Archive
05/15/2015 – Ephemeris – The Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will be at the NMC Barbecue Sunday
Ephemeris for Friday, May 15th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 49 minutes, setting at 9:04. The Moon, 3 days before new, will rise at 5:27 tomorrow morning. Tomorrow the Sun will rise at 6:13.
The Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will participate in the Northwestern Michigan College Barbecue. The society will be in front of and inside the Health and Science Building, viewing the Sun outside and inside with displays and a program about meteorites. In the evening sky, Venus is getting to be an interesting sight in telescopes. It is still way too bright, so the earlier it can be spotted the better. Magnification helps with the brightness, but as Venus sinks in the sky its image will deteriorate, undulate with the upper air currents and develop color fringes due to the prismatic effects of the thick atmosphere down low. Venus will continue to grow larger, and its phase gets thinner until it’s too close to the Sun to spot.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Observing the sun through GTAS members telescopes at the NMC Barbecue in 2012. Credit; Eileen Carlisle.
Astronomical photographs line the walls and tables of a classroom plus a series of astronomy videos are displayed at the NMC Barbecue. Credit: Eileen Carlisle.
04/03/2015 – Ephemeris – Learn about meteorites tonight
Ephemeris for Good Friday, Friday, April 3rd. The Sun will rise at 7:20. It’ll be up for 12 hours and 52 minutes, setting at 8:12. The Moon, 1 day before full, will set at 7:24 tomorrow morning.
Meteorites will be the topic given by Joe Brooks local meteorite expert and collector at this evening’s meeting of the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society at 8 p.m. at Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory. He even has a meteorite that’s pretty much been proven to be from the asteroid Vesta. Today we are all too aware that stones and even bigger asteroids can collide with the earth. Everyone is welcome. Also at 9 p.m. there will be a star party at the observatory. The observatory is located south of Traverse City on Birmley Road between Garfield and Keystone roads. Remember also the partial lunar eclipse tomorrow morning starting at 6:15 a.m. The society and the observatory will not hold an event for it.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
If you missed yesterday’s post about tomorrow morning’s lunar eclipse, click here.
03/30/2015 – Ephemeris – The importance of meteorites and asteroids
Ephemeris for Monday, March 30th. The Sun will rise at 7:27. It’ll be up for 12 hours and 39 minutes, setting at 8:07. The Moon, 3 days past first quarter, will set at 5:33 tomorrow morning.
On Friday the 3rd Joe Brooks will be giving a talk at the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society on meteorites. That will be at 8 p.m. at Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory. NASA has the Dawn spacecraft now settling into orbit of the largest asteroid Ceres. It is the asteroid belt that is the source of meteorites. Meteorites are either pieces of destroyed protoplanets due to collisions in the asteroid belt or primitive objects like carbonaceous chondrites pristine that date back to 4.567 billion years ago, the formation of the solar system. Meteorites tend to be contaminated by the environment. That’s why samples of asteroids will be so valuable for planetary defense and understanding the origin of the solar system.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Looking back at Vesta as Dawn headed off to Ceres. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCAL/MPS/DLR/IDA
The bright spot is two. Picture taken February 19, 2015 from 29,000 miles (46,700 km). Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA.
04/06/2012 – Ephemeris – Meteorites and a Star Party this weekend
Ephemeris for Good Friday, Friday, April 6th. The sun will rise at 7:13. It’ll be up for 13 hours and 3 minutes, setting at 8:16. The moon, at full today, will rise at 8:38 this evening.
The Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will meet tonight at 8 p.m. at the Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory. Following will be a public star party featuring the moon, Venus, Jupiter, Mars and Saturn. This year the first viewing night of the month will come at the end of the society meeting at 9 o’clock. Come for both. From April to September there will be a second star party at the observatory, plus other star parties and other events in the area. The presenter for the meeting tonight will be member Joe Brooks. He will bring his extensive meteorite collection and talk about them and where they come from. The observatory is located on Birmley Road between Keystone and Garfield roads.
* Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
07//01/11 – Ephemeris – Meteorite program at the GTAS
Friday, July 1st. Today the sun will be up for 15 hours and 30 minutes, setting at 9:31. The moon is new today, and won’t be visible. | Tomorrow the sun will rise at 6:01.
Those fascinating bits of rock and metal that fall from the sky, called meteorites will be the subject tonight as the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society holds its monthly meeting at Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory starting at 8 p.m. Society member Joe Brooks has a collection of these celestial visitors, and has visited area schools with his collection. Meteorites, for the most part, come from the asteroid belt, bits of a planet that was destroyed or never quite formed due to Jupiter’s disruptive gravitational influence. He has one that may be part of the asteroid Vesta that the Dawn Spacecraft is visiting this month. The observatory is located south of Traverse City, on Birmley Road between Keystone and Garfield roads.
* Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
06/03/11 – Ephemeris – Local meteorite program tonight
Friday, June 3rd. Today the sun will be up for 15 hours and 22 minutes, setting at 9:21. The moon, 2 days past new, will set at 11:07 this evening. Tomorrow the sun will rise at 5:59.
Those fascinating bits of rock and metal that fall from the sky, called meteorites will be the subject tonight as the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society holds its monthly meeting at Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory starting at 8 p.m. Society member Joe Brooks has a collection of these celestial visitors, and has visited area schools with his collection. Meteorites, for the most part, come from the asteroid belt, bits of a planet that was destroyed or never quite formed due to Jupiter’s disruptive gravitational influence. He has one that may be part of the asteroid Vesta that the Dawn Spacecraft will visit this summer. The observatory is located south of Traverse City, on Birmley Road between Keystone and Garfield roads.
* Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog 