The Sky This Week 19-25 March 2003
The Moon wanes in the late night and early morning skies this week. Last Quarter occurs on the 24th at 8:51 pm Eastern Standard Time. Look for Luna close to the bright star Spica on the evening of the 19th. On the morning of the 23rd, she spends the pre-dawn hours in the company of Antares, the ruddy heart of Scorpius, the Scorpion. On the 25th, early risers can see her near Mars among the rising stars of Sagittarius, low in the southeastern sky at around 5:00 am.
The Vernal Equinox occurs on the evening of the 20th at 8:00 pm EST. This celestial event used to mark the beginning of the new year for many cultures, and even in our American tradition it was celebrated as New Year’s Day in colonial times. Great Britain and her colonies finally adopted the Gregorian Calendar in 1752, which designated January 1st as New Year’s Day. The position of the equinox on the celestial sphere is also important, serving as the main reference point for celestial coordinate systems. The equinox also serves as a reference point for feasts and festivals in a number of major religions. The coming of spring is a powerful force, full of new life and energy, and it has been celebrated for these mysterious powers for thousands of years.
Saturn now spends all of his evening hours to the west of the meridian. His time at a high altitude in a dark sky is rapidly dwindling as the Sun presses relentlessly northward. The ringed planet is gradually slipping eastward between the stars that form the horns of Taurus, the Bull, and he is gradually dimming as the distance between us increases. Through the telescope he still puts on a fine show, though. The shadow of the planet’s disc on the rings is quite pronounced, and his bevy of moons change their positions from night to night.
Jupiter is now high in the east as twilight ends. The giant planet beams down from the star-poor constellation of Cancer, the Crab. If you look at Jupiter through a pair of binoculars, you’ll notice a nice little cluster of stars just to the right of the planet. This cluster is known as the Beehive, and can be seen with the naked eye on a dark moonless night as a small hazy patch of light. The telescope will reveal hundreds of stars scattered over an area slightly larger than the Moon’s apparent disc. And pointing the telescope at Jupiter will reveal a wonderful solar system in miniature.
Mars gets a visit from the Moon in the pre-dawn sky as the week winds down. As morning twilight begins to gather, the stars wink out, finally leaving the Moon and the bright glow of Venus to welcome the rising Sun. Venus can now only be seen during morning twilight, and she’s only about 15 degrees high when Old Sol’s glare washes out the rest of the sky.
