~ St. Maarten’s Backyard Astronomy for March 3-5 ~
Sun rises at 6:28am
Sun sets at 6:19pm
Lunar phase: 3rd quarter, waxing toward full
Moon sets at 4:46am
Moon rises at 4:07pm
This weekend, we continue to enjoy two planets in the western evening sky. Venus and Jupiter hang gracefully above the setting sun’s rays, brightening as the sky darkens, setting just before 8:00pm. They are actually so close together this weekend that you might mistake them for one big ball of bright light, but this closeness, known as a “conjunction”, is a function of visual perspective. It could be compared to an airplane crossing in front of the moon – they appear to be side by side, but are actually hundreds of thousands of miles apart.
Meanwhile you have Mars overhead at sunset, surrounded by the brilliant stars of the Winter Circle, which is always a primary focus of anyone’s star gazing, especially at this time of the year. The red planet will be located between Betelgeuse (the star at the ‘shoulder’ of Orion) and Capella (the ‘goat star’ in Auriga).
You will surely notice the almost full moon this weekend, too. It is truly a magnificent sight! The moon will be officially full late Monday night, but will appear full by Sunday, remaining so through Tuesday. This month, the full moon is given the designation Full Worm Moon, but also sometimes called the Crow Moon or the Sap Moon. The name Worm Moon honours the awakening of creepy crawlies in the soil, bugs such as earthworms and insect larvae beginning to stir in the slowly warming late winter and early spring – a reminder that even the humblest of beings are a part of the circle of life, all contributing to the benefit of all.
Thank you for keeping up with the Night Sky articles, backyard astronomy designed for St. Maarten sky viewing. FYI: If you are out later on in the week, note that each star rises about four minutes earlier each day than written here, and the moon rises 50 minutes later. Night Sky is researched and compiled by Lisa Davis-Burnett. Earthsky.org is a key resource for information and images. Questions or comments? Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
