New Moon
The Moon is new today as it crosses the invisible line between Earth and Sun, so it’s lost from view in the Sun’s intense glare. It should return to view by tomorrow evening as a thin crescent low in the west shortly after sunset.
Towering Venus
The planet Venus is at its towering best right now. The “evening star” is high in the west at sunset and stands just about as high as it ever gets. It doesn’t set until 11 p.m. or midnight, providing plenty of time to watch it.
Cor Caroli
Cor Caroli, the brightest star of Canes Venatici, the hunting dogs, is in the east-northeast at nightfall, near the tip of the Big Dipper’s handle. Its name means “Heart of Charles.” It refers to either England’s King Charles I or his son, Charles II.
The Camel Leopard
Camelopardalis, the giraffe, is one of the largest constellations, covering a large wedge of the northern sky. But it isn’t bold. All of its stars are so faint that you must get away from city lights to see them.
Counting Candles
With binoculars, two star clusters in the western evening sky are fairly easy to pick out. M34 is in the west-northwest at nightfall, far to the upper right of Venus, the “evening star.” M36 is higher, to the left of the yellow-orange star Capella.
Spring Equinox
Today is the vernal equinox in the northern hemisphere, which marks the beginning of spring. The Sun crosses the celestial equator from south to north. The Sun rises due east and sets due west on the equinoxes.
Pestilent Planets
A conjunction of Jupiter, Mars, and Saturn is underway in the dawn sky. Jupiter is the brightest of the three. A similar conjunction in 1345 was blamed for the start of the Black Death in Europe, a plague caused by a bacterium carried by fleas.
More Moon and Planets
Orange Mars is one of two planets that huddles near the Moon at dawn tomorrow. Jupiter is the brighter of the two, with Mars just a whisker away. A third planet, Saturn, is close to their lower left.
Moon and Planets
The Moon and three bright planets form a beautiful lineup the next few mornings. Mars and Jupiter are to the lower left of the Moon tomorrow. Jupiter is the brighter of the two. The third planet is Saturn, to the lower left of Mars and Jupiter.
Jumpy Stars
The paws of Ursa Major, the great bear, are marked by three pairs of stars, all of which have names that mean “leap.” The stars of the hind leg are Alula Borealis and Alula Australis, from an Arabic phrase that means “first leap of the gazelle.”