‘Earth & Sky’ Archives
Sky Tonight—March 30, Moon very close to Venus at
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science Visit EarthSky at www.EarthSky.org Did you see the waning crescent moon and the blazing planet Venus today (Wednesday, March 30, 2011), before sunrise? At morning dawn tomorrow (Thursday, March 31) a thinner lunar crescent will pair up with Venus, which is sometimes called the “morning star.” As seen from the northern hemisphere, the moon and Venus will sit low in the east at dawn. Therefore, you will need an unobstructed view eastward to see ... Full Story
Sky Tonight—March 29, Moon and Venus low in east at
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science Visit EarthSky at www.EarthSky.org As seen from mid-northern latitudes on Wednesday, March 30, the waning crescent moon and the blazing planet Venus will be sitting low over the eastern horizon, starting around an hour before sunrise. Any obstructions – such as trees or houses – might block your view of Venus. The moon will be easier to spot because it will be higher up in the sky. Venus is the third brightest celestial body to light up the ... Full Story
Sky Tonight—March 27, Use the Big Dipper to locate
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science Visit EarthSky at www.EarthSky.org You can easily locate the Big Dipper in the northeast sky on these early springtime evenings. The Big Dipper is part of the constellation Ursa Major, the Greater Bear. If you can find the Big Dipper, you can also find two Hunting Dogs seen by the ancient stargazers to be nipping at the Bear’s heels. The Hunting Dogs are a separate constellation: tiny Canes Venatici. You will need a dark sky to see these two ... Full Story
Sky Tonight—March 24, Predawn moon near the
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science Visit EarthSky at www.EarthSky.org On the morning of Friday, March 25, 2011, the waning gibbous moon helps you to locate the two “tail-end” stars of the constellation Scorpius the Scorpion. These two very noticeable stars – called Shaula and Lesath – are often shown on old star maps at the tip of the Scorpion’s stinger. Shaula and Lesath mean raised tail and stinger respectively in Arabic, although there is some controversy over the ... Full Story
Sky Tonight—Tuesday, March 22, Mercury farthest from
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science Visit EarthSky at www.EarthSky.org Mercury, the solar system’s innermost planet, never strays far from the sun and into Earth’s nighttime sky. Today, however, this world reaches its greatest elongation east of the sun at 7 p.m. Mountain Daylight Time. Mercury swings to the end of its tether, at 19 degrees east of the sun. (For reference, your fist at an arm’s length approximates 10 degrees of sky.) Nineteen degrees east of the sun is not very ... Full Story
Sky Tonight—March 21, As Mercury sets, zodiacal
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science Visit EarthSky at www.EarthSky.org After the sun sets, you can see the elusive planet Mercury – and the even more elusive zodiacal light – in the western sky. For those living in the northern hemisphere, this next week presents the best chance in all of 2011 to see Mercury, the solar system’s innermost planet. Meanwhile, if you have a very dark sky, the zodiacal light can be seen in the west about an hour after sunset through March and ... Full Story
Sky Tonight—March 20, The 2011 March equinox
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science Visit EarthSky at www.EarthSky.org The March equinox happens today at 23:21 Universal Time, which is 17:21 (5:21 p.m.) Mountain Daylight Time for us in the U.S. The March equinox signals the beginning of spring in the northern hemisphere and autumn in the southern hemisphere. It marks that special moment when the sun crosses the celestial equator going from south to north. How do I translate Universal Time into my time? Celebrate the change of ... Full Story
Sky Tonight—March 19, Closest full moon of 2011 on
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science Visit EarthSky at www.EarthSky.org Today – March 19 – features the closest full moon of 2011. Some are calling it a supermoon. As a result, you might look for higher-than-usual tides along the ocean coastlines throughout the world. What is true – and false – about the March 19 supermoon What’s more, the bright point of light near tonight’s moon is the planet Saturn, the sixth planet outward from the sun. Because the full moon shines ... Full Story
Sky Tonight—March 18, Watch for full moon, planet
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science Visit EarthSky at www.EarthSky.org There is a lot going on in the sky on the weekend of March 18-20, 2011. The moon will be near a bright planet (Saturn) and some bright stars (Regulus and Spica). Plus there will be an especially close full moon – which some are now calling a supermoon – which might mean higher-than-usual tides, especially if the weather gets stormy along coastlines. What is true – and false – about the March 19 ... Full Story
Sky Tonight—March 16, Smallest and largest planets
Courtesy of EarthSky A Clear Voice for Science Visit EarthSky at www.EarthSky.org The planets Mercury and Jupiter meet up for a conjunction today. Conjunction means that these two worlds stand north and south of one another in right ascension. (Right ascension on the sky’s dome is the equivalent of longitude here on Earth.) Mercury swings north of Jupiter at 17 hours Universal Time (12:00 noon Central Daylight Time) on March 16. In the Americas, this conjunction takes place during the ... Full Story