The Sky Tonight

THE PLANETS

February - March 2012 - by Chris Marr

Mercury
This is not a good time to be viewing Mercury as it is rarely out of the Sun’s glare for long.  It starts the period on the far side of the Sun then moves into the early evening sky from mid-February until mid-March then heads back toward the Sun again
Venus
Venus will remain bright in the evening sky for this period, and makes some interesting rendezvous.  First, on 10 February, it will appear very close to Uranus.  Then between 11 and 16 March, it will be quite close to Jupiter.  The Moon also appears close on 25 and 26 February, and again on 27 March

Earth
Our autumn equinox occurs on 20 March when, at the equator, day and night will be equal.

Mars
At the beginning of February the red planet will have a magnitude of –0.6 but by 4 March, when it will be at opposition, that will have increased to –1.2.  Usually when a planet is at opposition it is closest to Earth, but in the case of Mars this is not always so, and in fact it will be closest on 6 March although the difference will not be apparent to the backyard observer.    On 10 February the Moon will appear nearby

Jupiter
Now past its summer best, Jupiter is sinking toward the horizon as it drifts through Aries.  The gas giant will appear close to Venus between 11 and 16 March, and the Moon will appear nearby on 27 February and 26 March.

Saturn
Now a late evening riser, Saturn is beginning to take over the sky from Jupiter.  On 8 February the ringed planet will appear to stop against the background stars and will then start to head back from whence it came as it starts a period of retrograde motion.  The Moon will appear nearby on 12 February and again on 11 March

Uranus
Uranus remains in Pisces for this period.  On 10 February it will appear very close to Venus, so fans of the distant blue world might want to use the bright inner planet to find it easily.  Unfortunately, the brightness of Venus and the low position will make Uranus difficult to find.  Uranus passes around the far side of the Sun during the last week of March.

Neptune
Passing behind the Sun on 20 February, Neptune will be lost in the glare until mid-March when it becomes a pre-dawn object.

By Chris Marr
[Information Source: "Astronomy 2012" by Glenn Dawes, Peter Northfield and Ken Wallace]

Constellations

Have you ever wondered when a particular constellation will be visible? Check the culmination dates for the constellations, which are given for 2100 local time. Also included in this list are their common and genitive names, and their officially recognized abbreviations. These dates are valid world-wide, but not all constellations will be visible from all latitudes.