Archive
05/20/2014 – Ephemeris – Special doings at the Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore Friday Night
Ephemeris for Tuesday, May 20th. Today the sun will be up for 14 hours and 59 minutes, setting at 9:09. The moon, 1 day before last quarter, will rise at 2:09 tomorrow morning. Tomorrow the sun will rise at 6:08.
This Friday evening Dr. Tyler Nordgren, astronomer, artist and dark sky advocate will give a presentation at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Philip A. Hart Visitor Center in Empire at 7 p.m. Afterward he will be signing copies of his beautiful new poster See the Stars from Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore featuring the Great and Little Bear constellations and the bluffs of the Sleeping Bear Dunes and the Manitou Islands. After that, weather permitting see the sunset from many of the parks locations, then, for the hardy, settle down for an all night vigil for a possible meteor storm with the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society at the Dune Climb (The bottom, not the top, though you can climb up there for an all-sky view.).
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
See the Stars from Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Poster by Tyler Nordgren.
05/19/2014 – Ephemeris – The meteor storm and an all night star party to view it
Ephemeris for Monday, May 19th. Today the sun will be up for 14 hours and 57 minutes, setting at 9:08. The moon, 2 days before last quarter, will rise at 1:33 tomorrow morning. Tomorrow the sun will rise at 6:09.
This will be a first for the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society, an all night star party this Friday night and Saturday morning. The reason is the predicted meteor storm Saturday morning from Comet 209P/LINEAR, discovered in 2004. Near a I can tell no one has seen a single meteor from this comet. However several astronomers who work on cometary debris have some confidence that debris from this comet which orbits the Sun every 5 years will cross the Earth orbit on the morning of May 24th around 3 a.m. give or take. The hardiest of the GTAS members will be at the Dune Climb of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore all night. Join us if you can.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The expected radiant for the meteors of the May Camelopardids, the meteors from the comet 209P/LINEAR at 3 a.m. on May 24, 2014. Credit: My LookingUp program.
Earth’s motion in respect to the expected meteoroid stream from Comet 209P/LINEAR. Calculations by Jeremie Vaubaillon. From meteor.seti.org.
Interlochen Star Party Status
6:54 p.m.
The sky is getting hazier. I’m not sure what’s in store across the lake. If it’s not solid we can live with it. We are still a GO.
3:01 p.m.
I talked to Nadji earlier this afternoon and after looking at the Clear Sky Chart and other sources that we will proceed with the event. The students will arrive at the soccer field by 9:30 p.m. The weather prognosis has deteriorated somewhat in the most recent sky chart, so we’re going to keep our fingers crossed on this one.
03/21/2014 – Ephemeris – Star party and Venus this weekend
Ephemeris for Friday, March 21st. The sun will rise at 7:43. It’ll be up for 12 hours and 12 minutes, setting at 7:56. The moon, 2 days before last quarter, will rise at 1:27 tomorrow morning.
Tomorrow evening the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will host a star party at Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory starting at 9 p.m. On tap if it’s clear will be the planets Jupiter and Mars. As it gets darker, the wonders of the winter sky will still be visible, along with those of the spring skies. The observatory is located south of Traverse City, on Brimley Road between Garfield and Keystone roads. There is a small admission charge for the college. For early morning risers the planet Venus will reach its greatest elongation west of the sun tomorrow at an angle of 47 degrees. From there on late October Venus will appear to be approaching the sun, before emerging into the evening sky.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Venus at greatest western elongation and its orbit as seen from the earth on March 22, 2014. Created using Stellarium.
The sun looks off-center because we are looking at the orbit from the Earth, and Venus’ orbit is inclined by about 3º from our orbit. The near side of the orbit is only 25 million miles (40 million km) from Earth and is thus foreshortened. The part of the orbit right below the Sun is beyond the Sun and about 93 million miles (150 million km) away from us. Mercury is shown, but not its orbit.
03/07/2014 – Ephemeris – Astronomy events at the Rogers Observatory tonight
Ephemeris for Friday, March 7th. The sun will rise at 7:09. It’ll be up for 11 hours and 28 minutes, setting at 6:38. The moon, 1 day before first quarter, will set at 1:51 tomorrow morning.
A Star Bowl quiz will be held this evening between the NMC Astronomy Club and the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society at this evening’s meeting of the society at 8 p.m. at Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory. The society will accept anyone to help us. These NMC students are smart. After the Star Bowl there will be a star party starting at 9 p.m. On tap if its clear will be the Moon, and the planet Jupiter. Plus Orion and its great nebula, a star nursery only 1400 light years away will be a wonderful sight with its clouds and wisps of gas and dust illuminated by a clutch of hot baby stars. The Observatory is located south of Traverse City on Birmley Road off either Garfield or Keystone roads.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
01/03/2014 – Ephemeris – Astronomy events in the Grand Traverse Region tonight.
Ephemeris for Friday, January 3rd. The sun will rise at 8:19. It’ll be up for 8 hours and 55 minutes, setting at 5:14. The moon, 2 days past new, will set at 8:32 this evening.
We have a big night ahead. At 1 a.m. the Earth will be closest to the Sun at perihelion. In the morning hours the Quadrantid meteor shower will reach peak. Before that the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will hold its monthly meeting at Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers observatory on Birmley Road south of Traverse City starting at 8 p.m. The program will be given by Richard Kuschell, who will talk about “Aristotle’s Big Mistake”. Afterward, starting at 9 p.m. there will be a star party. If its clear the winter wonders will be visible including the planet Jupiter and the Great Orion Nebula, the closest star nursery to us. The meeting is free to the public. There will be another program given during the star party.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Quadrantid meteor shower radiant at 1:30 a.m.
Great Orion Nebula in Orion’s sword. My old photograph. What you’ll see will actually be better than this except our eyes will not perceive the red color. It will look gray or greenish at best.
11/08/2013 – Ephemeris – Star Party in the Grand Traverse area tomorrow night
Ephemeris for Friday, November 8th. The sun will rise at 7:30. It’ll be up for 9 hours and 51 minutes, setting at 5:21. The moon, 2 days before first quarter, will set at 10:42 this evening.
Tomorrow, Saturday the 9th, the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will host a star party at Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory from 9m to 11 p.m. On tap if it’s clear will be the moon and later on in the evening the planet Jupiter will rise in the east with its retinue of moons and its cloud bands. There are still some northern summer telescopic wonders; plus rising in the east some star clusters and galaxies bright enough to see in the moonlight. Best of these star clusters is the Double Cluster, and the best of all the galaxies is the Great Andromeda Galaxy. This will be the last Saturday evening viewing opportunity of the year. There will still be a star party on Friday December 6th after the society meeting.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
11/01/2013 – Ephemeris – Preview of Comet ISON plus a star party tonight in Traverse City
Ephemeris for Friday, November 1st. The sun will rise at 8:20. It’ll be up for 10 hours and 10 minutes, setting at 6:31. The moon, 2 days before new, will rise at 7:16 tomorrow morning.
This evening’s meeting of the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society starting at 8 p.m. at Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory will be a special one. Yours truly will preview the viewing prospects for Comet ISON for this and next month. What will happen? Where do I look to see it? Will it be the comet of the century? On that last question, I can give an answer right now, we’ll know immediately if it isn’t. We probably won’t know for 87 years if it is. The century is still young. Due to the extreme interest in this subject, the visuals and other information from the talk will be released to the society’s gtastro.org web site. At 9 p.m. there will be a star party at the observatory, and another program if it’s cloudy.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Click on image for slides from tonight’s talk:
10/21/2013 – Ephemeris – Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore 43rd Anniversary Star Party Tonight
Ephemeris for Monday, October 21st. The sun will rise at 8:05. It’ll be up for 10 hours and 41 minutes, setting at 6:47. The moon, 3 days past full, will rise at 8:33 this evening.
The Federal Government shutdown is over, and that means that the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is open again, just in time to hold its 43rd anniversary star party at the Dune Climb parking lot starting at 8 p.m. tonight with the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society. The moon will be rising shortly after the event starts. Also some of the brighter wonders of the heavens will be visible in the moon light. This will conclude the fourth year of star parties with the rangers at the park It started in 2010 with two star parties in October that year to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the founding of the park. Currently the society works with the park rangers to hold seven monthly star parties. The star party will be canceled if it’s cloudy.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
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.
Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog 