March 2016

To see a video of this information, go to my YouTube Channel

 

Not too much going on for March, other than Jupiter, Mars, and Saturn being visible and the rising temperatures allowing us to stay out longer.  The Moon stops by each planet fairly closely and the Vernal Equinox starts our astronomical Spring.

 

PLANETS...well, the ones visible with yournaked eye

Planets you can see around Sunset– Jupiter (E)

Planets you can see throughout the night – Jupiter (E-->S-->W)

Planets you can see in the Morning – Jupiter (W), Mars/Saturn (E-->S)

 

Mercury – Not visible until April, as it passes behind the Sun.   

Venus – Not really visible, but you might catch a glimpse if you about 5˚ above the ESE horizon before sunrise, especially toward the beginning of the month.

Mars – Look East after 12amEST/1amDST and Mars will be the bright-ish reddish light right next to Graffias, a bright star in Scorpius. By sunrise, it will be in the South and 30˚ above the horizon.

Jupiter – Look East after sunset and Jupiter will be the very bright light below Leo the Lion. It will move toward the South and will besetting in the W around dawn or sunrise.

Saturn – Saturn will be visible after 1amEST/2amDST in the SE, about10˚ to the left of Mars and up and to the left of Antares, the reddish brightest star in Scorpius. It will travel with Mars and be in the South around sunrise.

EVENTS...

Last Quarter Moon – 1^st (Visible from midnight into the morning)

1^st – Close Encounter – Moon, Mars, Saturn – Look SE after 2am and you’ll find a last quarter Moon pretty much right between Mars and Saturn.  If you have trouble finding Mars, or just want to see how red it is compared to other celestial objects, this morning isthe time to look.  Bright Antares makes the encounter a nice parallelogram.

2^nd – Close Encounter – Moon, Saturn – Look toward the SE on the morning of the 3^rd after 2am, and you’ll find Saturn only 3˚ below and to the right of a crescent Moon. Bright Antares is off to their right.    

New Moon – 9^th (darkest skies) –A total eclipse will happen, but across Indonesia and the Pacific

13^th – Daylight Savings Time Begins at 2am

First Quarter Moon – 14^th (Visible until midnight)

20^th - Spring Equinox - Astronomically the first day of Spring, even though meteorologically Spring starts in the beginning of March.  Here’s some more info.

21^st – Close Encounter – Moon & Jupiter – Jupiter and the Moon are only about 2˚apart in the east after sunset and travel to the south and end up in the west by sunrise.

Full Moon – 23^rd (Visible all night) - There’s a penumbral lunar eclipse visible, but barely able to be seen.  Not worth going out for.

28^th – Close Encounter – Moon, Mars – After about 12:30amEDT, you can see the Moon with Mars about 7˚ below it in the SE, and you’ll be able to see them until about 6:30am when dawn overtakes Mars.

29^th – Close Encounter – Moon, Saturn – After about 1:30amEDT, you can seethe Moon with Saturn about 5˚ below it in the SE (with Mars to the right), and you’ll be able to see them until about 6:30am when dawn overtakes Saturn.

Last Quarter Moon – 31^st (Visible from midnight into the morning)

CONSTELLATIONS... (see sky map link at the bottom for a Star Map for this month – or ask Mr. Webb)    Look straight up and you'll see...

After Sunset (sunset is around 5:30-6:30pm) – Auriga (Taurus is right nearby), Gemini

Between Sunset and Midnight – Cancer, Gemini, Lynx, and Leo later in the month - ExtraChallenge! Find M44 in the Middle of Cancer – an open cluster of stars also known as the Beehive Cluster. You may be able to see it as a small fuzzy patch with your naked eye if you have very dark skies.  However with a pair of binoculars or a telescope on low power, it will look like a hive of bees in the distance, hence its nickname.

Midnight– Leo, Leo Minor, Ursa Major’s legs

Early Morning – Corona Borealis, Hercules, Boötes (you can also find the Big Dipper’s handle, and starting from the inside of the handle, follow the arc that those four stars make past the last star in the handle about 30˚ or three fist-widths to the next very bright star you find which is Arcturus, the base of the constellation Boötes.  Hence astronomers use the phrase “Follow the Arc to Arcturus”)

GENERAL CONSTELLATION FINDING TIPS: 

Winter constellations:  Orion is easy to spot as he is high in the south as the Sun sets. You can use Orion to find many other winter constellations.

Using Orion:  Find Orion by looking for the three stars in a row that make up Orion’s belt in the South after 7pm.  If you draw a line from the left star to the right star and keep going right about 20 degrees (about 2fists at arm’s length) until you reach another very bright star, you will have reached the star Aldebaran in Taurus (the V).  Follow that line a little more (about another fist) and you’ll find the Pleiades.

If you start at his belt again,but instead go the opposite way and draw a line from the right star in Orion’s belt to the left star, and keep going left about 20 degrees (2 fists again),you’ll come to the brightest star in the sky – Sirius – part of Canis Major.

Above these three constellations are Gemini and Auriga.  The brightest stars in each of these constellations form a circle in the sky.  Going clockwise - Aldebaran(Taurus) – Rigel (Orion – bottom right foot) – Sirius (Canis Major) – Procyon(Canis Minor) – Castor & Pollux (Gemini) – Capella (Auriga).  It makes for great stargazing in the winter sky.

Use a sky map from www.skymaps.com to help you out.