10/04/2019 – Ephemeris – Astronomy events in Traverse City this weekend

Ephemeris for Friday, October 4th. Today the Sun will be up for 11 hours and 34 minutes, setting at 7:18, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:45. The Moon, 1 day before first quarter, will set at 11:33 this evening.

Tonight and tomorrow night there will be astronomy events at the Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory and weather permitting tomorrow night on Front Street in Traverse City.

• Tonight there is the monthly meeting of the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society with a program at 8 p.m. and a star party starting at 9 p.m.
• Tomorrow night at the observatory from 7 to 8:30 p.m. NMC, the Rogers Observatory and the Traverse Area District Library will present Storyteller’s Night Sky with Mary Stewart Adams.
• At the same time, if it’s clear, members of the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will set up telescopes on the East 200 block of Front Street in Traverse City for the International Observe the Moon Night.

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

10/19/2018 – Ephemeris – Last 2018 outings for the GTAS this weekend

Ephemeris for Friday, October 19th. The Sun will rise at 8:03. It’ll be up for 10 hours and 47 minutes, setting at 6:51. The Moon, 3 days past first quarter, will set at 3:32 tomorrow morning.

Clouds willing, the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will host two events this weekend. The first is Saturday night on the sidewalk on the 200 block of Front Street in Traverse City. It’s the International Observe the Moon Night, celebrated around the world. The event will begin at 8 p.m. Again the sky has to be at least partially clear for this event to happen.

Sunday night, again skies willing, members of the society will be at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Dune Climb for the final star party of the year celebrating the 48th anniversary of the establishment of the park. On tap will be the Moon, Mars and Saturn plus some of the brighter wonders of the heavens including colorful binary stars and star clusters.

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

10/27/2017 – Ephemeris – Tomorrow night is International Observe the Moon Night in downtown Traverse City

Ephemeris for Friday, October 27th. The Sun will rise at 8:13. It’ll be up for 10 hours and 24 minutes, setting at 6:38. The Moon, at first quarter today, will set at 12:44 tomorrow morning.

The annual International Observe the Moon Night will be observed this Saturday evening. Members of the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will be stationed on the north side of the 200 block of East Front Street. Starting at 7 p.m. near Orvis Streamside and will be moving our telescopes eastward from time to time to keep up with the westward sinking motion of the Moon over the single story buildings to the south as long as we can. The moon will be a day past first quarter with lots of craters and lunar seas visible in telescopes. The society will also have some giveaway items from NASA for the young and not so young. The event will be canceled due to heavy overcast or other inclement weather.

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

Addendum

The Moon about as it would appear tomorrow night, October 28, 2017 at 8 p.m. Credit: NASA/Ernie Wright.

10/07/2016 – Ephemeris – Busy astronomical weekend in Traverse City

Ephemeris for Friday, October 7th.  The Sun will rise at 7:48.  It’ll be up for 11 hours and 22 minutes, setting at 7:11.  The Moon, 2 days before first quarter, will set at 11:30 this evening.

This is another busy weekend for the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society.  Tonight there will be a general meeting of the society at 8 p.m. followed by a star party at 9 p.m. at Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory, located on Birmley Road south of Traverse City, to which all are welcome.  The featured speaker for the meeting will be Randy Leach presenting Astrophotography for the Average Guy.  Photographing the sky without spending big bucks.  Tomorrow evening members of the society will be on the north side of the 200  block of East Front street in Traverse City with their telescopes for the International Observe the Moon Night.  We’ll start at 7 p.m. if it’s clear.

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

Addendum

Substitute speaker:  Yours truly:  Personal recollections of 4 total solar eclipses and a look ahead at next year’s eclipse.

09/18/2015 – Ephemeris – Saturn and the Moon together tonight and tomorrow a big day for the GTAS – It starts with the Leland Heritage Celebration

Ephemeris for Friday, September 18th.  The Sun will rise at 7:24.  It’ll be up for 12 hours and 23 minutes, setting at 7:48.   The Moon, 3 days before first quarter, will set at 10:40 this evening.

Tonight the planet Saturn will appear left of and a bit below the crescent Moon.  Saturn will be visible in the evening sky for 2 and a half more months with about a month where it’s high enough to see clearly in telescopes.  There are two local astronomical events tomorrow.  Tomorrow the Leland Heritage Celebration will take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Fish Town in Leland.  The Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will be there to show the Sun through member’s telescopes and give out NASA items for the kids.  Then a few hours later the crew will be on Front Street in Traverse City for the International Observe the Moon Night starting at 7 p.m.  Both events are weather dependent.  Rain will affect the Leland event and clouds the evening one.

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

Addendum

Saturn and the Moon at 9 p.m. September 18 from Northern Michigan. Created using Stellarium.

GTAS telescopes at Leland Heritage Celebration in 2011.

09/17/2015 – Ephemeris – International Observe the Moon Night is Saturday

Ephemeris for Thursday, September 17th.  The Sun will rise at 7:23.  It’ll be up for 12 hours and 26 minutes, setting at 7:50.   The Moon, half way from new to first quarter, will set at 10:04 this evening.

The annual International Observe the Moon Night will be observed this Saturday evening.  Members of the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will be stationed on the north side of the 200 block of East Front Street.  Starting at 7 p.m. near Orvis Streamside and will be moving our telescopes eastward from time to time to keep up with the westward sinking motion of the Moon over the single story buildings to the south as long as we can.   The moon will be a fat crescent with lots of detail visible in telescopes.  The society will also have some giveaway items from NASA for the young and not so young.  The event will be canceled due to heavy overcast or other inclement weather.

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

Addendum

The information above is for our local location (northwestern lower Michigan).  To find the location of the International Observe the Moon Night event near you go here.  There’s even a downloadable Moon map for the evening here.

The Moon at 9 p.m. September 19, 2015 (Observe the Moon Night for the Eastern Daylight Time zone. Created with Virtual Moon Atlas.

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

Remnant of SN1987A in the Large Magellanic Cloud, 160,000 light years away taken by the Hubble telescope’s WFPC2 camera on three occasions in 1994 and 1995. The outer rings are light echos of the explosions ionizing clouds ejected thousands of years before. Credit NASA.

Supernova 2014J in nearby galaxy M82, 12 million light years away. Credit NASA/Swift/P. Brown, TAMU.

10/11/2013 – Ephemeris – Tomorrow night is International Observe the Moon Night

Ephemeris for Friday, October 11th.  The sun will rise at 7:53.  It’ll be up for 11 hours and 11 minutes, setting at 7:04.   The moon, at first quarter today, will set at 12:41 tomorrow morning.

Tomorrow night the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society (GTAS) and the NMC Astronomy Club will split forces.  The NMC Astronomy Club will host the Star party at the Northwestern Michigan College’s Observatory starting at 9 p.m., while the Sidewalk Astronomers contingent of the GTAS will be on the north side 200 block of Front Street in Traverse City, in front of the Orvis Streamside store, for the International Observe the Moon Night weather permitting.  Weather permitting means it must not be completely overcast or raining.  I like to view the moon at this phase, a day after first quarter for the variety of detail that’s visible on the moon’s surface.  This is our usual location for Friday Night Live.

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

Addendum

Map supplied by the International Observe the Moon Night. The crater marked Plato should be Archimedes. It’s actually the moon in the afternoon our time.

The moon at 9 p.m. October 12, 2013. The terminator progresses a bit more from the above moon chart revealing more details. Created using Virtual Moon Atlas.

 

09/21/2012 – Ephemeris – International Observe the Moon Night

Ephemeris for Friday, September 21st.  The sun will rise at 7:28.  It’ll be up for 12 hours and 11 minutes, setting at 7:40.   The moon, 1 day before first quarter, will set at 11:26 this evening.

Tomorrow evening the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will host a star party at Northwestern Michigan College’s Rogers Observatory starting at 9 p.m.   It is also the International Observe the Moon Night.  A first quarter moon is what I consider the best of all moons to observe.  But that’s just my opinion.  It shows a great number of craters near the terminator, the sunrise line that cuts the moon in two at first quarter. Also the moon won’t be too bright to mask some of the wonders of the summer Milky way.  The observatory is located south of Traverse City on Birmley Road, between Garfield and Keystone roads.  Speaking of summer, It will end at 10:49 a.m. When autumn will begin as the sun passes the celestial equator heading south.

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

update

Members of the GTAS will also be stationed in downtown Traverse City on Front St. near the State Theater. Thats only if its clear.

10/03/11 – Ephemeris – More celestial events for this month

Monday, October 3rd.  The sun will rise at 7:42.  It’ll be up for 11 hours and 37 minutes, setting at 7:19.   The moon, at first quarter today, will set at 12:10 tomorrow morning.

We have more celestial happenings this month than I could enumerate last Friday.  Later on Saturday evening, if it’s clear the Grand Traverse Astronomical Society will join with astronomy groups, planetariums and observatories with International Observe the Moon Night with telescopes positioned on the 200 block east Front Street in Traverse City, near the Martinek clock.  Going on that same evening will be the return of the Draconid meteor shower.  Its a favorable return of a periodic shower but interferes with by the bright moon.  However some bright meteors will be seen.  I’ll have more information and background Thursday.  Another meteor shower later this month will be the Orionids a morning shower related to Halley’s Comet.

* Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan.  They may be different for your location.