Tour of the Sky: March 2008

Astronomical Online Glossary

Download this month's sky map!

Northern hemisphere sky map
Southern hemisphere sky map
Creator: Kym Thalassoudis

Southern Hemisphere Additional Information

James Barclay's site
Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand's Southern Hemisphere Calendar RASNZ site
Southern Sky Watch.

Planets for March 2008

• Mercury- reaches greatest elongation west on the 3rd. For southern observers Mercury is at it best morning apparition until mid-March. Mercury is visible all month brightening as it creeps back towards the Sun. Mercury will be close to Venus for most of the month making it much easier to find than usual. They are in close conjunction on the 23rd 0.1 mag (1st) to -0.1 mag (21st)
• Venus- in Capricorn is still preceding the Sun but Venus begins to fade as it creeps into glow of the Sun. Paired up with Mercury for most of the month those close to the equator will have a nice view of the pair. -3.8 mag (1st) to -3.8 mag (21st)
• Mars- Crosses over into Gemini this month and continues to shrink from 9" to 7", too small to show much detail in the average backyard telescope. Mars will be close to M35 on the 10th and it is appropriate that Mars is visible all night in the month which bears its name. Mars also shows a gibbous globe for the next two months. 0.2 (1st) to 0.6 mag (21st)
  
• Jupiter- For Southern observers will have Jupiter rising after midnight while those in the mid-northern latitudes. On the 30th use the nearly last quarter Moon to try and spot Jupiter, sitting to the Moon's NE, during the day. -2.0 mag (1st) to -2.1 mag (21st)
  
  
• Saturn- having reached opposition in February Saturn spend the month in Leo. The tilt of Saturn's rings increases from 6.7 deg to 9.9 deg in early May before beginning to close again at the end of 2008. 0.2 mag (1st) to 0.3 mag (21st)
  
  
• Uranus-In Aquarius all year 5.9 mag (1st) to 5.9 mag (21st)
• Neptune-In Capricorn 8.0 mag (1st) to 8.0 mag (21st)

Key Dates for March 2008

Days and Times in UT: (help with time)
Observations are for 9 pm for the mid-southern latitudes and for 9 pm for the mid-northern latitudes.
Today's sunrise and sunset times or plan ahead using the US Naval Observatory Website

Occultation information can be found at the IOTA website!

Astronomical Highlights - March 2008

	"In like a lion and out like a lamb"
	- Zodiacal Light best seen after evening twilight on the Western horizon through the 7th then again from the 23rd - April 5th
3	- Moon near Jupiter
	- Mercury at greatest elongation, 27 deg west from Sun (morning sky 11UT) Very low in the east-southeast just before sunrise. If using binoculars or telescope please follow "sun-safe" viewing methods and be aware of the sun!
5	- Moon, Mercury, Venus and telescopic Neptune clustered in the morning sky. TRIPLE occultation (although not all visible from all locations) Check the IOTA website for your location. Most central Moon-planet conjunction (appulse) this year. Daytime Moon/Venus occultation visible from North America and Cuba, check the IOTA website
6	- Sun's north pole most inclined away from Earth (7.25 degrees)
7	- Double or Triple shadow transit on Jupiter (15:05 UT Ganymede, 15:18 Callisto(?), 22:38 Io)
9	- For those who follow DST, Saving Time begins - set clocks forward an hour.
	- Mercury 1 deg South of Neptune (2hr UT)
10	- Moon at perigee (closest to Earth 366,298 km- )
	- Mars 1.7 deg North of M35 in Gemini (17h UT)
12	- Moon near the Pleiades
14	- First Quarter Moon (10:46 UT)
15	- Moon near Mars
	- The Ides of March (every month has one)
17	- Moon near Beehive cluster (M44)
19	- Moon near Regulus, Check the IOTA website for occultation information for your area.
	- Moon near Saturn
21	- March or vernal equinox* (5:48 UT)
	- Full Moon (18:40 UT)
23	- Moon near Spica
	- An interesting Easter**
	- Zodiacal Lights visible in Northern latitudes in the west after evening twilight for the next two weeks
24	- Mercury 1 deg from Venus at 14h UT (20° from Sun, morning sky) mags -0.3 and -3.9. Favors S. Hemisphere skywatchers.
26	- Moon at apogee (farthest from Earth distance 405,092 km-20h UT)
27	- Moon near Antares possible occultation, check the IOTA website for occultation information for your area.
	- Mercury 1.7 deg South of Uranus
29	- Last Quarter Moon (21:47 UT)
30	- Moon near Jupiter
	- Last Sunday in March: in the European Union, change clocks forward 1 hours to 'summer time'

*The time when the Sun reaches the point along the ecliptic where it crosses into the northern celestial hemisphere marking the start of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere.

**Reduced to a one sentence definition, Easter Sunday is calculated as the first Sunday after the first full moon which falls on or after the Vernal(March) Equinox. This year the full moon is ON the Vernal(March) equinox so Easter is the 23rd. (The earliest Easter could ever be is March 22 and the latest April 25)

sunrise and sunset times for your home*
Comparative lengths of day and night


Monthly Messier*

The weekend of the 7-9th of March is a good 'first try' for a Messier Marathon. This is a better for those of you further South and, if we get clouded out then we have the 4-6th of April as a good back up date. The April date will be the better of the two for mid-to higher Northern latitude views but don't pass up on the chance in March if the weather is fair.

If you are looking for a good way to conquer the Virgo Cluster go to show #39. There you will find lots of information on navigating the Virgo Cluster.

This month highlights 10 messier objects, most are within reach of binoculars, and over half can be seen with the naked eye.

• M41 - This cluster is visible as a hazy patch to the naked eye just below Sirius in Canis Major. M41 is resolvable in binoculars and appears fairly loose in telescopes at low power.
• M93 - This is a small fuzzy patch of light in Puppis, partially resolvable in binoculars. The hardest part of finding this cluster in binoculars is picking it out of a fairly rich region of the Milky Way. Use low power to examine this cluster and the surrounding richness in a telescope. Medium power provides a nice view of the cluster itself.
• M47 - A bright cluster in Puppis, easily visible as a hazy patch to the naked eye. Binoculars will show a large hazy patch with many stars resolvable. Telescopes show a fairly loose cluster with stars of wide variety of magnitudes.
• M46 - This cluster is right next to M47 and is also visible to the naked eye. In binoculars M46 appears as a large hazy patch with no stars resolvable, giving a nice contrast to M47. In telescopes at low powers this cluster evenly fills the eyepiece. While you are here go to medium or high power and look for the planetary nebula NGC2438. It will appear as a faint uneven ring, with a blue/green color.
• M50 - An open cluster in Monoceros. This is a small hazy patch in binoculars, partially resolvable. Like M93, the richness of the surrounding field is the only difficulty in finding this object. This is a fairly tight cluster at low power in a telescope.
• M48 - Moving on to Hydra, we find another naked eye cluster. M48 is a large fuzzy patch in binoculars, partially resolvable. Use low to medium power in your telescope for a spectacular view.
• M67 - In the southeast portion of Cancer is another open cluster, barely visible as a fuzzy patch to the naked eye. Binoculars show M67 as a large hazy patch of light, similar to M46. Use low power to resolve this large, rich cluster in a telescope.
• M44 - Known as the Praesepe or Beehive Cluster, this open cluster is easily visible to the naked eye as a large, fuzzy patch bigger than the moon. Binoculars or rich field telescopes provide the best view of M44.
• M81, M82 - This pair of galaxies in Ursa Major are very possible to see in binoculars, they look like a pair of fuzzy stars. Both galaxies will fit into the same low power telescope field. M81 will appear as a large oval gray patch of light. M82 is a pencil like streak of light next to and perpendicular to the long axis of M81.

From the Astronomical Connection and the Moncton Center in Canada

Comets for March 2008

Gary Kronk's
Skyhound



Historical and Current Events

...Did you know?

Mark has developed his own website so let's all trot on over and see the pages of wonderful history he has for us this month!

Help us out by leaving a donation in the ol' PayPal hat

Music Scottish Guitar Quartet -"Romance within you"
Mathew Ebel- "Trees" and "Drive Away"






Astronomical Highlights for 2008

Earth's major motions for 2008




Perihelion		Jan 3 00h(UT)
First Cross Quarter Day		Feb 2-6
Equinox		Mar 20 05:48(UT)
Second Cross Quarter Day		May 4-7
Solstice		June 20 23:59(UT)
Aphelion		July 4 08h (UT)
Third Cross Quarter Day		Aug 5-8
Equinox		Sept 22 15:44(UT)
Fourth Cross Quarter Day		Nov 5-8
Solstice		Dec 21 12:04(UT)

Planet Positions for 2008




2008

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Venus

Sgr

Cap

Aqr

Psc

Tau

Gem

Cnc

Vir

Vir

Sco

Sgr

Cap

Mars

Tau

Tau

Gem

Gem

Cnc

Leo

Leo

Vir

Vir

Vir

Sco

Oph

Jupiter

Sgr

Sgr

Sgr

Sgr

Sgr

Sgr

Sgr

Sgr

Sgr

Sgr

Sgr

Sgr

Saturn

Leo

Leo

Leo

Leo

Leo

Leo

Leo

Leo

Leo

Leo

Leo

Leo

Interesting Planet Pairing for 2008

• January (first two week) - Mars, Betelgeuse and Aldebaran - Mars will be moving westward into this red triangle, pausing at the end of the month and then returning to regular Eastward motion at the beginning of February.
• February 1 (start watching in early January) - Jupiter and Venus - Start this early in January with Jupiter just off the horizon and watch as they creep closer and closer. On the 1st of Feb early in the morning, about one hour before sunrise in the east, Jupiter and Venus are less than one degree apart in the constellation Sagittarius. They will be outstanding and you could imagine all sorts of symbolism that could be associated with this conjunction.
• February 27 - Mercury and Venus - Rising just one hour before the Sun in the East in the constellation Capricornus. Venus and Mercury will be just over one degree apart and then Venus will speed off, with Mercury in hot pursuit.
• March 24 - Mercury and Venus...again - Mercury catches up to Venus again, this time less than one degree apart and in the constellation Aquarius. They will also be rising above the horizon only a half hour before the sun, so seeing them will be quite a challenge.
• July 10 - Mars and Saturn - In the constellation Leo yellowish-white Saturn and reddish Mars will be less than one degree from each other. The pair is still up two hours after sunset and are bright so it should be easy to see.
• August 13 - Venus and Saturn - Less than one degree apart in the constellation Leo. Venus will be the brighter of the two.
• August 14 (watch from 10-16th)- Venus, Mercury, and Saturn - Just after sunset a triple conjunction! The three planets will be less than three degrees apart in the constellation Leo and almost in a line. Venus will be the highest and brightest Saturn the middle object and Mercury will be the lowest of the three but surprisingly brighter than Saturn. If you want to make this even more interesting look for Mars 16 degrees to the SW the trio.
• August 19-21 - Venus and Mercury - The two planets will be about one degree apart for three days. VERY low on the western horizon at sunset.
• September 11 (watch from 5-18)- Venus and Mars - Venus will come right next to the Red Planet, with the two less than one degree apart Mercury lying three and a half degrees away from the pair and shining brighter than Mars. The whole group will set just one hour after sunset.
• December 1 - Venus and Jupiter - All within Sagittarius, the two planets will be two degrees apart and they don't set until three hours after sunset. As a bonus, a 15%-lit moon will lie three degrees away from Venus.
• December 31 - Jupiter and Mercury - After sunset a little more than one degree apart in Sagittarius. Pull out the binos and telescopes because Mercury will be a mere 15 arcminutes from the globular cluster M75. All three will be together in one field of view in most home binoculars.

2008 Phases of the Moon








      NEW MOON   FIRST QUARTER        FULL MOON     LAST QUARTER

       d  h  m         d  h  m          d  h  m          d  h  m
       
JAN.   8 11 37   JAN. 15 19 46   JAN.  22 13 35   JAN.  30  5 03
FEB.   7  3 44   FEB. 14  3 33   FEB.  21  3 30   FEB.  29  2 18
MAR.   7 17 14   MAR. 14 10 46   MAR.  21 18 40   MAR.  29 21 47
APR.   6  3 55   APR. 12 18 32   APR.  20 10 25   APR.  28 14 12
MAY    5 12 18   MAY  12  3 47   MAY   20  2 11   MAY   28  2 57
JUNE   3 19 23   JUNE 10 15 04   JUNE  18 17 30   JUNE  26 12 10
JULY   3  2 19   JULY 10  4 35   JULY  18  7 59   JULY  25 18 42
AUG.   1 10 13   AUG.  8 20 20   AUG.  16 21 16   AUG.  23 23 50
AUG.  30 19 58   SEPT. 7 14 04   SEPT. 15  9 13   SEPT. 22  5 04  
SEPT. 29  8 12   OCT.  7  9 04   OCT.  14 20 02   OCT.  21 11 55
OCT.  28 23 14   NOV.  6  4 03   NOV.  13  6 17   NOV.  19 21 31
NOV.  27 16 55   DEC.  5 21 26   DEC.  12 16 37   DEC.  19 10 29
DEC.  27 12 22       

Eclipses for 2008

2008 February 07 [ Solar: Annular ]

2008 February 21 [ Lunar: Total ]

2008 August 01 [ Solar: Total ]

2008 August 16 [ Lunar: Partial ]

February 07see map, timesanimation

August 1 - Total Solar Eclipse ( see map, times, and animation!): On Friday, 2008 August 01, a total eclipse of the Sun is visible from within a narrow corridor that traverses half the Earth. The path of the Moon's umbral shadow begins in Canada and extends across northern Greenland, the Arctic, central Russia, Mongolia, and China. A partial eclipse is seen within the much broader path of the Moon's penumbral shadow, which includes northeastern North America, most of Europe and Asia. Special website with extra information and links to live eclipse webcasts can be found at the NASA Eclipse Website for the August 1st Eclipse

February 20th - Total Lunar Eclipse ( see map, times.): The first lunar eclipse of 2008 is perfectly placed for observers throughout most of the Americas as well as western Europe. The eclipse occurs at the Moon's descending node, midway between perigee and apogee. During the eclipse, Saturn lies about 3° northeast of the Moon and shines brightly (mv = +0.2) because it is near opposition. Special website with live broadcast can be found at the NASA Eclipse Website

August 16 - Partial Lunar Eclipse ( see map, times): The last eclipse of 2008 is a partial lunar eclipse at the Moon's ascending node in Capricornus. It is visible primarily from the Eastern Hemisphere as well as eastern South America

Eclipse information from: NASA Eclipse Homepage, Eclipses Online (HM Nautical Almanac Office, UK in coordination with the U.S. Naval Observatory)

Meteor Showers for 2008

All times are UT

Name	Date of Peak Time in UT (help with time)	Moon Phase
Quadrantids	January 4, 7h	Waning Crescent
Lyrids	April 22, 4h	almost Full
Eta Aquarids	May 5, 18h	New Moon
Perseids	August 12, 11h	Waxing Gibbous
Orionids	October 21, 4h	Last Quarter
Leonids	November 17, 10h	Waning Gibbous
Geminids	December 13, 23h	Full Moon

Information from the "Observer's Handbook 2008" RASC