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4/03/2020 – Ephemeris – Tonight Venus appears among the stars of the Pleiades
This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Friday, April 3rd. Today the Sun will be up for 12 hours and 54 minutes, setting at 8:13, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:17. The Moon, 2 days past first quarter, will set at 5:48 tomorrow morning.
This evening the brilliant evening star, the planet Venus will appear within the Pleiades or Seven Sisters star cluster. Venus will slowly pass the Pleiades for the next few days. By the end of the month the Pleiades will be pretty much lost in the twilight. Evening star gazers will again pick it up late on September evenings, rising in the northeast. Venus, itself appears as a tiny crescent in small telescopes, and in May the tiny crescent will even be visible in binoculars. Venus reflects about 77 percent of the sunlight it receives because it is completely socked in by clouds. Clouds of a sulfuric acid mist. It is not a nice place. Surface temperature averages 867 degrees, and the atmospheric pressure is 90 times that of Earth.
The event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
binocular view of Venus and the Pleiades tonight at 10 p.m. EDT April 3, 2020. (2 hr UT April 4) Created using Stellarium. Note: More stars may be visible. There will be a bright Moon out masking the dimmer members of the cluster. Your results may vary.
Update 04/03/2020 10:10 p.m. EDT
Photo of Venus and Pleiades taken at 9:37 p.m. EDT with Canon EOS Rebel T5, 300mm fl. f/5.6, 2 sec, ISO 3200, unguided. by myself.
04/01/2020 – Ephemeris – Looking at the naked-eye planets for this week
Ephemeris for April Fools Day, Wednesday, April 1st. Today the Sun will be up for 12 hours and 48 minutes, setting at 8:11, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:20. The Moon, at first quarter today, will set at 4:23 tomorrow morning.
Let’s look at the naked-eye planets for this week. Venus is our evening star shining brightly in the west just below the Pleiades. It will set at 12:26 a.m. The rest of the planet action is in the morning sky where there are three planets close together in the southeast. Bright Jupiter will rise first at 4:11 a.m. Followed by Saturn 4:31 a.m. Mars, left and below Saturn will rise at 4:39 a.m. It’s now as bright as a first magnitude star because it’s down to 135 million miles (217 million km) away, as the Earth slowly overtakes it at the rate of about 5 million miles (8 million km) a week. It’s brighter than the star Antares in the south-southwest. Mars passed Saturn yesterday afternoon moving eastward much faster than Saturn was.
The event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Venus under the Pleiades tonight at 10 p.m. April 1, 2020. Created using Stellarium.
The Moon as it might look like in binoculars this evening April 1, 2020. Created using Stellarium.
Morning planets and the southern stars of summer at 6 a.m. tomorrow morning April 2, 2020. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using Stellarium.
The planets as seen in a telescope with the same magnification. Venus in the evening and Jupiter and Saturn in the morning on the night of April 1/2, 2020. Apparent diameters: Venus, 25.85″; Jupiter, 37.21″; Saturn, 16.16″, rings, 37.65″. Mars at 6.46″ won’t be added until it reaches 10″. The ” symbol means seconds of arc (1/3600th of a degree.) Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
Planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise of a single night starting with sunset on the right on April 1, 2020. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 2nd. The planet traffic jam in the morning sky unfortunately overlays planets and labels. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using my LookingUp program.
03/25/2020 – Ephemeris – Let’s look at the naked-eye planets for this week
Ephemeris for Wednesday, March 25th. Today the Sun will be up for 12 hours and 26 minutes, setting at 8:02, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:33. The Moon, 1 day past new, will set at 9:21 this evening.
Let’s look at the naked-eye planets for this week. Venus is our evening star shining brightly in the west. It will set at 12:14 a.m. The rest of the planet action is in the morning sky where there are three planets close together in the southeast. Bright Jupiter will rise first at 4:35 a.m. Followed by Mars, left and below, rising at 4:50 a.m. It’s now as bright as a first magnitude star because it’s down to 140 million (226 million km) miles away, as the Earth slowly overtakes it at the rate of about 5 million miles (8 million km) a week. It’s brighter than the star Antares in the south-southwest. And lastly, Saturn will rise at 5:01 a.m. Mars is about half way between Jupiter and Saturn. It will pass Saturn next Tuesday.
The event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Day and a half old Moon low over a Lake Michigan horizon tonight at 8:30 p.m. March 25, 2020. The bright edge of the Moon will be a sit brighter, and the earthshine on the night side of the Moon a bit dimmer. Created using Stellarium.
Venus and the setting winter stars tonight at 10 p.m. March 25, 2020. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using Stellarium.
Saturn, Mars and Jupiter with the southern summer stars at 6:30 a.m. tomorrow March 26, 2020. Mars will pass Saturn on the 31st. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using Stellarium.
The planets as seen in a telescope with the same magnification. Venus in the evening and Jupiter and Saturn in the morning on the night of March 25/26, 2020. Apparent diameters: Venus, 23.85″; Jupiter, 36.46″; Saturn, 15.99″, rings, 37.26″. Mars at 6.22″ won’t be added until it reaches 10″. The ” symbol means seconds of arc (1/3600th of a degree.) Click on the image to enlarge. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
Planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise of a single night starting with sunset on the right on March 25, 2020. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 26th. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using my LookingUp program.
03/18/2020 – Ephemeris – Let’s look at the naked-eye planets for this week
Ephemeris for Wednesday, March 18th. Today the Sun will be up for 12 hours and 4 minutes, setting at 7:53, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:46. The Moon, 2 days past last quarter, will rise at 5:55 tomorrow morning.
Let’s look at the naked-eye planets for this week. Venus is our evening star shining brightly in the west. It will set at 12:07 a.m. The rest of the planet action is in the morning sky where there are three planets close together in the southeast. Mars will rise first at 5:01 a.m. It’s now as bright as a first magnitude star because it’s down to 145 million (234 million km) miles away, as the Earth slowly overtakes it at the rate of about 6 million miles (9 million km) a week. It’s brighter than the star Antares in the southwest. Bright Jupiter will rise at 5:03 a.m. And lastly, Saturn will rise at 5:27 a.m. Mars is catching up to Jupiter and Saturn. It will pass south of Jupiter in two days, and Saturn on the 31st.
The event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Venus in a very faint zodiacal light at 10 p.m. March 18, 2020. Created using Stellarium.
Morning planets and the Moon for 7 a.m. Thursday, March 19, 2020. Created using Stellarium.
The Moon as it might be seen in binoculars at 7 a.m. tomorrow March 19, 2020. Created using Stellarium.
The planets as seen in a telescope with the same magnification. Venus in the evening and Jupiter and Saturn in the morning on the night of March 18/19, 2020. Apparent diameters: Venus, 22.2″; Jupiter, 35.8″; Saturn, 15.8″, rings, 36.9″. Mars at 6.0″ won’t be added until it reaches 10″. The ” symbol means seconds of arc (1/3600th of a degree.) Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
Planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise of a single night starting with sunset on the right on March 18, 2020. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 19th. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using my LookingUp program.
03/11/2020 – Ephemeris – Let’s look at the naked-eye planets for this week
Ephemeris for Wednesday, March 11th. Today the Sun will be up for 11 hours and 42 minutes, setting at 7:44, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:59. The Moon, 2 days past full, will rise at 10:26 this evening.
Let’s look at the naked-eye planets for this week. Venus is our evening star shining brightly in the west for most of the evening. It will set at 11:49 p.m. The rest of the planet action is in the morning sky where there are three planets close together in the southeast. Mars will rise first at 5:11 a.m. It’s getting as bright as a first magnitude star because it’s down to 151 million (243 million km) miles away, as the Earth slowly overtakes it at the rate of about 6 million miles (9 million km) a week. It’s brighter than the star Antares in the southwest. Bright Jupiter will rise at 5:23 a.m. And lastly, Saturn will rise at 5:43 a.m. Mars is catching up to Jupiter and Saturn. It will pass south of Jupiter on the 20th, and Saturn on the 31st. It might be worth getting up for before 7 a.m. to view.
The event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Venus and evening bright stars tonight at 9 p.m., March 11, 2020. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using Stellarium.
Morning Planets and the Moon at 7 a.m. tomorrow morning March 12, 2020. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using Stellarium.
Binocular Moon tomorrow morning at 7 a.m. March 12, 2020. Created using Stellarium.
The planets as seen in a telescope with the same magnification. Venus in the evening and Jupiter and Saturn in the morning on the night of March 11/12, 2020. Apparent diameters: Venus, 20.7″; Jupiter, 35.1″; Saturn, 15.7″, rings, 36.6″. Mars at 5.8″ won’t be added until it reaches 10″. The ” symbol means seconds of arc (1/3600th of a degree.) Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
Planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise of a single night starting with sunset on the right on March 11, 2020. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 12th. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using my LookingUp program.
03/04/2020 – Ephemeris – Let’s look at the naked-eye planets for this week
Ephemeris for Wednesday, March 4th. Today the Sun will be up for 11 hours and 21 minutes, setting at 6:35, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:12. The Moon, 2 days past first quarter, will set at 4:39 tomorrow morning.
Let’s look at the naked-eye planets for this week. Venus is our evening star shining brightly in the west for most of the evening. It will set at 10:34 p.m. The rest of the planet action is in the morning. Mars will rise in the southeast at 4:19 a.m. It’s getting as bright as a first magnitude star because it’s 157 million (253 million km) miles away, and it’s getting slowly closer to the Earth at the rate of about 6 million miles (9 million km) a week. However it’s brighter than Betelgeuse. Jupiter will rise at 4:46 a.m. Lastly, Saturn will rise at 5:14 tomorrow morning. Mars is catching up to Jupiter and Saturn. It will pass south of Jupiter on the 20th, and Saturn on the 31st. It might be worth getting up for before 6 a.m. to spot.
The times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Venus, the bright winter stars and the Moon tonight, 8 p.m. March 4, 2020. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using Stellarium.
The gibbous Moon as it might appear in binoculars at 8 p.m. March 4, 2020. Created using Stellarium.
The naked-eye planets visible in the morning at 6:30 a.m. tomorrow, March 5, 2020. Created using Stellarium.
Planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise of a single night starting with sunset on the right on March 4, 2020. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 5th. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using my LookingUp program.
02-26-2020 – Ephemeris – Let’s look at the naked-eye planets for this week
Ephemeris for Ash Wednesday, February 26th. Today the Sun will be up for 10 hours and 59 minutes, setting at 6:25, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:24. The Moon, 3 days past new, will set at 9:28 this evening.
Let’s look at the naked-eye planets for this week. Venus is our evening star shining brightly in the southwest in the early evening. It will set at 10:19 p.m. Mars is visible in the morning sky and will rise in the southeast at 4:27 a.m. It’s not very bright because it’s 161 million (260 million km) miles away, but it’s getting slowly closer to the Earth at the rate of about 6 million miles (9 million km) a week. However it’s brighter than Betelgeuse. Jupiter will rise at 5:06 a.m. Lastly, Saturn will rise at 5:39 tomorrow morning. Jupiter is currently about 9 degrees away from Saturn, a bit less than the width of your fist held at arms length. It will continue to approach Saturn until their paths cross on December 21st.
The times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Venus and the Moon in the western sky at 7:30 p.m. or about an hour after sunset. February 26, 2020. Created using Stellarium.
The morning planets and stars visible in the southern sky at 6:30 a.m. tomorrow morning February 37, 2020. The star Antares is in the constellation of Scorpius. Mars sits on top of the lid of the Teapot asterism of the constellation of Sagittarius the archer. Jupiter and Saturn are seen to the lower left. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using Stellarium.
The planets as seen in a telescope with the same magnification. Venus in the evening and Jupiter and Saturn in the morning on the night of February 26/27, 2020. Apparent diameters: Venus, 18.3″; Jupiter, 34.0″; Saturn, 15.4″, rings, 36.0″. Mars at 5.4″ won’t be added until it reaches 10″. The ” symbol means seconds of arc (1/3600th of a degree.) Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
Planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise of a single night starting with sunset on the right on February 26, 2020. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 27th. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using my LookingUp program.
02/19/2020 -Ephemeris – Let’s take a look at the bright planets
Ephemeris for Wednesday, February 19th. Today the Sun will be up for 10 hours and 38 minutes, setting at 6:16, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:36. The Moon, half way from last quarter to new, will rise at 6:12 tomorrow morning.
Let’s look at the naked-eye planets for this week. Venus is our evening star shining brightly in the southwest in the early evening. It will set at 10:03 p.m. Mercury is fading and will set only 58 minutes after the Sun. Mars is visible in the morning sky and will rise in the southeast at 4:34 a.m. It’s not very bright because it’s 167 million (268 million km) miles away, but it’s getting slowly closer to the Earth at the rate of about 4 million miles (6 million km) a week. Jupiter will rise at 5:32 a.m. Lastly, Saturn will rise at 6:04 tomorrow morning with the thin crescent Moon underneath it*. Jupiter will continue to approach Saturn throughout this year until their paths cross on December 21st.
The times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
* Moon placement in this morning’s program was in error. The Moon is near Jupiter this morning, not tomorrow morning.
Addendum
Venus and zodiacal light at 7:30 p.m. this evening February 19, 2020. The zodiacal light will appear more prominent in the next month or so. Here it’s mostly silhouetting the foreground trees. Check my prior posts for zodiacal light. I’ll cover it again in about a month. Created using Stellarium.
Morning planets and the Moon tomorrow morning at 7 a.m. February 20, 2020. Note that the Moon is 3 times its normal size. Created using Stellarium.
The planets as seen in a telescope with the same magnification. Venus in the evening and Jupiter and Saturn in the morning. Apparent diameters: Venus, 17.5″; Jupiter, 33.5″; Saturn, 15.4″, rings, 35.7″.
Planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise of a single night starting with sunset on the right on February 19, 2020. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 20th. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using my LookingUp program.
02/14/2020 – Ephemeris – Love is in the air, and in space too
Ephemeris for St Valentine’s Day, Friday, February 14th. Today the Sun will be up for 10 hours and 23 minutes, setting at 6:09, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:43. The Moon, 1 day before last quarter, will rise at 1:02 tomorrow morning.
As I said before today is St. Valentine’s day. However one of the symbols of this Christian Saint’s day, beside the red hearts, is the pagan Roman god of love Cupid, the cute counterpart of the Greek god Eros. Cupid supposedly made people fall in love by shooting them with little love darts with his bow. One of those darts is in the sky as the constellation Sagitta the arrow which is visible on summer evenings and now in the early morning. The Roman goddess of love is represented brilliantly in the evening sky as the planet Venus. On St Valentine’s Day, 20 years ago the NEAR-Shoemaker spacecraft entered orbit of the asteroid Eros, and soft landed on it 364 days later. They say love is in the air. Apparently love is in space too.
The times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Sagitta the arrow at 6 a.m. these mornings, located within the Summer Triangle of the bright stars Vega, Altair and Deneb. It will be seen at a more convenient time this summer. Created using Stellarium.
Six views of asteroid 433-Eros in February 2000. Images from NASA’s NEAR-Shoemaker spacecraft.
Bonus
IC 1805 (Heart Nebula) Credit: s58y [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons
Pluto on July 8, 2015 from the New Horizons spacecraft on approach showing its love for us, or it’s just a heart shaped feature on Pluto’s lower right edge. This is a back & white image colorized by information captured by “Ralph”, a visible and infrared imager. The detail in all these pictures is provided by LORRI the long range imager. Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute.
02/12/2020 – Ephemeris – A look at the bright planets after a month
Ephemeris for Wednesday, February 12th. Today the Sun will be up for 10 hours and 18 minutes, setting at 6:06, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:46. The Moon, half way from full to last quarter, will rise at 10:32 this evening
It’s been a month since we’ve viewed the bright planets, so let’s have a look. Brilliant Venus is dominating the evening sky in the southwest until it sets at 9:47 p.m. Less noticed is tiny Mercury, below and right of Venus and near the horizon, perhaps best seen in binoculars. It will set at 7:41 p.m. In the morning sky Mars is first to appear and will rise in the east-southeast at 4:40 a.m. It’s brighter than it was last month, it’s 27 million miles closer at 171 million miles. Jupiter will rise at 5:54 a.m. in the east-southeast. This second brightest planet is approaching Saturn in our skies, and will continue until near Christmas. Saturn itself, will rise at 6:30 a.m. in the east-southeast.
The times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
Venus and Mercury in the twilight at 6:45 p.m. Created using Stellarium.
The Moon and Spica at 7 a.m. in the southwest. Created using Stellarium.
The morning planets at 7 a.m. Created using Stellarium.
Telescopic views of the planets at the same magnification with Venus tonight at 6:45 p.m. February 12, 2020. Mercury is too small to show a disk at this magnification. At 7 a.m. on the 13th Mars is too tiny to show a disk. Twilight is too bright and Saturn is too low to show its moons. But Jupiter’s Great Red Spot is turned toward the Earth. Can you spot it? Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).
Planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise of a single night starting with sunset on the right on February 12, 2020. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 13th. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using my LookingUp program.
Bob Moler's Ephemeris Blog 