Archive
07/03/2020 – Ephemeris – Grand Traverse Astronomical Society virtual meeting tonight
This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Friday, July 3rd. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 28 minutes, setting at 9:31, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:03. The Moon, 2 days before full, will set at 5:18 tomorrow morning.
The Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will host a virtual meeting tonight at 8 pm. It is via the Zoom app for the smart phone, tablet or going to zoom.us with a browser on your computer. Instructions and a link can be found on the society’s website gtastro.org. With the Sun out so long now, I will be giving the presentation: The Sun and the Earth, about the relationship between the two bodies. I’ll talk about all the energy the Sun puts out and how the atmosphere protects us from some of it. We’ll look at the cause of the seasons, and why, in early July as summer is getting going the Earth is at its farthest from the Sun, and what effect that has on the our summers. And lots more.
09/06/2019 – Ephemeris – GTAS meeting looks at autumn skies
Ephemeris for Friday, September 6th. Today the Sun will be up for 12 hours and 59 minutes, setting at 8:10, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:11. The Moon, 1 day past first quarter, will set at 12:52 tomorrow morning.
I will be giving a presentation Autumn Stars, Galaxies Myths, and Stories tonight at this evening’s meeting of the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society at 8 p.m. at Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory. In the autumn season we lose the southern part of the Milky Way in the southwest, but there are number of of constellations that tell a famous story, that’s even made it to the cinema twice in recent years. There’s a star that evilly winks at us, and a huge galaxy the is visible to the naked eye that will crash into our Milky Way galaxy in the far future. After the meeting there will be a star party starting at 9 p.m. featuring, if it’s clear the Moon, Jupiter, Saturn and that nearby galaxy.
The times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
05/03/2019 – Ephemeris – How do you take a picture of a black hole? Find out tonight.
Ephemeris for Friday, May 3rd. Today the Sun will be up for 14 hours and 19 minutes, setting at 8:49, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:28. The Moon, 1 day before new, will rise at 6:44 tomorrow morning.
Nearly a month ago the world was presented with the news and the image that the Earth spanning Event Horizon Telescope captured a picture of a black hole 55 million light years away. Tonight NMC Professor Jerry Dobek will explain how it was done at tonight’s meeting of the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society at Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory starting at 8 p.m. He will explain how simultaneous observations of the black hole by 8 separate sub-millimeter radio telescopes that were separately recorded on disk. The disks were brought and processed together to produce the image. Starting at 9 p.m. if it’s clear there will be a star party featuring the brighter wonders of the darkening sky.
The times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
01/04/2019 – Ephemeris – A talk about astrophotography tonight at the GTAS by Dan Dall’olmo
Ephemeris for Friday, January 4th. The Sun will rise at 8:20. It’ll be up for 8 hours and 55 minutes, setting at 5:15. The Moon, 1 day before new, will rise at 7:55 tomorrow morning.
Tonight’s first meeting of the year of the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society at Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory starting at 8 p.m. will feature an illustrated talk by Dan Dall’olmo who has been quite successful in the field of astrophotography, or photography of the heavens. My own introduction to astrophotography was as a teenager in the day of file and darkroom chemicals. Things have changed a lot since then. Starting at 9 p.m. if it’s clear there will be a star party featuring the dark winter sky wonders including the Great Orion Nebula, a star nursery. Our next meeting, February first will be our annual telescope clinic to help new and otherwise frustrated telescope owners understand and use their telescopes.
The times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum

From a time lapse video by Dan Dall’olmo showing the comet motion as it passed by the Earth the weekend of December 14-16, 2018.
The video is on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/W4GvtPZOE9g
07/01/2016 – Ephemeris – Local astronomy event tonight
Ephemeris for Friday, July 1st. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 30 minutes, setting at 9:31, and it will rise tomorrow at 6:01. The Moon, 3 days before new, will rise at 4:36 tomorrow morning.
This evening the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will host it’s monthly meeting at Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory at 8 p.m. On tap will be yours truly with a program about the last 100 years of developments in astronomy. A most exciting century that I can only hope to touch the highlights. This happens to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service. This is my out of town tryout before I give the same talk on the 23rd at the Visitors Center of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. At 9 p.m. there will be a star party at the observatory with the viewing of Jupiter, Mars and Saturn plus some of the brighter deep sky objects of summer after 10:30. The observatory is on Birmley road south of Traverse City.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
04/03/2015 – Ephemeris – Learn about meteorites tonight
Ephemeris for Good Friday, Friday, April 3rd. The Sun will rise at 7:20. It’ll be up for 12 hours and 52 minutes, setting at 8:12. The Moon, 1 day before full, will set at 7:24 tomorrow morning.
Meteorites will be the topic given by Joe Brooks local meteorite expert and collector at this evening’s meeting of the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society at 8 p.m. at Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory. He even has a meteorite that’s pretty much been proven to be from the asteroid Vesta. Today we are all too aware that stones and even bigger asteroids can collide with the earth. Everyone is welcome. Also at 9 p.m. there will be a star party at the observatory. The observatory is located south of Traverse City on Birmley Road between Garfield and Keystone roads. Remember also the partial lunar eclipse tomorrow morning starting at 6:15 a.m. The society and the observatory will not hold an event for it.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
If you missed yesterday’s post about tomorrow morning’s lunar eclipse, click here.
09/05/2014 – Ephemeris – Supernovae and the Moon this weekend
Ephemeris for Friday, September 5th. The sun will rise at 7:09. It’ll be up for 13 hours and 2 minutes, setting at 8:11. The moon, half way from first quarter to full, will set at 4:07 tomorrow morning.
Tonight the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will hold their monthly meeting at he Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory at 8 p.m. featuring Dr. David Penney, who will talk about Supernovae, the brightest, at optical wavelengths anyway explosions in the universe. These will either completely destroy a star or leave a neutron star or black hole remnant. At 9 p.m. there will be a star party featuring the Moon, Saturn and Mars. The observatory is located on Birmley road. On Saturday the society will celebrate International Observe the Moon Night with telescopes set up on the 200 block of Front street in Traverse City. That event starts around 9 p.m., but only if it’s clear.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.
Addendum
06/06/2014 – Ephemeris – Astronomy activities this weekend in the Grand Traverse Region
Ephemeris for Friday, June 6th. Today the sun will be up for 15 hours and 26 minutes, setting at 9:24. The moon, 1 day past first quarter, will set at 2:33 tomorrow morning. Tomorrow the sun will rise at 5:57.
The Grand Traverse Astronomical Society, or GTAS, has a busy weekend. At 8 p.m. the regular meeting at Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory features Dr. David Penney with his presentation of “The Rare Earth”. At 9 p.m. at the observatory will be a star party until 11 p.m. On Saturday the GTAS will have their telescopes at The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Philip A. Hart Visitors Center in Empire for viewing the sun from 4 to 6 p.m. Then at 9 the GTAS will deploy their telescopes at the Dune Climb for an evening with the planets. The Dunes events will be contingent on the weather. Due to the lateness of the sunset it will be about 10 p.m. before any planets are spotted.
Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.