March Night Sky
D.W.Q.M.: "If you could touch the alien sand, and hear the cry of strange birds, and watch them wheel in another sky, would that satify you?" -the First Doctor
Hello everyone! It's the beginning of a new month!
Today's Astronomy post is brought to you by Sky & Telescope.
Spring begins at the vernal equinox, March 21st, 7:33 a.m. (EST)
Happy spring!!
Planets during the night
Mercury is very low in the horizon this month-setting about an hour after the sun. Between March 5th and March 15th, it will be fairly easy to see low in the west. Since there are no bright stars near the planet, any point of light you see at dusk is likely to be Mercury. :)
Saturn is high in the sky at dusk, and will be perfect for observing all evening. Since it's only two months past opposition, it is still quite bright.
Jupiter will be rising earlier and earlier each evening during March. It should peek above the horizon about 8:30pm.
Mars doesn't rise until around 4 a.m. at the beginning of the month, and 3 a.m. towards the end. Hey, did you know that the Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, have been exploring Mars for more than 10 months now? Cool! ;)
Comet Machholz
Even though the comet is only at 6th magnitude by now, it's still visible through a good pair of binoculars. It should be passing Polaris. Click here for the sky chart. No, I haven't seen it yet. :(
Constellations in the sky
This month, the Big Dipper and Orion stand opposite each other in the southwest and northeast. As spring and summer arrive, Orion slowly slips out of view until the autumn months, and the Big Dipper will begin to dominate the evening sky. Here are a couple of interesting facts about the two constellations:
-both are dominated by seven stars, most of which are of 2nd magnitude, and both have attention grabbing patterns in the sky.
-Orion is near the heavily star-populated Milky Way band and the galactic equator. The Big Dipper, on the other hand, is near the star-poor region of the north galactic pole. :)
Clear skies and happy viewing!!
Hello everyone! It's the beginning of a new month!
Today's Astronomy post is brought to you by Sky & Telescope.
Spring begins at the vernal equinox, March 21st, 7:33 a.m. (EST)
Happy spring!!
Planets during the night
Mercury is very low in the horizon this month-setting about an hour after the sun. Between March 5th and March 15th, it will be fairly easy to see low in the west. Since there are no bright stars near the planet, any point of light you see at dusk is likely to be Mercury. :)
Saturn is high in the sky at dusk, and will be perfect for observing all evening. Since it's only two months past opposition, it is still quite bright.
Jupiter will be rising earlier and earlier each evening during March. It should peek above the horizon about 8:30pm.
Mars doesn't rise until around 4 a.m. at the beginning of the month, and 3 a.m. towards the end. Hey, did you know that the Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, have been exploring Mars for more than 10 months now? Cool! ;)
Comet Machholz
Even though the comet is only at 6th magnitude by now, it's still visible through a good pair of binoculars. It should be passing Polaris. Click here for the sky chart. No, I haven't seen it yet. :(
Constellations in the sky
This month, the Big Dipper and Orion stand opposite each other in the southwest and northeast. As spring and summer arrive, Orion slowly slips out of view until the autumn months, and the Big Dipper will begin to dominate the evening sky. Here are a couple of interesting facts about the two constellations:
-both are dominated by seven stars, most of which are of 2nd magnitude, and both have attention grabbing patterns in the sky.
-Orion is near the heavily star-populated Milky Way band and the galactic equator. The Big Dipper, on the other hand, is near the star-poor region of the north galactic pole. :)
Clear skies and happy viewing!!
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