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March 2010
The warmer nights of spring bring a panoply of new stars and constellations for skywatchers to enjoy. Leo is in good view by nightfall, climbing straight up from the eastern horizon, led by his bright "heart," the star Regulus. Virgo follows the lion a couple of hours later. Boötes, the herdsman, is to the maiden's left, marked by yellow-orange Arcturus, one of the brightest stars in the night sky. The planet Venus begins its climb into the evening sky, where it will remain until about Halloween.
This Week's Stargazing Tips
March 20, 2010
The crescent Moon and the Pleiades star cluster snuggle close together tonight. They are high in the west at nightfall and set after midnight. The Moon is to the left of the small, dipper-shaped Pleiades.
March 21, 2010
The planet Saturn is putting on a good show this month. It lines up opposite the Sun, so it rises at sunset and remains in view all night. It is at its brightest, too. The golden planet outshines all but a handful of other planets and stars.
March 22, 2010
The Moon reaches first quarter tomorrow at 6 a.m. CST. The Moon will line up at a right angle to Earth and the Sun, so sunlight illuminates half of the lunar hemisphere that faces our way.
March 23, 2010
The constellation Coma Berenices, which represents the hair of a legendary Greek queen, is well up in the east by mid-evening. It is about half-way between the bright stars Arcturus and Regulus, which highlight the eastern sky.
March 24, 2010
The Moon, the planet Mars, and the twins of Gemini form a beautiful grouping the next couple of nights. Tonight, Mars is to the left of the Moon as darkness falls, with Gemini's twins -- the stars Pollux and Castor -- above them.
March 25, 2010
The planet Mars stands above the Moon at nightfall. It looks like a bright orange star. Mars and the Moon remain close together as they move across the western sky in the wee hours of the morning.
March 26, 2010
Regulus, the brightest star of Leo, the lion, is a little to the lower left of the Moon as night falls this evening, and keeps company with the Moon as it sails high across the sky later on.
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