03/07/2022 – Ephemeris – The Fisher announces the beginning of the Maple sugaring season

This is Ephemeris for Monday, March 7th. Today the Sun will be up for 11 hours and 28 minutes, setting at 6:38, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:07. The Moon, 3 days before first quarter, will set at 12:19 tomorrow morning.

March is a month of transitions. The stars of the winter skies, that is Orion and his merry band of bright stars, move to the west as those of spring rise in the east. The Big Dipper is ascending in the northeastern sky, after lying low in the north during the long dark evenings in the heart of winter. The dipper is the hind end of the Great Bear, officially Ursa Major. The Anishinaabe peoples of the Great Lakes region saw the Big Dipper as the hind end and tail of a magical creature called Fisher, or in their language Ojiig, who brought summer to the Earth. Its position in the sky around the pole announces the seasons. The Fisher’s ascension high into the northeastern sky signals this month’s maple sugaring season.

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

The Fisher announcing maple sugaring season – animation. Star positions for about 2 hours after sunset, near 45 degrees north latitude, for a week into March. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.

For the story of how the Fisher brought summer to the earth, and why he’s got an arrow sticking into his tail, click here.

03/16/2020 – Ephemeris – The Fisher signals maple sugaring season

Ephemeris for Monday, March 16th. Today the Sun will be up for 11 hours and 58 minutes, setting at 7:50, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:50. The Moon, at last quarter today, will rise at 4:21 tomorrow morning.

As the weather warms up with days above freezing and nights below freezing its time to tap maple trees for their sweet sap. The Anishinaabe native people of this area had a legend that a magical animal called the Fisher, who brought summer to the Earth, signals this season by rising high in the northeast. The Fisher or Ojiig is seen in the stars where the official constellation of Ursa Major, the great bear and the popular asterism the Big Dipper is. The Fisher’s claim to immortality is that he and some of his animal friends were able to break through the dome of the sky to release the warm air from above to heat the Earth. For his trouble he was killed, but the Great Spirit placed him in the sky where we see him today.

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

Addendum

Finding the Big Dipper and the Fisher around 9 p.m. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.