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March Sky Guide
- Neill
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16 years 9 months ago #64355
by Neill
March Sky Guide was created by Neill
Hi all,
Sky guide for March below. Enjoy
OBSERVING GUIDE
(Please note all times are UT unless otherwise stated and are based on an observing location of Belfast)
The Sun
At the start of the month the Sun rises at 07:15 and sets at 18:00. By the end of the month, it rises at 07:00 BST and sets at 20:00 BST. Remember British Summer Time begins at 01:00 on the morning of the 30th this month with the clocks going forward one hour.
The Planets
Venus and Mercury remain close to each other during the entire month. They can be located very low in the South-East shortly before sunrise. During the first and last weeks of the month, they are particularly close but by the last week of the month, both planets are too close to the Sun to be safely observed.
Mars passes within less than two degrees to the North of M35 during the early hours of the morning of the 11th.
Mercury is at greatest western elongation on the 3rd. At the start of the month, it rises less than an hour before the Sun at 06:30. By month’s end it is too close to the Sun for observation as it is at superior conjunction in April. It is mag +0.2 at the start of the month and brightens throughout the period.
Venus is a morning object this month, rising less than an hour before the Sun at the start of the month at 06:35. By month’s end it is too close to the Sun for observation. It is mag -3.9 at the start of the month and maintains its brightness throughout the period.
Mars is still well placed for observation although it is fading. It rises during daylight hours and moves into Gemini from Taurus during the month. It fades from mag +0.2 to mag +0.8 during the month.
Jupiter is a morning object this month and can be found in Sagittarius. At the start of the month, it rises at 05:10 and by month’s end, it rises at 04:30 BST. It brightens from mag -2.0 to mag -2.2 during the month.
Saturn is still well placed for observation this month. It rises during daylight hours and can be found in Leo. It fades from mag +0.2 to mag +0.4 during the month.
Uranus is badly placed for observation this month as it is at conjunction on the 8th. By mid-month it has become a morning object, but rises less than half an hour before the Sun by month’s end.
Neptune is a morning object this month. It can be found in Capricornus. At the start of the month, it rises less than an hour after the Sun at 06:45 and by month’s end it rises more than an hour before the Sun at 05:50 BST. It maintains its brightness at mag +8.0 during the month.
The Moon
The new moon is on the 7th with the first quarter moon on the 14th. The full moon this month is on the 21st. The last quarter moon is on the 29th.
On the morning of the 3rd, a 21% illuminated waning crescent moon lies close to Jupiter, low in the South-East with the moon lying South-East of the planet. Try and see if you can locate Jupiter during the daytime by using the moon as a guide. Be very careful if attempting this as the Sun will be above the horizon.
On the morning of the 4th, a 13% illuminated waning crescent moon lies between Jupiter, to the North-East of the planet and Venus and Mercury, to the South-West of the two inner planets, low in the South-East before sunrise.
On the morning of the 5th, a 6% illuminated waning crescent moon lies close to Venus and Mercury, low in the South-East before sunrise. The moon will lie to the South-West of Venus with Mercury lying between the two. Try and see if you can locate the two inner planets during the daytime by using the moon as a guide. Be very careful if attempting this as the Sun will be above the horizon.
On the evening of the 8th, a very thin 1% illuminated waxing crescent moon may be observed in the West just after sunset. Please be sure that the sun is below the horizon before attempting this. Moonset will be around 19:30, over an hour after sunset.
On the evening of the 12th, a 32% illuminated waxing crescent moon lies close to M45 – The Pleiades.
On the evening of the 14th/ morning of the 15th, a 57% illuminated waxing gibbous moon lies close to Mars.
On the 17th, an 84% illuminated waxing gibbous moon lies within less than four degrees of M44 – The Beehive Cluster in the early evening as darkness falls.
On the morning of the 19th, a 92% illuminated waxing gibbous moon lies close to Saturn, to the North-West of the planet with Regulus (Alpha Leonis) lying between the two.
On the morning of the 27th, a 75% illuminated waning gibbous moon lies close to Antares (Alpha Scorpii).
On the morning of the 31st, a 36% illuminated waning crescent moon lies close to Jupiter, to the East of the planet, low in the South-East.
Meteors
There are no major meteor showers this month.
Asteroids
Asteroid (
Flora (mag +9) lies less than two degrees North of Epsilon Tauri just after midnight on the morning of the 6th.
Comets
Comet 17P/Holmes can still be located in Perseus for the month of March. It is fading with current observations estimating its brightness at mag +4.8. For the first week of the month, it lies South of Epsilon Persei. It then moves out of the main body of the constellation during the rest of the month in an Easterly direction towards Auriga and can be located to the East/South-East of Epsilon Persei.
Comet 46P/Wirtanen peaked at mag +8.3 in February and now is slowly fading. Current observations estimate the comet’s brightness at mag +9.0. It starts the month in Aries and moves in a North-Easterly direction. In the early hours of the 9th, it can be located halfway between Zeta Persei and M45 – The Pleiades. It moves into Auriga and at around 22:00 on the evening of the 21st, passes within less than a degree to the South of Iota Aurigae. In the last week of the month, it passes by M36 and M38. Times of these close encounters are below.
Up to date information and finder charts for comets can be found at www.aerith.net and
www.skyhound.com/sh/comets.html
Deep Sky
On the deep sky front this month, The Double Cluster – NGC 869 and NGC 884 makes for a great sight in Perseus. In Ursa Major – galaxies M81 and M82 can be observed. In Leo, we have several galaxies on view including The Leo Triplet - M65, M66 and NGC 3628. M95, M96 and M105 can also be observed in Leo. The place to really find galaxies is in Virgo. The Virgo Super Cluster can be found here with numerous galaxies on view. Also in Virgo, M104 - the Sombrero Galaxy can be found. In Coma Berenices, there is M64 - the Black-Eye Galaxy. Also check out the constellation Canes Venatici with the globular cluster - M3 and several galaxies including M51 - the Whirlpool Galaxy and M63 - the Sunflower Galaxy. Finally there are some excellent open clusters in Auriga, Gemini and Cancer - M35 in Gemini, M36, M37 and M38 in Auriga and M44 – The Beehive Cluster and M67 in Cancer.
For further observing information, check out www.eaas.co.uk/stargazers.html .
General Notes
Always keep an eye out for Aurorae. Check out www.stronge.org.uk/spaceweather.html for the most up-to-date information on the aurorae. The Spring or Vernal Equinox is on the 20th which sees the end of winter and the beginning of spring.
Other interesting naked eye phenomena to look out for include the Zodiacal Light and the Gegenschein. Both are caused by sunlight reflecting off dust particles which are present in the solar system. The Zodiacal Light can be seen in the West after evening twilight has disappeared or in the East before the morning twilight. The best time of year to see the phenomenon is late-Feb to early-April in the evening sky and September/October in the morning sky -- it's then that the ecliptic, along which the cone of the zodiacal light lies, is steepest in our skies. The Gegenschein can be seen in the area of the sky opposite the sun. To view either, you must get yourself to a very dark site to cut out the light pollution. When trying to observe either of these phenomena, it is best to do so when the moon is below the horizon. If you are observing them when the moon has risen, restrict your efforts to the period 4 days either side of the new moon as otherwise the moonlight will be sufficient to drown them out.
Finally check out www.heavens-above.com for the latest passes of the International Space Station and satellites, details of Space Shuttle launches and passes and for details of Iridium Flare activity and remember our next meeting is on April 7th with a lecture by Robert Hill entitled “Astronomy in Educationâ€.
Rendezvous with Deep Sky Objects/Comets for Period March 2008 for Comets 17P/Holmes and 46/PWirtanen
Date Time (UT) Dist. (deg) Comet Mag. Target Type Mag. Con
Mar. 13 0h 0.69 46P/Wirtanen 9.3 NGC 1514 planetary 10 Taurus
Mar. 18 9h 0.5 46P/Wirtanen 9.6 93P/Lovas 1 comet 15.8
Mar. 26 6h 0.31 46P/Wirtanen 10.2 IC 405 - Flaming Star Nebula nebula Auriga
Mar. 27 21h 1.04 46P/Wirtanen 10.3 NGC 1907 open 8.2 Auriga
Mar. 28 2h 1.53 46P/Wirtanen 10.3 M38 open 6.4 Auriga
Mar. 28 5h 1.17 17P/Holmes 5.1 C/2008 C1 ( Chen-Gao ) comet 11.8
Mar. 28 9h 0.12 46P/Wirtanen 10.3 NGC 1931 cluster + nebula 11.3 Auriga
Mar. 29 6h 0.36 46P/Wirtanen 10.4 M36 open 6 Auriga
Clear Skies
Neill McKeown
Sky guide for March below. Enjoy
OBSERVING GUIDE
(Please note all times are UT unless otherwise stated and are based on an observing location of Belfast)
The Sun
At the start of the month the Sun rises at 07:15 and sets at 18:00. By the end of the month, it rises at 07:00 BST and sets at 20:00 BST. Remember British Summer Time begins at 01:00 on the morning of the 30th this month with the clocks going forward one hour.
The Planets
Venus and Mercury remain close to each other during the entire month. They can be located very low in the South-East shortly before sunrise. During the first and last weeks of the month, they are particularly close but by the last week of the month, both planets are too close to the Sun to be safely observed.
Mars passes within less than two degrees to the North of M35 during the early hours of the morning of the 11th.
Mercury is at greatest western elongation on the 3rd. At the start of the month, it rises less than an hour before the Sun at 06:30. By month’s end it is too close to the Sun for observation as it is at superior conjunction in April. It is mag +0.2 at the start of the month and brightens throughout the period.
Venus is a morning object this month, rising less than an hour before the Sun at the start of the month at 06:35. By month’s end it is too close to the Sun for observation. It is mag -3.9 at the start of the month and maintains its brightness throughout the period.
Mars is still well placed for observation although it is fading. It rises during daylight hours and moves into Gemini from Taurus during the month. It fades from mag +0.2 to mag +0.8 during the month.
Jupiter is a morning object this month and can be found in Sagittarius. At the start of the month, it rises at 05:10 and by month’s end, it rises at 04:30 BST. It brightens from mag -2.0 to mag -2.2 during the month.
Saturn is still well placed for observation this month. It rises during daylight hours and can be found in Leo. It fades from mag +0.2 to mag +0.4 during the month.
Uranus is badly placed for observation this month as it is at conjunction on the 8th. By mid-month it has become a morning object, but rises less than half an hour before the Sun by month’s end.
Neptune is a morning object this month. It can be found in Capricornus. At the start of the month, it rises less than an hour after the Sun at 06:45 and by month’s end it rises more than an hour before the Sun at 05:50 BST. It maintains its brightness at mag +8.0 during the month.
The Moon
The new moon is on the 7th with the first quarter moon on the 14th. The full moon this month is on the 21st. The last quarter moon is on the 29th.
On the morning of the 3rd, a 21% illuminated waning crescent moon lies close to Jupiter, low in the South-East with the moon lying South-East of the planet. Try and see if you can locate Jupiter during the daytime by using the moon as a guide. Be very careful if attempting this as the Sun will be above the horizon.
On the morning of the 4th, a 13% illuminated waning crescent moon lies between Jupiter, to the North-East of the planet and Venus and Mercury, to the South-West of the two inner planets, low in the South-East before sunrise.
On the morning of the 5th, a 6% illuminated waning crescent moon lies close to Venus and Mercury, low in the South-East before sunrise. The moon will lie to the South-West of Venus with Mercury lying between the two. Try and see if you can locate the two inner planets during the daytime by using the moon as a guide. Be very careful if attempting this as the Sun will be above the horizon.
On the evening of the 8th, a very thin 1% illuminated waxing crescent moon may be observed in the West just after sunset. Please be sure that the sun is below the horizon before attempting this. Moonset will be around 19:30, over an hour after sunset.
On the evening of the 12th, a 32% illuminated waxing crescent moon lies close to M45 – The Pleiades.
On the evening of the 14th/ morning of the 15th, a 57% illuminated waxing gibbous moon lies close to Mars.
On the 17th, an 84% illuminated waxing gibbous moon lies within less than four degrees of M44 – The Beehive Cluster in the early evening as darkness falls.
On the morning of the 19th, a 92% illuminated waxing gibbous moon lies close to Saturn, to the North-West of the planet with Regulus (Alpha Leonis) lying between the two.
On the morning of the 27th, a 75% illuminated waning gibbous moon lies close to Antares (Alpha Scorpii).
On the morning of the 31st, a 36% illuminated waning crescent moon lies close to Jupiter, to the East of the planet, low in the South-East.
Meteors
There are no major meteor showers this month.
Asteroids
Asteroid (
Flora (mag +9) lies less than two degrees North of Epsilon Tauri just after midnight on the morning of the 6th.Comets
Comet 17P/Holmes can still be located in Perseus for the month of March. It is fading with current observations estimating its brightness at mag +4.8. For the first week of the month, it lies South of Epsilon Persei. It then moves out of the main body of the constellation during the rest of the month in an Easterly direction towards Auriga and can be located to the East/South-East of Epsilon Persei.
Comet 46P/Wirtanen peaked at mag +8.3 in February and now is slowly fading. Current observations estimate the comet’s brightness at mag +9.0. It starts the month in Aries and moves in a North-Easterly direction. In the early hours of the 9th, it can be located halfway between Zeta Persei and M45 – The Pleiades. It moves into Auriga and at around 22:00 on the evening of the 21st, passes within less than a degree to the South of Iota Aurigae. In the last week of the month, it passes by M36 and M38. Times of these close encounters are below.
Up to date information and finder charts for comets can be found at www.aerith.net and
www.skyhound.com/sh/comets.html
Deep Sky
On the deep sky front this month, The Double Cluster – NGC 869 and NGC 884 makes for a great sight in Perseus. In Ursa Major – galaxies M81 and M82 can be observed. In Leo, we have several galaxies on view including The Leo Triplet - M65, M66 and NGC 3628. M95, M96 and M105 can also be observed in Leo. The place to really find galaxies is in Virgo. The Virgo Super Cluster can be found here with numerous galaxies on view. Also in Virgo, M104 - the Sombrero Galaxy can be found. In Coma Berenices, there is M64 - the Black-Eye Galaxy. Also check out the constellation Canes Venatici with the globular cluster - M3 and several galaxies including M51 - the Whirlpool Galaxy and M63 - the Sunflower Galaxy. Finally there are some excellent open clusters in Auriga, Gemini and Cancer - M35 in Gemini, M36, M37 and M38 in Auriga and M44 – The Beehive Cluster and M67 in Cancer.
For further observing information, check out www.eaas.co.uk/stargazers.html .
General Notes
Always keep an eye out for Aurorae. Check out www.stronge.org.uk/spaceweather.html for the most up-to-date information on the aurorae. The Spring or Vernal Equinox is on the 20th which sees the end of winter and the beginning of spring.
Other interesting naked eye phenomena to look out for include the Zodiacal Light and the Gegenschein. Both are caused by sunlight reflecting off dust particles which are present in the solar system. The Zodiacal Light can be seen in the West after evening twilight has disappeared or in the East before the morning twilight. The best time of year to see the phenomenon is late-Feb to early-April in the evening sky and September/October in the morning sky -- it's then that the ecliptic, along which the cone of the zodiacal light lies, is steepest in our skies. The Gegenschein can be seen in the area of the sky opposite the sun. To view either, you must get yourself to a very dark site to cut out the light pollution. When trying to observe either of these phenomena, it is best to do so when the moon is below the horizon. If you are observing them when the moon has risen, restrict your efforts to the period 4 days either side of the new moon as otherwise the moonlight will be sufficient to drown them out.
Finally check out www.heavens-above.com for the latest passes of the International Space Station and satellites, details of Space Shuttle launches and passes and for details of Iridium Flare activity and remember our next meeting is on April 7th with a lecture by Robert Hill entitled “Astronomy in Educationâ€.
Rendezvous with Deep Sky Objects/Comets for Period March 2008 for Comets 17P/Holmes and 46/PWirtanen
Date Time (UT) Dist. (deg) Comet Mag. Target Type Mag. Con
Mar. 13 0h 0.69 46P/Wirtanen 9.3 NGC 1514 planetary 10 Taurus
Mar. 18 9h 0.5 46P/Wirtanen 9.6 93P/Lovas 1 comet 15.8
Mar. 26 6h 0.31 46P/Wirtanen 10.2 IC 405 - Flaming Star Nebula nebula Auriga
Mar. 27 21h 1.04 46P/Wirtanen 10.3 NGC 1907 open 8.2 Auriga
Mar. 28 2h 1.53 46P/Wirtanen 10.3 M38 open 6.4 Auriga
Mar. 28 5h 1.17 17P/Holmes 5.1 C/2008 C1 ( Chen-Gao ) comet 11.8
Mar. 28 9h 0.12 46P/Wirtanen 10.3 NGC 1931 cluster + nebula 11.3 Auriga
Mar. 29 6h 0.36 46P/Wirtanen 10.4 M36 open 6 Auriga
Clear Skies
Neill McKeown
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