Post by Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe on Mar 10, 2007 12:52:15 GMT -6
March 2007
3/1 The Moon is 1.9 degrees north of the bright open cluster M44 (the
Beehive or Praesepe) in Cancer at 1:00
3/2 Saturn is 1.1 degrees south of the Moon - an occultation is
visible from western Russia and much of Europe - at 2:00; the Moon is
1.1 degrees north of the first magnitude star Regulus (Alpha Leonis) -
an occultation is visible from east central Asia and the Arctic - at
21:00
3/3 Full Moon (known as the Crow, Lenten, and Sap Moon) occurs at
23:17 - a complete total lunar eclipse is visible from Europe and
Africa
3/5 A minimum lunar libration of 1.8 degrees occurs at 2:00; Uranus
is in conjunction with the Sun at 16:00
3/6 Mars is 4.0 degrees north of the Moon at 1:00
3/7 The Moon is at apogee, subtending 29'27" from a distance of
405,853 km, at 4:00; Mercury is stationary at 10:00; the Moon is 1.3
degrees south of the first magnitude star Spica (Alpha Virginis) at
11:00
3/9 Jupiter reaches western quadrature, i.e., the planet is 90
degrees west of the Sun, today
3/11 Daylight Saving Time (DST) begins today; the Moon is 0.7 degrees
south of the first magnitude star Antares (Alpha Scorpii) - an
occultation is visible from Antarctica and the southern portion of
South America - at 6:00
3/12 Jupiter is 6.0 degrees north of the Moon at 0:00; Last Quarter
Moon occurs at 3:54; a maximum lunar libration of 10.0 degrees occurs
at 21:00
3/15 Mercury is at the descending node today
3/16 Venus is at the ascending node today; Mars is 1.9 degrees north
of the Moon at 1:00; Neptune is 2.0 degrees north of the Moon at 13:00
3/17 Mercury is 1.4 degrees north of the Moon - an occultation is
visible from south of New Zealand - at 3:00
3/19 New Moon (lunation 1043) occurs at 2:43; a partial solar eclipse
is visible from northwestern Alaska, northeastern Russia, and eastern
Asia; a minimum lunar libration of 2.2 degrees occurs at 6:00; the
Moon is at perigee, subtending 33'24" from a distance of 357,815
kilometers, at 19:00 - large tides will result
3/21 The vernal equinox occurs at 0:07; Venus is 4 degrees south of the Moon at 15:00
3/22 Asteroid 1 Ceres is in conjunction with the Sun today; Mercury
is at its greatest western elongation of 27.7 degrees at 2:00; a
double Galilean satellite shadow transit (Ganymede's shadow is
followed by Europa's) begins at 14:04
3/23 The Moon is 1.0 degree north of the bright open cluster M45 (the
Pleiades) in Taurus at 6:00
3/25 Mars is 1.0 degree south of Neptune at 7:00; a maximum lunar
libration of 9.8 degrees occurs at 9:00; First Quarter Moon occurs at
18:16
3/26 Mercury is at aphelion today
3/28 The Moon is 1.8 degrees north of M44 at 6:00
3/29 Saturn is 1.2 degrees south of the Moon - an occultation is
visible from western Russia and much of Europe - at 4:00; a double
shadow transit (Ganymede's shadow is followed by Europa's) begins at
16:36
3/30 The Moon is 1.1 degrees north of Regulus - an occultation is
visible from western Europe and the Arctic - at 3:00
The zodiacal light is visible in the west after evening twilight from
a dark site during the first half of March.
On the evening of March 3, the Moon rises in total eclipse for
observers in the eastern United States. Mid-eclipse occurs at 6:21
p.m. EST. Totality ends at 6:58 p.m. EST. The Moon occults the fifth
magnitude star 59 Leonis during the eclipse. Shortly after 1:30 a.m.
EST on the morning of March 11, an occultation of the third magnitude
star Tau Scorpii is visible from some parts of the East Coast. The
Moon is at its greatest southern declination of -29 degrees on March
12 and its greatest northern declination of +29 degrees on March 25.
It is 11.3 days old at 0:00 UT on March 1. The first photograph of
the Moon was taken on March 23, 1840. Times and dates for the lunar
light rays predicted to occur this month are available at
www.lunar-occultations.com/rlo/rays/rays.htm
Brightness, apparent size, illumination, distance from the Earth in
astronomical units, and location data for the planets and Pluto on
March 1: Mercury (2.8 magnitude, 10.5", 78% illuminated, 1.1 a.u.,
Capricornus), Venus (-4.0 magnitude, 11.0", 92% illuminated, 1.5
a.u., Pisces), Mars (1.3 magnitude, 4.2", 97% illuminated, 2.2 a.u.,
Capricornus), Jupiter (-2.1 magnitude, 33.9", 99% illuminated, 5.8
a.u., Ophiuchus), Saturn (1.3 magnitude, 20.2", 100% illuminated, 8.2
a.u., Leo), Uranus (5.9 magnitude, 3.4", 100% illuminated, 20.9 a.u.,
Aquarius), Neptune (8.0 magnitude, 2.2", 100% illuminated, 31.0 a.u.,
Capricornus), and Pluto (14.0 magnitude, 0.1", 100% illuminated, 31.9
a.u., Sagittarius).
The locations of the classical planets at midmonth are as follows:
Mercury is visible in the east during morning twilight; Venus can be
found in the western sky during evening twilight and sets at
approximately 10:00 p.m. DST; Mars and Jupiter rise in the southeast
at 6:00 a.m. and 2:00 a.m. DST respectively; Saturn is in the eastern
sky at nightfall, culminates in the south at 11:00 p.m. DST, and sets
in the west at 6:00 a.m. DST.
Mercury shines at magnitude 0.1 and has an apparent diameter of 7.4"
and an illumination of 53% when it is at greatest western elongation
on the morning of March 22. The angular separation of the planet from
the Sun is a near maximum 27.7 degrees but for mid-northern latitude
observers Mercury is only five degrees above the eastern horizon
shortly before the Sun rises.
Venus shines brightly at magnitude -3.9 as it climbs 7 degrees higher
in the southwestern sky during March. It enters the constellation of
Aries at midmonth. By the end of the month, Venus sets three hours
after the Sun.
During March, Mars continues to be a dim morning twilight object for
mid-northern latitude observers.
Since Jupiter reaches quadrature this month, its shadow is cast well
to the west. Eclipses of the Galilean satellites are enhanced as a
result. Click on
skyandtelescope.com/observing...icle_107_1.asp to determine
transits of the central meridian by the Great Red Spot. Data on the
Galilean satellites is available at
skytonight.com/observing/obje...t/3307071.html
In March, Saturn's rings span 9" by 43". Titan (magnitude 8.4) passes
north of Saturn on the nights of March 8 and March 24 and south of it
on the night of March 15. During the first week of the month,
Iapetus, which has a minimum magnitude of 11.9, is at its dimmer
eastern elongation. Iapetus is due east or west of Saturn by the
listed separations at 0 hours UT on the following dates: March 1 (38"
east), March 7 (42" east), March 13 (36" east), March 17 (28" east),
March 21 (17" east), March 25 (4" east), March 27 (2" west) and March
31 (15" west). During March, Rhea shines at a magnitude of 9.7,
Tethys at 10.2, Dione at 10.4, and Enceladus at 11.3. For further
information on Saturn's satellites, browse
skytonight.com/observing/obje...t/3308506.html
Because Uranus is in conjunction with the Sun on March 5, it is not
observable this month.
A very difficult target, Neptune is located one degree north of Mars
on the morning of March 25.
Located to the northeast of Jupiter, Pluto is still a difficult
target in the morning sky.
This month two comets run on nearly parallel courses. The fading
Comet P/2001 Q2 (Petriew) decreases in brightness from tenth to
eleventh magnitude as it tracks through Cetus. Another periodic comet
lies approximately ten degrees to the north. As it passes through
Pisces and Aries towards an April perihelion, Comet 2P/Encke
brightens from eleventh to eighth magnitude. Comet Petriew is just
four degrees to the southeast of Venus and Comet Encke nine degrees
to its northwest on the evening of March 15. On the evenings of March
24 and 25, Comet Encke is located less than one degree from the face-
on spiral galaxy M74 in Pisces.