06/15/2022 – Ephemeris – Let’s search for the naked-eye planets for this week

This is Ephemeris for Wednesday, June 15th. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 33 minutes, setting at 9:30, and it will rise tomorrow at 5:56. The Moon, 1 day past full, will rise at 11:27 this evening.

Let’s search for the naked-eye planets for this week. All the naked-eye planets are in the morning sky, although Mercury may be too close to the Sun to be seen. It might just be visible low in the east-northeast after 5. That’s at least for those as far north as we are. At 5 am tomorrow the planets will be spread out from Mercury near the horizon, brilliant Venus low in the east to Saturn higher in the south-southeast. To the right of Venus, tomorrow morning, in the east-southeast are Mars and Jupiter. Mars is quite a bit dimmer than Jupiter. All will be in line sloping to the upper right with Saturn all by its lonesome in the south-southeast. The naked-eye planets are arranged in the morning sky, in the same order as their distances from the Sun.

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

The Moon as it might appear at midnight June 16, 2022, through binoculars or a small telescope. Atmospheric refraction will affect the shape of the Moon when it’s very low in the sky. Created using Stellarium.

Morning planets at 5 am tomorrow morning, June 16, 2022. Click on the image to enlarge it. The span of the planets from Venus to Saturn is 87 degrees. Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using Stellarium.

Views of Saturn, Jupiter, and Venus (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope, with the same magnification, tomorrow morning at 5:00 am, June 16, 2022. I do not show planets less than 10 seconds of arc in diameter. Apparent diameters: Saturn 17.80″, its rings 41.47″; Jupiter 39.02″. Mars is not shown, its apparent diameter is 6.81″ and is 86.4% illuminated; Venus 12.66″, 82.2% illuminated. The ” symbol means seconds of arc (1/3600th of a degree.) Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).

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The naked-eye planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise on a single night, starting with sunset on the right on June 15, 2022. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 16th. Notice that all the naked-eye planets are in the morning sky now. Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using my LookingUp program.