Archive
05/25/2016 – Ephemeris – Two official evening planets and another also visible in the evening
Ephemeris for Wednesday, May 25th. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 10 minutes, setting at 9:15, and will rise tomorrow at 6:03. The Moon, half way from full to last quarter, will rise at 12:21 tomorrow morning.
Let’s see what the bright naked eye planets are up to. Jupiter is in the south in the early evening, moving to the southwest. It will set at 3:01 a.m. It’s below the stars of Leo this year. Binoculars can make out some of Jupiter’s moons, but a telescope is required to see all four bright moons and Jupiter’s cloud features. Mars is now up at sunset. It’s above and right of its look-a-like star Antares, whose name means Rival of Mars. Mars will move due south at 1:17 a.m. and will set at 6:48 a.m. Mars is still inching closer to the Earth now, only 46.9 million miles (75.6 million km) away. It will be closest to the Earth next Monday. Saturn will rise at 9:37 p.m. in the east-southeast. It’s to the left of Mars, and once it’s been up for an hour is a beautiful sight in any telescope.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The evening sky tonight with Jupiter, Mars and Saturn at 10:30 p.m. May 25, 2016. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter and Mars are officially in the evening sky because they are up before sunset. Saturn will reach opposition from the Sun on June 3rd, then it will be an evening planet too.
Jupiter and its Galilean moons at 10:30 p.m. May 25, 2016. Jupiter’s apparent diameter will be 37.9″. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
Mars as it might be seen in a large telescope with high power at 10:30 p.m. May 25, 2016. Mars apparent diameter is 18.5″. The central meridian will be 179.11 degrees. Syrtis Major is the large feature in the north near the polar cap. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
Saturn and its moons at 10:30 p.m. May 25, 2016. The apparent diameter of the planet will be 18.4″. The rings span 42.9″, a bit larger than the apparent diameter of Jupiter. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
Planets at Sunrise and Sunset of a single night starting with sunset on the right on May 25, 2016. The night ends on the left with sunrise on May 26. If you are using Firefox right-click on the image and select View Image to enlarge the image. That goes for all the large images.
05/18/2016 – Ephemeris – Three bright planets and the Moon grace the evening sky
Ephemeris for Wednesday, May 18th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 57 minutes, setting at 9:08. The Moon, 3 days before full, will set at 5:19 tomorrow morning. Tomorrow the Sun will rise at 6:09.
Let’s see what the bright naked eye planets are up to. Jupiter is in the south in the early evening, moving to the southwest. It will set at 3:28 a.m. It’s below the stars of Leo this year. Binoculars can make out some of Jupiter’s moons, but a telescope is required to see all four bright moons and Jupiter’s cloud features. Mars will rise at 9:26 p.m. in the east-southeast. It’s above and right of its look-a-like star Antares, whose name means Rival of Mars. Mars is getting closer to the Earth now, only 48 million miles (77 million km) away. It will be closest to the Earth on the 30th. Saturn will rise at 10:11 p.m. in the east-southeast. It’s to the left of Mars, and once it’s been up for an hour is a beautiful sight in any telescope.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The Moon, Jupiter, Mars and Saturn at 11 p.m. May 18, 2016. Created using Stellarium.
The Moon as it might be seen in binoculars at 11 p.m., May 18, 2016. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter and its moons as they might be seen through a telescope at 11 p.m. May 18, 2016. It’s 38.7″ in equatorial diameter. The Great Red Spot will cross the planet’s central meridian at 11:38 p.m. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
Mars as it might be seen in a large telescope with high power at 11 p.m. May 18, 2016. Mars apparent diameter is 18.2″. The central meridian will be 248.08 degrees. Syrtis Major is the large feature in the north near the polar cap. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
Saturn and its moons at 11 p.m. May 18, 2016. The apparent diameter of the planet will be 18.4″. The rings span 42.8″, a bit larger than the apparent diameter of Jupiter. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
Planets at Sunrise and Sunset of a single night starting with sunset on the right on May 18, 2016. The night ends on the left with sunrise on May 19. If you are using Firefox right-click on the image and select View Image to enlarge the image. That goes for all the large images.
05/11/2016 – Ephemeris – Three of the bright planets are seen before midnight
Ephemeris for Wednesday, May 11th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 41 minutes, setting at 9:00. The Moon, 2 days before first quarter, will set at 1:48 tomorrow morning. Tomorrow the Sun will rise at 6:17.
Let’s see what the bright naked eye planets are up to. Mercury is now officially in the morning sky but too close to the Sun to be seen. Jupiter is in the south in the early evening, and will pass due south at 9:22 p.m., and will set at 3:55a.m. It’s below the stars of Leo this year. Binoculars can make out some of Jupiter’s moons, but a telescope is required to see all four bright moons and Jupiter’s cloud features. Mars will rise at 10:33 p.m. in the east-southeast. It’s still above its look-a-like star Antares, whose name means Rival of Mars. Mars is getting closer to the Earth now, only 50 million miles away It will be closest on the 30th. Saturn will rise at 10:41 p.m. in the east-southeast. It’s just left of Mars.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The evening sky tonight at 11:30 p.m. Created using Stellarium.
04/27/2016 – Ephemeris – Mars is closing in on its rival, but backs off for now
Ephemeris for Wednesday, April 27th. The Sun rises at 6:38. It’ll be up for 14 hours and 5 minutes, setting at 8:43. The Moon, 2 days before last quarter, will rise at 1:36 tomorrow morning.
Let’s see what the bright naked eye planets are up to. Mercury is in the west-northwest, very low to the horizon, setting at 10:12 p.m. Mercury is really fading now. Jupiter is in the southeast in the early evening, and will pass due south at 10:17 p.m., and will set at 4:51 a.m. It’s below the stars of Leo this year. Binoculars can make out some of Jupiter’s moons, but a telescope is required to see all four bright moons and Jupiter’s cloud features. Mars will rise at 11:11 p.m. in the east-southeast. It’s now almost bu not quite directly north of its look-a-like star Antares, whose name means Rival of Mars. Saturn will rise at 11:40 p.m. in the east-southeast. It’s just left of Mars. Its rings are a telescopic treat. Venus is invisibly close to the Sun now.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Jupiter and the spring stars animation. Set for 10 p.m. April 27, 2016. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter and its moons as they might be seen in a telescope at 10 p.m., April 27, 2016. Jupiter’s apparent diameter is 41.2″ According to the Project Pluto web site the Great Red spot will cross Jupiter’s central meridian at 9:16 p.m., a half hour after sunset. If so, the position of the spot in this chart is incorrect. Created with Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
Mars, Saturn and the Moon at 5:30 a.m. April 28, 2016. Created using Stellarium.
Mars as it might be seen in a large telescope with high power at 5:30 a.m., April 28 2016. Mars apparent diameter is 15.7″. The central meridian will be 169.90 degrees. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
Saturn and its moons at 5:30 a.m., April 28, 2016. The apparent diameter of the planet will be 18.1″. The rings span 42.1″, a bit larger than the apparent diameter of Jupiter. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
The Moon as it might appear in binoculars at 5:30 a.m. on April 28, 2016. Created using Stellarium.
The retrograde tracks of Mars and Saturn as we pass both planets this year. The tracks start on February 14, 2016 and run to September 13, 2016 plotted at 4 day intervals and labeled every 20 days. I noticed when producing the Mars, Saturn & Moon plot above that Mars was not due north of Antares on the 27th. Mars actually became stationary and started it’s retrograde loop a few days ago before it got that far. However when Mars doubles back, it will have a much closer pass of Antares on August 27th. Saturn’s plots are so close together that they appear as a fat line. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
Retrograde motion of the planets are caused when the Earth is either passing a superior planet (Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, etc.), or when being passed by an inferior planet (Venus and Mercury). It was a big problem with the old Earth center solar system, before Copernicus and Kepler.
Planets at sunrise and sunset of a single night starting with sunset on the right on April 27, 2016. The night ends on the left with sunrise on April 28. If you are using Firefox right-click on the image and select View Image to enlarge the image. That goes for all the large images.
04/20/2016 – Ephemeris – Two bright planets in the evening, and two in the morning
Ephemeris for Wednesday, April 20th. The Sun rises at 6:49. It’ll be up for 13 hours and 45 minutes, setting at 8:34. The Moon, 2 days before full, will set at 6:47 tomorrow morning.
Let’s see what the bright naked eye planets are up to. Mercury is in the west-northwest, very low to the horizon, setting at 10:26 p.m. Mercury is fading now. Jupiter is in the southeast in the evening, and will pass due south at 10:46 p.m., and will set at 5:19 a.m. It’s below the stars of Leo this year. Binoculars can make out some of Jupiter’s moons, but a telescope is required to see all four bright moons and Jupiter’s cloud features. Mars will rise at 11:40 p.m. in the east-southeast. It’s above Scorpius but is actually in western Ophiuchus now. Saturn will rise at 12:09 a.m. in the east-southeast. It’s just left of Mars. Its rings are a telescopic treat. Venus will rise at 6:28 a.m. and not visible in the bright twilight.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Mercury, Jupiter, the Moon and bright stars visible at 9:30 p.m. April 20, 2016.. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter and its moons as they might be seen through a telescope at 9:30 p.m. April 20, 2016. It’s 42.0″ in diameter. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
The Moon, Mars and Saturn and the bright stars at 5:30 a.m. April 21, 2016. Created using Stellarium.
Mars as it might be seen in a large telescope with high power at 5:30 a.m., April 21 2016. Mars apparent diameter is 14.6″. The central meridian will be 233.11 degrees. Syrtis Major is at the extreme left of the planet. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
Saturn and its moons at 5:30 a.m., April 21, 2016. The apparent diameter of the planet is 17.9″. The rings span 41.7″, almost the apparent diameter of Jupiter. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
Planets at Sunrise and Sunset on April 20, 2016. If you are using Firefox right-click on the image and select View Image to enlarge the image.
04/13/2016 – Ephemeris – What’s up with the bright planets this week?
Ephemeris for Wednesday, April 13th. The Sun will rise at 7:01. It’ll be up for 13 hours and 24 minutes, setting at 8:26. The Moon, at first quarter today, will set at 3:09 tomorrow morning.
Let’s see what the bright naked eye planets are up to. Mercury is in the west-northwest, very low to the horizon, setting at 10:12 p.m. The next 7 days will be the best time to spot it. Jupiter is in the southeast in the evening, and will pass due south at 11:15 p.m., and will set at 5:48 a.m. It’s below the stars of Leo this year. Binoculars can make out some of Jupiter’s moons, but a telescope is required to see all four bright moons and Jupiter’s cloud features. Mars will rise at 12:08 a.m. in the east-southeast. It’s above Scorpius but is actually in western Ophiuchus now. Saturn will rise at 12:38 a.m. in the east-southeast. It’s just left of Mars. Its rings are a telescopic treat. Venus will rise at 6:37 a.m. and not really visible in the bright twilight.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Mercury at 9 p.m. April 13, 2016. At this time Mercury will be located at 284° azimuth and 11.5° altitude. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter, the Moon and the constellations visible at 10 p.m. April 13, 2016.. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter and its moons at 10 p.m. April 13, 2016. Jupiter has an apparent diameter of 42.7″ Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
The Moon as it would appear tonight at 9 p.m. April 13, 2016. Created using Virtual Moon Atlas.
Mars and Saturn with a preview of the summer constellations at 6 a.m., April 14, 2016. Created using Stellarium.
Saturn and its moons at 6 a.m., April 14, 2016. Saturn’s apparent diameter is 17.7″ and the rings span 41.3″ Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
Mars as seen in a large telescope with high power at 6 a.m., April 14 2016. Mars apparent diameter 13.5″. The central meridian will be 202° Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
Mars map – North up.
Planets at Sunrise and Sunset on April 13, 2016. If you are using Firefox right-click on the image and select View Image to enlarge the image.
04/06/2016 – Ephemeris – Mercury makes its spring appearance in the west – Plus Jovian moon hijinx
Ephemeris for Wednesday, April 6th. The Sun will rise at 7:13. It’ll be up for 13 hours and 3 minutes, setting at 8:17. The Moon, 1 day before new, will rise at 7:30 tomorrow morning.
Let’s check out the whereabouts of the bright naked eye planets. Mercury is in the west-northwest, very low to the horizon, setting at 9:35 p.m. Jupiter is in the southeast in the evening, and will pass due south, astronomers call it a transit, at 11:45 p.m., and will set at 6:16 a.m. It’s below the stars of Leo this year. Binoculars can make out some of Jupiter’s moons, but a telescope is required to see all four bright moons and Jupiter’s cloud formations. Mars will rise next at 12:31 a.m. in the east-southeast. It’s above Scorpius but moved into western Ophiuchus now. Saturn will rise at 1:06 a.m. in the east-southeast. It’s just left of Mars. Its rings are a telescopic treat. Venus will rise at 6:47 a.m. due east.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Evening sky
Mercury appears low in the sky in the west at 8:40 p.m. April 6, 2016. Created using Stellarium.
An animation of Jupiter in the night sky with and without lines and captions at 10 p.m., April 6, 2016. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.
If you are using Firefox right-click on the image and select View image to enlarge.
Jupiter and its moons at 10 p.m. April 6, 2016. It’s going to be busy night with the three closest moons playing tag with Jupiter. See the table of events below. Jupiter appears 43.2″ in diameter. Created with Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
Jovian satellite events overnight
Io and Ganymede will pass in front (transit) the face of Jupiter, while Europa pass behind and be occulted by Jupiter.
| Event | Date/Time EDT | Date/Time UT | ||
| Io Transit Starts | 6 | 9:52 p.m. | 7 | 01:52 |
| Io Shadow Crossing Starts | 6 | 10:30 p.m. | 7 | 02:32 |
| Europa Occultation Starts | 6 | 10:48 p.m. | 7 | 02:48 |
| Io Transit Ends | 7 | 12:06 a.m. | 7 | 04:06 |
| Io Shadow Crossing Ends | 7 | 12:47 a.m. | 7 | 04:47 |
| Ganymede Transit Starts | 7 | 1:00 a.m. | 7 | 05:00 |
| Europa Eclipse Ends* | 7 | 2:53 a.m. | 7 | 06:53 |
| Ganymede Shadow Crossing Starts | 7 | 3:44 a.m. | 7 | 07:44 |
| Ganymede Transit Ends | 7 | 4:15 a.m. | 7 | 08:15 |
| Ganymede Shadow Crossing Ends | 7 | Not up | 7 | 11:00 |
| * When Europa’s occultation ends it will still be in Jupiter’s shadow and will enter sunlight a bit away from the planet. | ||||
Timings are from Project Pluto.
Morning sky
Looking south at 6 a.m. at Mars and Saturn in an animation with and without annotations. 6 a.m. April 7, 2017. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.
Mars as seen in a large telescope with high power at 6 a.m., April 7, 2016. Mars apparent diameter 12.7″. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
Saturn with some of its satellites. Normally only Titan is visible. The disk of Saturn has the apparent diameter of 17.6″ while the rings span 40.9″. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
The planets at sunrise and sunset
This is a chart showing the sunrise and sunset skies for April 6, 2016 showing the location of the planets and the Moon at that time. Created using my LookingUp program.
03/30/2016 – Ephemeris – The planets tonight – corrected to March 31-April 1
Note: I’ve been under the weather (bad cold) and have been sleeping a lot. The times for the planet phenomena in the second paragraph have been adjusted to the night of March 31st – April 1st.
Ephemeris for Wednesday, March 30th. The Sun will rise at 7:26. It’ll be up for 12 hours and 42 minutes, setting at 8:08. The Moon, 1 day before last quarter, will rise at 2:51 tomorrow morning.
Let’s check out the whereabouts of the bright naked eye planets for the nigh of March 31-April 1, 2016. Jupiter is up at sunset, and will pass due south, astronomers call it a transit, at 12:11 a.m., and will set at 6:41 a.m. It’s below the stars of Leo now. Binoculars can make out some of Jupiter’s moons, but a telescope is required to see Jupiter’s cloud formations. Mars will rise next at 12:49 a.m. in the east-southeast. It’s seen in western Scorpius now. Saturn will rise at 1:30 a.m. in the east-southeast. It’s above the stars of Scorpius, actually in Ophiuchus. Its rings are a telescopic treat. Venus will rise at 6:55 a.m. again in the east-southeast. Mercury is now in the evening sky but is too close to the Sun to be seen, it will be visible after sunset by mid-month.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Jupiter and the evening constellations at 10 p.m. March 31, 2016. Created using Stellarium.
Mars, Saturn and the Moon with the summer constellations at 6 a.m., April 1, 2016. Created using Stellarium.
03/23/2016 – Ephemeris – Another planet defects from the morning sky
Ephemeris for Wednesday, March 23rd. The Sun will rise at 7:39. It’ll be up for 12 hours and 20 minutes, setting at 7:59. The Moon, at full today, will rise at 8:21 this evening.
Let’s check out the whereabouts of the bright naked eye planets. Jupiter is up at sunset, and will pass due south, astronomers call it a transit, at 12:45 a.m., and will set at 7:15 a.m. It’s below the stars of Leo now. Binoculars can make out some of Jupiter’s moons, but a telescope is required to see Jupiter’s cloud formations. Mars will rise next at 1:12 a.m. in the east-southeast. It’s seen in western Scorpius now. Saturn will rise at 2:02 a.m. in the east-southeast. It’s above the stars of Scorpius, actually in Ophiuchus. Its rings are a telescopic treat. Venus will rise at 7:05 a.m. again in the east-southeast. Mercury will pass in superior conjunction, that is behind the Sun, this afternoon and enter the evening sky.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Jupiter with the moon and the bright stars of winter and spring at 10 p.m., March 23, 2016. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter and its moons on an active night as the would appear at 10 p.m. March 23, 2016. The equatorial diameter of Jupiter is 44.1″. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
Tonight’s satellite events
| Event | Date/Time EDT | Date/Time UT | ||
| Europa Occultation Starts | 23 | — | 23 | 22:17 |
| Ganymede Transit Starts | 23 | — | 23 | 22:19 |
| Io Transit Starts | 23 | — | 23 | 22:22 |
| Io Shadow Crossing Starts | 23 | — | 23 | 22:24 |
| Ganymede Shadow Crossing Starts | 23 | — | 23 | 23:46 |
| Io Transit Ends | 23 | 08:36 PM | 24 | 00:36 |
| Io Shadow Crossing Ends | 23 | 08:58 PM | 24 | 00:58 |
| Ganymede Transit Ends | 23 | 09:31 PM | 24 | 01:31 |
| Europa Eclipse Ends* | 23 | 09:45 PM | 24 | 01:45 |
| Ganymede Shadow Crossing Ends | 23 | 11:04 PM | 24 | 03:04 |
| * When Europa’s occultation ends it will still in Jupiter’s shadow and will enter sunlight a bit away from the planet.
Timings are from Project Pluto. |
||||
The Moon and the morning planets Mars and Saturn with the summer stars at 7 a.m. March 24, 2016. Created using Stellarium.
Mars as it would be seen in a large telescope at 6 a.m. March 24, 2016. Apparent diameter is 11.0″ One quarter of Jupiter’s apparent diameter. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
Saturn and Titan at 6 a.m. March 24, 2016. The planet’s apparent diameter is 17.2″ and the rings span 40.0″. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
Mercury approaching the Sun from the right for the days March 19-22, 2016. Credit SOHO/NASA/ESA.
This is a chart showing the sunrise and sunset skies for March 23, 2016 showing the location of the planets and the Moon at that time. Created using my LookingUp program.
03/16/2016 – Ephemeris – Jupiter is in the evening, the other bright planets are in the morning
Ephemeris for Wednesday, March 16th. The Sun will rise at 7:52. It’ll be up for 11 hours and 58 minutes, setting at 7:50. The Moon, 1 day past first quarter, will set at 4:26 tomorrow morning.
Let’s check out the whereabouts of the bright naked eye planets. Jupiter is up at sunset, and will pass due south, astronomers call it a transit, at 1:13 a.m., and will set at 7:44 a.m. It’s below the stars of Leo now. Binoculars can make out some of Jupiter’s moons, but a telescope is required to see Jupiter’s cloud formations. Mars will rise next at 1:29 a.m. in the east-southeast. It’s seen in western Scorpius now. Saturn will rise at 2:29 a.m. in the east-southeast. It’s above the stars of Scorpius, actually in Ophiuchus. Its rings are a telescopic treat. Venus will rise at 7:13 a.m. again in the east-southeast. Mercury is lost in the bright morning twilight and will pass behind the Sun in superior conjunction a week from now.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Jupiter and the Moon with the bright stars at 10 p.m. on March 16, 2016. Created using Stellarium.
The Moon as it might appear in binoculars at 10 p.m. on March 16, 2016. Created using Stellarium.
Jupiter and its moons as they would be seen in a telescope, at 10 p.m. March 16, 2016. Jupiter has an apparent diameter of 44.3″ Created using Stellarium.
The morning planets Mars, Saturn and Jupiter at 6:30 a.m. March 17, 2016. Created using Stellarium.
Mars as seen in a large telescope at high power. It’s only 10.0″ in diameter, about a quarter of Jupiter’s diameter. The long dark area near the bottom or south is Mare Cimmerium. The bright area above center is Elysium. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
Saturn and its large satellite Titan and other moons as they should appear in a telescope in the morning of March 17, 2016. The planet is 17.0″ in diameter while the rings span 39.6″. Created using Stellarium.
This is a chart showing the sunrise and sunset skies for March 16, 2016 showing the location of the planets and the Moon at that time. Created using my LookingUp program.
Some of these images above are shown smaller than actual size. Image expansion lately hasn’t worked. If you are using Firefox, right-click on the image, and then click on View Image.
