07/11/2014 – Ephemeris – Spot Mercury tomorrow and Learn about two comets tonight

Ephemeris for Friday, July 11th.  Today the sun will be up for 15 hours and 19 minutes, setting at 9:27.   The moon, 1 day before full, will set at 6:31 tomorrow morning.  Tomorrow the sun will rise at 6:08.

Really diehard Mercury watchers just may catch a glimpse of this very elusive planet tomorrow morning after it rises at 4:47 a.m.  It’s below and left of Venus at that time.  But before then the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will hold its monthly meeting tonight at Northwestern Michigan College’s Observatory on Birmley Road.  Yours truly will be giving the talk starting at 8 p.m. about the two comets that will be in the news starting next month.  The first will be orbited by the European Rosetta spacecraft which will send down a lander starting next month.  The second will be a close approach of a comet to Mars, near enough to possibly menace our satellites orbiting Mars in October.  There will be viewing afterwords.

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

More information on the talk is here.

Addendum

Mercury and Venus rising in twilight at 5:30 a.m. July 12, 2014. Created using Stellarium.

Title Slide for Tail of Two Comets