07/29/2022 – Ephemeris – The celestial Sand Hill Crane

This is Ephemeris for Friday, July 29th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 46 minutes, setting at 9:12, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:26. The Moon, 1 day past new, will set at 10:14 this evening.

Let’s look again at the constellation called Cygnus the swan and the informal constellation or asterism made from most of its stars, the Northern Cross. Cygnus is the official International Astronomical Union constellation name. However, the indigenous Anishinaabe people of our area had another bird in mind when seeing these stars, which are now fairly high in the east in the evening: Ajijaak, (pronounced a-ji-jock) a Sand Hill crane. While the swan is flying, neck outstretched to the south through the Milky Way, the crane is flying northward with its long legs trailing behind. The bright star Deneb is at his head. Where I live, I see and hear the cranes with their creaking-door-like calls, and see a pair from time to time in a field south of where I live.

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 IAU Cygnus the swan and the Anishinaabe Ajijaak the Sand Hill crane constellations demonstrated via an animated GIF image. Credit Stellarium (both star lore images are embedded in Stellarium). The Anishinaabe image is from Ojibwe Giizhig Anung Masinaaigan – Ojibiwe Sky Star Map created by A. Lee, W. Wilson, and C. Gawboy.

07/28/2022 – Ephemeris – Why don’t we have solar eclipses every new moon?

This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Thursday, July 28th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 48 minutes, setting at 9:13, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:25. The Moon is new today, and won’t be visible.

The actual time when the moon is New will be 1:55 pm. The Moon will not eclipse the Sun this time. Why? Because the Moon is nearly 5 degrees, or 10 moon-diameters, north of the Sun. If the Moon orbited the Earth nearly in the same plane that the Earth orbited the Sun, we could have solar eclipses for somewhere on the Earth every new moon. As it is, the Moon orbits the Earth with about a 5-degree tilt to the Earth’s orbit of the Sun. So we get eclipse opportunities of eclipses about one in six new moons for solar eclipse and about the same for full moons and lunar eclipses. Of course, one has to be at the proper location to see them. If the Moon orbited the Earth over the Earth’s equator, like many other moons of other planets, eclipses would be much more rare and only occur around the equinoxes.

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 Sun and Moon at New Moon at 1:55 pm today, seen as if the Earth had no atmosphere and one could see the Sun and stars at the same time. The orange line is the path of the Sun in the sky, called the ecliptic. The red line is the orbit of the Moon. Created using Stellarium.

Earth centered (geocentric) diagram of the heavens called the celestial sphere, showing the apparent orbits of the Sun and Moon. The Moon’s orbit has about a 5-degree tilt (exaggerated here) to the Sun’s apparent orbit, which we call the ecliptic. Solar eclipses occur when the new moon and Sun are near a node. Lunar eclipses occur when the full moon and Sun are near opposite nodes. My diagram.

The orbit of the Moon precesses, so the line of the nodes regresses, that is slowly rotating clockwise, backwards to the motion of the Sun and Moon (and all the rest of the planets), one rotation in 18.6 years.

07/27/2022 – Ephemeris – Let’s search for the naked-eye planets for this week

This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Wednesday, July 27th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 50 minutes, setting at 9:14, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:24. The Moon, 1 day before new, will rise at 5:52 tomorrow morning.

Let’s search for the naked-eye planets for this week. All but one of the naked-eye planets are in the morning sky, That one is Mercury, too close to the Sun to be seen in the evening. At 5:30 am tomorrow, the planets will be spread out from brilliant Venus low in the east-northeast to Saturn in the southwest. Mars will be a lot higher than Venus in the east-southeast. Jupiter is farther to the right in the south. Mars is dimmer than Jupiter, but is slowly getting brighter as the Earth creeps up on it. Saturn ends the line of planets much lower than Jupiter in the southwest. Tonight, Saturn will rise about 10:06 pm, though it won’t be an official evening planet until it rises before sunset, which won’t happen until August 14th.

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

Morning planets at 5:30 am tomorrow , July 28, 2022. The planets and Moon actually appear in a straight line in the sky, being placed along the ecliptic, or path of the Sun in the sky. The ecliptic is a great circle on the celestial sphere. Click on the image to enlarge it. The span of the planets from Venus to Saturn is 140 degrees. Two of winter’s first magnitude stars, Aldebaran and Capella, are now visible in morning twilight. 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 5:30 am, July 28, 2022. I do not show planets less than 10 seconds of arc in diameter. Apparent diameters: Saturn 18.67″, its rings 43.49″; Jupiter 44.58″. Mars is not shown, its apparent diameter is 8.13″, 84.8% illuminated; Venus 10.84″, 91.9% illuminated. The ” symbol means seconds of arc (1/3600th of a degree.) Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).

Noting Jupiter and moons image: Europa has just appeared from being behind Jupiter’s disk at 5:27 am (8:27 UT). It had disappeared into Jupiter’s shadow earlier at 12:23 am (4:23 UT).

The naked-eye planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise on a single night, starting with sunset on the right on July 27, 2022. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 28th. Notice that all the naked-eye planets except Mercury are in the morning sky now. Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using my LookingUp program.

07/26/2022 – Ephemeris – An Anishinaabe hero is in the sky

This is Ephemeris for Tuesday, July 26th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 53 minutes, setting at 9:15, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:23. The Moon, 2 days before new, will rise at 4:51 tomorrow morning.

Scorpius the scorpion is now seen low in the southern sky in the evening. To me, the stars here make a very good scorpion. Scorpius was invented by the people of the Middle East, where scorpions are plentiful. The Anishinaabe native peoples of our area, however, saw one of their legendary hero figures, Nenabozho*. In the sky, the arc of three stars at the front of the scorpion and to the right of the bright star Antares is his bow. He is shooting an arrow toward the receding Great Panther or Curly Tail a constellation of spring whose curl of a tail is the head of the constellation Leo, now lost in the evening twilight in the west. Nenabozho was a hero in their creation stories, and a trickster who was sometimes seen as a rabbit.

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.

* Nenabozho is pronounced like Nana-bouz-hou, though different tribes pronounced it differently. I could not find Nenabozho and its various other transliterations, one of which was Nanaboozhoo in the Ojibwe People’s Dictionary (https://ojibwe.lib.umn.edu/). However, since he occasionally shape-shifted into being a rabbit his name includes a part of the name for rabbit, waabooz. That entry had several audio examples. That’s how I got the pronunciation for the radio program.

Addendum

Animated finder for the Anishinaabe constellation of Nenabozho showing the unannotated star field, the Western constellation of Scorpius and Nenabozho. On the chart, it’s spelled Nanaboujou. Created using Stellarium (both star lore images are embedded in Stellarium). The Anishinaabe image embedded in Stellarium is from Ojibwe Giizhig Anung Masinaaigan – Ojibiwe Sky Star Map created by A. Lee, W. Wilson, and C. Gawboy.

A story of Waynaboozhoo (same fellow) is told in a book recommended by the curator of the museum of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians. It’s The Mishomis Book – The Voice of the Ojibway by Edward Benton-Banai, University of Minnesota Press.

07/25/2022 – Ephemeris – Getting an early look at the Perseid Meteor Shower

This is Ephemeris for Monday, July 25th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 55 minutes, setting at 9:16, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:22. The Moon, 3 days before new, will rise at 3:57 tomorrow morning.

The annual Perseid meteor shower, which will reach its peak on the evening of August 12th has the full moon to contend with. So the best time to spot these meteors is before the peak. Members of this meteor shower can be spotted from July 17th to August 24th, but in much reduced numbers. They are best seen after midnight, however since the point in the sky they seem to come from, the radiant, is always above the horizon, they can be spotted any time at night. They will seem to come from the northeastern part of the sky, and below the letter W shaped constellation of Cassiopeia. The Southern Delta Aquariid meteors coming from the southeast after 11 pm will predominate. Its radiant, the point from which the meteors will seem to come from, will be near the Moon. The Southern Delta Aquariids will reach their peak on the 30th of this month, with dark skies. The Southern Delta Aquariid radiant will rise about 11 pm now, and it will be possible to spot one of its meteors until the Moon rises. The hourly rates of the Perseids will increase each night until the Moon starts to interfere with the shower in early August.

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

Finder chart for Perseid Radiant for August 25, 11pm. The radiant point will move slowly to the left for the duration of the meteor shower over the next month. By August 12th, the shower’s peak, the radiant will be just left of the top star of Perseus. Created using Stellarium.

07/22/2022 – Ephemeris – Saturday, weather permitting, there will be a star party at Sleeping Bear Dunes

This is Ephemeris for Pi Day number 2, Friday, July 22nd. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 1 minute, setting at 9:19, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:19. The Moon, 2 days past last quarter, will rise at 2:01 tomorrow morning.

What’s Pi Day number 2? In the European way to write the date: 22 July or 22/7, the improper fraction that approximates pi, the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter.

On to astronomical matters: Tomorrow night July 23rd there will be, weather permitting, a star party at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, this will take place at the Dune Climb. The star party is made possible by the rangers of the park and the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society. The society’s and member’s telescopes will take over the parking lot closest to the Dunes The event starts at 9 p.m., while it’s still light out and the location can be found. The park rangers will leave at 11, while the society members will stay longer.

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

Excerpt from the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore calendar posting for August 23:

“These events will be cancelled if the sky is not visible due to weather conditions. The decision to cancel is usually made either three hours in advance or by 4:30 p.m. the day prior to the event. Please call park rangers at 231-326-4700, ext. 5005, for a voicemail message with the decision. For the early morning and late evening astronomy events, bring a flashlight for the walk to and from the event. Park rangers and GTAS staff will wear red glow bracelets at the events. For more information about the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society, go to http://www.gtastro.org/. “

Preparing to start a star party at the Dune Climb in a year before COVID. A few of the telescopes are visible, including the GTAS 25 inch “Emmettron” telescope at the far right. Credit: Eileen Carlisle.

Celestial events that night at the Dune Climb:

9:17 pm – Sunset (Sun will set behind the dune by around 8 pm)
9:57 pm – ISS* pass: highest 24° altitude in the north, moving from WNW to ENE.
10:00 pm – Brighter stars are visible. Telescopes can start to show the brighter binary stars.
10:20 pm – Saturn rises in the east-southeast. The sharpness of its image will improve as it rises higher in the sky.
10:33 pm – Nautical twilight ends. The brighter deep sky objects (DSOs**) become visible in telescopes. The Milky Way begins to show.
11:31 pm – ISS pass: highest 43° north-northeast, moving from NW to ENE
11:33 pm – Astronomical twilight ends. The sky is now completely dark.

* ISS – International Space Station. Start to look for it 2-3 minutes before this time. It will be at its brightest at its highest altitude.

** Deep Sky Objects – Telescopic objects beyond the solar system. They include star clusters, nebulae, and galaxies. Though that night, the only galaxy visible will be the Milky Way.

Click here for the definitions of the types of twilight.

07/21/2022 – Ephemeris – Observing the heavens from the shore of Sleeping Bear Bay

This is Ephemeris for Thursday, July 21st. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 3 minutes, setting at 9:20, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:18. The Moon, 1 day past last quarter, will rise at 1:35 tomorrow morning.

There’s an observatory on the shores of Sleeping Bear Bay near Glen Arbor that is open to the public twice a week on clear nights. It’s the Leelanau School’s Lanphier Observatory, which is open Wednesday and Thursday evenings weather permitting from 10 p.m. to midnight through August 25th. The Leelanau School is located at 1 Old Homestead Road, off M22, just north of Glen Arbor. The Observatory is behind the Student Center and across the Crystal River. It’s a bit of a hike. It will help to take a flashlight for heading back in the dark. The observatory dome contains a 14-inch telescope on a computerized mount, and smaller telescopes may be available on the observatory deck. The observatory is run by Norm Wheeler, retired instructor of the school. Get there early to enjoy the sunset on Lake Michigan.

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

Lanphier Observatory from the trail leading up to it. It’s just off the beach.  Beside observing from the main telescope in the dome, there is observation of the constellations and Milky Way from the deck. Credit: Bob Moler.

07/20/2022 – Ephemeris – Let’s search for the naked-eye planets for this week

This is Ephemeris for Wednesday, July 20th. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 5 minutes, setting at 9:21, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:17. The Moon, at last quarter today, will rise at 1:13 tomorrow morning.

Let’s search for the naked-eye planets for this week. All but one of the naked-eye planets are in the morning sky, That one is Mercury, too close to the Sun to be seen in the evening. At 5:15 am tomorrow, the planets will be spread out from brilliant Venus low in the east-northeast to Saturn higher in the south-southwest. Mars will be a lot higher than Venus in the east-southeast. The waning crescent Moon will be just right of Mars. Jupiter is farther to the right in the southeast. Mars is dimmer than Jupiter, but is slowly getting brighter as the Earth creeps up on it. Saturn ends the line of planets lower than Jupiter in the south-southwest. Tonight, Saturn will rise about 10:30 pm, though it won’t be an official evening planet until it rises before sunset, which won’t happen until mid-August.

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 morning planets and the Moon at 5:15 am tomorrow morning, July 21, 2022. The planets and Moon actually appear in a straight line in the sky, being placed along the ecliptic, or path of the Sun in the sky. The ecliptic is a great circle on the celestial sphere. Click on the image to enlarge it. The span of the planets from Venus to Saturn is 129 degrees. Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using Stellarium.

Animated last quarter Moon at 5:15 tomorrow morning, July 21, 2022, with labels. Created using Stellarium and LibreOffice.

Translations

Mare Frigoris – Sea of Cold
Mare Humorum – Sea of Moisture
Mare Imbrium – Sea of Showers
Mare Nubium – Sea of Clouds
Mare Serenitatis – Sea of Serenity
Mare Vaporum – Sea of Vapors
Montes Apenninus – Apennine Mountains
Oceanus Procellarum – Ocean of Storms
Sinus Iridium – Bay of Rainbows
Sinus Medii – Central Bay

Note that Mare is pronounced Mar-é

Views of Saturn, Jupiter, and Venus (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope, with the same magnification, tomorrow morning at 5:15 am, July 21, 2022. I do not show planets less than 10 seconds of arc in diameter. Apparent diameters: Saturn 18.56″, its rings 43.24″; Jupiter 43.47″. Mars is not shown, its apparent diameter is 7.84″; Venus 11.10″. The ” symbol means seconds of arc (1/3600th of a degree.) Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).

The naked-eye planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise on a single night, starting with sunset on the right on July 21, 2022. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 21st. Notice that all the naked-eye planets except Mercury are in the morning sky now. Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using my LookingUp program.

07/19/2022 – Ephemeris – How to find the constellations of the man with the snake

This is Ephemeris for Tuesday, July 19th. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 7 minutes, setting at 9:22, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:16. The Moon, 1 day before last quarter, will rise at 12:52 tomorrow morning.

The red star Antares shines in the south at 11 pm, in the constellation of Scorpius. In the area of sky above lies a large constellation of faint stars called Ophiuchus, the serpent bearer. The constellation shape is like a large tilted bell, which reminds me of the head, shoulders and arms of a fellow that’s holding the snake, like a weight lifter pulling up a heavy barbell. The serpent he’s holding is Serpens, the only two-part constellation in the heavens. The head rises to Ophiuchus’ right, and the tail extends up to the left. In Greek legend Ophiuchus represents a great physician, educated by the god Apollo, and the centaur Chiron, who is also found in the stars as Sagittarius, now rising in the south-southeast below and left of him.

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

Ophiuchus finder animation for mid-July at 11 pm. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.

07/18/2022 – Ephemeris – How to find the celestial eagle

This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Monday, July 18th. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 8 minutes, setting at 9:23, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:15. The Moon, 2 days before last quarter, will rise at 12:33 tomorrow morning.

Aquila the eagle is a constellation that lies in the Milky Way. It’s in the southeastern sky as it gets dark. Its brightest star, Altair, is one of the stars of the Summer Triangle, a group of three bright stars that dominate the eastern sky in the evening now. Altair, in the head of the eagle, is flanked by two slightly dimmer stars, the shoulders of the eagle. The eagle is flying northeastward through the Milky Way. Its wings are seen in the wing tip stars. A curved group of stars to the lower right of Altair is its tail. Within Aquila, the Milky Way shows many dark clouds as part of the Great Rift that splits it here. The other summer bird is Cygnus the swan above and left of Aquila, flying toward the eagle.

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

Animated Aquila finder chart, also showing Cygnus the swan. The named stars are the stars of the Summer Triangle. Created using Stellarium.

Annotated and animated photograph taken of Aquila August 13, 2018 during the Perseid meteor shower. Alas, no Perseids in this photograph. The clouds of the Great Rift are easily visible. The red tinge of the image was due to the smoke haze from the wildfires in the western states. Taken by me and processed using Registax and GIMP.