Above, a sequence of images from Solar Dynamic Observatory (SDO) in 171 wavelength of the Venus transit, merged together to show path of Venus across the Sun in June, 2012. See Venus in our night sky this month. Photo by NASA/SDO.
March: Bright Stars and Constellations in Muskegon Sky
BY JONATHAN TRUAX, ASTRONOMER, MUSKEGON COMMUNITY COLLEGE'S CARR-FLES PLANETARIUM
This month, become a sky watcher, and enjoy views of the brightest stars and constellations of winter and spring, under warmer observing conditions.
During March mornings, three planets are visible in the south and southeast just before sunrise. The brightest and lowest of the three is Venus, being much brighter than a typical star. Look for Venus low in the southeast about an hour before dawn, among the stars of Capricornus to the east of Sagittarius and Scorpius the Scorpion. The waning crescent moon is very near Venus the mornings of March 2 and 3.
The planet Saturn is very close to Venus all month. Locate a fairly bright yellow “star” right or just west of brilliant Venus. The waning crescent moon is just west of Saturn the morning of March 1 and near it again on March 28 and 29.
The third planet visible before dawn is Jupiter. Locate Jupiter as a very bright “star” slightly fainter and to the right or west of Saturn among the stars of Scorpius the Scorpion. The last quarter moon will be very close to Jupiter the mornings of March 26 and 27.
Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7:00 p.m., March 12 through 28, explore never before seen areas of space in the fascinating "Edge of Darkness" planetarium show, featuring scenes gathered from recent ground-breaking space missions. Swoop though cliffs on Comet 67P, marvel at the bright "lights" on dwarf planet Ceres, and see the first-ever close ups of Pluto and its moons. Narrated by Hayley Atwell, AKA Agent Carter from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The program will be followed by a brief tour of the current night sky, using the planetarium.
Early this month, sky watchers can locate the planet Mercury very low in the west right after sunset. Begin looking about 30 minutes after sunset. Mercury will appear as a bright white “star” fairly close to the western horizon.
Sky watchers can locate Mars as a fairly bright red “star” low in the west about an hour after sunset. Mars is currently in the constellation of Taurus the Bull, west of the Hyades and Pleiades star clusters. The waxing crescent moon will be very close to Mars the evenings of March 10 and 11.
Looking in the northeast, locate the “Big Dipper” formed by the stars of Ursa Major. High in the north, locate the “W” formed by the stars of Cassiopeia.
Just west of overhead, locate the bright yellow star Capella of Auriga, the charioteer. The winter constellation of Taurus can be seen high in the west, marked by the orange star Aldebaran. Look for the Pleiades star cluster, seen as a tiny “dipper” of stars, lower in the west.
The waxing crescent moon is among the stars of Hyades in Taurus the nights of March 12 and the 13.
Sky watchers can locate Orion by looking for three stars in a row, the famous “belt” of Orion. Use the “belt” stars pointing downward toward the southeast, to locate the bright blue-white star Sirius the brightest star in the Heavens. A giant ellipse can be formed by connecting the star Aldebaran, to Capella, and then moving east to Pollux and Castor of Gemini, then south to Procyon a bright star east of Orion, down to Sirius of Canis Major, then west to the blue star Rigel of Orion, and then back to Aldebaran. This super constellation or asterism is called the “Winter Ellipse”.
The MCC Carr-Fles Planetarium presents free of charge "Edge of Darkness" Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7:00 p.m., March 12 through 28. Visit the MCC Carr-Fles Planetarium website for upcoming events and call (231) 777-0289 for sky show information. Carr-Fles Planetarium is located on the Muskegon Community College campus in Room 135. Thanks to the generosity of the Reach for the Stars campaign donors, you can now experience Carr-Fles Planetarium with state-of-the-art digital projection, sound and lighting systems; all-new library of shows; and modern theater seating and domed ceiling.
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