Plenet Observer Applet

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Applet: Rise and Set of the Sun, Moon, and Planets

Planet Observer Applet

The bright planets Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn (the wanderers known to the ancients), are the subjects of this applet.
For an interval of time around the current date (+/- 1 month to +/- 6 month) the position of the planet on the local horizon is visualized at a certain instant before sunrise, or after sunset (1 hour to 7 hours).

Click the applet first!
Enter latitude in decimal degrees, northern positive, southern negative, and press return key,
enter longitude in decimal degrees, eastern positive, western negative, and press return key.
52.51° N, 13.41° E is Berlin, Germany.

Check your time zone offset and select the local standard time.

interval month Select the instant of observation, and the interval of time.

date Sun position moon
$moon phase illuminated fraction$
For the date and time the position of the planet is indicated by a dot, the Sun's position yellow, the Moon gray (light or dark). The illuminated fraction of the Moon (%) iis also indicated.

Mercury Venus
Mars Jupiter Saturn
planets
Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.

Using the "Date", "Hours", or "Minutes" menu you may leave the instants valid for the graph.

today
Use the button "Today" to return to the time of observation.

zoom
zoom
You may use the menu items (working in toggle mode) to zoom the azimuth, "West" (azimuth 270°) for observations after sunset, or "East" (azimuth 90°) for observations before sunrise.

You may use the keys "y", "m", "d", "h", "n" to increase the year, month, date, hour, or minute, or Shift key and "y", "m", "d", "h", "n" to decrease the year, month, date, hour, or minute !

Topocentric position of Mercury in 2012,
51.51° N, 13.41° E, 1 hour after sunset.

Venus position
2012

Topocentric position of Venus in 2012,
51.51° N, 13.41° E, 1 hour after sunset.

Mars position
2012

Topocentric position of Mars in 2012,
51.51° N, 13.41° E, 1 hour after sunset.

Web Links

Planet Applet

Last Modified: 2012, Feb 1

	Click the applet first! Enter latitude in decimal degrees, northern positive, southern negative, and press return key, enter longitude in decimal degrees, eastern positive, western negative, and press return key. 52.51° N, 13.41° E is Berlin, Germany.
	Check your time zone offset and select the local standard time.
	Select the instant of observation, and the interval of time.
$moon phase illuminated fraction$	For the date and time the position of the planet is indicated by a dot, the Sun's position yellow, the Moon gray (light or dark). The illuminated fraction of the Moon (%) iis also indicated.
	Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.
	Using the "Date", "Hours", or "Minutes" menu you may leave the instants valid for the graph.
	Use the button "Today" to return to the time of observation.
	You may use the menu items (working in toggle mode) to zoom the azimuth, "West" (azimuth 270°) for observations after sunset, or "East" (azimuth 90°) for observations before sunrise.
	You may use the keys "y", "m", "d", "h", "n" to increase the year, month, date, hour, or minute, or Shift key and "y", "m", "d", "h", "n" to decrease the year, month, date, hour, or minute !