06/04/2019 – Ephemeris – The night sky previews summer

Ephemeris for Tuesday, June 4th. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 24 minutes, setting at 9:23, and it will rise tomorrow at 5:58. The Moon, 1 day past new, will set at 10:51 this evening.

The Moon will be visible early this evening. By early I mean by 10 p.m. since the Sun sets so late now. By the time you see it it will be a day and a half old and a thin sliver. Closer inspection will reveal the the whole Moon will be visible due to Earth shine. That’s due to the nearly full Earth shining on the night side of the Moon.

Even though Summer is 17 days away the three bright stars of the Summer Triangle are visible in the eastern sky at 11 p.m. The three stars are Vega highest in the east. Deneb is lower in the northeast. Altair is lower close to the horizon in east. They will rise higher throughout the summer season. Looking close to the horizon in the southeast that bright star at that hour is the planet Jupiter.

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

Addendum

The eastern skies at 11 p.m. June 4, 2019. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.