08/28/2015 – Ephemeris – The last Friday Night Live of the summer

Ephemeris for Friday, August 28th.  The Sun will rise at 7:00.  It’ll be up for 13 hours and 26 minutes, setting at 8:27.   The Moon, 1 day before full, will set at 6:47 tomorrow morning.

The Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will be at the last Friday Night Live of the year this evening to view the Sun and will stay after if its clear to view the Moon and Saturn in the telescopes.  For the Sun members have equipped their telescopes with solar filters to greatly diminish the sun’s light to make it safe to view the bright photosphere of the Sun with it’s sunspots.  The society itself has a solar telescope, that not only filters the Sun’s light, but filters the light to isolate the red light of the element hydrogen.  The special filter, called an etalon has to be tuned to the exact frequency or wavelength of the hydrogen atoms on the sun which will reveal the layer of gas above the photosphere and the clouds of hydrogen above.

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

Addendum

Viewing the Sun with a while light filter at Friday Night Live using Ron Uthe’s telescope at Friday Night Live. Credit Bob Moler.

The Lunt solar telescope at another event. Credit Bob Moler.