The Night Sky for March 2009
Comet Lulin, Saturn at Opposition, Venus Sinks, Spring Begins
Feb 23, 2009
The Northern Hemisphere ushers in the astronomical start of spring and the Southern Hemisphere welcomes a cooler fall starting with the equinox at 7:44 a.m. EDT on March 20. Learn more about the equinox and whether or not you can balance an egg on this day. Watch every day as the sunlight hours expand in both the morning and evening. On March 1, residents of northern mid-latitudes receive approximately 11 hours of daylight, and on March 31 they receive closer to 13 hours of daylight.
Comet Lulin Speeds Away
Comet Lulin made its closest approach to Earth on February 24, coincidentally appearing right next to Saturn in the sky. In March, Comet Lulin will be headed out of the solar system and growing dimmer. March 5 and 6 it appears close to the Beehive Cluster, M44, in the constellation Cancer. Use binoculars or a telescope to spot it. If you can still spot it around March 17 and 18, it will be passing the star that marks the "waist" of Pollux in Gemini, Delta Geminorum.
Brilliant Venus Returns to the Sun
Venus has been the showstopper in the evening sky all winter. The closest planet to Earth starts out March just as bright, at magnitude -4.7. Every day in March, Venus drops closer to the western horizon after sunset, and by the end of the month it has rejoined with the Sun, reaching inferior conjunction on March 27. But as it disappears from the evening sky, it enter the morning sky. It dims a bit toward the end of the month but brightens again as it assumes the title of Morning Star in April.
Saturn Reaches Opposition and Is Visible All Night
On Sunday, March 8, the day that Canadians and Americans set their clocks forward for spring, Saturn reaches opposition and is visible in the sky from sundown to sunup. Opposition is when a planet appears opposite the Sun in our sky. At magnitude 0.5, Saturn shines bright in the constellation Leo, having reached its peak brightness for the year. On March 10, Saturn pairs up with the full moon, which reaches its full stage at precisely 10:38 p.m. EDT. Through a small telescope, the rings are very difficult to see as they are positioned close to edge-on for the majority of the year. Saturn's largest moon Titan is often visible in small scopes when it is not positioned in front of or behind its parent planet.
Satellite Observing
Due to the collision of two satellites in the skies over Siberia in February, people are newly interested in spacecraft. Many spacecraft are visible to ground-based observers. One of the satellites in the collision was part of the Iridium fleet, which is popular for its tremendously bright flares when they catch the sun just right. The International Space Station is also a popular target, shining as bright as the brightest stars as it quietly soars overhead. For information on how to observe satellites and other spacecraft and to know where and when to look for your area, go to heavens-above.com.
March is a busy month, so catch Comet Lulin and Venus while you can, and prepare for warmer nights in the north and more pleasurable viewing evenings ahead!
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