Grand Traverse Astronomical Society Public Viewing Nights for 2012

at Northwestern Michigan College's Rogers Observatory

For printable PDF version click here

Day

Date

Time

Comments

Friday

January 06*

9-11 pm

Gibbous Moon, Jupiter

Friday

February 03*

9-11 pm

Gibbous Moon, Jupiter

Friday

March 02*

9-11 pm

Gibbous Moon, Jupiter, Mars late

Friday

April 06*

9-11 pm

Gibbous Moon, Jupiter early, Venus, Mars

Saturday

April 28

9-11 pm

Astronomy Day. Venus early, first quarter Moon, Mars, Saturn

Friday

May 04*

9-11 pm

Full Moon, Venus early, Mars, Saturn

Saturday

May 26

9-11 pm

Crescent Moon, Venus early. Mars, Saturn

Friday

June 1*

9-11 pm

Gibbous Moon. Mars, Saturn

Saturday

June 23

9-11 pm

Crescent Moon. Mars, Saturn, Twilight

Friday

July 06*

9-11 pm

Mercury early, Crescent Moon. Mars, Saturn

Saturday

July 21

9-11 pm

Crescent Moon. Mars, Saturn, Dark late, summer Milky Way

Friday

August 03

9-11 pm

Waning gibbous Moon, Mars, Saturn

Saturday

August 25

9-11 pm

Saturn, Mars early, gibbous Moon

Friday

September 07*

9-11 pm

Dark, summer Milky Way

Saturday

September 22

9-11 pm

First quarter Moon and Jupiter rises 11 minutes before end of session

Friday

October 05*

9-11 pm

Jupiter in conjunction with Moon. They will rise near 10 p.m.

Saturday

October 20

9-11 pm

Crescent Moon, Jupiter

Saturday

November 02*

9-11 pm

Waning gibbous Moon, Jupiter

Saturday

December 07*

9-11 pm

Dark, Jupiter, Great Orion Nebula
* These dates the viewing session is preceded by a meeting and program by the GTAS. All are welcome.
See www.gtastro.org for more outreach events around the area.
Explanation Key

Conditions

Dark
Dark skies. Deep Sky Objects (star clusters, nebulae and galaxies) visible depending on the season.
Twilight
Twilight lasts through out the viewing period. Some Deep Sky Objects may be visible near the end of the viewing period.

Objects other than planets

Orion Nebula
A stellar nursery 1,800 light years away. The best and closest such object. Visible on winter evenings.
Summer Milky Way
Many Deep Sky Objects are visible in our galaxy. The Milky Way is best seen on August and September evenings with the moon out of the sky. This also means dark skies.

In Case of Inclement Weather:

For more information on events at the Rogers Observatory call (231)995-2300
For more information on events sponsored by the GTAS go to www.gtastro.org 
Link to MapQuest map of the Rogers Observatory, Traverse City, MI (drive entrance)