March 1998

by Steve Stefanik

Tonight the planet Saturn starts off the month of March near a 3 day old waxing cresecent moon which will host several astronomical sightings including two lunar occultations. On the evening of the 4th, the edge of the darkened side of the nearly first quarter moon will cover the bright star Aldebaran. Begin looking at about 7:35 p.m. EST high in the western sky for the familiar "V" shaped pattern of stars which make up the constellation Taurus. Aldebaran is the unmistakeable first magnitude bright red star which marks the eye of the bull. Watch through binoculars as the star is covered by the moon. Keep watching from time to time for it to reappear from behind the illuminated edge of the moon sometime around 8:15 p.m. EST.

A penumbral lunar eclipse will occur when the full moon passes within the outer shadow of the Earth on the night of the 12th. You may be able to detect a slight darkening of the southern edge around 11:20 p.m. EST.

Meanwhile, Saturn and Mars will be sinking lower and lower into the sunset in the west while Mercury makes its best appearance of the year. A waxing cresent moon will be near the planet Saturn tonight. By the 5th you should be able to spot Mercury about 5 degrees lower and to the right of Mars. Look for the -1.0 magnitude planet about 1 degree to the right of Mars on the 10th. During the following 10 days Mercury reaches its maximum altitude when it reaches greatest eastern elongation 19 degrees from the sun. Saturn joins the show from the 19th to the 25th when it will be only be about 5 degrees from Mercury.

Venus is the bright "morning star" you see blazing at magnitude -4.5 in the southeast on your way to school or work in the morning. Look for it about 4 degrees lower and to the left of a waning crescent moon on the morning of the 24th. Uranus and Neptune are also near Venus but are too low and too dim to be seen in the glow of morning twilight.

Jupiter slowly returns to the morning sky in March having been in conjunction with the sun since it set in the west last month. On the morning of the 26th you may get a glimpse of it very low on the eastern horizon (if you have even a small telescope or a powerful set of binoculars) as it emerges from behind the darkened edge of a slim waning crescent moon one day from new. If you start watching as soon as the moon rises above the horizon you may see it before it slips behind the edge of the lit edge at about 4:45 a.m. and reappear at about 6:45 a.m. EST.