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05/24/2023 – Ephemeris – Let’s find where the naked-eye planets have wandered off to this week
This is Ephemeris for Wednesday, May 24th. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 7 minutes, setting at 9:13, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:05. The Moon, 3 days before first quarter, will set at 1:59 tomorrow morning.
Let’s find where the naked-eye planets have wandered off to this week. Venus is our blazing Evening Star, seen in the west all evening. It will set after midnight. The red planet Mars will appear below the Moon tonight. It has moved into Cancer, and is seen above and left of Venus by 14 degrees, or one and a half times the width of one’s fist held at arm’s length. Venus is closing the gap between them, but will never quite reach Mars while they are in the evening sky. The closest they will get is three and a half degrees or 7 moon diameters apart, before Venus pulls back toward the Sun faster than Mars will. In the morning, Saturn will be visible and low in the southeast at 5 am, rising at 2:47 am. Jupiter makes its morning appearance and is very low in the east-northeast at that hour.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT –4 hours). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Evening planets and the Moon at 10 pm tonight, May 24, 2023. Created using Stellarium, LibreOffice Draw and GIMP.
5 day old Moon with selected features labeled for May 24, 2023, at 10 pm. Created using Stellarium, LibreOffice and GIMP.
Saturn and Jupiter in early morning twilight at 5:00 am tomorrow, May 25, 2023. Created using Stellarium.
Telescopic Venus, Saturn and Jupiter (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope, with the same magnification. Apparent diameters: Venus 21.03″ and is 55.4% illuminated; Saturn 16.96″, its rings 39.52″; Jupiter 34.07″. Mars, too small to be represented here, is 4.81″ in diameter. The ” symbol means seconds of arc (1/3600th of a degree.) Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
The naked-eye planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise on a single night, starting with sunset on the right on May 24, 2023. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 25th. Click or tap on the image to enlarge it. Created using my LookingUp app and GIMP.
05/19/2023 – Ephemeris – It’s new moon, why is there no solar eclipse today?
This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Friday, May 19th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 58 minutes, setting at 9:08, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:09. The Moon is new today, and won’t be visible.
We are five months from witnessing a solar eclipse. That’s five lunar months, of approximately 29 and a half days. Solar eclipses can only happen at new moon, when the Moon is in the same direction as the Sun. Today, at 11:53 am, the instant of new moon, the Moon will be about two and a half of its diameters north of the Sun, so it won’t create a solar eclipse for us in Northern Michigan, or for any other place on the Earth for that matter. For locations south of Michigan, that Moon will appear somewhat farther from the Sun. For locations north of us, the Moon will appear closer to the Sun. But nobody will get a solar eclipse today. We will have to wait for the new moon of October 14th to see an eclipse of the Sun.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT –4 hours). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The orbit of the Moon is tilted by about 5 degrees from the orbital plane of the Earth, so there’s a solar eclipse visible somewhere on the planet one out of six new moons on average. If our moon orbited near the earth’s equator like most major moons of their planet, eclipses would be much rarer than they are now, and only occur around the spring or autumn equinoxes. That’s because the Moon’s orbit would be tilted, on average, of 23½ degrees to Earth’s orbital plane.
The new moon’s position north of the Sun at 11:53 am EDT. The yellow line is the ecliptic, which is the path of the Sun against the stars, or Earth’s orbital plane projected on the sky. If one could see the stars in the daytime, the Sun and Moon are below the Pleiades star cluster, which will make their first appearance in the evening sky this fall. While 11:53 am is only 7 minutes from noon EDT, for our location, local apparent solar noon, when the Sun is actually due south, isn’t until 1:39 pm. Our Eastern Daylight Saving Time meridian is off the coast of the US in the Atlantic Ocean at longitude 60 degrees west. We are located between 85 and 86 degrees west. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
05/17/2023 – Ephemeris – Let’s find where the naked-eye planets have wandered off to this week
This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Wednesday, May 17th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 53 minutes, setting at 9:06, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:11. The Moon, 2 days before new, will rise at 5:30 tomorrow morning.
Let’s find where the naked-eye planets have wandered off to this week. Venus is our blazing Evening Star, seen in the west all evening. It will set after midnight. The red planet Mars has moved into Cancer, left of the namesake stars of the Gemini twins, with Pollux closest to Mars and Castor farther right. Mars is above and left of Venus by 18 degrees, or a bit less than two times the width of one’s fist held at arm’s length. Venus is closing the gap between them, but will never quite reach Mars while they are in the evening sky. The closest they will get is three and a half degrees or 7 moon diameters apart, before Venus pulls back toward the Sun faster than Mars will. In the morning, Saturn will be visible, low in the east-southeast by 5 am, rising at 3:18 am. This morning, the Moon is covering or occulting Jupiter. Daylight is making this a telescopic event.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT –4 hours). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Evening planets with the stars at 10 pm tonight, May 17, 2023. Created using Stellarium and LibreOffice Draw.
Saturn in morning twilight at 5:30 am tomorrow, May 18, 2023. Created using Stellarium.
Telescopic Venus and Saturn (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope, with the same magnification. Apparent diameters: Venus 19.65″ and is 58.9% illuminated; Saturn 16.77″, its rings 39.05″. Mars, too small to be represented here, is 4.96″ in diameter. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
The naked-eye planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise on a single night, starting with sunset on the right on May 17, 2023. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 18th. Click or tap on the image to enlarge it. Created using my LookingUp app and GIMP.
05/10/2023 – Ephemeris – Let’s find where the naked-eye planets have wandered off to this week
This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Wednesday, May 10th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 37 minutes, setting at 8:58, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:19. The Moon, 2 days before last quarter, will rise at 2:42 tomorrow morning.
Let’s find where the naked-eye planets have wandered off to this week. Venus is our blazing Evening Star, seen in the west all evening. It will set after midnight. The red planet Mars is in Gemini, left and a bit below Pollux, the leftmost of the namesake stars of the twins, with Castor on the right. Mars is above and left of Venus. By 20 degrees, or two times the width of one’s fist held at arm’s length. Venus is closing the gap between them, but will never quite reach Mars while they are in the evening sky. The closest they will get is three and a half degrees or 7 moon diameters apart, before Venus pulls back toward the Sun faster than Mars will. In the morning, Saturn will be visible and low in the east-southeast by 5 am, rising at 3:37 am. Both Jupiter and Mercury are too close to the direction of the Sun to be seen.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT –4 hours). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Venus and Mars among the setting winter stars at 10 pm tonight, May 10, 2023. Created using Stellarium, LibreOffice Draw and GIMP.
Saturn and the Moon in the morning sky at 5:30 am. Note the Sagittarius’ Teapot asterism on the right. Created using Stellarium.
Waning gibbous Moon animation with selected features labeled. Labels are centered on their feature. Created using Stellarium, LibreOffice, and GIMP.
Telescopic Venus and Saturn (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope, with the same magnification tonight, the night of May 10/11, 2023. Apparent diameters: Venus 18.45″ and is 62.1% illuminated; Saturn 16.58″, its rings 38.61″. Mars, too small to be represented here, is 5.12″ in diameter. Both Venus and Saturn are getting larger as they approach us. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
The naked-eye planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise on a single night, starting with sunset on the right on May 10, 2023. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 11th. Click or tap on the image to enlarge it. Created using my LookingUp app and GIMP.
05/03/2023 – Ephemeris – Let’s find where the naked-eye planets have wandered off to this week
This is Ephemeris for Wednesday, May 3rd. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 19 minutes, setting at 8:49, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:28. The Moon, 2 days before full, will set at 5:56 tomorrow morning.
Let’s find where the naked-eye planets have wandered off to this week. Venus is our blazing Evening Star, seen in the west all evening. It will set after midnight. The red planet Mars is in Gemini, below Pollux, left of Castor, the namesake stars of the twins. Mars is above and left of Venus by 24 degrees, or almost two and a half times the width of one’s fist held at arm’s length. Venus is closing the gap between them, but will never quite reach Mars while they are in the evening sky. The closest they will get is three and a half degrees or 7 moon diameters apart, before Venus pulls back toward the Sun faster than Mars will. Saturn, low in the southeast by 6 am, is emerging from morning twilight, rising at 4:07 am. Both Jupiter and Mercury are too close to the direction of the Sun to be seen.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT –4 hours). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Venus and Mars among the setting winter stars tonight, at 10 pm, May 3rd, 2023. Click or tap on the image to enlarge it. Created using Stellarium, Libreoffice Draw and GIMP.
Moon 2 days before full, annotated for 10 pm, May 3, 2023. Created using Stellarium, LibreOffice Draw, and GIMP.
Telescopic Venus and Saturn (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope, with the same magnification. Apparent diameters: Venus 17.43″ and is 65.2% illuminated; Saturn 16.39″, its rings 38.19″. Mars, too small to be represented here, is 5.30″ in diameter. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
The naked-eye planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise on a single night, starting with sunset on the right on May 3, 2023. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 4th. Click or tap on the image to enlarge it. Created using my LookingUp app and GIMP.
04/28/2023 – Ephemeris – International Astronomy Day is tomorrow
This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Arbor Day, Friday, April 28th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 6 minutes, setting at 8:43, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:36. The Moon, 1 day past first quarter, will set at 4:23 tomorrow morning.
Tomorrow is International Astronomy Day. The Grand Traverse Astronomical Society (GTAS) will celebrate the event with a Sun and Star Party at the Dune Climb area of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. There will be a solar viewing period from 6 pm to about 7:30 pm or so, when the Sun will set over the dune. The society has two hydrogen alpha solar telescopes, and members have another two, to view the Sun’s chromosphere and prominences. Plus, other members have white light filtered telescopes to view sunspots on the face of the Sun. Night viewing will start at 9 pm with the Moon and Venus featured, along with the brighter telescopic wonders of spring. But only if the skies are clear or mostly clear.
The next GTAS event at the Sleeping Bear Dunes will be Saturday, May 27th, with a program like this Saturday’s. What we call a Sun ‘n Star Party.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EST, UT –4 hours). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The Moon for Astronomy Day, 2023, two days after first quarter or 9 days old. Some of the more prominent features labeled. Created using Virtual Moon Atlas, GIMP and LibreOffice Draw.
04/27/2023 – Ephemeris – Astronomy Day is this Saturday, April 29, 2023
This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Thursday, April 27th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 3 minutes, setting at 8:42, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:37. The Moon, at first quarter today, will set at 3:59 tomorrow morning.
It is the latter part of April or first part of May that the spring celebration of International Astronomy Day occurs. It’s generally the Saturday closest to first quarter moon. That puts it to this Saturday, two days hence. This year, the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will celebrate the event with a Sun and Star Party at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, more specifically at the Dune Climb. More on the schedule tomorrow, but only if weather permits. The time around first quarter is the best time to view the Moon, if you aren’t out to view a specific lunar feature. The rugged highlands to the south and the smooth maria or seas to the north are seen at their best near the sunrise line, we call the terminator, due to the long shadows that are cast.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EST, UT –4 hours). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The Moon for Astronomy Day, 2023, two days after first quarter or 9 days old. Some of the more prominent features labeled. Created using Virtual Moon Atlas, GIMP and LibreOffice Draw.
Translations of some lunar feature names according to Virtual Moon Atlas
Lacus Somniorum – Lake of Dreams
Mare Crisium – Sea of Crises
Mare Frigoris – Sea of Cold
Mare Humorum – Sea of Moisture
Mare Imbrium – Sea of Showers
Mare Nubium – Sea of Clouds
Mare Serenitatis – Sea of Serenity
Mare Tranquillitatis – Sea of Tranquility
Mare Vaporum – Sea of Vapors
Montes Alpes – Alps Mountains
Montes Apenninus – Apennines Mountains
Oceanus Procellarum – Ocean of Storms
Sinus Asperitatis – Golfe des Asperites
Sinus Iridium – Bay of Rainbows
Sinus Medii – Central Bay
02/08/2023 – Ephemeris – Let’s find where the naked-eye planets have wandered off to this week
This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Wednesday, February 8th. Today the Sun will be up for 10 hours and 7 minutes, setting at 6:01, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:52. The Moon, 3 days past full, will rise at 9:02 this evening.
Let’s find where the naked-eye planets have wandered off to this week. Very early after sunset, Venus can be spotted low in the southwest by 6:30 pm. Mars, and Jupiter will be visible this evening by 7 pm. Mars will be above Orion in the southeast and is pulling away from the Pleiades. Jupiter will be in the southwest. Saturn is way below Venus now, so it’s gone until it reappears in the morning sky in a few months. It will make the crossing to the morning sky with its solar conjunction on the 16th. Jupiter will cross paths with Venus on March 1st. Mercury is now in the morning sky, but too close to the Sun to be visible.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EST, UT –5 hours). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The naked-eye planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise on a single night, starting with sunset on the right on February 8, 2023. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 9th. Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using my LookingUp app and GIMP.
01/25/2023 – Ephemeris – Let’s see where the naked-eye planets have wandered off to this week
This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Wednesday, January 25th. Today the Sun will be up for 9 hours and 32 minutes, setting at 5:41, and it will rise tomorrow at 8:08. The Moon, 3 days before first quarter, will set at 10:42 this evening.
Let’s see where the naked-eye planets have wandered off to this week. Very early after sunset, Venus might be spotted very low in the southwest by a little past 6 pm. Mars, and Jupiter will be visible this evening, in the east to southwestern sky by 6:30 or 7 pm. Mars will be above Orion in the east-southeast and is pulling away from the Pleiades. Jupiter is brighter than Mars, and will be in the south-southwest, and tonight it’s directly above the crescent Moon. Saturn is below Venus now, so it’s pretty much gone until it reappears in the morning sky in a few months. Mercury is now in the morning sky, after it passed inferior conjunction with the Sun on the 7th, that is, it passed between the Earth and the Sun. It should be briefly visible before sunrise by month’s end.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EST, UT –5 hours). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
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01/18/2023 – Ephemeris – Let’s see where the naked-eye planets have wandered off to this week
This is Ephemeris for Wednesday, January 18th. Today the Sun will be up for 9 hours and 17 minutes, setting at 5:32, and it will rise tomorrow at 8:14. The Moon, 3 days before new, will rise at 6:28 tomorrow morning.
Let’s see where the naked-eye planets have wandered off to this week. Very early after sunset, Venus might be spotted very low in the southwest by 6 pm. Mars, Jupiter and Saturn will be visible this evening, in the east to southwestern sky by 6:30 or 7 pm. Mars will be above Orion in the east-southeast and near the Pleiades. Jupiter is the brightest of the three and will be in the south-southwest., while dimmer Saturn will be very low in the southwest at that time. Saturn, the westernmost of these bright planets, will set around 7:42 this evening. It’s a bit above and left of Venus. Mercury is now in the morning sky, after it passed inferior conjunction with the Sun on the 7th, that is, it passed between the Earth and the Sun. It should be briefly visible before sunrise by month’s end.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EST, UT –5 hours). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Venus and Saturn low in the southwest at 6:15 pm tonight, January 18, 2023. Saturn will probably not be visible yet, but Venus should be plenty bright enough. Created using Stellarium.
All the evening planets before Venus sets are in this panorama looking southward from east to west at 7:15 tonight, January 18, 2023. I dropped lines from some of the dimmer constellations. Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using Stellarium.
Telescopic views of Saturn Jupiter and Mars (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope, with the same magnification. The image of Mars doesn’t show it, but the white north polar cap will appear at the top or north limb of Mars. The planets are shown at 7 pm tonight, January 18, 2023. Apparent diameters: Venus 10.77″ and is 93.5% illuminated; Saturn 15.52″, its rings 36.16″; Jupiter 37.32″. Mars 12.25″. Mars’ distance is71.6 million miles (114.4 million kilometers). The ” symbol means seconds of arc (1/3600th of a degree.) Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
The naked-eye planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise on a single night, starting with sunset on the right on January 18, 2023. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 19th. Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using my LookingUp app and GIMP.
Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog 