Archive
06/02/2023 – Ephemeris – A South Pole adventure and a comet collision presentation – Tonight!
This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Friday, June 2nd. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 22 minutes, setting at 9:22, and it will rise tomorrow at 5:59. The Moon, 1 day before full, will set at 5:14 tomorrow morning.
An Antarctic Odyssey: Winter-Over at South Pole Station will be the presentation by John W. Briggs, via Zoom, at tonight’s meeting of the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society at Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory at 9 pm. John was a team member building a 24-inch infrared telescope and related experiments that were set up at the South Pole in time for him and colleagues to observe the July 1994, explosive crash of fragmented comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 into the planet Jupiter. There are two ways to attend: In person at the observatory, south of Traverse City on Birmley Road, or via Zoom with a link provided by the society’s website gtastro.org just prior to the meeting.
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
About the Program
An Antarctic Odyssey: Winter-Over at South Pole Station
A presentation via Zoom by John W. Briggs
Abstract:
In a lavishly illustrated presentation, John W. Briggs of New Mexico will describe his year-long experience living at the Geographic South Pole while working for the Center for Astrophysical Research in Antarctica. In preparation for this at Yerkes Observatory of the University of Chicago, John was a team member building a 24-inch infrared telescope and related experiments that were set up at the Pole in time for him and colleagues to observe the July 1994, explosive crash of fragmented comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 into the planet Jupiter.
John weathered the “winter-over” with 26 other members of the U.S. Antarctic Program in an experience that many believe approximates what life will be like someday at a lunar or Martian outpost. Once begun, South Pole winter-over is an irreversible commitment, since the Program’s special LC-130 ski planes can’t land in the winter temperatures — in 1994, sometimes as low as 107 degrees F. below zero (with windchill, as low as -180 degrees). John will delight the audience with his perspective on the total South Pole experience — the strange natural environment, the odd social atmosphere, and the challenging, ongoing science.
05/26/2023 – Ephemeris – Sun & Star Party tomorrow at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Friday, May 26th. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 11 minutes, setting at 9:15, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:03. The Moon, 1 day before first quarter, will set at 2:48 tomorrow morning.
Tomorrow, the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will host a Sun and Star Party at the Dune Climb area of the park. There will be a solar viewing period from 5 pm to about 7 pm. The society has two hydrogen alpha solar telescopes to view the Sun’s chromosphere and prominences. Plus, some members also have solar scopes and white light filtered telescopes to view sunspots on the face of the Sun. Night viewing will start at 9 pm, with the Moon and Venus featured, along with the brighter telescopic wonders of late spring. There will be a pass of the International Space Station from 10:11 to 10:18 pm. The rangers will have an alternate program if it’s cloudy.
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
A Sun Party at the Dune Climb. Credit: Eileen Carlisle.
Preparing to start the May star party, several years ago at the Dune Climb. A few of the telescopes are visible, including the GTAS 25″ “Emmettron” telescope at the far right background. Credit: Eileen Carlisle.
05/05/2023 – Ephemeris – Learn about the upcoming total solar eclipse tonight
This is Ephemeris for Cinco de Mayo, Friday, May 5th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 25 minutes, setting at 8:52, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:25. The Moon, at full today, will rise at 9:13 this evening.
Eleven months is not too early to plan for a total solar eclipse. On April 8th next year there will be such an eclipse whose path of totality clips the southeastern corner of Michigan. Indianapolis, Toledo and Cleveland also lie in the path of totality. The path runs from Texas to Maine. Member Dan Dall’Olmo will have all the particulars at this month’s meeting of the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society, starting at 8 pm tonight at Northwestern Michigan College’s Joseph H. Rogers Observatory. For those staying home, the Sun for this eclipse will be a bit more covered by the Moon than the 2017 August solar eclipse. We’ll also have another partial solar eclipse to practice on this October 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
The paths of maximum eclipse of the October 14, 2023, and April 8, 2024. Click or tap on the image to enlarge it. Credit: NASA/Scientific Visualization Studio/Michala Garrison; eclipse calculations by Ernie Wright, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.
04/28/2023 – Ephemeris – International Astronomy Day is tomorrow
This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Arbor Day, Friday, April 28th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 6 minutes, setting at 8:43, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:36. The Moon, 1 day past first quarter, will set at 4:23 tomorrow morning.
Tomorrow is International Astronomy Day. The Grand Traverse Astronomical Society (GTAS) will celebrate the event with a Sun and Star Party at the Dune Climb area of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. There will be a solar viewing period from 6 pm to about 7:30 pm or so, when the Sun will set over the dune. The society has two hydrogen alpha solar telescopes, and members have another two, to view the Sun’s chromosphere and prominences. Plus, other members have white light filtered telescopes to view sunspots on the face of the Sun. Night viewing will start at 9 pm with the Moon and Venus featured, along with the brighter telescopic wonders of spring. But only if the skies are clear or mostly clear.
The next GTAS event at the Sleeping Bear Dunes will be Saturday, May 27th, with a program like this Saturday’s. What we call a Sun ‘n Star Party.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EST, UT –4 hours). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The Moon for Astronomy Day, 2023, two days after first quarter or 9 days old. Some of the more prominent features labeled. Created using Virtual Moon Atlas, GIMP and LibreOffice Draw.
04/27/2023 – Ephemeris – Astronomy Day is this Saturday, April 29, 2023
This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Thursday, April 27th. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 3 minutes, setting at 8:42, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:37. The Moon, at first quarter today, will set at 3:59 tomorrow morning.
It is the latter part of April or first part of May that the spring celebration of International Astronomy Day occurs. It’s generally the Saturday closest to first quarter moon. That puts it to this Saturday, two days hence. This year, the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will celebrate the event with a Sun and Star Party at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, more specifically at the Dune Climb. More on the schedule tomorrow, but only if weather permits. The time around first quarter is the best time to view the Moon, if you aren’t out to view a specific lunar feature. The rugged highlands to the south and the smooth maria or seas to the north are seen at their best near the sunrise line, we call the terminator, due to the long shadows that are cast.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EST, UT –4 hours). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
The Moon for Astronomy Day, 2023, two days after first quarter or 9 days old. Some of the more prominent features labeled. Created using Virtual Moon Atlas, GIMP and LibreOffice Draw.
Translations of some lunar feature names according to Virtual Moon Atlas
Lacus Somniorum – Lake of Dreams
Mare Crisium – Sea of Crises
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 Tranquillitatis – Sea of Tranquility
Mare Vaporum – Sea of Vapors
Montes Alpes – Alps Mountains
Montes Apenninus – Apennines Mountains
Oceanus Procellarum – Ocean of Storms
Sinus Asperitatis – Golfe des Asperites
Sinus Iridium – Bay of Rainbows
Sinus Medii – Central Bay
01/06/2023 – Ephemeris – Telescope Clinic tonight at the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society Meeting tonight
This is Ephemeris for Friday, January 6th. Today the Sun will be up for 8 hours and 57 minutes, setting at 5:17, and it will rise tomorrow at 8:19. The Moon, at full today, will rise at 4:47 this evening.
The Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will hold their monthly meeting tonight with their annual Telescope Clinic, at 8 pm at Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory. This is a chance to bring in that new Christmas telescope or even that old telescope gathering dust in the attic to learn how to use it. The society telescope experts will help in instruction and, if need be, adjustments to make the telescope work properly. In the past few years, the society has donated telescopes to public libraries in the region for patrons to check out and use. This is another way in which to learn to use a telescope and enjoy the sky at night. The observatory is located south of Traverse City on Birmley Road, south of Hammond, and between Garfield and Keystone roads. There will, if it’s clear after the meeting, be a star party or observing period using the observatory telescopes.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EST, UT –5 hours). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
This is the type of telescope that the GTAS is donating to local libraries to lend out. The telescope can be set up on a table. The device on top is a red-dot finder. Looking through it will place a red dot on the object it’s pointed to. It has no magnification of its own. The telescope has a 4.5 inch diameter mirror, which produces a brighter image than the skinny refractor telescopes sold in most stores. The telescope eyepiece is a zoom type, so there is no need to remove it or change eyepieces to change magnification. The magnification range is from approximately 20 to 60 times (power). This is plenty for most objects in the sky, including the Moon, Jupiter and Saturn. Mars is a challenge for even the largest of amateur astronomer’s telescopes. Even then it’s best seen for a few months every 26 months.
The GTAS has a library telescope program where they donate small telescopes to local libraries to lend out. These are small tabletop telescopes with a 4.5 inch aperture. The telescope type is that invented by Sir Isaac Newton. In a telescope, magnification is secondary and usually variable. The real power of a telescope is light gathering power, the ability to gather in light to see objects too dim to be seen with the naked eye. Also, a telescope’s ability to see fine detail is tied to the telescope’s aperture or diameter of its primary mirror or lens. That’s not magnification, but the ability to use higher power to produce crisp images, rather than fuzzy ones.
12/02/2022 – Ephemeris – Astronomical events tonight and tomorrow in Traverse City
This is Ephemeris for Friday, December 2nd. Today the Sun will be up for 9 hours and 2 minutes, setting at 5:03, and it will rise tomorrow at 8:02. The Moon, 2 days past first quarter, will set at 3:07 tomorrow morning.
We have a big astronomy and space weekend starting tonight at 8 pm I’ll be giving a talk about the Star of Bethlehem at Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory located south of Traverse City on Birmley Road, with observing at 9 pm, clouds permitting. This is part of the December meeting of the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society. Tomorrow is NASA Family Day at the Dennos Museum Center. There are fun activities at 1 pm, making comets and exploring the phases of the Moon. At 2 pm, Dr. Jerry Dobek from NMC and the GTAS will be giving a talk at the Milliken Auditorium. Museum admission is waived for the event, which is to celebrate the Museum’s having a NASA Kiosk through the end of the month.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EST, UT –5 hours). They may be different for your location.
11/12/2022 – Ephemeris Extra – Family Night at the Rogers Observatory is Canceled
We’re getting lake effect snow, which means clouds, too. So there is no hope for observing tonight.
Our next events will be
December 2: Grand Traverse Astronomical Society monthly meeting at 8 pm – the presentation Searching for the Star of Bethlehem by yours truly. There will be observing after the meeting if it is clear. This will be at Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory.
December 3: Family Day at the Dennos Museum Center on the Northwestern Michigan College campus starting at 1 pm with hands-on activities and a presentation at 2 pm. This is in celebration of the NASA Kiosk at the Museum through December. The Museum admission fee is waived for Family Day.
11/11/2022 – Ephemeris – Family Night at the Rogers Observatory tomorrow night
This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Veterans Day, Friday, November 11th. Today the Sun will be up for 9 hours and 44 minutes, setting at 5:18, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:35. The Moon, 3 days past full, will rise at 7:15 this evening.
Tomorrow evening the 12th, the Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory will hold a Family Night starting at 8 pm, but only if it’s clear or mostly clear. Visible in telescopes will be the waning gibbous Moon, and the planets Jupiter, its cloud bands and four of its moons, and Saturn with its rings and its large moon Titan. The observatory is on Birmley road, south of Traverse City. It can be reached from either Garfield or Keystone roads. This is in celebration of the NASA Kiosk that’s at the Dennos Museum Center through December. There will also be a special Family Day with activities at the Museum Center on December 3rd.
The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EST, UT – 5 hours). They may be different for your location.
Addendum
One of the problems of scheduling an observing event is the inability to guarantee clear skies. And looking at the family night, 48 hours away from when I’m writing this, the weather forecast is for snow, and temperatures near freezing for Saturday, and Saturday and for the next few days. It looks like we’re getting our first real taste of winter. I will post the status of the event on the gtastro.org website several hours before the event on Saturday, and also on this blog as an Ephemeris Extra post.
11/04/2022 – Ephemeris – The GTAS meeting topic tonight is the history of the constellations
This is Ephemeris for Friday, November 4th. The Sun will rise at 8:24. It’ll be up for 10 hours and 2 minutes, setting at 6:27. The Moon, 3 days past first quarter, will set at 5:06 tomorrow morning.
Tonight at 8 pm, the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society (GTAS) will have their monthly meeting at Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory. The meeting will also be available via Zoom. The program will be presented by Becky Shaw. Her presentation will be The History of the Constellations. From time immemorial, people have looked at the night sky and tried to give meaning to the random scattering of stars on the dome of the sky. The official constellations of the International Astronomical Union in most cases date back to the Babylonians, and Greeks. If it’s clear, there will be a star party following the meeting. The observatory is located south of Traverse City off Birmley Road, between Garfield and Keystone roads. A Zoom link will be available at gtastro.org before the meeting. All are welcome.
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
Summer Constellations showing stars, lines, boundaries, and figures in succession. Click on the image to enlarge it and be able to read the labels. This image shows the stars and planets three years ago in 2019, when Jupiter and Saturn were seen against the summer constellations. Slow poke Saturn has moved into eastern Capricornus. Jupiter is just off the left of the image in Pisces. The head of one of the fish is seen there. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.
The constellations of the great star story of autumn. Looking southeast on October 31 at 10 p.m. Not all the constellations in this area are shown. Created using Stellarium.
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