06/04/2014 – Ephemeris – Last week for all 5 pre-telescopic planets to be visible for a while

Ephemeris for Wednesday, June 4th.  Today the sun will be up for 15 hours and 23 minutes, setting at 9:22.   The moon, 1 day before first quarter, will set at 1:39 tomorrow morning.  Tomorrow the sun will rise at 5:58.

It’s Wednesday and once again time to locate the bright planets for this week.   Mercury is showing up in the west shortly after sunset,  It is getting dimmer (magnitude 1.6) as it is becoming a thin crescent.  It will set at 10:47.  Brilliant Jupiter will be in the western sky in Gemini as darkness falls tonight.  It will set at 11:59 p.m.  Reddish Mars is in Virgo in the south-southwest as darkness falls.  It’s 76 million miles (122 million km) away now, and moving away, and will set at 3:14 a.m.  Saturn will be low in the southeast as darkness falls.  It’s in the faint constellation of Libra the scales this year.  It will pass due south at 11:55 p.m.  Brilliant Venus will rise in the east at 4:21 a.m. in morning twilight.

Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan.  They may be different for your location.

Addendum

Jupiter, Mars, Saturn and the Moon seen at 11 p.m. June 4, 2014. Created using Stellarium.

Jupiter and moons in a telescope at 11 p.m. June 4, 2014. Created using Stellarium.

The Moon as it might appear in binoculars at 11 p.m. on June 4, 2014. Created using Stellarium.

Mars, probably a bit better than it will appear in a small telescope at 11 p.m. June 4, 2014. Created using Stellarium.

Saturn with some of its moons, not all of them will be visible in a small telescope, at 11 p.m. on June 4, 2014. Created using Stellarium.

Venus in morning twilight in the east at 5:15, June 5, 2014. Created using Stellarium.

Venus showing its gibbous phase in a telescope at 5:15 a.m. on June 5, 2014. Created using Stellarium.