March skies

Posted on 2007 January 01 @ 00:01 - filed under Astronomy.

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Mercury is visible in the morning sky, moving rapidly out of the solar glare; it is best seen from mid-month onward. Venus is visible in the evening sky, setting about an hour and a half after the Sun. Mars rises three hours before sunrise and can be seen in the morning sky. Jupiter rises about four hours after sunset and is visible in the second half of the night. Saturn is in the evening sky, setting in the morning.

Early evening the Milky Way arches overhead from south-southeast to north-northwest.

TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE

Details of the eclipse

ASSA Lunar Eclipse Digicam Experience

Facing south, Crux and Achernar (Eridanus) are prominent to the left and right resp.

In the northwest, Orion is prominent. Below it lies Taurus. Near the horizon is Capella (Auriga).

Gemini is just east of due north. In the north-east, Saturn and Regulus (Leo) are prominent. Spica (Virgo) is low in the east. Overhead lies Canis Major, with Sirius and Canopus prominent.

Around midnight the Milky Way arches high up, from south-east to north-west.

In the south, Crux and the Pointers are prominent, with Achernar (Eridanus) low down. In the west, Orion is setting. Gemini is above the north-western horizon, while higher up Saturn and Regulus (Leo) can be seen. In the north-east, Arcturus (Bootes) is prominent, with Spica (Virgo) above it. Eastward, Scorpious is prominent with Jupiter close below. The core of our Galaxy lies on the horison.

Before sunrise the Milky Way arches overhead from south-west to north-east.

In the south, Crux and the Pointers are prominent. In the west, Spica can be seen, with Arcturus more northward. Vega is in the north-north-east, and Altair in the north-east. In the east, Mercury is prominent. Mars lies above it. Jupiter and Scorpius can be seen overhead.

March events

Day	Event
01	Jupiter's moon Callisto at maximum distance from the planet (8.0 arcmin east at 13h).
02	Saturn near the Moon (0.9°), occultation seen from W. Russia, Europe except W. British Isles and S.W. Europe.
03	Jupiter's moon Ganymede at maximum distance from the planet (4.6 arcmin west at 03h).
03	Minor planet (202) Chryseïs occults star HIP 87574 (mag= 9.4) at 05:25.
03	Regulus near the Moon (1.0°), occultation seen from E. Central Asia and Arctic regions.
04	Full Moon (01:17). Total Eclipse!
04	George Gamow's birthday (1904).
04	Solar rotation number 2054 starts.
04	Total eclipse of the Moon. Visible in the Arctic, Asia (except eastern part), Europe, Africa, South America, and eastern parts of central and North America.
05	Uranus at conjunction.
06	Joseph Fraunhofer's birthday (1787).
06	Jupiter's moon Ganymede at maximum distance from the planet (4.6 arcmin east at 17h).
07	Henry Draper's birthday (1837).
07	John Herschel's birthday (1792).
07	Mercury stationary.
07	Moon at apogee.
07	Spica near the Moon (1.1°).
08	30th anniversary (1977) of the discovery of the rings of Uranus.
09	Jupiter's moon Callisto at maximum distance from the planet (8.3 arcmin west at 21h).
10	30th anniversary of the discovery of the rings of Uranus (1977, Cape Town).
10	Anniversary of the arrival of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter at Mars, in 2006.
10	Jupiter's moon Ganymede at maximum distance from the planet (4.7 arcmin west at 07h).
11	Antares near the Moon (0.7°), occultation seen from Antarctica, S. part of S.America.
11	Moon in Ophiuchus for about 21 hours.
12	Last Quarter Moon (05: 54).
12	Minor planet (438) Zeuxo occults star TYC 6811-00577-1 (mag= 10.5) at 05:46.
12	Moon southernmost declination this month (-28.4°).
13	gamma Normids meteor shower reaches maximum, active Feb 25-Mar 22 (parent body unknown).
13	Jupiter's moon Ganymede at maximum distance from the planet (4.7 arcmin east at 21h).
13	Meteor shower on Venus, associated with comet 27P/Crommelin.
13	Minor planet (1072) Malva occults star TYC 2454-00643-1 (mag= 9.2) at 21:08.
14	Albert Einstein's birthday (1879).
14	Anniversary of first close encounter with a comet, when the European Space Agency's Giotto craft passed close by Halley's comet in 1986.
14	Jupiter's moons Io and Europa approach to within 3.4 arcseconds of each other (at 01:19:31).
14	Jupiter's moons Io and Europa very close together (3.4 arcseconds at 01:19).
16	Caroline Herschel's birthday (1750).
16	Mars near the Moon (1.7°).
16	Neptune near the Moon (1.9°).
17	Jupiter's moon Ganymede at maximum distance from the planet (4.8 arcmin west at 11h).
17	Jupiter's moons Io and Europa approach to within 4.9 arcseconds of each other (at 02:46:53).
17	Jupiter's moons Io and Europa very close together (4.9 arcseconds at 02:46).
17	Mercury near the Moon (1.1°), occultation seen from southern ocean south of New Zealand.
18	Jupiter's moon Callisto at maximum distance from the planet (8.4 arcmin east at 07h).
18	Uranus near the Moon (0.7°).
19	Moon at perigee.
19	New Moon (04: 43).
19	Partial eclipse of the Sun. Visible from most of Alaska, eastern and central Asia except the central parts of Japan and the western part of Russia.
21	At noon, Venus is 4° from the Moon (looking NE; altitude 26° Cape Town, 37° Johannesburg).
21	Equinox (02:08).
21	Jupiter's moon Ganymede at maximum distance from the planet (4.8 arcmin east at 02h).
21	Jupiter's moons Io and Europa approach to within 3.0 arcseconds of each other (at 00:37:42).
21	Jupiter's moons Io and Europa approach to within 4.6 arcseconds of each other (at 05:48:09).
21	Venus near the Moon (3.6°).
22	At noon, Venus is 14° from the Moon (looking NE; altitude 26° Cape Town, 37° Johannesburg).
22	Mercury at greatest elongation W (28°).
22	New Year's Day of the year 1929 in the Indian (Saka) era.
24	Jupiter's moon Ganymede at maximum distance from the planet (4.9 arcmin west at 16h).
24	Jupiter's moons Io and Europa approach to within 4.3 arcseconds of each other (at 05:53:09).
24	Moon in Auriga for about 38 hours.
24	Virginids meteor shower reaches maximum, active Jan 25-Apr 15 (parent body unknown).
24	Walter Baade's birthday (1893).
25	First Quarter Moon (22: 16).
25	Mars and Neptune come within 0.9° (57 arcmin) of each other.
25	Mars near Neptune (0.9°).
25	Mercury at aphelion (first of four occurrences in 2007).
25	Moon northernmost declination this month (+29.3°).
26	Jupiter's moon Callisto at maximum distance from the planet (8.8 arcmin west at 16h).
27	Jupiter's moons Io and Europa approach to within 3.0 arcseconds of each other (at 23:44:51).
27	Jupiter's moons Io and Europa very close together (3.0 arcseconds at 23:44).
27	Pollux near the Moon (2.5°).
28	Jupiter's moon Ganymede at maximum distance from the planet (5.0 arcmin east at 06h).
28	Jupiter's moons Io and Europa approach to within 3.0 arcseconds of each other (at 03:25:58).
29	Saturn near the Moon (1.0°), occultation seen from N. British Isles, N. Scandinavia, N. Atlantic Ocean and E. Greenland.
29	Sir H. Spencer Jones's birthday (1890).
30	Regulus near the Moon (0.9°), occultation seen from W. Europe, Scandinavia and Arctic regions.
31	Jupiter's moon Ganymede at maximum distance from the planet (5.0 arcmin west at 20h).
31	Jupiter's moons Io and Europa approach to within 4.5 arcseconds of each other (at 05:27:35).
31	Solar rotation number 2055 starts.

Constellations

Constellations visible from Southern Africa at 21:00 SAST (* = overhead):

Antlia, Apus, Ara, Auriga, Caelum*, Cancer, Canis Major*, Canis Minor, Carina*, Centaurus, Chamaeleon, Circinus, Columba*, Coma Berenices, Corvus, Crater, Crux, Dorado, Eridanus, Gemini, Horologium, Hydra, Hydrus, Leo, Leo Minor, Lepus*, Lupus, Lynx, Mensa, Monoceros, Musca, Norma, Octans, Orion, Pavo, Perseus, Pictor*, Puppis*, Pyxis*, Reticulum, Sextans, Taurus, Triangulum Australe, Tucana, Vela, Volans.

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Keywords: Astronomy, Southern Sky Almanack, 2007, monthly sky review, Southern Sky Talk podcast

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