March 2009 Observing Guide

Hi all,

Guide is below.

OBSERVING GUIDE
(Please note all times are UT unless otherwise stated and are based on an observing location of Belfast and covers the month of March)

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/IST and sets at 20.00 BST/IST. Remember British Summer Time/Irish Standard Time begins at 01:00 on the morning of March 29th with the clocks going forward one hour.

The Planets

Mercury is a morning object this month but is poorly placed for observation appearing too low on the horizon. It is at superior conjunction on the 31st with better prospects for next month.

Venus is at inferior conjunction on the 27th and your best chances of observing the planet are at the start of the month before it gets too close to the Sun to be safely observed. It sets at 21:40 with a mag of -4.6 at the start of the month. By month’s end, it has become a morning object, rising an hour before the Sun at 06:00 BST/IST.

Mars is a morning object this month but is poorly placed for observation.

Jupiter is also a morning object and poorly placed for observation this month. At month’s end, it rises over an hour before the Sun at 05:45 BST/IST.

Saturn is the best placed planet this month with it at opposition on the 8th. It can be located in Leo and rises at 18:30 at the start of the month. By month’s end it rises in daylight hours. With the planet’s ring plane almost edge on, this is not a good time to try and observe the rings. It is however a good time to try and observe the smaller satellites and details on the planet’s surface with the rings out of the picture. As with the Earth on the 20th, Saturn will also undergo a similar transition from winter to spring in its Northern Hemisphere on August 10th of this year. However due to the differences between the two planets’ orbits, Saturn will not undergo another equinox until May 2025. The run up to the Saturnian equinox will provide the opportunity to observe interesting events such as conjunctions and transits with its moons. Examples of such events happen on the evening of the 12th/morning of the 13th. On the evening of the 12th at around 20:00, the moons Dione, Rhea, Tethys and Enceladus are closely grouped near to the planet. In the morning of the 13th, between 01:50 and 03:10, the same four moons and their shadows transit across the planet’s disc. Further details of such events can be found below.

Uranus is at conjunction on the 13th and is not visible this month.

Neptune is a morning object this month but is poorly placed for observation.


The Moon

The first quarter moon is on the 4th with the full moon on the 11th. The last quarter moon is on the 18th with the new moon on the 26th.

On the evening of the 2nd, a 34% illuminated waxing crescent moon lies to the West of M45 – The Pleiades at around 22:30.

On the evening of the 3rd, a 45% illuminated waxing crescent moon lies to the North of the Hyades.

On the evening of the 7th/morning of the 8th, a 88% illuminated waxing gibbous moon lies close to M44 – The Beehive Cluster.

On the evening of the 10th/morning of the 11th, the near full moon lies to the South of Saturn.

On the evening of the 27th, there is an opportunity to spot a 27 hour old moon. Sunset is at 18:50, with the 1% illuminated waxing crescent moon setting at 20:30. It will be roughly 7 degrees above the horizon about 40 minutes after sunset and you will have roughly 30 minutes to try and spot it before it gets too low to observe. Obviously a flat Western horizon would be useful, but BE CAREFUL TO ONLY START OBSERVING AFTER THE SUN HAS SET.

Meteors

There are no major meteor showers this month.

Comets

Comet/2007 N3 (Lulin) was predicted to peak at mag +6 in late February and is thus predicted to fade during March to around mag +10. This means it will become harder to observe as the month progresses. Its path in March takes it out of Leo, through Cancer into Gemini moving in a Westerly direction. The comet is visible in the evening sky after sunset throughout the month and at the start of the month is visible all night. From mid-month onwards, it sets around 03:00. At the start of the month, it forms a roughly triangular pattern with mag +1.4 star Alpha Leonis (Regulus) and mag +3.5 star Omicron Leonis. The comet sits roughly to the West of Regulus and to the North of Omicron Leonis. It is predicted to be just outside of naked eye visibility at this stage. On the evenings/mornings of the 1st/2nd and 2nd/3rd, it passes four degrees South of another Comet – 116P/Wild. This will be much fainter around mag +13. By the evening/morning of the 5th/6th, the comet is predicted to fade to mag +7 and pass to the South of M44 – The Beehive Cluster around midnight. The only problem for this observation is the 69% illuminated waxing gibbous moon in Gemini which could drown out the comet. Around the 17th/18th, the comet passes close to the mag +3.5 star Delta Geminorum (Wasat) and NGC 2392 – The Eskimo Nebula, heading into the main body of Gemini.

Comet 2006 W3 Christensen moves away from Lacerta towards Pegasus during the month. It is predicted to remain around mag +10 for the month with long term predictions of mag +8 by the summer months. The comet is visible in the evening skies until around 21:00 at the start of the month and this holds true through to at least mid-month. However by month’s end, it has set before the sky has darkened. It is also visible from around 05:00 in the morning skies for at most a couple of hours before sunrise through the month. It passes by NGC 7331 – a mag +9.5 spiral galaxy around the weekend of the 7th/8th/9th. The galaxy grouping – Stephans Quintet lies less than two degrees to the South-West of this galaxy.

Comet 144P/Kushida is currently estimated at mag +9 with it predicted to fade during the month. It is moving Easterly out of Taurus into Gemini. The comet is visible in the evening sky after sunset throughout the month and sets around 02:00 throughout the month. It passes by the mag +1.9 star Gamma Geminorum (Althena) around the weekend of the 20th/21st/22nd. This means both comets 2007 N3 Lulin and 144P/Kushida will be located in Gemini by the end of the month.


Deep Sky

On the deep sky front this month, galaxies M81 and M82 can be observed in Ursa Major. In Perseus, there is the open cluster M34 and the excellent Double Cluster – NGC 869 and 884. In Auriga there are three open clusters M36, M37 and M38 and also M35 in Gemini. Cancer has its open clusters with M44 – The Beehive Cluster and M67. Check out the constellation Canes Venatici with the globular cluster - M3 and several galaxies including M51 - the Whirlpool Galaxy and M63 - the Sunflower Galaxy. 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.


For further observing information, check out
www.eaas.co.uk/index.php?option=com_cont...=blog&id=6&Itemid=11

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 March 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.

Clear Skies

Neill McKeown

Information Sources Used

www.skyviewcafe.com - Used for the Sun and Planets section. Also partly used for the Moon Section

Sky at Night Magazine Observing Guide and CD

www.aerith.net and cometchasing.skyhound.com – Used for the Comet Section for information and finder charts

BAA Handbook

Stardust Magazine

Sky Guide 2009 – South Dublin Astronomical Society

Saturnian Moon Events

Approximate magnitudes of
the listed moons
Mimas +12.9
Enceladus +11.7
Tethys +10.2
Dione +10.4
Rhea +9.7
Titan +8.3
Hyperion +14.2

DATE TIME MOON EVENT
1-Mar-2009 01:10 Tethys + Mimas Conjunction
1-Mar-2009 19:34 Hyperion Eclipsed by Saturn's shadow
1-Mar-2009 19:57 Dione + Enceladus Conjunction
1-Mar-2009 20:18 Tethys Moon's shadow falls off planet
1-Mar-2009 20:23 Tethys Moon leaves transit
1-Mar-2009 22:07 Enceladus + Dione + Mimas Triple conjunction
1-Mar-2009 22:42 Rhea Occultation reappearance
1-Mar-2009 22:46 Hyperion Occultation reappearance
2-Mar-2009 00:06 Rhea + Dione Conjunction
2-Mar-2009 00:36 Rhea + Enceladus Conjunction
2-Mar-2009 01:12 Dione Moon's shadow falls on planet
2-Mar-2009 01:21 Dione Moon transits in front of planet
2-Mar-2009 01:50 Enceladus Moon's shadow falls on planet
2-Mar-2009 01:54 Enceladus Moon transits in front of planet
2-Mar-2009 04:16 Dione + Enceladus Conjunction
2-Mar-2009 04:26 Dione Moon's shadow falls off planet
2-Mar-2009 04:29 Enceladus Moon's shadow falls off planet
2-Mar-2009 04:33 Enceladus Moon leaves transit
2-Mar-2009 04:35 Dione Moon leaves transit
2-Mar-2009 19:01 Tethys Occultation reappearance
2-Mar-2009 21:00 Enceladus Occultation reappearance
2-Mar-2009 22:28 Tethys + Mimas Conjunction
3-Mar-2009 01:00 Rhea + Hyperion Conjunction
3-Mar-2009 20:42 Rhea + Mimas Conjunction
3-Mar-2009 22:17 Tethys + Enceladus Conjunction
4-Mar-2009 00:01 Titan + Tethys Conjunction
4-Mar-2009 00:59 Rhea Moon's shadow falls on planet
4-Mar-2009 01:10 Rhea Moon transits in front of planet
4-Mar-2009 03:09 Enceladus Eclipsed by Saturn's shadow
4-Mar-2009 04:41 Rhea Moon's shadow falls off planet
4-Mar-2009 04:50 Rhea Moon leaves transit
4-Mar-2009 05:52 Enceladus Occultation reappearance
4-Mar-2009 18:55 Dione Moon's shadow falls on planet
4-Mar-2009 19:00 Dione Moon transits in front of planet
4-Mar-2009 19:36 Enceladus Moon's shadow falls on planet
4-Mar-2009 19:40 Enceladus Moon transits in front of planet
4-Mar-2009 19:45 Tethys + Mimas Conjunction
4-Mar-2009 22:09 Dione Moon's shadow falls off planet
4-Mar-2009 22:13 Dione Moon leaves transit
4-Mar-2009 22:15 Enceladus Moon's shadow falls off planet
4-Mar-2009 22:18 Enceladus Moon leaves transit
4-Mar-2009 22:28 Dione + Enceladus Conjunction
5-Mar-2009 02:58 Dione + Enceladus Conjunction
5-Mar-2009 04:11 Tethys + Titan Conjunction
5-Mar-2009 21:26 Tethys + Dione Conjunction
5-Mar-2009 22:16 Tethys + Dione + Rhea Conjunction
5-Mar-2009 23:10 Tethys + Rhea Conjunction
6-Mar-2009 02:03 Dione + Mimas Conjunction
6-Mar-2009 03:52 Dione Eclipsed by Saturn's shadow
6-Mar-2009 04:30 Enceladus Moon's shadow falls on planet
6-Mar-2009 04:33 Enceladus Moon transits in front of planet
6-Mar-2009 20:56 Enceladus Eclipsed by Saturn's shadow
6-Mar-2009 22:48 Dione + Rhea Conjunction
6-Mar-2009 23:37 Enceladus Occultation reappearance
7-Mar-2009 04:36 Enceladus + Tethys Conjunction
7-Mar-2009 20:29 Dione + Enceladus Conjunction
7-Mar-2009 22:25 Dione + Enceladus + Tethys Conjunction
7-Mar-2009 23:22 Dione + Tethys Conjunction
8-Mar-2009 01:02 Mimas + Enceladus + Tethys + Dione 4 moons lining up to the west of the planet
8-Mar-2009 02:35 Mimas + Enceladus Conjunction
8-Mar-2009 05:49 Enceladus Eclipsed by Saturn's shadow
8-Mar-2009 19:32 Rhea + Dione Conjunction
8-Mar-2009 20:54 Dione + Mimas Conjunction
8-Mar-2009 21:33 Dione Eclipsed by Saturn's shadow
8-Mar-2009 22:17 Enceladus Moon's shadow falls on planet
8-Mar-2009 22:18 Enceladus Moon transits in front of planet
9-Mar-2009 00:47 Dione Occultation reappearance
9-Mar-2009 00:56 Enceladus Moon's shadow falls off planet
9-Mar-2009 00:56 Enceladus Moon leaves transit
9-Mar-2009 03:50 Tethys + Dione Conjunction
10-Mar-2009 00:50 Dione + Enceladus Conjunction
10-Mar-2009 05:14 Tethys Occultation disappearance
10-Mar-2009 19:42 Rhea Occultation disappearance
10-Mar-2009 20:44 Mimas + Enceladus Conjunction
10-Mar-2009 23:23 Rhea Eclipse reappearance from Saturn's shadow
10-Mar-2009 23:36 Enceladus Occultation disappearance
11-Mar-2009 01:56 Rhea + Tethys Conjunction
11-Mar-2009 02:15 Enceladus Eclipse reappearance from Saturn's shadow
11-Mar-2009 03:01 Tethys + Enceladus Conjunction
11-Mar-2009 03:54 Tethys Moon transits in front of planet
11-Mar-2009 03:54 Tethys Moon's shadow falls on planet
11-Mar-2009 21:40 Enceladus + Mimas Conjunction
11-Mar-2009 21:40 Hyperion Lying close to the planet's north pole
11-Mar-2009 22:10 Enceladus + Mimas + Tethys Conjunction
11-Mar-2009 22:35 Enceladus + Tethys Conjunction
11-Mar-2009 23:45 Titan + Dione Conjunction
12-Mar-2009 02:32 Tethys Occultation disappearance
12-Mar-2009 05:31 Tethys Eclipse reappearance from Saturn's shadow
12-Mar-2009 19:30 Tethys + Rhea + Dione + Enceladus Diamond shaped conjunction
12-Mar-2009 23:40 Rhea + Tethys + Enceladus Triangluar conjunction
12-Mar-2009 23:59 Dione Moon transits in front of planet
13-Mar-2009 00:00 Dione Moon's shadow falls on planet
13-Mar-2009 00:56 Enceladus Moon transits in front of planet
13-Mar-2009 00:57 Enceladys Moon's shadow falls on planet
13-Mar-2009 01:11 Tethys Moon transits in front of planet
13-Mar-2009 01:12 Tethys Moon's shadow falls on planet
13-Mar-2009 01:53 Rhea Moon transits in front of planet
13-Mar-2009 01:54 Rhea Moon's shadow falls on planet
13-Mar-2009 03:09 Dione Moon leaves transit
13-Mar-2009 03:15 Dione Moon's shadow falls off planet
13-Mar-2009 03:33 Enceladus Moon leaves transit
13-Mar-2009 03:36 Enceladus Moon's shadow falls off planet
13-Mar-2009 04:07 Tethys Moon leaves transit
13-Mar-2009 04:10 Tethys Moon's shadow falls off planet
13-Mar-2009 05:27 Rhea Moon leaves transit
13-Mar-2009 05:37 Rhea Moon's shadow falls off planet
13-Mar-2009 05:40 Dione + Enceladus Conjunction
13-Mar-2009 19:00 Mimas + Tethys + Dione + Rhea + Titan + Hyperion 6 moons lining up to the West of the planet
13-Mar-2009 20:02 Enceladus Eclipse reappearance from Saturn's shadow
13-Mar-2009 23:50 Tethys Occultation disappearance
14-Mar-2009 02:49 Tethys Eclipse reappearance from Saturn's shadow
14-Mar-2009 22:28 Tethys Moon transits in front of planet
14-Mar-2009 22:31 Tethys Moon's shadow falls on planet
15-Mar-2009 01:24 Tethys Moon leaves transit
15-Mar-2009 01:29 Tethys Moon's shadow falls off planet
15-Mar-2009 01:48 Tethys + Enceladus Conjunction
15-Mar-2009 02:14 Enceladus Occultation disappearance
15-Mar-2009 04:15 Tethys + Rhea Conjunction
15-Mar-2009 20:48 Dione Moon leaves transit
15-Mar-2009 20:57 Dione Moon's shadow falls off planet
15-Mar-2009 21:07 Tethys Occultation disappearance
15-Mar-2009 21:18 Enceladus Moon leaves transit
15-Mar-2009 21:22 Enceladus Moon's shadow falls off planet
16-Mar-2009 00:08 Tethys Eclipse reappearance from Saturn's shadow
16-Mar-2009 00:18 Dione + Enceladus Conjunction
16-Mar-2009 03:25 Mimas + Tethys Conjunction
16-Mar-2009 19:46 Tethys Moon transits in front of planet
16-Mar-2009 19:50 Tethys Moon's shadow falls on planet
16-Mar-2009 22:42 Tethys Moon leaves transit
16-Mar-2009 22:48 Tethys Moon's shadow falls off planet
17-Mar-2009 00:17 Enceladus + Mimas Conjunction
17-Mar-2009 00:30 Tethys + Dione Conjunction
17-Mar-2009 02:34 Dione Occultation disappearance
17-Mar-2009 03:34 Enceladus Moon transits in front of planet
17-Mar-2009 03:37 Enceladus Moon's shadow falls on planet
17-Mar-2009 19:59 Enceladus Occultation disappearance
17-Mar-2009 21:27 Tethys Eclipse reappearance from Saturn's shadow
17-Mar-2009 22:42 Enceladus Eclipse reappearance from Saturn's shadow
18-Mar-2009 00:40 Tethys + Mimas Conjunction
18-Mar-2009 01:25 Enceladus + Mimas Conjunction
18-Mar-2009 04:27 Dione + Tethys Conjunction
18-Mar-2009 04:57 Dione + Tethys + Enceladus Conjunction
18-Mar-2009 19:30 Dione + Enceladus + Rhea + Titan + Iapetus + Hyperion Line up to the west
18-Mar-2009 19:59 Tethys Moon leaves transit
19-Mar-2009 00:21 Tethys + Enceladus Conjunction
19-Mar-2009 02:21 Enceladus + Tethys + Dione + Rhea + Titan Line up to the west
19-Mar-2009 19:00 Iapetus + Hyperion Conjunction
19-Mar-2009 19:46 Dione + Rhea Conjunction
19-Mar-2009 20:14 Dione Occultation disappearance
19-Mar-2009 20:24 Rhea Occultation disappearance
19-Mar-2009 21:20 Enceladus Moon transits in front of planet
19-Mar-2009 21:24 Enceladus Moon's shadow falls on planet
19-Mar-2009 21:58 Tethys + Mimas Conjunction
19-Mar-2009 23:36 Dione Eclipse reappearance from Saturn's shadow
19-Mar-2009 23:56 Enceladus Moon leaves transit
20-Mar-2009 00:03 Enceladus Moon's shadow falls off planet
20-Mar-2009 00:19 Rhea Eclipse reappearance from Saturn's shadow
20-Mar-2009 02:33 Enceladus + Titan Conjunction
20-Mar-2009 19:43 Mimas + Enceladus + Titan Conjunction
20-Mar-2009 23:23 Dione + Enceladus + Titan Conjunction
20-Mar-2009 04:58 Dione Moon transits in front of planet
20-Mar-2009 05:07 Dione Moon's shadow falls on planet
20-Mar-2009 19:17 Tethys + Mimas Conjunction
20-Mar-2009 20:43 Tethys + Rhea Conjunction
20-Mar-2009 22:37 Enceladus Occultation disappearance
22-Mar-2009 01:22 Enceladus Eclipse reappearance from Saturn's shadow
22-Mar-2009 02:36 Rhea Moon transits in front of planet
22-Mar-2009 02:47 Rhea Moon's shadow falls on planet
22-Mar-2009 19:27 Dione + Mimas Conjunction
22-Mar-2009 19:57 Enceladus + Hyperion Conjunction
23-Mar-2009 04:12 Enceladus + Mimas Conjunction
23-Mar-2009 19:00 Tethys + Enceladus + Dione clustered just to the east of the rings
23-Mar-2009 22:38 Dione Moon transits in front of planet
23-Mar-2009 22:48 Dione Moon's shadow falls on planet
23-Mar-2009 22:58 Enceladus Moon transits in front of planet
24-Mar-2009 00:03 Enceladus Moon's shadow falls on planet
24-Mar-2009 01:45 Dione Moon leaves transit
24-Mar-2009 02:05 Dione Moon's shadow falls off planet
24-Mar-2009 02:34 Enceladus Moon leaves transit
24-Mar-2009 02:43 Enceladus Moon's shadow falls off planet
24-Mar-2009 04:43 Enceladus + Dione + Mimas + Rhea Conjunction
24-Mar-2009 19:09 Enceladus Eclipse reappearance from Saturn's shadow
25-Mar-2009 00:59 Tethys + Dione Conjunction
26-Mar-2009 01:15 Enceladus Occultation disappearance
26-Mar-2009 03:10 Rhea + Dione Conjunction
26-Mar-2009 04:02 Enceladus Eclipse reappearance from Saturn's shadow
26-Mar-2009 05:00 Tethys + Enceladus Conjunction
26-Mar-2009 19:02 Rhea Moon's shadow falls off planet
26-Mar-2009 19:23 Dione Moon leaves transit
26-Mar-2009 19:46 Dione Moon's shadow falls off planet
26-Mar-2009 20:19 Enceladus Moon leaves transit
26-Mar-2009 20:30 Enceladus Moon's shadow falls off planet
26-Mar-2009 21:00 Enceladus + Dione + Rhea Line up to the west
27-Mar-2009 00:00 Enceladus + Dione + Rhea + Tethys 4 moon's forming a capital "T" shape to the west of the rings
27-Mar-2009 00:36 Enceladus + Tethys Conjunction
27-Mar-2009 20:30 Tethys + Titan + Enceladus Conjunction
27-Mar-2009 21:31 Mimas + Dione Conjunction
28-Mar-2009 00:00 Tethys + Titan + Enceladus Conjunction
28-Mar-2009 01:14 Dione Occultation disappearance
28-Mar-2009 02:37 Enceladus Moon transits in front of planet
28-Mar-2009 02:43 Enceladus Moon's shadow falls on planet
28-Mar-2009 03:32 Tethys Moon transits in front of planet
28-Mar-2009 20:29 Titan + Tethys Conjunction
28-Mar-2009 21:09 Rhea Occultation disappearance
28-Mar-2009 21:49 Enceladus Eclipse reappearance from Saturn's shadow
29-Mar-2009 01:17 Rhea Eclipse reappearance from Saturn's shadow
29-Mar-2009 02:11 Tethys Occultation disappearance
29-Mar-2009 04:17 Dione + Enceladus Conjunction
30-Mar-2009 00:49 Tethys Moon transits in front of planet
30-Mar-2009 03:54 Enceladus Occultation disappearance
30-Mar-2009 21:21 Enceladus Moon transits in front of planet
30-Mar-2009 22:25 Dione Eclipse reappearance from Saturn's shadow
30-Mar-2009 22:57 Enceladus Moon leaves transit
30-Mar-2009 23:10 Enceladus Moon's shadow falls off planet
30-Mar-2009 23:29 Tethys Occultation disappearance
31-Mar-2009 00:21 Rhea + Dione Conjunction
31-Mar-2009 02:41 Tethys Eclipse reappearance from Saturn's shadow
31-Mar-2009 02:41 Tethys + Rhea Conjunction
31-Mar-2009 03:19 Rhea Moon transits in front of planet
31-Mar-2009 03:42 Rhea Moon's shadow falls on planet
31-Mar-2009 22:01 Dione + Enceladus Conjunction
31-Mar-2009 22:08 Tethys Moon transits in front of planet

Clear Skies

Neill

On the ball Neill! And a week in advance too!