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11/08/2018 – Ephemeris – More constellations of autumn: Andromeda, Triangulum and Aries
Ephemeris for Thursday, November 8th. The Sun will rise at 7:30. It’ll be up for 9 hours and 51 minutes, setting at 5:22. The Moon, 1 day past new, will set at 6:26 this evening.
High in the south at 9 p.m. can be seen the Great Square of Pegasus. From the top left star of the square diverge two curved lines of stars that is Andromeda the chained princess. Just below and left of Andromeda is a slender triangle of stars, none particularly bright. It has a name you can easily see in the stars, Triangulum, the triangle. Early Christians saw it as the Mitre of Saint Peter or the Trinity. Another small constellation seen below Triangulum is the much better known constellation Aries the ram, a small hockey stick of a constellation, not that hard to spot. It is the first constellation of the Zodiac, where the Sun is supposed to enter on the first day of spring. Due to the wobble of the Earth’s axis over the millenia, that honor is now given to Pisces.
The times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
11/24/2016 – Ephemeris – The little constellation that used to start the seasonal year
Ephemeris for Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 24th. The Sun will rise at 7:52. It’ll be up for 9 hours and 14 minutes, setting at 5:06. The Moon, 3 days past last quarter, will rise at 3:54 tomorrow morning.
From antiquity, the first constellation of the Zodiac has been Aries the ram. That’s the constellation the Sun entered on the first day of spring, or the vernal equinox. Well that was a couple of thousand years ago. Currently the vernal equinox point is in western Pisces. This is due to the wobbling of the Earth’s axis called precession. The spinning Earth like and top or gyroscope wobbles when force is applied to it. In this case the Sun and Moon. One wobble takes 26,000 years to complete. Anyway, Aries is a small constellation of four stars in a bent line, below the triangular constellation of Triangulum, which is itself below Andromeda. It’s a bit west or right of the Pleiades or Seven Sisters star cluster.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Aries the ram animated finder chart for 9 p.m. November 24, 2016. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.
The vernal equinox today, where the blue line, the celestial equator and the orange line, the ecliptic or path of the Sun cross. The Sun is where these lines cross on the first day of spring (March 20th around here). Note that the vernal equinox is now in western Pisces. Created using Stellarium.
The vernal equinox back in AD 100, where the blue line, the celestial equator and the orange line, the ecliptic or path of the Sun cross. The Sun is where these lines cross on the first day of spring. Note that the vernal equinox was at the east edge of Pisces. Created using Stellarium.
11/09/2012 – Ephemeris – The constellations of the triangle and the ram
Ephemeris for Friday, November 9th. The sun will rise at 7:31. It’ll be up for 9 hours and 48 minutes, setting at 5:20. The moon, 3 days past last quarter, will rise at 3:29 tomorrow morning.
High in the south at 9 p.m. can be seen the Great Square of Pegasus. From the top left star of the square diverge two curved lines of stars that is Andromeda the chained princess. Just below and left of Andromeda is a slender triangle of stars, none particularly bright. It has a name you can easily see in the stars, Triangulum, the triangle. It has been known from antiquity, and early Christians saw it as the Mitre of Saint Peter or the Trinity. Another small constellation seen below Triangulum is the much better known constellation Aries the ram. It is the first constellation of the Zodiac, where the sun used to to enter on the first day of spring. Aries is a small hockey stick constellation, not that hard to spot.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Cetus, Triangulum, Aries and surrounding constellations on November 8, 2012 at 9 p.m. Created using Stellarium.
Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog 