11/30/2022 – Ephemeris – Let’s see where the naked-eye planets have wandered off to this week

This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Wednesday, November 30th. Today the Sun will be up for 9 hours and 5 minutes, setting at 5:04, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:59. The Moon, at first quarter today, will set at 12:44 tomorrow morning.

Let’s see where the naked-eye planets have wandered off to this week. Jupiter and Saturn will be visible this evening, in the southeastern sky, by 6 pm. Jupiter is the brighter of the two to the left, in the southeast, while dimmer Saturn is in the south at that hour. The Moon will be between them. The red planet Mars, though a morning planet for six more days, will be seen low on the east-northeast horizon at that hour. It’s located between the long horns of Taurus the bull. Mars is moving westward in its retrograde motion as the Earth will pass it a week from now. This evening, Mars will be as close as it can get to the Earth this close approach, 50.61 million miles (81.45 million kilometers). That same night, the full Moon will pass in front of it for an hour. So on the same night, in our area, we will have Mars opposition from the Sun and it being occulted by the Moon.

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

Panoramic view of planets and Moon this evening at 7 pm tonight, November 30, 2022. Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using Stellarium.

First Quarter Moon as it might be seen tonight in binoculars or low power telescope with labels for tonight, November 30, 2022. Created using Stellarium, LibreOffice Draw and GIMP.

Telescopic views of Saturn Jupiter and Mars (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope, with the same magnification. The image of Mars doesn’t show it, but the white north polar cap will appear at the top or north limb of Mars. The planets are shown at 8 pm tonight, November 30, 2022. Apparent diameters: Saturn 16.43″, its rings 38.26″; Jupiter 43.56″. Mars 17.20″. Mars’ distance is 50.5 million miles (81.4 million kilometers). This is the closest it comes to the Earth this orbit. 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 November 30, 2022. The night ends on the left with sunrise on December 1st. Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using my LookingUp app and GIMP.

11/23/2022 – Ephemeris – Let’s see where the naked-eye planets have wandered off to this week

This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Wednesday, November 23rd. Today the Sun will be up for 9 hours and 17 minutes, setting at 5:07, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:51. The Moon is new today, and won’t be visible.

Let’s see where the naked-eye planets have wandered off to this week. Jupiter and Saturn will be visible this evening, in the southeastern sky, as soon after sunset as it will be dark enough to see them, which would be by 6 pm. Jupiter is the brighter of the two to the left, in the southeast, while dimmer Saturn is in the south at that hour. The red planet Mars, though a morning planet, will rise tonight at 6:05 pm in the northeast. It’s located nearly between the tips of the long horns of Taurus the bull, but toward the letter V of stars that is the face of Taurus. Mars is moving westward in its retrograde motion as the Earth will pass it in a couple of weeks. Venus and Mercury, though in the evening sky, are too close to the Sun to be seen.

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

A panorama from northeast to southwest of the planets Mars, Jupiter and Saturn at 7 pm tonight, November 23, 2022. Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.

Telescopic views of Saturn Jupiter and Mars (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope, with the same magnification. The image of Mars doesn’t show it, but the white north polar cap will appear at the top or north limb of Mars. The planets are shown at 7 pm on the 23rd. Apparent diameters: Saturn 16.61″, its rings 38.69″; Jupiter 44.57″. Mars 17.05″. Mars’ distance is 51.0 million miles (82.1 million kilometers). 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 November 23, 2022. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 24th. Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using my LookingUp app and GIMP.

11/16/2022 – Ephemeris – Let’s see where the naked-eye planets have wandered off to this week

This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Wednesday, November 16th. Today the Sun will be up for 9 hours and 32 minutes, setting at 5:13, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:42. The Moon, at last quarter today, will rise at 12:19 tomorrow morning.

Let’s see where the naked-eye planets have wandered off to this week. Jupiter and Saturn will be visible this evening, in the southeastern sky, as soon after sunset as it will be dark enough to see them, which would be by 6 pm. Jupiter is the brighter of the two to the left, in the southeast, while dimmer Saturn is in the south. The red planet Mars, though a morning planet, will rise tonight at 6:43 pm in the east-northeast. It’s located between the tips of the long horns of Taurus the bull. Mars is beginning to move westward in its retrograde motion as the Earth is starting to pass it. Which it will do in three weeks time. Venus and Mercury, though in the evening sky, are too close to the Sun to be seen.

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

A panorama from northeast to southwest of planets and Zodiac constellations in the evening. Showing between just the sky and constellation lines and labels alternately. For tonight at 8 pm, November 16, 2022. Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.

Fat waning crescent Moon with labels showing alternately for 6 am tomorrow, November 17, 2022. Labels are centered on their features, unless a pointer is used in congested areas. Created using Stellarium, LibreOffice Draw, and GIMP.

Telescopic views of Saturn Jupiter and Mars (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope, with the same magnification. The image of Mars doesn’t show it, but the white north polar cap will appear at the top or north limb of Mars. Saturn and Jupiter are shown at 9 pm on the 16th, Mars at 6 am on the 17th. Apparent diameters: Saturn 16.80″, its rings 39.14″; Jupiter 45.55″. Mars 16.67″. Mars’ distance is 52.0 million miles (83.8 million kilometers). 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).

At 9 pm, only two of Jupiter’s moons will be visible next to the planet. They are Ganymede and Callisto. Io is behind the planet, while Europa is transiting the planet. In actuality, a transiting moon is very difficult to spot. However, its shadow crossing the planet is easier to spot. Europa’s shadow will start to cross the face of Jupiter at 11:42 pm EST, with Io popping out from Jupiter’s shadow 5 minutes later. The phenomena of Jupiter’s moons are printed each month in Sky and Telescope Magazine.

The naked-eye planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise on a single night, starting with sunset on the right on November 16, 2022. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 17th. Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using my LookingUp app and GIMP.

11/15/2022 – Ephemeris – Finding the constellation of Aquarius the water bearer

This is Ephemeris for Tuesday, November 15th. Today the Sun will be up for 9 hours and 34 minutes, setting at 5:14, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:41. The Moon, 1 day before last quarter, will rise at 11:13 this evening.

One of the constellations of the zodiac is in the southern sky at 8 in the evening, between Jupiter and Saturn. It’s the constellation of Aquarius, the water bearer. The image that is supposed to be depicted in the stars is that of a fellow spilling a stone jar of water. Aquarius is fairly hard to spot because it is made of faint stars. One part of him, though, is easy to spot. That is the Water Jar, an asterism or informal constellation. It is a distinctive small nearly equilateral triangle of stars with another star in the center. Stars extending to the right from the water jar are the yoke he’s holding the water jar with. The Water jar is above and centered on a line drawn between Jupiter and Saturn. The water is flowing down a line of stars to the lower left.

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

How to find Aquarius this autumn. It’s between Jupiter and Saturn. The image is set for 8 pm tonight, November 15, 2022. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.

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.

11/09/2022 – Ephemeris – Let’s see where the naked-eye planets have wandered off to this week

This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Wednesday, November 9th. Today the Sun will be up for 9 hours and 49 minutes, setting at 5:21, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:33. The Moon, 1 day past full, will rise at 5:57 this evening.

Let’s see where the naked-eye planets have wandered off to this week. Jupiter and Saturn will be visible this evening, in the southeastern sky, as soon after sunset as it will be dark enough to see them, which would be by 6:30 pm, now that we’re back on standard time. Jupiter is the brighter of the two to the left, in the southeast, while dimmer Saturn is in the south. The red planet Mars, though a morning planet, will rise tonight at 7:13 pm in the east-northeast. It’s located between the tips of the long horns of Taurus the bull. Those stars may be hard to spot with the bright Moon nearby. Mars is beginning to move westward in its retrograde motion as the Earth is beginning to pass it. Which it will do in a month’s time.

The astronomical event times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan (EDT, UT – 5 hours). They may be different for your location.

Addendum

Planets and the Moon visible at 8 pm this evening. Jupiter and Saturn in the south with Mars, rising in the east-northeast. Mars is not yet an evening planet. It’s a month away from rising before sunset and becoming one. Created using Stellarium.

Annotated waning Gibbous Moon Animation for tonight, November 9, 2022, as it might look like in binoculars or a small telescope. Created using Stellarium, LibreOffice Draw and GIMP.

Translations of some lunar feature names according to Virtual Moon Atlas

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

Craters are generally named after astronomers, people of science, or explorers

Note that Mare is pronounced Mar-é

Telescopic views of Saturn Jupiter and Mars (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope, with the same magnification. The image of Mars doesn’t show it, but the white north polar cap will appear at the top or north limb of Mars. The planets are shown at 10 pm. Apparent diameters: Saturn 17.00″, its rings 39.60″; Jupiter 46.50″; Mars 16.04″. Mars’ distance is 54.3 million miles (87.4 million kilometers). 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).

A note on Jupiter’s moon Ganymede: It will end its transit of the face of Jupiter at 10:04 pm.

The naked-eye planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise on a single night, starting with sunset on the right on November 9, 2022. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 10th. Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using my LookingUp app and GIMP.

11/02/2022 – Ephemeris – Let’s see where the naked-eye planets have wandered off to this week

This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Wednesday, November 2nd. The Sun will rise at 8:22. It’ll be up for 10 hours and 7 minutes, setting at 6:29. The Moon, 1 day past first quarter, will set at 2:38 tomorrow morning.

Let’s see where the naked-eye planets have wandered off to this week. Jupiter and Saturn will be visible this evening, in the southeastern sky with the bright moon between them, as soon after sunset as it will be dark enough to see them, which would be by 7:45 pm. Jupiter is the brighter of the two to the left of the Moon, while dimmer Saturn is closer to the Moon on the right. The red planet Mars, though a morning planet, will rise tonight at 8:46 pm in the northeast. It’s located between the tips of the long horns of Taurus the bull, slowly moving northward between those horn tip stars in its big torn to the west among the stars. By seven tomorrow morning, the red planet Mars will be fairly high in the southwestern sky, above and right of the winter constellation of Orion.

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

Planets and the Moon visible in the evening. Jupiter and Saturn in the south with Mars, rising in the northeast. Mars is not yet an evening planet. It’s still more than a month away from rising before sunset and becoming one. Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.

The Moon as it might be seen in binoculars or small telescope tonight, November 2, 2022 with labels of prominent features. Created using Stellarium, LibreOffice Draw and GIMP.

Translations of some lunar feature names according to Virtual Moon Atlas

Mare Crisium – Sea of Crises
Mare Fecunditatis – Sea of Fertility
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 Apenninus – Apennines Mountains
Sinus Asperitatis – Golfe des Asperites
Sinus Medii – Bay of the Center

Craters are generally named after astronomers, people of science, or explorers

Note that Mare is pronounced Mar-é

Mars in the at 7 am tomorrow morning, November 3, 2022. Created using Stellarium.

Telescopic views of Saturn Jupiter and Mars (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope, with the same magnification. The image of Mars doesn’t show it, but the white north polar cap will appear at the top or north limb of Mars. Saturn and Jupiter are shown at 9 pm, Mars at 11 pm. Apparent diameters: Saturn 17.20″, its rings 40.07″; Jupiter 47.37″. Mars 15.34″. Mars’ distance is 56.7 million miles (91.4 million kilometers). 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).

A note on Jupiter and its moons: Before 7:56 pm, Io will be in Jupiter’s shadow. At 8:22 pm, Ganymede’s shadow will begin to cross the face of Jupiter. In the image above, the shadow, a small dot, is seen on the lower left of the disk. Europa’s shadow was on the disk prior to 9 pm. Ganymede’s shadow will leave the disk at 11:08 pm. Shadows cross Jupiter’s disk from east to west (right to left) in this view.

The naked-eye planets and the Moon at sunset and sunrise on a single night, starting with sunset on the right on November 2, 2022. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 3rd. Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using my LookingUp app and GIMP.

10/26/2022 – Ephemeris – Let’s see where the naked-eye planets have wandered off to this week

This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Wednesday, October 26th. Today the Sun will be up for 10 hours and 27 minutes, setting at 6:40, and it will rise tomorrow at 8:14. The Moon, 1 day past new, will set at 7:21 this evening.

Let’s see where the naked-eye planets have wandered off to this week. Jupiter and Saturn will be visible this evening, in the east-southeast and south-southeast respectively, as soon after sunset as it will be dark enough to see them, which would be by 7:45 pm. Jupiter is seen against the stars of Pisces the fish, while Saturn is spotted in the eastern end of Capricornus the sea goat. The red planet Mars, though a morning planet, will rise tonight at 9:15 pm in the northeast. It’s located between the tips of the long horns of Taurus the bull. By seven tomorrow morning, the red planet Mars will be high in the southwestern sky, above the winter constellation of Orion. Mars has traveled about as far east as it will get for a while. It will head back westward after Sunday.

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

Jupiter and Saturn with label animation for 8 pm tonight, October 26, 2022. Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.

Though Mars is a morning planet, since it is in the sky at sunrise, perhaps the best time to vies it is in the evening after it rises in the east-northeast at 9:15 pm. By 11 pm, as seen here, Mars should be high enough to present a decent image in a telescope. Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using Stellarium.

Telescopic views of Saturn Jupiter and Mars (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope, with the same magnification. The image of Mars doesn’t show it, but the white north polar cap will appear at the top or north limb of Mars. Saturn and Jupiter are shown at 8 pm, Mars at 11 pm. Apparent diameters: Saturn 17.41″, its rings 40.55″; Jupiter 48.16″. Mars 14.58″. Mars’ distance is 59.7 million miles (96.2 million kilometers). 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 October 26, 2022. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 27th. Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using my LookingUp program and GIMP.

10/19/2022 – Ephemeris – Let’s search for the naked-eye planets for this week

This is Bob Moler with Ephemeris for Wednesday, October 19th. Today the Sun will be up for 10 hours and 47 minutes, setting at 6:51, and it will rise tomorrow at 8:04. The Moon, 2 days past last quarter, will rise at 2:29 tomorrow morning.

Let’s search for the naked-eye planets for this week. Jupiter and Saturn will be visible this evening, in the east-southeast and south-southeast respectively, as soon after sunset as it will be dark enough to see them, which would be by 7:45 pm. Jupiter is seen against the stars of Pisces the fish, while Saturn is spotted in the eastern end of Capricornus the sea goat. The red planet Mars, though a morning planet, will rise tonight at 9:41 pm in the northeast. It’s located between the tips of the long horns of Taurus the bull. By seven tomorrow morning, the red planet Mars will be high in the southwestern sky, above the winter constellation of Orion. Tiny Mercury might be spotted very low in the east around 7:30 am for the next few days.

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

Jupiter and Saturn in the evening finder animation for 9 pm tonight, October 19, 2022. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.

Mars among the winter stars at 7 tomorrow morning, October 20, 2022. Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using Stellarium.

Waning crescent Moon labeled/unlabeled animation for 7 tomorrow morning, October 20, 2022. Created using Stellarium, LibreOffice Draw, and GIMP.

Telescopic views of Saturn Jupiter and Mars (north up) as they would be seen in a small telescope, with the same magnification. The image of Mars doesn’t show it, but the white north polar cap will appear at the top or north limb of Mars. Saturn and Jupiter are shown at 9 pm, Mars at 7 am. I do not show planets less than 10 seconds of arc in diameter, so Mercury is not shown. Apparent diameters: Saturn 17.61″, its rings 41.02″; Jupiter 48.82″. Mars 13.86″. Mars’ distance is 63.0 million miles (101.4 million kilometers). 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 October 19, 2022. The night ends on the left with sunrise on the 20th. Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using my LookingUp program and GIMP.

10/14/2022 – Ephemeris – The loneliest star in the sky isn’t so lonely this year, and more

This is Ephemeris for Friday, October 14th. Today the Sun will be up for 11 hours and 2 minutes, setting at 6:59, and it will rise tomorrow at 7:58. The Moon, 3 days before last quarter, will rise at 9:37 this evening.

There’s a bright star that appears for only seven and a half hours on autumn evenings. It’s appearance, low in the south-southeast at 9 p.m., is a clear indication of the autumn season. The star’s name is Fomalhaut, which means fish’s mouth. That’s fitting because it’s in the constellation of Piscis Austrinus, the southern fish. At our latitude it’s kind of the fish that got away, because Fomalhaut appears to be quite alone low in the sky. The other stars of its constellation are dim, and being low in the sky makes them even dimmer. However, this year Fomalhaut has visitors. Above and left of it is the brilliant planet Jupiter. And above and right of it is the bright planet Saturn. Both planets, while not very close to Fomalhaut, will keep it company this year.

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.

Addenda

Fomalhaut and friends (Jupiter and Saturn) finder animation for 9 pm tonight, Friday, October 14, 2022. Click on the image to enlarge it. Created using Stellarium and GIMP.

Also at Corson Auditorium on the Interlochen Center for the Arts Campus…

Join Interlochen Public Radio for Kids Commute Live! This family-friendly matinee is brought to you by the Interlochen Arts Academy Wind Symphony and features Interlochen theatre and singer-songwriter students, TCAPS middle school musicians, and special guests from NASA, the Coast Guard, and the International Dark Sky Park. Conductor Matthew Schlomer and Kids Commute host Kate Botello will lead this multi-sensory experience centered on the theme “Space Flight.”
The program will include Gustav Holst’s “Jupiter,” Michael Mogenson’s “Aerial Fantasy,” John Williams’ “Fantasy of Flight,” and more!
Come early for pre-concert activities for kids of all ages, including drone demonstrations and paper airplane contests. Space-themed food will be available for purchase.
I will be there from 12 to 1 pm, having the kids help me make COMETS! I’ll also be part of the program. 

For more information and tickets: https://www.interlochen.org/events/kids-commute-live-space-flight-2022-10-15