| Title: |
March Skywatch Highlights |
| Location: |
Hawaiian Islands |
| Date / Time: |
March 2009 |
| Comments: |
VENUS continues to BLAZE in the western sky at dusk, although it appears lower in sky each night. Venus sets 3 hours after the Sun at the beginning of March, & just 1 hour after sunset on March 20th. On March 27th, Venus will pass between the Earth & Sun, then reappear in our morning sky, rising in the east at 5:45 AM on March 31st. SATURN is at peak visibility this month, as it reaches "opposition" on March 8th, when it lies directly opposite the Sun. Saturn will be rising at sunset & will be viewable all night, Opposition also brings Saturn closet to Earth, a mere 780 MILLION miles! Saturn appears as the brightest object in its host constellation LEO, beneath the Lion's hindquarters. Saturn's glorious ring system is barely viewable because it currently tilts nearly edge on to our line of sight from Earth. Early in March, look for a "gathering" of Jupiter, Mercury & Mars in the eastern predawn sky (from approx. 6:00-6:15 AM). JUPITER shines brightly (mag. minus -2.0), & can be seen even as the rising Sun begins to lighten the sky. Jupiter remains in morning twilight throughout the month, climbing slowly higher as the month progresses. MARS returns to our sky this month, rising in the east just prior to sunrise. Mars is still quite faint, due to its great distance from Earth, however it will be rising earlier & brightening steadily as the month progresses & throughout the rest of the year. Using brilliant Jupiter as a guide, you can find Mars in binoculars, approx. 6 degrees to Jupiter's lower left. Look for the waning crescent Moon between Jupiter & Mars on the morning of March 23rd & next to Mars on March 24. MERCURY will appear lower & lower in the sky at daybreak. March 10th will be our last opportunity to view the tiny innermost planet before it's lost in the glare of daybreak. Until then, Mercury will appear substantially brighter than Mars & just below (N.E. of) Mars on the eastern horizon.
The Southern Cross, in the constellation Crux, is viewable in the early morning & late night hours. You'll need a cloudless view of the southern horizon. At the beginning of March, Crux rises in the southeast, tipped on its left side, at around 11:45 PM, & stands erect when due south by 2:15 AM. By the end of the month, Crux rises at 9:45 PM, & will be due south by 12:15 AM. When the Cross stands fully upright, look for 2 bright stars, Alpha & Beta Centauri, "pointing" to it from the east. Note when viewing that Hawaii is one of the few places where we can see all the way from the North Star, Polaris (Hokupa'a), to the Southern Cross, a Polynesian navigational "star line" called Ka Iwikuamo'o, "The Backbone."
Enjoy viewing the splendid constellations of Winter, with some of the brightest stars in our sky: Orion, Taurus, Leo, Gemini, Canis Major, Cassiopeia, & other Winter favorites. Download a March skymap from Bishop Museum Planetarium (below), hold it over your head with the N. pointing North, & watch the sky come alive as you locate & identify these constellation "asterisms" (patterns) & learn to make sense of our magnificent Hawaiian night sky.
For further details & a March sky map, visit Bishop Museum Planetarium www.bishopmuseum.org/planetarium (bishopmuseum.org).
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Maintained by Roz Reiner - Kauai, Hawaii
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