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MERCURY
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Mercury becomes visible in the morning sky late in December and rises about 90 minutes before sunrise by New Years Day. At a magnitude of -0.4 the planet can be confused with the bright star Antares which rises 30 minutes sooner. After the New Year, Mercury starts to make its way back down and is lost in the dawn light by mid month.
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Constellation
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Capricornus
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RA Position
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21 hr 14 min
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Distance from Sun
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38,962,902 Miles
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Dec Position
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-18° 8'
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Distance from Earth
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130,781,618 Miles
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Magnitude
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-1
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Light Travel Time
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0 hr 11 min
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Rise Time
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7:18 AM
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Phase
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100%
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Transit Time
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12:35 PM
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Angular Size
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4.79 sec of arc
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Set Time
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5:48 PM
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VENUS
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Venus stars the New Year in the evening sky and at a magnitude of -4.0 you cannot miss it. The current phase is still on the fuller side and the disk is still small. That will change during the first half of the year as Venus comes closer and closer to earth. Venus will remain in the evening sky until the Venus transit in early June.
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Constellation
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Pices
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RA Position
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23 hr 51 min
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Distance from Sun
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67,122,506 Miles
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Dec Position
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-1° 38'
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Distance from Earth
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99,856,809 Miles
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Magnitude
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-5
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Light Travel Time
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0 hr 8 min
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Rise Time
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9:11 AM
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Phase
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73%
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Transit Time
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3:11 PM
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Angular Size
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15.76 sec of arc
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Set Time
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9:07 PM
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MARS
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Mars becomes stationary this month and will start to retrograde as opposition is not far away occurring in early March. The planets size will continue to grow although it really won’t be that large when opposition occurs. Mars has what is called a favorable opposition every 15 years so it is still quite a number of years before that happens again. Still, larger telescopes might begin to see the surface details on the red planet.
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Constellation
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Virgo
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RA Position
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11 hr 36 min
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Distance from Sun
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154,887,918 Miles
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Dec Position
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6° 48'
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Distance from Earth
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70,774,075 Miles
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Magnitude
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-1
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Light Travel Time
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0 hr 6 min
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Rise Time
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8:34 PM
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Phase
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97%
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Transit Time
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2:55 AM
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Angular Size
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12.30 sec of arc
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Set Time
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9:15 AM
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JUPITER
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Jupiter is still blazing the evening sky after sunset. On January 2nd, the crescent moon will pass some five degrees from the large planet. Very close to the Aries Pisces border Jupiter is always a favorite target for any size telescope.
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Constellation
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Aries
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RA Position
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2 hr 5 min
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Distance from Sun
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463,181,964 Miles
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Dec Position
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11° 36'
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Distance from Earth
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475,977,887 Miles
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Magnitude
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-2
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Light Travel Time
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0 hr 42 min
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Rise Time
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10:52 AM
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Phase
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99%
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Transit Time
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5:25 PM
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Angular Size
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38.44 sec of arc
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Set Time
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11:54 PM
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SATURN
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Saturn rises before 1am local time and is well placed in the sky by dawn. The ring system is not at a 15 degree tilt so the planet is becoming a nice view than the past few years. Saturn is at a magnitude of 0.7 right now sitting in the constellation of Virgo.
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Constellation
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Virgo
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RA Position
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13 hr 52 min
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Distance from Sun
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903,549,423 Miles
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Dec Position
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-8° 50'
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Distance from Earth
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872,741,140 Miles
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Magnitude
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1
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Light Travel Time
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1 hr 18 min
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Rise Time
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11:29 PM
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Phase
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100%
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Transit Time
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5:11 AM
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Angular Size
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17.65 sec of arc
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Set Time
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10:52 AM
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URANUS
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Uranus is still visible in the low southwestern sky after sunset. If you have a very dark sky and a good sky chart, it is possible to see Uranus with the naked eye. A larger telescope can reveal a nice shape to the disk but any size telescope can see the distant planet. Uranus is currently in Pisces.
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Constellation
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Pices
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RA Position
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0 hr 9 min
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Distance from Sun
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1,868,223,584 Miles
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Dec Position
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0° 12'
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Distance from Earth
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1,930,468,825 Miles
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Magnitude
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6
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Light Travel Time
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2 hr 52 min
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Rise Time
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9:24 AM
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Phase
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100%
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Transit Time
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3:29 PM
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Angular Size
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3.17 sec of arc
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Set Time
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9:29 PM
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NEPTUNE
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Neptune is very low in the southwest after sunset. It will be in a better location later in the year when it returns to the morning sky.
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Constellation
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Aquarius
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RA Position
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22 hr 9 min
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Distance from Sun
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2,794,960,403 Miles
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Dec Position
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-11° 57'
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Distance from Earth
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2,884,263,353 Miles
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Magnitude
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8
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Light Travel Time
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4 hr 17 min
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Rise Time
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7:56 AM
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Phase
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100%
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Transit Time
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1:30 PM
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Angular Size
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2.01 sec of arc
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Set Time
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6:59 PM
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PLUTO
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Pluto is too close to the sun this month to observe.
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Constellation
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Sagittarius
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RA Position
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18 hr 32 min
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Distance from Sun
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3,088,024,385 Miles
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Dec Position
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-18° 56'
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Distance from Earth
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3,108,501,776 Miles
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Magnitude
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14
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Light Travel Time
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4 hr 37 min
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Rise Time
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4:38 AM
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Phase
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100%
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Transit Time
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9:53 AM
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Angular Size
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0.25 sec of arc
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Set Time
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3:03 PM
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