury and Mars low in the west at 9 p.m. April 5, 2017. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter and the Moon at 9:30 p.m. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter and its moons as they might be seen in a telescope at 11 p.m. April 5, 2017. It is usually best to let planets rise a bit to minimize the atmospheric effects on the image. Created using Cartes du Ciel.
The Moon as it might be seen in binoculars at 9:30 p.m. April 5, 2016. Note the prominent crater Copernicus emerging into sunlight on the left of the Moon. Created using Stellarium.
If you’d like to check out the Moon in a telescope tonight, check out this posting : https://bobmoler.wordpress.com/2014/03/10/03102014-ephemeris-observibg-the-moon-tonight-and-the-crater-copernicus/
The planets visible at 6 a.m. April 6, 2017 Venus is just below the eastern horizon at this hour. Created using Stellarium.
Saturn and its moons at 6 a.m. April 6th, 2017. 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 April 5, 2017. The night ends on the left with sunrise on April 6. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using my LookingUp program.
A comet dramatically brightens
Here is the track for Comet 2017 E4 Lovejoy. This comet was expected to be 14th magnitude, but it’s brightness shot up to around 6.5, within range of binoculars. I’m only plotting 10 days. It should be brightest about mid-month, but is poorly placed for observation, plus we’re fighting a bright Moon. The curved horizontal line near the bottom is the Horizon on April 4, 2017. Created using Cartes du Ciel.
Universe today has lots more on the new Comet Lovejoy here: https://www.universetoday.com/134848/surprise-comet-e4-lovejoy-brightens/
Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog 