Abrams Planetarium
Night Sky Notes

The Night Sky Notes is a place on our web site that we use to keep skywatchers up to date on what's up in the sky. Check back often to find out what's new and visible in our ever changing sky. As we learn about something new, we'll post it to this page as soon as we can. If you like to subscribe to news feeds, click the RSS link below. The posts will automatically show up in your news aggregator or feed reader.

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Friday, May 16, 2008
A fat gibbous Moon will be near the star Spica in Virgo the Maiden. Spica can always be found by following the handle of the Big Dipper in an arc to the star Arcturus in Bootes the Herdsman. From Arcturus, continue the arc and you will spike to the star Spica.

Thursday, May 15, 2008
Mercury is visible low in the WNW evening sky. It's 46° to the lower right of Mars and will stay that distance from Mars until May 22nd. However, Mercury will fade noticeably over the next week. Today, Mercury is +0.5 magnitude. On the 22nd, Mercury will have dimmed to +1.7 magnitude.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Saturn, Mars and Mercury span 75° across the evening sky. Look for Saturn high in the southwest near the star Regulus. Mars is in the west to the left of the stars Castor and Pollux, and Mercury is low in the WNW.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Mercury is at its greatest elongation from the Sun, The swift moving planet is now 22° east of the Sun. Look for Mercury in the WNW an hour after sunset. Mercury is now at +0.3 magnitude. Over the next week or so, Mercury will dim quickly as it moves between us and the Sun. On June 7th, Mercury will be at inferior conjunction.

Monday, May 12, 2008
Mars and Saturn are 30° from each other. Watch over the next several weeks as Mars slowly moves closer to Saturn. In July the two will be just ½° apart. Look for Mars high in the west at the end of evening twilight. Saturn and Regulus will be to the upper right of the gibbous Moon.

Sunday, May 11, 2008
Mother's Day
The First Quarter Moon is to the west of Regulus and Saturn. Regulus and Saturn are still about 2° apart. Saturn is slowly moving away from the star Regulus. Look for Saturn high in the southwest at dusk.

Saturday, May 10, 2008
Astronomy Day
The crescent Moon is east of the planet Mars and near the Beehive star cluster in Cancer the Crab. Look at the Moon with a telescope to see the three overlapping craters, Theophilus, Cyrillus and Catharina. These three craters are all around 60 miles in diameter. Also visible near the terminator is the Sea of Tranquility. Apollo 11 landed in this smooth dark area of the Moon in 1969.

Friday, May 9, 2008
Jupiter begins moving retrograde, or east to west against the background stars. Look for Jupiter in the dawn sky towards the SSE. Jupiter is east of the "teapot" of Sagittarius the Archer. Jupiter will now move westward towards the teapot. It ends its retrograde motion on September 9th of this year. This evening, look for the waxing crescent Moon near the twin stars of Gemini and west of the planet Mars.

Thursday, May 8, 2008
The crescent Moon is in the west at dusk. Mercury is far to the lower right of the Moon. Mars, Pollux and Castor are far to the Moon's upper left. There are 50° between Mars and Mercury. Saturn is 32° to the east of Mars. Look again tonight for earthshine on the crescent Moon.

Wednesday, May 7, 2008
The crescent Moon is near the star Beta Tauri. Beta Tauri marks the northern tip of the horn of Taurus the Bull. Look for the thin crescent Moon in the WNW an hour after sunset. Tonight you can see the old Moon in the young Moon's arms. The dark side of the Moon will be dimly illuminated by sunlight reflecting from the Earth. The old Moon in the young Moon's arms is also known as earthshine.

Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Look for the young Moon near Mercury. The Moon will be to the upper right of the planet. Look to the WNW an hour after sunset. This very thin Moon will be much easier to spot than yesterday's Moon but it will still be quite low in the sky. View it from a location with a clear horizon.

Monday, May 5, 2008
Try looking for a hairline thin young crescent Moon in the WNW about 30 minutes after sunset. The Moon will only be about 12 hours old for observers on the east coast. This is close to the record for young moon sightings. You will need perfect seeing conditions and a very clear unobstructed view of the horizon. The Moon will be about 13° to the lower right of Mercury. The Moon will be extremely difficult to see from the east coast. From the west coast it will be a bit easier but still challenge. Use binoculars or a telescope. If you see this Moon and saw the old crescent Sunday morning, count yourself among the very few skilled sky watchers who have seen opposing crescent Moons on consecutive days.

Sunday, May 4, 2008
Mars is in line with the twin stars Castor and Pollux. The three points of light in the night sky make a line 11° long. Look for Mars high in the west during the evening twilight. Mars is now 1.2 magnitude. Pollux is the same brightness, 1.2 magnitude. Castor is a little dimmer at 1.6 magnitude. On Sunday morning try looking for the old crescent Moon. A very thin crescent can be seen in the ENE very close to the horizon. You will need a very clear sky and an unobstructed view of the horizon. Look for the Moon 35 minutes before sunrise. Binoculars will help.

Saturday, May 3, 2008
Saturn ends its retrograde motion. It's now as close to the star Regulus as it will get. Regulus is now only 2.2° from Saturn. The ringed planet won't be this close to the star again until the year 2036. Saturn now starts to slowly move eastward against the background stars. Look for Saturn and Regulus high in the south at dusk.

Friday, May 2, 2008
A thin waning crescent Moon is visible low in the east an hour before sunrise. Look above and to the left of the Moon for the four stars that form the Great Square of Pegasus. In the evening look for Mars and Saturn. The two planets are 35° apart and closing. Mars is slowly moving towards Saturn. In July, the two planets will pass each other by just a half of a degree.

Thursday, May 1, 2008
Mercury, Mars and Saturn are the evening planets. Look for Mercury very low in the WNW. Mercury is about 3° to the lower left of the Pleiades star cluster. Mars is to the left of the twin stars Pollux and Castor in Gemini. Saturn is 2° to the upper left of the star Regulus in Leo the Lion. Jupiter is visible in the dawn sky. Look for Jupiter in the SSE an hour before sunrise.

Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Mercury is 4° below the Pleiades star cluster. Both the star cluster and the planet are very close to the WNW horizon, making them difficult to observe. Look with binoculars in the twilight for Mercury and the Pleiades tonight and for the next few days.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Look for Mercury low in the WNW. The Solar System's inner most planet will be very close to the horizon an hour after sunset. Mercury is now at -1.0 magnitude. To see it, you'll need a very clear horizon and sky. Mercury will get higher in the sky and easier to see over the next couple of weeks. Mars is 60° from Mercury and much easier to see. Look for Mars high in the WSW.

Monday, April 28, 2008
Saturn is about 2.2° east of the star Regulus in Leo the Lion. A view of Saturn through a telescope reveals the stunning rings around Saturn. Today the rings are tilted 9.94° from edgewise. This is the maximum for the year. The rings will not be this open again until the year 2010.

Sunday, April 27, 2008
Look for the planet Jupiter to the upper right of the Moon. At dawn, Jupiter can be found in the SSE. Jupiter is now at -2.2 magnitude.

Saturday, April 26, 2008
The Moon is near the handle of the Teapot. Look south in the dawn sky. To the left of the Moon is the planet Jupiter. Tomorrow morning, the Jupiter will be to the upper right of the Moon.
In the evening, look for Mars to pass 4.7° from the star Pollux. This is about the same as the distance between the stars Pollux and Castor.

Friday, April 25, 2008
This morning look for the waning gibbous Moon near the spout of the Teapot. The Teapot is an asterism in the constellation of Sagittarius the Archer. An asterism is a recognizable pattern of stars. An asterism is different than a constellation. A constellation refers to one of the 88 officially designated areas of the sky.

Thursday, April 24, 2008
Try looking for Mercury. It's very low in the WNW, 30 minutes after sunset. Mercury is now at -1.4 magnitude. Use binoculars to find the planet about 3° from the horizon. The Sun will only be 5° below the horizon making the sky still fairly bright. Your view to the horizon will have to be unobstructed and the weather will need to be perfectly clear. Mercury will be less challenging to see in the coming weeks.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008
The waning gibbous Moon is to the west of the star Antares. Although the Moon might look full, it's a few days past full. Look for the Moon and Antares in the dawn sky in the SSW. Jupiter is also part of the dawn sky. Look for the largest of the gas giant planets in the SSE an hour before sunrise.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Earth Day! On this Earth day, Mars is visible in the evening sky. Mars is now 1.55 AU from the Earth. Saturn is also part of the evening sky. It's 8.77 AU from Earth today. One AU is the average distance from the Earth to the Sun. That's about 93 million miles. The planet closest to Earth today is Mercury. It's 1.27 AU from Earth, but is not yet visible in the evening sky. Mercury will soon come out from behind the Sun. Next week start looking for Mercury low in the WNW at dusk.

Monday, April 21, 2008
Saturn and Regulus are 2.3° apart. Mars and Pollux are 5.3° apart. Mars and Saturn are 41° apart. Watch over the next few months as Mars and Saturn move closer together. In July, Mars will pass just a half a degree from Saturn. Tonight at dusk, look for Saturn high in the south and Mars high in the WSW.

Sunday, April 20, 2008
Look for a big Moon to rise at dusk in the ESE. The Full Moon looks big when it's close to the horizon. This is known as the Moon illusion. It's an optical illusion. Try measuring the size of the Moon by holding your hand at arm's length and covering the Moon with your thumb. How big is the Moon compared to your thumb? Wait a few hours until the Moon is much higher in the sky. Measure it with your thumb again. It's the same size. Scientists aren't sure why the Moon appears larger when it's low. The same effect happens with the Sun and constellations close to the horizon.

Saturday, April 19, 2008
A full Moon rises in the ESE shortly before sunset. Look for the star Spica above the Moon. Spica is the brightest star in the constellation of Virgo the Maiden. During the course of the night, the Moon moves farther from Spica. By Sunday morning, the Moon will have moved to the WSW with Spica to its right. The Moon is exactly full at 6:25 a.m. EDT on Sunday.

Friday, April 18, 2008
The Moon is to the west of the 1st magnitude star Spica. As the night rolls on, the Moon moves closer to the star. The Moon looks almost full, but it's still more than a day before the exact moment of Full Moon.

Thursday, April 17, 2008
Saturn is 2.3° from the star Regulus. Mars is also 2.3° from a star. The 3.5 magnitude star Delta Geminorum is south of Mars. Mars is now shining at 1.1 magnitude. Saturn is currently 0.5 magnitude and Regulus is 1.4 magnitude. Remember the higher the magnitude number, the dimmer the object.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Mercury is at superior conjunction. Superior conjunction is the point in the orbit of a planets when it's on the other side of the solar system from the Earth. When a planet is at superior conjunction, it's not visible. Mercury moves quickly though. It will come out from behind the Sun later this month. Start looking for Mercury in the evening sky in the west during the last week of April.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008
A gibbous Moon is east of Saturn and Regulus. Saturn is 2.3° from Regulus, the brightest star in Leo the Lion. Mars forms a right triangle with the twin stars Castor and Pollux in Gemini. Pollux forms the right angle of the triangle with Mars 7° below Pollux. Castor is 4.5° from Pollux as always. Mars is 8.4° from Castor forming the right triangle's hypotenuse.

Monday, April 14, 2008
A gibbous Moon is west of Regulus and Saturn. As the night progresses, the Moon moves closer to the star and planet. Tomorrow, the Moon will be east of the planet and star. The Moon passes in front of Regulus but you can't see it from the western hemisphere. You'll have to go to Madagascar to see the occultation.

Sunday, April 13, 2008
Mars and Saturn are 45° apart. Look for Mars in Gemini below Castor and Pollux. Saturn is in Leo, 2.5° east of Regulus. Mars is moving closer to Saturn and will pass the ringed planet in July. By that time though, Saturn and Leo will have shifted over to the western evening sky.

Saturday, April 12, 2008
A First Quarter Moon is to the left of the twin stars Cartor and Pollux. Mars is below the twins. Aim a telescope at the Moon and look for the Alpine Valley. The Alpine Valley is an 80 mile long cut through a mountain range known as the Lunar Alps. The tallest mountain in the Lunar Alps is more than two miles tall.

Friday, April 11, 2008
A wide crescent Moon passes very close to the planet Mars. Watch before moonset as the Moon passes just north of the red planet. Mars is below the stars Castor and Pollux in Gemini the Twins.

Thursday, April 10, 2008
The planet Mars forms an isosceles triangle with the twin stars of Gemini, Castor and Pollux. Mars is about 9° from both stars. Castor and Pollux are 4½° from each other. The crescent Moon is to the west of Mars. Saturn is 46° to the east of Mars in the constellation of Leo the Lion.

Wednesday, April 9, 2008
The Moon is north of the star Aldebaran. Aldebaran marks the eye of Taurus the Bull. Aldebaran appears as part of a "V" shaped group of stars known as the Hyades. Aldebaran is not part of the Hyades but lies between us and the star cluster. Aldebaran is a giant star, 25 times the diameter of the Sun. It's the 14th brightest star in the sky and is 65 lightyears away from the Earth. The name Aldebaran comes from Arabic meaning "the follower" since it follows the Pleiades across the sky.

Tuesday, April 8, 2008
The crescent Moon passes over some of the stars of the Pleiades. The Pleiades star cluster is also known as the Seven Sisters. The Moon and the Seven Sisters will be in the WNW at dusk. Watch as the crescent slowly grazes along the northern edge of the cluster. The best view is for observers in the northeast and north central parts of the U.S. and eastern Canada. Viewers in the western parts of North America will still see the Moon very near the Pleiades but will miss some of the occultations.

Monday, April 7, 2008
The thin crescent Moon will easily be visible in the WNW an hour after sunset. The Moon will be more than a fist's width below the Pleiades star cluster. Look for earthshine. Earthshine is the faint light that illuminates the dark side of the Moon. It's also known as "The old Moon in the young Moon's arms." Tomorrow the Moon will pass over some of the stars of the Pleiades.

Sunday, April 6, 2008
Look for a young Moon. This young Moon should be relatively easy to see. Look for the very thin lunar sliver low in the WNW about 30 minutes after sunset. The Moon will be about 20 hours old for viewers on the East Coast. Observers on the West Coast will see the Moon around 23 hours old. Use binoculars and view where you have a very clear unobstructed horizon.

Saturday, April 5, 2008
Saturn is 2¾° from Regulus. This is the same as the distance across the Belt of Orion. Look for Saturn and Regulus at dusk in the southeast about halfway between the horizon and the zenith. Orion's belt stars, Alnitak, Alnilam and Mintaka, are in the southwest about 30° up at dusk.

Friday, April 4, 2008
Saturn and Mars are 50° apart. Both planets are easily visible in the evening sky. Look for Mars in the constellation of Gemini the Twins. You'll find Saturn in Leo the Lion. Saturn is less than 3° east of Regulus.

Thursday, April 3, 2008
Look for an old thin crescent Moon in the ESE an hour before sunrise. This easy to see old Moon is very close to the horizon, 14° south of due east.

Wednesday, April 2, 2008
An hour before sunrise, look to the ESE for a thin crescent Moon. Look for earthshine on the dark side of the Moon. Earthshine is caused by sunlight bouncing off the Earth and onto the Moon, dimly lighting up the dark side. With binoculars or a telescope, look for the lunar crater Aristarchus. It's near the terminator this morning. Aristarchus is one of the youngest major craters on the Moon. It's thought to be only 50 million years old.

Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Look for a waning crescent Moon in the morning sky. The Moon is far to the lower left of Jupiter. The evening sky includes Mars and Saturn. Both are high in the sky at dusk. Look for Mars high in the southwest and Saturn high in the southeast.
A new constellation was discovered recently. Astronomers are calling it Lirpa Sloof. Lirpa Sloof can be seen this evening in the northeast at dawn. Some observers say Lirpa Sloof appears to be in the shape of a very small bowling ball while other claim its shape to be closer to that of a large ping pong ball.

Monday, March 31, 2008
The waning crescent Moon is to the lower left of Jupiter. Jupiter is left of the handle of the teapot of Sagittarius. Look to the southeast sky at dawn. Venus, Mercury and Uranus end the month about 60° to the lower left of Jupiter but are too close to the Sun to be seen. Saturn and Mars are both visible in the evening sky. Look for Mars in the constellation of Gemini. Saturn is in Leo the Lion, 3° from Regulus.

Sunday, March 30, 2008
The Moon is about a half a fist's width to the lower right of Jupiter. Look for the pair in the southeast dawn sky. Use a telescope to explore the many craters on the Moon and also look for the moons of Jupiter. The four largest of Jupiter's many moons are easily visible in the average backyard telescope. The moons were first seen by Galileo nearly 400 years ago in the year 1610.

Saturday, March 29, 2008
The Last Quarter Moon is in the morning sky. Look towards the south. The Moon is near the spout of the teapot of Sagittarius. With a telescope, look for the Apennine mountains. The Apennines are a 450 mile long curving mountain range forming the southeast wall of the Sea of Rains.

Friday, March 28, 2008
Mars and Saturn are 53° apart in the evening sky. Look for Mars above the constellation of Orion the Hunter and below the twin stars of Gemini. Saturn is 3° from the star Regulus in Leo. Find Leo by extending a line below the bowl of the Big Dipper. Mars and Saturn are slowly moving towards each other. In July, Mars will have moved into Leo the Lion and will pass close to Saturn.

Thursday, March 27, 2008
The waning gibbous Moon passes about 1° south of the star Antares. For observers far in the Earth's southern hemisphere, the Moon occults the star. Look for the Moon and Antares in the predawn sky, low in the south.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008
The Moon is to the right of the constellation Scorpius the Scorpion. Look in the morning hours for the waning gibbous Moon and the star Antares, the heart of the Scorpion. Tomorrow morning, the Moon will pass very near Antares.
The International Space Station is expected to pass over many cities in the USA during the evening hours this week. Check your favorite satellite prediction web site for predictions times in your area.

Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Jupiter and Saturn are 136° from each other in the predawn sky. Look for Jupiter in the southeast. Saturn is low in the west. The waning gibbous Moon is between the two giant planets low in the SSW.

Monday, March 24, 2008
Mars is 55° to the west of Saturn. Mars is moving eastward against the background stars. Saturn is slowly moving westward. Saturn will end its retrograde motion in May but Mars will continue moving towards Saturn. The two planets will pass each other during the second week of July. Watch over the next few months as the gap shrinks between the pair of planets.

Sunday, March 23, 2008
The constellation of Orion the Hunter is easily visible in the southwest at dusk. The faint stars below the feet of Orion are part of the constellation of Lepus the Hare. According to legend, Lepus used to be a chicken. The German Goddess of Spring, Ostara, turned the bird into a rabbit. Once a year in the Spring, Ostara allows Lepus to lay eggs. This is why the Easter Bunny brings eggs on Easter.

Saturday, March 22, 2008
The Moon is near the star Spica. Spica is the brightest star in the constellation of Virgo the Maiden. Find Spica by extending a line from the handle of the Big Dipper. The line will arc to the star Arcturus. Continue the line and you will spy the star Spica.

Friday, March 21, 2008
The Moon is Full at 2:40 p.m. EDT. Look for the Moon at dusk in the ESE close to the horizon. With a telescope, look at the Moon for the rays of the crater Tycho. Tycho is a very prominant lunar crater. The rays radiate from the crater like spokes on a wheel. The rays were formed by debris ejected from the crater at the time of impact, billions of years ago.

Thursday, March 20, 2008
The Sun crosses the celestial equator at 1:48 a.m EDT. This instant is known as the Vernal Equinox. Spring begins at this time for the northern hemisphere. Look for the Sun to rise due east and set due west. Daylight and darkness are approximately equal. The Sun is at the intersection of the celestial equator and the ecliptic. This intersection point is known at the First Point in Aries. Due to the Earth's slow 26,000 year precession, the First Point in Aries is no longer in Aries. It's in Pisces. In a few hundred years the First Point will have moved into Aquarius. So our time in history could be called the dawning of the Age of Aquarius.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008
The Moon is below Saturn and Regulus. The ringed planet is 3.7° from the star Regulus in Leo the Lion. Saturn is still slowly moving towards Regulus. It will be 2.2° from the star at the start of May, when it will resume is normal west to east motion and start to move away from Regulus.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Jupiter and Saturn are 135° apart. Look for the two gas giant planets two hours before sunrise. Jupiter is low in the southeast and Saturn is low in the west. The Moon will be setting to the lower right of Saturn. In the evening, look for the Moon very near Regulus and Saturn all night long.

Monday, March 17, 2008
A waxing gibbous Moon is in the constellation of Cancer the Crab. Two fist widths to the east of the Moon is the planet Saturn. Tomorrow the Moon will be closer to Saturn and the star Regulus. Mars is about four fist widths to the west of the Moon. Your fist held at arm's length covers about 10° of sky. Use your fist as a quick and easy measuring tool for angles between celestial objects. For smaller measurements use the Moon. The Full Moon is ½° across. Tonight there are 3¾° between Saturn and Regulus. That's about 7 Full Moons.

Sunday, March 16, 2008
Mercury is 2.4° to the upper right of Venus. Both Venus and Mercury are rising a little more than a half hour before the Sun. Look with binoculars very close to the ESE horizon. The two planets are moving behind the Sun and will soon disappear from the morning sky. Observers living farther south will have an easier time spotting Venus and Mercury.

Saturday, March 15, 2008
A waxing gibbous Moon is near the twin stars Castor and Pollux. Aim your telescope towards the Moon to look for the Straight Wall. The Straight Wall, also known as Rupes Recta, is a 67 mile long escarpment. The escarpment or cliff is about 1000 feet high. Look close to the Moon's terminator, north of the crater Tycho and south of the Apennine Mountains.

Friday, March 14, 2008
Today is Pi Day! 3.14. It's a great day to eat a pie.
The Moon is very near the planet Mars. Mars is 60° west of Saturn. Mars is also 3.5° north of the star Eta Geminorium in Gemini the Twins. Mars is moving towards the ringed planet and will pass Saturn later this summer in July. Watch for the next several months as the gap between Mars and Saturn shrinks.

Thursday, March 13, 2008
A nearly First Quarter Moon is between Mars and the Pleiades. The Moon is close to the star Beta Tauri. Beta Tauri marks the tip of the northern horn of Taurus the Bull. Look for the Caucasus Mountains near the Moon's terminator. The peaks of this 300 mile long mountain range stretch 11,000 feet above the smooth floor of the lunar seas.

Wednesday, March 12, 2008
The Moon is very near the Pleiades star cluster. During the daylight hours for North America, the crescent Moon passed in front of the star cluster. In the evening, the Moon will appear several degrees above the Pleiades. The Moon's terminator, the line separating light and dark, is passing over the Sea of Serenity and the Sea of Tranquility. Three large craters, Theophilus, Cyrillus and Catharina are south of the Sea of Tranquility. These three craters are all about 60 miles in diameter.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Saturn's rings are now tilted 9° from edgewise. By late April, the rings will open to nearly 10° and then start to close up. By late December the rings will be tilted by just 0.8°. In September of 2009, the Earth will cross the ring plane and the tilt will shrink to 0°. Earth crosses the ring plane about every 14 years. Look at Saturn now with a telescope and compare with the view later this year. Saturn is easily visible in the east at dusk. It moves to the west by dawn.

Monday, March 10, 2008
Venus is 40° to the lower left of Jupiter. Jupiter is easy to spot. Look before sunrise, low in the SSE. Venus is more of a challenge. Look just a few degrees above the ESE horizon 30 minutes before sunrise. Faint Mercury is 3° to the upper right of Venus. Binoculars will help you spot Venus and Mercury.

Sunday, March 9, 2008
Daylight Saving Time begins.
A two day old Moon is visible in the west. Look with binoculars or a telescope at the waxing crescent for the Sea of Crises. The Sea of Crises is a large smooth circular area more than 350 miles in diameter.

Saturday, March 8, 2008
A young Moon is visible low in the west 45 minutes after sunset. This very thin Moon is only about 2% illuminated. Look for the earthshine. Earthshine is the faint light that illuminates the dark side of the Moon. It's caused by sunlight reflecting off the Earth.

Friday, March 7, 2008
Saturn continues to move retrograde. Planets usually move west to east against the background stars. When the Earth passes an outer planet, it will appear to move backwards, or east to west. Saturn started moving retrograde in late December and will continue retrograde motion until early May. Watch Saturn slowly move west towards the star Regulus in Leo the Lion. Today Saturn and Regulus are 4.5° apart. By May 3rd, the gap shrinks to 2.2°.

Thursday, March 6, 2008
Mars is easily visible in the evening sky. Look for it above the constellation of Orion the Hunter. The distance is increasing between Earth and Mars by about 900,000 miles per day. As we move farther from Mars, it appears fainter in the sky. Mars is now shining at +0.3 magnitude. By the month's end, Mars will have dimmed to +0.8 magnitude and receded 23 million miles.

Wednesday, March 5, 2008
This morning, look for an old crescent Moon near Venus and Mercury. A very thin crescent will pass south of the pair of planets. The group will be very close to the ESE horizon 45 minutes before sunrise. Binoculars will help you find these celestial objects. You will also need a very clear sky and unobstructed view of the horizon. Jupiter is 35° to the upper right of the group. The planet Neptune is 2° to the lower left of Venus, but it's much too dim to be seen in the morning twilight.

Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Look for four planets and the Moon at the same time. Venus, Mercury, The Moon, Jupiter and Saturn span 165° across the morning sky. Venus and Mercury are tough to spot. Look very close to the ESE horizon 40 minutes before sunrise. Mercury is 2.4° to the upper right of Venus. Saturn is very low in the west. Jupiter is easiest to find. Look for it in the southeast. A very thin crescent Moon is between Jupiter and Mercury.

Monday, March 3, 2008
A thin crescent Moon is to the lower left of the Jupiter. Look for Jupiter and the Moon in the southeast an hour before sunrise. Mercury and Venus are to the lower left of the Moon. Look for Venus and Mercury very close to the ESE horizon 45 minutes before sunrise. Mercury is at its greatest elongation from the Sun. There are 27° between the Sun and Mercury.

Sunday, March 2, 2008
A crescent Moon is to the lower right of the giant planet Jupiter. Look for Jupiter and the Moon in the southeast an hour before sunrise.

Saturday, March 1, 2008
Venus is 30° to the lower left of Jupiter. Mercury is 1.7° to the upper right of Venus. Look for Venus and Mercury very close to the ESE horizon about 45 minutes before sunrise. Venus becomes increasingly difficult to see this month. At the start of March, it rises an hour before the Sun. By the end of the month, it rises just 35 minutes before the Sun, as seen from a latitude of 40°.

Please send any comments, suggestions, or questions to
John French: frenchj@ msu.edu