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Sleeping Bear Dunes Star Party tonight
7:00 p.m.
It’s cleared up. Don’t know how long that will last. But its a GO for tonight. The official time for the star party is 9 to 11 p.m. Set up starts at 8 p.m. See you out there!
5:00 p.m.
I talked to ranger Marie Scott just a few minutes ago and consulted the clear sky chart for observatories in the area, and I’d guess prospects are 50% at best. I’ll check in with her again at near 7 p.m. for a final update.
1:30 p.m.
The Star Party at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore will take place if weather permits. It starts at 9 p.m. at the Dune Climb parking lot. As of 1:30 p.m. it is gloomy out with rain in the area. The rain is supposed to end by 3 p.m. according to my weather.com app on my phone. Plus satellite images show that it is clearing over Lake Michigan. We may get a break tonight.
Check back here for updates. I should be contacting the park rangers by around 5 or 6 tonight, but keep an eye on the weather.
Bob
09/06/2013 – Ephemeris – Local astronomical opportunities this weekend
Ephemeris for Friday, September 6th. The sun will rise at 7:11. It’ll be up for 12 hours and 58 minutes, setting at 8:09. The moon, 1 day past new, will set at 8:27 this evening.
This evening at the regular monthly meeting of the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society Dr. David Penney will give a talk about our stellar neighborhood, the most populous stars in which are red dwarf stars. No red dwarf star has died of old age since the big bang. Their life span is calculated to be in trillions of years. The meeting is at 8 p.m. at Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory. Starting at 9 p.m. there will be a star party at the observatory. Tomorrow night society will host a star party at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore if its clear. Viewing starts at 9 p.m. at the parking lot of the Dunes Climb. This will be a good time to discover the star clusters and nebulae of the summer Milky Way.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The GTAS at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore’s Platte River Point, April, 2012. Credit Eileen Carlisle.
08/16/2013 – Ephemeris – Another weekend under the stars
Ephemeris for Friday, August 16th. The sun rises at 6:46. It’ll be up for 13 hours and 59 minutes, setting at 8:45. The moon, 2 days past first quarter, will set at 2:44 tomorrow morning.
The Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will have a busy weekend, though not as busy as last weekend where we had four events on four nights. It starts this evening with Friday Night Live, viewing the sun if it’s clear. The society sets up in front of Orvis Streamside, just west of the State Theater. After the event closes we’ll stay after to view the moon and possibly Venus and Saturn. Saturday evening from 9 to 11 p.m. The crew will be out at Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory on Birmley Road, south of Traverse City for a Star Party, again with the moon, Venus and Saturn. Some of the brighter objects beyond the solar system, we call them deep sky objects, will be viewed if it’s clear.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
On Front Street after Friday Night Live.
07/19/2013 – Ephemeris – Smile you’re on Candid Cassini Camera
Ephemeris for Friday, July 19th. Today the sun will be up for 15 hours and 6 minutes, setting at 9:21. The moon, 3 days before full, will set at 3:55 tomorrow morning. Tomorrow the sun will rise at 6:16.
Between 5:27 and 5:42 p.m. today go outside and look to the southeast and smile. An hour and a half later when the light arrives the Cassini spacecraft, hiding from the sun behind Saturn will take a series of photographs that will include the Earth in the background. All of us, the Earth included will fit into one pixel in Cassini’s camera. This is a reprise of the famous back-lit photograph of Saturn taken earlier in its mission. Closer to home members of the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will be part of Kingsley Heritage Days Saturday and Sunday to view the sun if it’s clear. Also the society will host a star party at the NMC’s Rogers Observatory starting at 9 p.m. tomorrow night.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Saturn night side mosaic taken early in the mission. Note the pale blue dot at the 9:30 position outside the main rings and just inside the next fuzzy ring out. That’s Earth. Credit: NASA. Click on the image to enlarge.
07/12/2013 – Ephemeris – Star party at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore tomorrow night
Ephemeris for Friday, July 12th. Today the sun will be up for 15 hours and 17 minutes, setting at 9:26. The moon, 3 days before first quarter, will set at 11:22 this evening. Tomorrow the sun will rise at 6:09.
Tomorrow night there will be a star party at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore starting at 9 p.m. It will be hosted by the park rangers and the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society. The location this time will be at Platte River Point at the end of Lake Michigan Road off M22, at the end of the road where the Platte River Camp Ground is.. The celestial objects featured will be Venus, Saturn and the crescent moon. Also some of the brighter deep sky wonders will be visible later in the evening. This will be the first use of the society’s new CCD camera to display celestial wonders to those who can’t view due to handicap. We still have some bugs to work out. The star party will be canceled if cloudy. Call 326-5135 extension 331 for the status.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
07/05/2013 – Ephemeris – Earth at aphelion and astronomy tonight
Ephemeris for Friday, July 5th. Today the sun will be up for 15 hours and 26 minutes, setting at 9:30. The moon, 3 days before new, will rise at 4:52 tomorrow morning. Tomorrow the sun will rise at 6:04.
The earth is as far as it will get from the sun for the year today at 94.5 million miles. Speaking of the sun, the monthly meeting of the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society at 8 p.m. at Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory tonight will host local landscape architect Dean Conners an expert on sundials. He created the sundial in the Children’s Garden behind the District Library. who will talk about some interesting sundials. After the meeting at 9 p.m. there will be a star party at the observatory with the planets Venus and Saturn plus some of the bright wonders of the summer sky, like the Ring Nebula, The Great Hercules Globular Star Cluster if it’s clear. There’s other activities if it’s cloudy.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
06/07/2013 – Ephemeris – Learn about telescopes and observe the heavens this weekend.
Ephemeris for Friday, June 7th. Today the sun will be up for 15 hours and 27 minutes, setting at 9:25. The moon, 1 day before new, will rise at 6:06 tomorrow morning. Tomorrow the sun will rise at 5:57.
This will be a busy weekend for anyone wanting to view the heavens. First the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will hold its monthly meeting at 8 p.m. tonight at the Rogers Observatory. It will be a program about how to use telescopes. The session will be conducted by Rod Cortright of the Northern Michigan Astronomy Club. This will be followed by a star party at 9 p.m. where the featured attractions will be the planets Mercury, Venus and Saturn if its clear. Tomorrow night, that’s Saturday night there will be a star party at Sleeping Bear Dunes Pierce Stocking Drive, Stop number 3 starting at 9 p.m. Please park at Picnic Mountain, just before stop 3. The Dunes star party will take place if it’s clear or partly cloudy.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
05/10/2013 – Ephemeris – Star party featuring the sun tomorrow
Ephemeris for Tuesday, April 23rd. The sun rises at 6:44. It’ll be up for 13 hours May 10. The sun rises at 6:20. It’ll be up for 14 hours and 38 minutes, setting at 8:58. The moon, 1 day past new, will set at 9:48 this evening.
This month The Grand Traverse Astronomical Society trying a new type of star party at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. This will be tomorrow from noon to 2 p.m. if it’s clear. That is the star of our star party will be the sun. We’ve done these at other venues and festivals, but this is the first time we’re doing it at the park. Telescopes will be set up at the park headquarters in Empire. In addition to white light filtered telescopes, the society will also have a spacial solar telescopes to view the sun’s atmosphere and any prominences visible. Prominences are large red clouds of hydrogen that can hang over the sun in loops are flung away by solar flares. The white light telescopes will show any sunspots that are on the sun’s face.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
05/03/2013 – Ephemeris – Explore the sun and the stars tonight
Ephemeris for Friday, May 3rd. The sun rises at 6:29. It’ll be up for 14 hours and 20 minutes, setting at 8:49. The moon, 1 day past last quarter, will rise at 3:39 tomorrow morning.
Yours truly will present a talk about the sun and its effects on the earth at this evening’s meeting of the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society at Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory starting at 8 p.m. This is a talk that is prepared to be given to the Friendly Garden Club later this month. It explores how the sun gets its energy and it emphases the life-giving radiation we receive from the sun and how plants, especially use it to create our green oxygenated world. Starting at 9 p.m. Is our first of our star parties for May at the observatory. Highlights, if its clear will be the planets Jupiter and Saturn, plus some of the bright wonders of the spring skies and maybe a star cluster or two. All are welcome.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog 