Ephemeris: 05/03/2024 – GTAS meeting tonight: Eclipse Tales

This is Ephemeris for Friday, May 3rd. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 21 minutes, setting at 8:50, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:27. The Moon, 2 days past last quarter, will rise at 4:48 tomorrow morning.

The Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will meet this evening at 8:00 PM at the NMC’s Joseph Rogers observatory which is on Birmley Road, south of Traverse City. The program will consist of returning members from the total solar eclipse last month showing their photographs, and recounting their adventures of going down to the path of totality. And in my case a video of the changes in the sky at totality, as the Moon’s shadow passed over us. Afterward, if it’s clear, will be viewing the skies, though there will be no planets or the Moon out. In the morning hours before dawn tomorrow and Sunday morning there will be a meteor shower, the Eta Aquariid meteor shower of particles from Halley’s Comet striking the Earth’s atmosphere.

The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT–4 hours). They may be different for your location.

Addendum

Totality is weird. The Sun is still overexposed with its corona. The light bar running through it is simply in the camera. The light pole lamp that the camera is parked under is lit. Since we’re looking up the eclipse path, the trailing edge of the Moon’s shadow is now visible approaching with its twilight colors at the edge.

There will be more photos and stories at the meeting.