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10/29/2014 – Ephemeris – A last look at the bright planets for October
Ephemeris for Wednesday, October 29th. The sun will rise at 8:16. It’ll be up for 10 hours and 19 minutes, setting at 6:35. The moon, 1 day before first quarter, will set at 11:41 this evening.
Tonight Mars will be low in the southwest at 8 p.m. below and right of the Moon in the constellation of Sagittarius, and will set at 9:35 p.m. The sky will stay devoid of bright planets until Jupiter rises at 1:33 a.m. Jupiter is visible this morning in twilight in the south-southeast along with the brighter stars of winter, a preview of colder evenings to come. The planet Mercury makes its autumn morning appearance for the next week or so, rising in the east-southeast at 6:38. By 7:20 or so it should be visible low in the sky. It’s greatest western elongation will be this Saturday, and it will pass perihelion, its closest to the Sun, this Sunday, so despite its greatest elongation, it’s less than a 19 degree angle from the Sun.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Ephemeris
Mars, the Moon and the setting stars of summer at 8 p.m. on October 29, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
The Moon as it would appear in binoculars at 8 p.m. October 29, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
The morning planets and constellations at 7:30 a.m. October 30, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter and its moons as seen in a telescope at 7:30 a.m. October 30, 2014. Io is behind Jupiter. Created using Stellarium.
10/02/2014 – Ephemeris – The gibbous Moon tonight
Ephemeris for Thursday, October 2nd. The sun will rise at 7:41. It’ll be up for 11 hours and 39 minutes, setting at 7:21. The moon, 1 day past first quarter, will set at 1:50 tomorrow morning.
Tonight the moon will be featuring some of my favorite lunar landmarks, and if you spend any time looking at the moon with a small telescope, they become yours. The place to look is at the terminator, the sunrise line on the moon. In the north not far from the terminator is the walled plain called Plato. A bit farther away is a gash in the lunar Alps mountains caller the Alpine Valley. Near the center of the terminator and split by it is the fabulous crater Copernicus with a triple central peak which should poke into sunlight. Near the south pole is the large crater Clavius with an arc of decreasingly smaller craterlets on its floor. A bit north of that is the crater Tycho, which is more prominent when the moon is full than it is now.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The gibbous Moon one day after first quarter at 9 p.m. October 2, 2014. Created using Virtual Moon Atlas.
10/01/2014 – Ephemeris – Let’s start off the month with a look at the bright planets
Ephemeris for Wednesday, October 1st. The sun will rise at 7:40. It’ll be up for 11 hours and 42 minutes, setting at 7:23. The moon, at first quarter today, will set at 12:43 tomorrow morning.
Let’s check out the bright planets for this week. Mars and Saturn are in the southwestern sky at 8:30 p.m. with Mars above the equally bright and red star Antares with Saturn a ways right of them and as high in the sky as Antares. Saturn will set at 9:16 p.m. Mars is in the constellation of Ophiuchus as astronomers draw constellation boundaries, though it looks to be in Scorpius. Mars will set at 10:04. In the morning sky brilliant Jupiter will rise in the east-northeast at 3:02 a.m. Venus will rise about a half hour before the sun, so it will not be visible. On the 25th of this month Venus will be in superior conjunction with the sun, that is it will move behind the sun, and will then enter the evening sky.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Saturn and Mars with the evening constellations, showing constellation boundaries in red at 8:30 p.m. on October 1, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
Saturn through a telescope. Of the satellites only Titan should be visible with Saturn so low in the sky at 8:30 p.m. Created using Stellarium.
The first quarter Moon tonight at 8:30 p.m. with some interesting locations. Created using Virtual Moon Atlas.
Points of interest on the moon tonight:
- Alpine Valley – This is a fault valley some 79 miles (130 km) long and 7 miles (11 km) wide through the lunar Alps.
- Straight Wall – This is a fault that runs north-south on the moon and is only seen either one day after first quarter or one day after last quarter. It is 67 miles (110 km) long and 900 feet (300 meters) high. But instead of being a wall, it has only a 7 degree slope, which explains its brief appearance. Tonight it will cast a shadow. One day after last quarter the sun will shine directly on the slope, which is covered by lighter material and will show as a bright line.
Jupiter and the winter stars at 6:30 a.m. on October 2, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter and its satellites as seen through a telescope at 6:30 a.m. October 2, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
09/29/2014 – Ephemeris – The Moon, Mars and Antares will line up tonight
Ephemeris for Monday, September 29th. The sun will rise at 7:37. It’ll be up for 11 hours and 48 minutes, setting at 7:26. The moon, 2 days before first quarter, will set at 10:49 this evening.
Tonight we’ll still have Mars hanging around the star Antares. However we’ll have the Moon joining the party. The three will nearly be in line at 9 p.m. with the fat crescent Moon on top, Mars below it and Antares below Mars. They will be in a straighter line but the Sun out makes them impossible to see. With binoculars or a small telescope the lunar seas visible, kind of in order from the Moon’s sunlit edge are Crises, Fertility, Nectar, Tranquility and half of Serenity. If you’re looking for the Man in the Moon, you’ll have to wait until the Moon is nearly full to completely discern his face. However most of the upside down rabbit is visible. The seas of Fertility and Nectar make up his ears, Tranquility, his head, and Serenity his body.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The Moon, Mars and the bright red star Antares line up on the evening of September 29, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
The moon tonight September 29, 2014. Created using Virtual Moon Atlas.
09/19/2014 – Ephemeris – Astronomical events for Saturday local and far off
Ephemeris for Friday, September 19th. The sun will rise at 7:26. It’ll be up for 12 hours and 19 minutes, setting at 7:45. The moon, 4 days past last quarter, will rise at 3:59 tomorrow morning.
Saturday will be a big day for astronomical viewing, if it’s clear. Tomorrow’s events start early with the planet Jupiter just above and right of the thin crescent moon. They will be visible by 6 a.m. During the day the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will be at the Leland Heritage Celebration. That runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on River Street in Leland. Weather permitting the Sun will be in view with some giveaway items for the kids even if it’s cloudy. At night starting at 9 p.m. will be a star party at Northwestern Michigan’s Rogers Observatory. Being the dark of the moon the wonders of the summer Milky Way will be in view if it’s clear. An alternate program will be presented if it’s cloudy.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Jupiter and the moon at 6 a.m. Saturday September 20, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
GTAS telescopes at Leland Heritage Celebration in 2011.
Arrrr! Today is Talk Like a Pirate Day mateys. Just in time for the Schooner tall ship Festival in Traverse City this weekend.
09/17/2014 – Ephemeris – It’s Wednesday, do you know where the bright planets are?
Ephemeris for Wednesday, September 17th. The sun will rise at 7:23. It’ll be up for 12 hours and 25 minutes, setting at 7:49. The moon, 2 days past last quarter, will rise at 2:06 tomorrow morning.
Let’s take our weekly look at the bright planets. Mars and Saturn are now nearly side by side with Saturn to the right by 15 degrees, about the width of your fist and a half held at arm’s length. Saturn will set at 10:04 p.m. Saturn is in Libra, while Mars is entering Scorpius just above the star tonight called Dschubba. Mars is closing in to a star that has the identical hue, and this year the same brightness, its rival Antares. Indeed that’s what the star’s name means: Ant as in anti, Ares the Greek god of war, and the counterpart of the Roman Mars. They will be closest next week. Mars will set at 10:25. In the morning sky brilliant Jupiter will rise in the east-northeast at 3:43 a.m., while Venus, will rise at 6:30 a.m.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Looking southwest at Saturn and Mars with the stars of Scorpius and Libra at 9 p.m. on September 17, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
Saturn through a telescope. However being so low in the sky even the moon Titan might be hard to see. September 17, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
The Moon, Jupiter and Venus with some of the bright stars of winter and spring at 6:45 a.m. on September 18, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
The Moon at 6:45 a.m. on September 18, 2014. I doubt you’d see Earth shine (the rest of the Moon like this) with the crescent this wide. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter through a telescope. Europa is transiting in front of Jupiter at 6:45 a.m. and will be very difficult or impossible to spot. Stellarium shows that the shadow of Europa is just about directly behind the moon. Created using Stellarium.
09/10/2014 – Ephemeris – Where are the bright planets this week?
Ephemeris for Wednesday, September 10th. The sun will rise at 7:15. It’ll be up for 12 hours and 46 minutes, setting at 8:02. The moon, 2 days past full, will rise at 8:54 this evening.
Let’s take our weekly look at the bright planets. Mars and Saturn are now nearly side by side with Saturn to the right by 10 degrees, about the width of your fist held at arm’s length. Saturn will set at 10:30 p.m. Saturn in a telescope will suffer because it’s getting close to the horizon but it’s still possible to see those rings and its large moon Titan. Reddish Mars is leaving Saturn in the dusk, leaving Libra, where Saturn is and will be entering Scorpius on Saturday. Mars will set at 10:38 p.m., 8 minutes after Saturn. In the morning sky brilliant Jupiter will rise in the east-northeast at 4:04 a.m., while the brighter Venus, will rise at 6:14 a.m. Jupiter is increasing its distance from the sun, while Venus is retreating toward the Sun from our point of view.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Saturn and Mars with the evening summer constellations at 9:30 p.m. September 10, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
Saturn through the telescope at 9:30 p.m. September 10, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter and Venus with the Winter constellations at 6:30 a.m. September 11, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
Telescopic view of Jupiter and its 4 Galilean moons at 6:30 a.m. on September 11, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
The waning gibbous Moon at 6:30 a.m. September 11, 2014. Created using Stellarium. Tomorrow the program will be about the moon and its features that will be visible late in the evening. The terminator will advance by a small bit between tomorrow morning and tomorrow evening.
08/28/2014 – Ephemeris – The evening Moon will stay low in the sky for the next couple of weeks.
Ephemeris for Thursday, August 28th. The sun will rise at 7:00. It’ll be up for 13 hours and 25 minutes, setting at 8:26. The moon, 3 days past new, will set at 9:40 this evening.
Since we’re within a month of the autumnal equinox, coming up on September 22nd, something funny is happening with the Moon rise and set times near both new and full moon. That is they aren’t changing very much. Here we are with the Moon three days old, and it still sets before the end of astronomical twilight. You may notice that for the next two weeks, that the Moon doesn’t get very high in the sky in the early evening. It’s path stays close to the horizon. Around first quarter next Tuesday the Moon will get to be just a little higher in the sky than the sun does on the first day of winter. The next full moon is the Harvest Moon, being the full moon closest to the first day of autumn. Then the day-to-day succession of rise times again will slow.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The Moon on September 3, 2014 a day after first quarter. It will rise higher after that if one stays up long enough. Created using Stellarium. Click on image to enlarge.
In the image above the Moon’s orbit is compared to the ecliptic, the plane of the Earth’s orbit to which it’s inclined by about 5º. Note the two points where these lines cross. The point where the Moon’s orbit crosses the ecliptic heading northward is called the ascending node. The crossing point heading southward is the descending node. The important thing about that is the when the moon passes a node while at new or full, an eclipse will occur, which they will do in October. There will be a total lunar eclipse on the morning of October 8th, then a partial solar eclipse on October 23rd as the sun is setting here in northern Michigan. I’ll have more information as the events gets closer.
08/20/2014 – Ephemeris – Where are the bright planets for this week?
Ephemeris for Wednesday, August 20th. The sun rises at 6:50. It’ll be up for 13 hours and 48 minutes, setting at 8:39. The moon, 3 days past last quarter, will rise at 3:17 tomorrow morning.
Wednesday is bright planet day on Ephemeris. Reddish Mars is on the western edge of Libra the scales, skirting below Saturn in the southwest as darkness falls. It will set at 11:23 p.m. Saturn will be in the southwest, above and left of Mars as darkness falls. It will set at 11:50 p.m. Saturn’s is still great viewing with small or large telescopes to see those fabulous rings and its large moon Titan. Mars will pass Saturn traveling eastward next Wednesday. Brilliant Jupiter will rise in the east-northeast at 5:03 a.m. in morning twilight, followed by the brighter Venus, which will rise 17 minutes later. Jupiter is increasing its distance from the sun, while Venus is retreating toward the Sun from our point of view
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Mars and Saturn with the stars of the zodiac from Virgo to Sagittarius at 10 p.m. August 20, 2014. Created with Stellarium.
Saturn and moons through a telescope on August 20, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter, Venus and the Moon and winter stars at 6 a.m. August 21, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
The crescent Moon as seen in binoculars at 6 a.m., August 21, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
08/13/2014 – Ephemeris – This week’s parade of the bright planets
Ephemeris for Wednesday, August 13th. The sun rises at 6:42. It’ll be up for 14 hours and 8 minutes, setting at 8:51. The moon, 3 days past full, will rise at 10:24 this evening.
Wednesday is bright planet day on Ephemeris. Reddish Mars is between the constellations of Virgo and Libra, approaching Saturn in the southwest as darkness falls. It will set at 11:40 p.m. Saturn will be in the southwest, above and left of Mars as darkness falls, in the Libra the scales. It will set at 12:16 a.m. Saturn’s is still great viewing with small or large telescopes to see those fabulous rings and its large moon Titan. Mars will pass Saturn traveling eastward later this month on the 27th. Brilliant Venus will rise in the east-northeast at 5:03 a.m. in morning twilight. Below left of Venus, we welcome back Jupiter which will rise at 5:23 tomorrow morning. Jupiter and Venus will appear to cross paths on the 18th.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Mars and Saturn with the zodiacal constellations Virgo, Libra, Scorpius and Sagittarius at 10 p.m. August 13, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
Saturn and its moons. Small telescopes will reveal only Saturn and Titan. Created using Stellarium.
The Moon low in the east at 11 p.m. Created using Stellarium.
Venus and Jupiter at 6 a.m. in the bright morning twilight with the rising stars of winter. Created using Stellarium.
Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog 