The Moon.
First Quarter on the 4th rise at 9.16, set at 2.38
Full on the 11th, rise at 19.02, set at 6.12
Last Quarter on the 18th rise at 2.34, set at 8.54
New on the 26th, rise at 5.24, set at 18.45
Available for observing during the first half of the month, leaving the sky clear for deep sky observers in the second half.
Planets.
Venus is the one to watch in the first days of March. She’ll be big, 46 arcsec, and bright, mag -4.6, on the 1st, and have a crescent phase of 18%, as she sets about 9pm. By the 15th she’ll be setting about 8pm, and be 55arcsec, mag –4.4 and 6% phase. On the 20th she’ll set at 7.30pm, a little less bright and a little bigger and presenting a 3% phase. The 24th is as far as you can go without some difficulty from the Sun; she’ll set 40mins after the Sun and though still bright at mag –4.1 and bigger at 59 arcsec, she’ll be showing less than 1.4% phase, so will be very good to look at, but difficult to see. Certainly worth a picture or two, if you can manage it. If you can’t then look at our Photoblog http://donastro.blogspot.com
The only other planet this side of the compass is Uranus and that’s set by 6.30pm in well lit skies on the 1st, and earlier thereafter, so not worth a look.
Saturn has the sky to itself all night and gets quite high, but the rings are getting closer to edge-on as the months go by, exposing the colourful banding on the disc and the possibility of occultations with some of the moons.
So where are all the others? Over on the east in the mornings, cluttered round the Sun, which will make it difficult for observing.
On the 1st of March, Jupiter, Neptune, Mercury and Mars, these two within half a degree of each other on the 2nd, will pop up 20 mins before the Sun, but it’ll all be in bright twilight making it difficult. On the 23rd, a very thin crescent Moon will rise with Jupiter 4° to the right and Neptune 4° to the left.
By the end of March, Jupiter at mag –2 and Venus at mag –4 will be up an hour and more before the Sun, so easier to see. Venus will be almost an arcmin in size but only 1.3% phase, a very thin crescent indeed.
Meteor showers.
None this month worthy of note, other than the sporadics from the constellation Sporadica. Even for these, the rules are the same, look towards the zenith rather than at a radiant point, the zenith is where they’re more easily seen, and their direction more easily judged.
Comets.
Comet Lulin is forecast to be still naked eye bright in March. It will be under the nose of Leo on the 1st of March, rising at 4.30pm and setting at 6am.
It’ll be within a couple of degrees of M44 on the 5th, and on the 7th it will be in company with the Moon and M44, 5° will cover them this time. Then on the 15th it’ll be within a quarter of a degree of the Eskimo Nebula! A photograph? Very difficult. By the 31st it’s to be mag 9.6, and small telescopes will be needed to see it, particularly as it’s a hazy grey blob against a grey background. But that applies to all fuzzies too, what sets them apart from the ordinary, is your knowledge that this hazy grey blob is a comet, a 5 mile size mountain, and other fuzzies are galaxies of millions and millions of stars.
What else?
This is the start of spring, so we find Orion moving out of the limelight stage-right, to allow all the galaxy rich constellations to enter, stage-left. Leo, Ursa Major (though that’s circum-polar it comes to prominence in spring), Coma Berenices, Virgo, Canes Venatici and Hercules too. And with that last one come the summer constellations too like Cygnus, Serpens and Ophiuchus. Lots to look for, but most of the galaxies will need telescopes of a reasonable size, to funnel enough photons into your eye, unless of course, you have a camera to record and retain those photons.
M42 and the rest of Orion will still be available during the month as will all the clusters in Monoceros and Canis Major and Minor, M41, M46, M48, M50, and M67 and M44 in Cancer, and higher up, M36, M37 and M38, in Auriga, all beautiful binocular items.
Satellites over Doncaster
The International Space Station will pass within sight but not directly overhead on
17th at 19:08 from 10° up in the S to 15° in the SE
17th at 20:42 from 10° up in the WSW to 14° in the SW
19th at 20:01 from 10° up in the WSW to 45° in the SSE
Then twice each night about this time, from the same position rising to different heights, till the end of the month. But check www.heavens-above.com for actual times.
Iridium Flares can be seen on
9th at 18:27:44 27° up in the North
9th at 20:44:37 11° up in the North
10th at 18:21:38 59° up in the North
12th at 20:25:12 18° up in the North
again www.heavens-above.com for more.
Brian