Archive
10/02/2015 – Ephemeris – I talk about Pluto and New Horizons tonight
Ephemeris for Friday, October 2nd. The Sun will rise at 7:41. It’ll be up for 11 hours and 40 minutes, setting at 7:21. The Moon, 2 days before last quarter, will rise at 10:53 this evening.
This evening yours truly will be reviewing the results so far from the New Horizons spacecraft and its close encounter with Pluto and its moons July 14th. This will be at the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society meeting at Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory at 8 p.m. If you’ve not been keeping up with the releases of photos of Pluto and its moons be prepared to be amazed by the beauty of this frozen but apparently active world. Afterward from 9 p.m. there will be time to view the wonders of the autumn skies if it’s clear. If not there will be guided tour of the autumn skies via computer simulation. The observatory is located south of Traverse City on Birmley Road between Garfield and Keystone Roads.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Latest high resolution color image of Charon released yesterday. Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI.
08/07/2015 – Ephemeris – An opportunity to view the heavens tonight
Ephemeris for Friday, August 7th. The Sun rises at 6:35. It’ll be up for 14 hours and 25 minutes, setting at 9:00. The Moon, 1 day past last quarter, will rise at 1:27 tomorrow morning.
Tonight the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will host a star party at Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory. Featured if weather permits will be the planet Saturn and some of the wonders of the summer Milky Way. In any case we’ll be previewing the skies of August and September, what I consider the richest part of the heavens. It has more beautiful sights than the skies of winter, that everyone raves about. The observatory is located south of Traverse City on Birmley Road opening at 9 p.m. The star party at the Sleeping Bear Dunes originally slated for tomorrow has been canceled due to the damage from last Sunday’s storm. The next star party at the Dunes will be September 12th at the Dune Climb.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
07/03/2015 – Ephemeris – Astronomy in the Grand Traverse Region tonight
Ephemeris for Friday, July 3rd. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 29 minutes, setting at 9:31. The Moon, 2 days past full, will rise at 10:33 this evening and tomorrow the Sun will rise at 6:02.
Dr. David Penney will investigate the structure of the Milky Way at this evening’s meeting of the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society at 8 p.m. at Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory. The Milky Way is the band of light we see in the sky especially on summer and winter evenings. But it is more than a band of dim stars, it is what we can see of the huge disk of maybe 200 billion stars with an embedded pin wheel structure. Everyone is welcome. Also at 9 p.m. there will be a star party at the observatory. The astronomical objects of the evening will be the planets Venus, Jupiter and Saturn and the Moon later in the evening. The observatory is located south of Traverse City on Birmley Road.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Dr. Penney has a Ph.D. in Physiology and Biochemistry, and is pretty much retired spending his time between Michigan in the summer and northern Florida in the winter, where he is a member of several astronomy clubs. He gives many talks there also.
06/05/2015 – Ephemeris – Astronomy in Traverse City tonight: Parallax and Planets
Ephemeris for Friday, June 5th. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 25 minutes, setting at 9:24. The Moon, 3 days past full, will rise at 11:53 this evening and tomorrow the Sun will rise at 5:58.
Stellar parallax is a way to measure distances to the nearest stars by observing them six months apart, from opposite ends of the Earth’s orbit. Parallax is why we have two eyes to judge distance. Parallax is also proof that the earth revolves around the Sun. Dr. David Penney will investigate this at this evening’s meeting of the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society at 8 p.m. at Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory. Everyone is welcome. Also at 9 p.m. there will be a star party at the observatory. The astronomical objects of the evening will be the planets Venus, Jupiter and Saturn. The observatory is located south of Traverse City on Birmley Road between Garfield and Keystone roads.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
10/23/2014 – Ephemeris – Partial solar eclipse tonight for most of the US
Ephemeris for Thursday, October 23rd. The sun will rise at 8:08. It’ll be up for 10 hours and 36 minutes, setting at 6:44. The moon is new today, and won’t be visible.
This evening there will be a partial solar eclipse, in which we will see only the first part before the sun sets. The eclipse will be visible for all but the extreme eastern part of the country. It will be a partial eclipse for all who can see it because the core of the Moon’s shadow will miss the Earth to the north. For the Interlochen Public Radio listening area (Northwestern Lower Michigan) the eclipse will star a couple of minutes before or after 5:32 p.m. and will end at sunset around 6:44 p.m. The low position of the sun make a lack of cloud cover necessary to be able to see it. Proper approved solar filters, or a projection method are necessary to view the eclipse. Do Not Look Directly at the Sun! The NMC Observatory south of Traverse City will be open, weather permitting starting at 5 p.m. Also the Platte River Point location at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore will also be available.
An added attraction for this eclipse is the appearance of the largest sunspot group to appear on the sun in years.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Coverage of the partial solar eclipse of October 23, 2014. Credit: NASA.
The setting partially eclipsed sun from Traverse City. Created using Stellarium.
Partially eclipsed sun using a series of pinholes projected on a reasonably white surface.
The Sun at 1:30 a.m. 10/23/2014 with large sunspot group AR 2192. Credit NASA – Solar Dynamics Observatory.
This baby gave off a X Class flare yesterday (10/22/2014). Could be more in store. Maybe we’ll see an aurora later this week.
10/07/2014 – Ephemereis – One more day: Tomorrow’s total lunar eclipse
Note: Being a radio program, I do have to repeat the eclipse timings a couple of times.
Ephemeris for Tuesday, October 7th. The sun will rise at 7:47. It’ll be up for 11 hours and 24 minutes, setting at 7:12. The moon, 1 day before full, will set at 7:56 tomorrow morning.
Tomorrow’s Total Lunar Eclipse will be visible without losing too much sleep. Just set the alarm clock so you’ll be ready to view the start of the eclipse at 5:15 a.m. That’s when the partial phase starts when the upper left edge of the moon enters the Earth’s inner shadow called the umbra. The total phase or totality starts at 6:25 with morning twilight just beginning. The middle of the eclipse will occur at 6:54. Totality will end at 7:24 when twilight will be bright. The ending partial phase will not be completely visible from northern Michigan. From the Dakotas and westward the entire ending partial phase will be visible. Amazingly, next year we will have two more total lunar eclipses in the United States, April 4th and September 28th.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Click on the image above to display or download a more detailed Adobe Acrobat (PDF) image showing more information about the eclipse. The time shown will be Universal Time (UT). Subtract 4 hours for EDT, 5 hours for CDT, etc.
In the Grand Traverse area there are two locations the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society (GTAS) will be set up to view the eclipse if it is clear enough. Opens at 5 a.m.
- Northwestern Michigan College’s Joseph H. Rogers Observatory. located south of Traverse City on Birmley Road, between Garfield and Keystone roads. (One road south of Hammond)
- Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore at Platte River Point. It’s in several miles from the Platte River Campground off M22 on Lake Michigan Rd. Park in the big parking lot to the left. The GTAS will have their scopes in the small parking lot to the right.
If it’s cloudy, there is a place to view the lunar eclipse on the Internet from Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles. There will probably be more locations. I’ll put them up if and when I find them. Last eclipse, it was cloudy here, so I watched the eclipse Livestream from Griffith Observatory. They also have a running commentary and answer your questions. Though it still wasn’t as good as seeing it with your own eyeballs. Videos cannot duplicate the range of brightness and color that can be seen with your own eyes.
10/06/2014 – Ephemeris – Previewing Wednesday’s lunar eclipse
Ephemeris for Monday, October 6th. The sun will rise at 7:46. It’ll be up for 11 hours and 27 minutes, setting at 7:13. The moon, 2 days before full, will set at 6:42 tomorrow morning.
Wednesday’s Total Lunar Eclipse will be visible without losing too much sleep. Just set the alarm clock for about 5 a.m. The partial phase starts at 5:15 a.m. when the upper left edge of the moon enters the Earth’s inner shadow called the umbra. The total phase or totality starts at 6:25 with morning twilight just beginning. The middle of the eclipse will occur at 6:54. Totality will end at 7:24 when twilight will be bright. The ending partial phase will not be completely visible from northern Michigan. From the Dakotas and westward the entire ending partial phase will be visible. Amazingly, in the next eclipse season another lunar eclipse will be visible, though not as favorable as this one. That one is April 4th 2015 with a totality duration of only 5 minutes.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
AddendumClick on the image above to display or download a more detailed Adobe Acrobat (PDF) image showing more information about the eclipse. The time shown will be Universal Time (UT). Subtract 4 hours for EDT, 5 hours for CDT, etc.
In the Grand Traverse area there are two locations the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society (GTAS) will be set up to view the eclipse if it is clear enough. Opens at 5 a.m.
- Northwestern Michigan College’s Joseph H. Rogers Observatory. located south of Traverse City on Birmley Road, between Garfield and Keystone roads. (One road south of Hammond)
- Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore at Platte River Point. It’s in several miles from the Platte River Campground off M22 on Lake Michigan Rd. Park in the big parking lot to the left. The GTAS will have their scopes in the small parking lot to the right.
08/01/2014 – Ephemeris – There’s a star party tonight
Ephemeris for Friday, August 1st. The sun rises at 6:28. It’ll be up for 14 hours and 38 minutes, setting at 9:07. The moon, 2 days before first quarter, will set at 11:35 this evening.
Tonight the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will host a star party at Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory from 9 to 11 p.m. If it’s clear the planets Mars and Saturn and the Moon will be the featured attractions. Saturn’s rings are always a fabulous sight. Try to see the circular gap in the rings called Cassini division. Cassini is also the namesake of the spacecraft that has spent 10 years orbiting the planet. The moon Titan can also be easily seen. It’s a world larger than Mercury, has an atmosphere denser than the Earth’s and has lakes of liquid methane and ethane at its poles. Our Moon is two-thirds the diameter of Titan, and essentially airless, which allows us to see its features easily.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
06/06/2014 – Ephemeris – Astronomy activities this weekend in the Grand Traverse Region
Ephemeris for Friday, June 6th. Today the sun will be up for 15 hours and 26 minutes, setting at 9:24. The moon, 1 day past first quarter, will set at 2:33 tomorrow morning. Tomorrow the sun will rise at 5:57.
The Grand Traverse Astronomical Society, or GTAS, has a busy weekend. At 8 p.m. the regular meeting at Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory features Dr. David Penney with his presentation of “The Rare Earth”. At 9 p.m. at the observatory will be a star party until 11 p.m. On Saturday the GTAS will have their telescopes at The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Philip A. Hart Visitors Center in Empire for viewing the sun from 4 to 6 p.m. Then at 9 the GTAS will deploy their telescopes at the Dune Climb for an evening with the planets. The Dunes events will be contingent on the weather. Due to the lateness of the sunset it will be about 10 p.m. before any planets are spotted.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
05/09/2014 – Ephemeris – This is Astronomy Day weekend
Ephemeris for Friday, May 9th. The sun rises at 6:21. It’ll be up for 14 hours and 35 minutes, setting at 8:56. The moon, 3 days past first quarter, will set at 4:04 tomorrow morning.
This Saturday is International Astronomy Day. There will be two star parties this weekend to celebrate. A star party is where amateur astronomers bring their telescopes to share the heavens with all those who come. The first will be at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, at Platte River Point at the end of Lake Michigan Road, off M22. Saturday’s Star Party will be at Northwestern Michigan College’s (NMC) Rogers Observatory, on Birmley Road south of Traverse City. Both events will start at 9 p.m. The Sleeping Bear event will be canceled due to clouds. The NMC event has an indoor component and will be open rain or shine. The planets Jupiter, Mars and Saturn will be featured at both events. These star parties are hosted by the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog 