March 2018 Sky Calendar
Mar 3, 2018 23:07:48 GMT
Post by Joe on Mar 3, 2018 23:07:48 GMT
CVAS Monthly Sky Calendar for March 2018
Mercury – After the first week of the month it will be a good time to try to see Mercury in the evening western skies after sunset for a couple of weeks. To start the month it is only 9° high at sunset, but during the middle of the month this will increase to around 17° with Mercury being up for over 1 ½ hours after sunset. But then later in the month it will quickly drop out of the evening skies as it approaches inferior conjunction with the Sun next month on the 1st. During the month its phase will go from 93% down to 2%, it size from 5 arc-seconds to 11 arc-seconds and it magnitude from -1.3 to 4.4. This is probably the evening apparition of Mercury for this year.
Venus – Venus can be found low on the western horizon right after sunset. To start the month, it is up for only around 1 hour after sunset and being only 10° high at sunset. At month’s end it will be a little easier to see with it being up for 1 ½ hours after sunset and 17° high at sunset. Its phase for the month will go from 98% to 95% with a size of 10 arc-seconds and a magnitude around -3.9 for the whole month.
From the 2nd to the 5th of the month, Venus and Mercury will be just a little over a degree apart.
On the evening of the 28th, Venus will be less than 10 arc-seconds from Uranus.
Neptune – Neptune starts the month in the evening sky but is too close to the Sun to see as it approaches conjunction with Sun on the 4th. After it comes out of conjunction it will be coming up in the eastern morning sky will right be sunrise but it will take a month or so before you can really view it.
Uranus –It can be found in the western evening skies after sunset. It is best to try to see it in the beginning of the month when it will be up for close to 4 hours after sunset. As it approaches conjunction with the Sun next month it is sinking lower as the month goes on and will be only up for 1 ½ hours after sunset at month’s end, making it difficult to get a good look at it. During the month, its magnitude will around 5.9 with a diameter of 3.4 arc-seconds.
See is.gd/urnep/ for finder charts for Uranus and Neptune from Sky&Telescope.
Jupiter –Jupiter is best viewed in the early morning hours when it is highest up in southern skies. As Jupiter approaches opposition in a couple of months it up a good part of the night now, with it being up close to 7 hours to start the month, by month’s end this increases to 8 hours. During the month the size goes from 39 to 42 arc-seconds with a magnitude from -2.2 to -2.4.
Mars – Mars is best viewed this month in the morning hours when it is highest up in the southern skies an hour or two before sunrise. It is up around 4 ½ hours before sunrise for the month. It is size is increasing some as it approaches opposition this coming summer with it being between 6.7 and 8.2 arc-seconds for the month. Mars is getting easy to see with the naked eye, with its magnitude increases during the month going from 0.8 to 0.3.
Saturn- For this month it can be found on the SE horizon right before sunrise. To start the month it is up for around 3 hours before sunrise, by month’s end this will increase 4 hours. The size of Saturn itself go from 15.8 arc-seconds to 16.5 arc-seconds with a magnitude going from 0.6 to 0.5 during the month. The rings are tilted close to 26% for this month.
Spring Equinox – The Spring Equinox, the official start of spring, arrives at 12:15AM on the 20th.