Just as in February, the planets of our solar system continue to be the prime focus for skywatchers in March. The two brightest planets, Venus and Jupiter, will join in a stunning conjunction in mid-month, while Mars will be seen better than we have seen in since 2010. Meanwhile, Mercury will put on its best evening appearance for 2012, and Saturn will brighten and appear earlier in the evening as it approaches its own opposition in April. Here are the details.
We will begin our planet watch with Mars which will shine bright at magnitude -1.2 when it reaches opposition on March 3rd. This is because Mars and Earth are coser to each other, at 63 million miles, than at any time since 2010. As the sky darkens in early March, look east, when Mars will rise there as the Sun sets in the west; then remaining visible all night. Though Mars will remain visible until next summer, March will be the only month when it will be really bright. Indeed, it will fade to -0.7 magnitude by the end of March. This is because Mars is actually quite small, being only 60% the size of Earth, and the distance between us and Mars will increase quickly as we move away from it in our smaller and fater orbit around the Sun. Mars will be seen among the stars of zodiac constellation Leo.
Mercury comes to greatest eastern elongation from the Sun on March 15th. It will be seen 18 degrees east of the Sun. That is to the left of the Sun as we look at it; so Mercury will be what the ancients called an “evening star.” Look in the direction of sunset, 30 to 90 minutes after the Sun goes down, and look about 10 to 12 degrees above the horizon. Mercury should be easy to spot at magnitude -0.4; but remember, it will be low in the sky. The sky too will retain some of the glow of twilight as you look, but Mercury is bright enough to shine through it.
Venus has also been an “evening star” these last two months, and it reaches its own eastern elongation from the Sun on March 27th; 46 degrees left of the Sun. It is unmistakable because it is so bright (-4.4 magnitude) and because it has a bigger orbit than Mercury, it gets farther away from the Sun. Consequently, it appears much higher.
Prior to Venus’s elongation, Jupiter and Venus will appear in close conjunction in the sky. On March 4th, the two planets will be about 9 degrees apart in the southwestern sky after dusk. The gap narrows so that between the 11th and the 15th of March, they will appeat just 3 degrees from each other. Venus will the the brighter, but Jupiter is no slouch in brightness, coming in at -2.1! This stunning pairing of the sky’s two brightest objects after the Sun and the Moon will be some 30 dgrees above the western horizon at sunset, and they will not set until after 10 pm!
The best way to enjoy this conjunction is with the naked eye or through binoculars, but both will be worthy telescopic objects individually throughout March.
Saturn rises about 10 pm in the east in mid-March, some 6 degrees above and left of Spica, the brightest star in Virgo. Best views of Saturn will come after midnight, when it is higher in the sky.
The busy month of March will close with some nifty views binocular views possible of Venus and the waxing crescent Moon passing just 2 degrees below the brightest planet. Full Moon will be on March 8/9th; Last Quarter on the 14th; New Moon on the 22nd; and 1st Quarter on the 30th.
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