Sun rises at 6:16am
Sun sets at 6:23pm
Moon phase: second quarter crescent, waxing
Moon rises at 4:17pm
Moon sets at 4:22am
Happy spring!
The March equinox signals the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. It marks that special moment when the sun crosses the celestial equator going from south to north. In 2016, this equinox arrives on March 20 at 4:30 UTC, or on March 19 at 11:30pm Central Daylight Time. Here’s what we in the Northern Hemisphere know about this equinox. Our sunrise is earlier now, and nightfall comes later. Plants are sprouting. Winds are softening. For us in the Northern Hemisphere, people are enjoying the warmer days of spring. Meanwhile, south of the equator, autumn begins. Follow the links below to learn more about the vernal equinox.
A comet
This weekend as you look up to the night sky, consider that a very small comet is racing toward Earth; its closest approach is on March 21. There is absolutely no threat to hit us – it’ll miss our planet by more than three million miles. In fact, even at its peak, you’ll probably need a telescope to see it – even though it’s one of the closest comets ever recorded.
It has been given the very unromantic name Comet 252P/LINEAR and it was discovered 16 years ago as part of the LINEAR project, an automated search for Near-Earth Objects, such as comets and asteroids whose orbits bring them close to Earth. Using telescopes at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, the LINEAR project has discovered more than 2500 of these objects. There is a chance that someday one such object could hit Earth. Finding them and tracking their orbits could provide enough lead time to deflect them from a collision course.
On March 25, it’ll cross the tail of the constellation of Scorpio, which will rise above the south-eastern horizon shortly after midnight. Each subsequent night, the comet will be found higher in the sky, passing just to the left of the triangle formed by Mars, Saturn and the star Antares. By early April, the comet will move through the constellation Ophiuchus, which stands a bit to the left and above Scorpio. By this time, it will be on its way back into the outer reaches of the solar system. It won’t return to the inner solar system until 2021.
Early evening
The western sky is a delight this weekend just after sunset, because you will see some very recognizable constellations poised across the darkening veil of night. From 7:00 until 10:00pm, watch Orion sink lower and lower in the west, accompanied by the “V” of Taurus and the twinkling tiny cluster of the Pleiades.
Late night
Mars rises around 11:00pm, just south of due east and Saturn follows it about an hour and 10 minutes later. The bright star Antares is just below Mars and to the right of Saturn, forming a triangle in the late night sky. Around 1:00am, look due south to gaze upon the Southern Cross. Two bright “pointer” stars Hadar and Rigel Rigil Kent point towards the Southern Cross from the left. As we approach the Easter season, the Southern Cross gives some added meaning to the celestial bodies.
Early morning
Around 4:00am, the Eastern horizon is brightly arrayed with the constellations Cygnus and Aquila. Both represent great birds. Cygnus the Swan is larger and on the left, while Aquila the Eagle is situated due east. The bright star Vega in the constellation Lyra is above and more or less between them.
If you are out later on in the week, each star rises about four minutes earlier each day than written here, and the moon rises 50 minutes later.
Researched and compiled by Lisa Davis-Burnett
