Archive
11/11/2013 – Ephemeris – D-Day and the moon
Ephemeris for Veteran’s Day, Monday, November 11th. The sun will rise at 7:34. It’ll be up for 9 hours and 44 minutes, setting at 5:18. The moon, 1 day past first quarter, will set at 2:12 tomorrow morning.
Veterans’ day used to be called Armistice Day, celebrating the end of War to End All Wars. There was, of course a great war after that, and its greatest battle was the invasion on D-Day, a date governed by the position of the Moon. The full moon on June the 6th, 1944 gave light for the gliders and paratroopers light to carry out their operations at midnight. Plus the high tides were near noon and midnight and the low tides near dawn. The idea was to hit the beach at low tide to enable the landing craft to operate without hitting the obstacles the Germans planted in the tidal zone. It was great for the landing craft, but the troops had a lot of open beach to cover to get to some sort of shelter.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
11/06/2013 – Ephemeris – Where’s the bright planets and comets this week?
Ephemeris for Wednesday, November 6th. The sun will rise at 7:27. It’ll be up for 9 hours and 57 minutes, setting at 5:24. The moon, 3 days past new, will set at 8:25 this evening.
Let’s check out the bright planets. Venus is brilliant in the west southwest after sunset. It will set at 7:46 p.m. The giant planet Jupiter will rise at 9:27 p.m. in the east northeast. It’s cruising against the stars of Gemini now. It will pass due south at 5:04 a.m. Mars will rise at 2:01 a.m. also in the east northeast. Reddish Mars is below and left of the slightly brighter star Regulus in Leo now. It’s in the east at 5 a.m. Comet ISON is nearly the distance below Mars that Mars is below Regulus and nearly in line with the two. My guesstimate for magnitude is about 8, about half as bright as current predictions, but probably visible in small telescopes. Comet ISON will rise about 3:30 a.m. and be visible before the sky begins to brighten around 6 a.m.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Venus and the Moon at 7 p.m. November 6, 2013. Created using Stellarium.
Closeup of the Moon at 7 p.m. November 6, 2013. Created using Stellarium.
Telescopic view of Venus at 7 p.m. November 6, 2013. Created using Stellarium. The faint stripes are not seen in visible light.
Jupiter and Mars with the winter and spring constellations at 6 a.m. November 7, 2013. Created using Stellarium.
Comets ISON and Encke and Mars at 6 a.m. from November 5 to 12, 2013. Created with Cartes du Ciel.
Closeup charts of comets ISON and Encke at 6 a.m. for November 6 through 12, 2013. Created using Cartes du Ciel.
10/09/2013 – Ephemeris – The Bright planets and Comet ISON for this week
Ephemeris for Wednesday, October 9th. The sun will rise at 7:50. It’ll be up for 11 hours and 17 minutes, setting at 7:08. The moon, 2 days before first quarter, will set at 10:32 this evening.
Time again to check out the bright planets. Mercury has an unfavorable greatest elongation from the sun today. It’s too close to the horizon for all but the best observers to spot. Almost the same can be said of Saturn, right of and a bit below Venus tonight. Binoculars may be needed to it. Saturn will set at 8:15 while Venus will set at 8:50 p.m.. We are losing Saturn in the sun’s glare for a few months. The rest of the planetary action will be in the morning sky. The giant planet Jupiter will rise at 12:12 a.m. in the east northeast. It’s cruising against the stars of Gemini now. By 6 a.m it will be high in the southeast, the brightest object in that direction. Mars will rise at 3:25 a.m. also in the east northeast. It’s nearing Leo.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Venus, Saturn and the Moon in the west southwest at 8 p.m. October 9, 2013. Created using Stellarium.
Closeup of the moon. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter and Mars with the winter stars and constellations at 6 a.m., October 10, 2013. Created using Stellarium.
Comet ISON and Mars at 6 a.m. for 7 days starting October 10, 2013. Created using SkyCharts (Cartes du Ciel).
Note that the comet is somewhat dimmer than predicted and barely visible in binoculars. The tail may not be visible except in photographs. I can’t really say since I haven’t seen it yet.
10/07/2013 – Ephemeris – The moon will appear to pass Venus early tomorrow morning
Ephemeris for Monday, October 7th. The sun will rise at 7:48. It’ll be up for 11 hours and 23 minutes, setting at 7:11. The moon, 3 days past new, will set at 8:47 this evening.
The moon will be passing the planet Venus around 7 a.m. tomorrow morning, when they will be below the horizon. So tonight and tomorrow evenings we will have before and after views of the event. Tonight the thin crescent moon will be nearly the width of your fist held at arm’s length to the right of Venus. In binoculars or a telescope only the Sea of Crises is completely uncovered by the moon’s terminator. If you haven’t checked out Venus lately, do so. It is now a bit more than half illuminated by the sun. It’s coming almost directly at the earth now at about 80 million miles away and that distance is decreasing by 650 thousand miles a day. Don’t worry, it will miss us by 25 million miles in January, passing between the Earth and the Sun.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Venus and the Moon on Monday October 7, 2013 at 8 p.m. Created using Stellarium.
Venus and the Moon on Tuesday October 8, 2013 at 8 p.m. Created using Stellarium.
09/25/2013 – Ephemeris – Where are the bright planets this week?
Ephemeris for Wednesday, September 25th. The sun will rise at 7:33. It’ll be up for 12 hours, setting at 7:33. The moon, 1 day before last quarter, will rise at 11:26 this evening.
Time again to check out the bright planets. Saturn and Venus will be at the same height above the west southwestern horizon. Dimmer Saturn will be to the right of Venus by nearly the width of a fist held at arm’s length. Binoculars may be needed to spot it. Venus will set at 9:04 p.m., while Saturn will set at 9:06. We will soon lose Saturn in the sun’s glare for a few months. The rest of the planetary action will be in the morning sky. The giant planet Jupiter will rise at 12:59 a.m. in the east northeast. It’s cruising against the stars of Gemini this viewing season. By 6 a.m it will be high in the east southeast, the brightest object in that direction. Mars will rise at 3:34 a.m. also in the east northeast. It’s in the east at 6 a.m.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Venus and Saturn at 8:30 p.m. on September 25, 2013. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter and Mars against the winter constellations at 6 a.m., September 26, 2013. Created using Stellarium.
Detail of the Moon at 6 a,m. on September 26, 2013. Created using Stellarium.
09/13/2013 – Ephemeris – Star party this weekend
Ephemeris for Friday, September 13th. The sun will rise at 7:19. It’ll be up for 12 hours and 37 minutes, setting at 7:56. The moon, 1 day past first quarter, will set at 1:41 tomorrow morning.
Saturday evening from 9 to 11 p.m. The Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will be out at Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory on Birmley Road, south of Traverse City for a Star Party. There will be a glimpse of Venus and Saturn at the beginning of the evening. The moon will be a great sight in telescopes. The society’s CCD camera can show the detail on the moon so actual formations can be pointed out. The CCD camera was purchased by the society to allow the handicapped and folks afraid of ladders to view some of the heavenly objects from terra firma. Other telescopes will allow a direct view of the moon. Some of the brighter objects beyond the solar system, we call them deep sky objects, can also be viewed if it’s clear.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The moon at 9 p.m. September 14, 2013. We’ll take you on a tour Saturday night, Created using Virtual Lunar Atlas.
09/12/2013 – Ephemeris – A look at the first quarter moon
Ephemeris for Thursday, September 12th. The sun will rise at 7:18. It’ll be up for 12 hours and 40 minutes, setting at 7:58. The moon, at first quarter today, will set at 12:36 tomorrow morning.
By this evening the moon will be just past first quarter and the terminator will bulge a bit to the east. Through binoculars or the naked eye the scallop shell shaped sea will be visible at the upper right part of the moon, the man in the moon’s left eye. In telescopes the moon will be inverted and even also reversed, so Serenity could appear in any other quadrant depending on what your telescope does to the image. Toward the terminator from Serenity are two mountain ranges The south part is the Apennines, and the northern part is the Alps. The Alps is cut by a gash called the Alpine Valley. There’s also a triangle of distinctive craters also visible near the terminator.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
First quarter Moon with some of the features on its northern hemisphere. Created using Virtual Moon Atlas.
09/09/2012 – Ephemeris – The planets and the Moon in the evening
Ephemeris for Monday, September 9th. The sun will rise at 7:14. It’ll be up for 12 hours and 49 minutes, setting at 8:03. The moon, 3 days before first quarter, will set at 10:06 this evening.
The Moon will pass Saturn around noon today. By 9 p.m. the Moon will have scooted to the left of Saturn by 10 of its widths or half the width of your fist held at arm’s length. We are getting to the point that Saturn’s image is being seriously degraded in telescopes because the planet is so close to the horizon and we are looking at it through the very thick atmosphere. The Moon however is getting better each night and it moves higher each night. In binoculars the young Moon will reveal two dark seas. Above is the distinctive Sea of Crises, and below the Sea of Fertility. The Sea of Tranquility is partially illuminated, now cut by the Moon’s terminator or sunrise line. Telescopes will reveal interesting features near there.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The Moon, Saturn and Venus at 9 p.m. on September 9, 2013. Created using Stellarium.
The Moon as seen at 9 p.m. September 9, 2013. Rotated the approximate extent for its appearance in the sky. Created using Virtual Moon Atlas.
08/28/2013 – Ephemeris – Where are the bright planets this week?
Ephemeris for Wednesday, August 28th. The sun will rise at 7:00. It’ll be up for 13 hours and 25 minutes, setting at 8:25. The moon, at last quarter today, will rise at 12:45 tomorrow morning.
Lets check out the planets visible now. Venus is now brilliant low in the western sky in evening twilight, It will set at 9:47 p.m. Holding forth in the west southwest will be Saturn this evening, the brightest star-like object in the constellation Virgo appearing yellowish. Venus is gaining on it and will cross paths on September 18th. Saturn will set at 10:50 p.m. In the morning sky before twilight starts Jupiter will rise at 2:29 in the east northeast, with Mars rising later at 3:52. At about 5 a.m. Jupiter will be the brightest star-like object in the east northeast, with Mars barely visible below and left by a bit less than two widths of your fist held at arm’s length. Castor and Pollux of Gemini point down to it.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Venus and Saturn at 9:15 p.m. August 28, 2013. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter, Mars and the Moon at 6 a.m. on August 29, 2013. Created using Stellarium.
The actual phase of the Moon at 6 a.m. on August 29, 2013. Created using Stellarium.
08/15/2013 – Ephemeris – Plato and Copernicus (the craters)
Ephemeris for Thursday, August 15th. The sun rises at 6:45. It’ll be up for 14 hours and 2 minutes, setting at 8:47. The moon, 1 day past first quarter, will set at 1:43 tomorrow morning.
The moon now is slightly gibbous. The term gibbous comes from Latin meaning having a hump or humpbacked. In binoculars or a small telescope look to the upper left where the great Sea of Showers or Mare Imbrium is being revealed by the advance of sunrise. The flat walled plain, actually a crater called Plato is off the top of Imbrium. It is circular and 61 miles in diameter. It looks oval to us because of the curvature of the moon. Below or south at the other edge of Imbrium, just coming into sunlight is the marvelous crater Copernicus with it’s triple central peaks. It’s 56 miles in diameter. In a good enough telescope one can see that the crater walls appear terraced. Copernicus is 2 miles deep.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The moon a day after first quarter on August 15, 2013. Created using Virtual Moon Atlas.
The image also includs the craters Tycho and Clavius craters in the southern highlands.
Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog 