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The Sky Tonight

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The Sky Tonight MARCH POUTŪ-TE-RANGI HIGHLIGHTS Conjunction of Saturn and the Moon A conjunction is when two astronomical objects appear close in the sky as seen THE- SKY TONIGHT- - from Earth. The planets, along with the TE AHUA O TE RAKI I TENEI PO Sun and the Moon, appear to travel across Brightest Stars our sky roughly following a path called the At this time of the year, we can see the ecliptic. Each body travels at its own speed, three brightest stars in the night sky. sometimes entering ‘retrograde’ where they The brightness of a star, as seen from seem to move backwards for a period of time Earth, is measured as its apparent (though the backwards motion is only from magnitude. Pictured on the cover is our vantage point, and in fact the planets Sirius, the brightest star in our night sky, are still orbiting the Sun normally). which is 8.6 light-years away. Sometimes these celestial bodies will cross With an apparent magnitude of −1.46, paths along the ecliptic line and occupy the this star can be found in the constellation same space in our sky, though they are still Canis Major, high in the northern sky. millions of kilometres away from each other. Sirius is actually a binary star system, consisting of Sirius A which is twice the On March 19, the Moon and Saturn will be size of the Sun, and a faint white dwarf in conjunction. While the unaided eye will companion named Sirius B. only see Saturn as a bright star-like object (Saturn is the eighth brightest object in our Sirius is almost twice as bright as the night sky), a telescope can offer a spectacular second brightest star in the night sky, view of the ringed planet close to our Moon. Canopus, from the constellation Carina. The Moon will be at a 21% illuminated Visible all year round, Canopus can be waning crescent and found high in the southern sky this month, Saturn will be visible with an apparent magnitude of −0.74. to its east. Despite appearing dimmer than Sirius, This conjunction will Canopus has around eight times the mass be best viewed from of the Sun, with its light taking almost 2am, when the Moon 310 years to reach our planet. and Saturn rise, until sunrise. Image © Ian Griffin The third brightest star, Alpha Centauri, is also the closest star system to our solar system at 4.37 light-years away. Also MARCH POUTū-TE-RANGI SKY GUIDE known as Rigil Kentaurus, this star Remember a moment in time with a personalised has an apparent magnitude of −0.27, star chart from Otago Museum! and can be seen at all times of the year Each chart shows the position of stars, constellations, in the constellation Centaurus, currently planets, and the Sun, and the phase of the Moon for the just above the southern horizon. exact time, date, and location of your special event. PERPETUAL Save 10% on your chart by enjoying a show in the Perpetual Guardian Planetarium while you wait! GUARDIAN PLANETARIUM Place your order at the Museum Shop. MARCH POUTŪ-TE-RANGI 2020 Cassiopeia - MOON MARAMA PHASES Interactive sky chart (now with PDF print option) SUN RA RISE / SUNSET Ursa Major N 10 Capella350 Auriga Lynx 340 Perseus 20 Phase Date Date Rise Set 330 Algol 30 First Quarter Tuesday, 3 March Castor Sunday, 1 March 7.13am 8.25pm Pollux 320 Full Moon Tuesday, 10 March 40 Sunday, 15 March 7.33am 7.59pm Gemini Leo Minor Triangulum Monday, 16 March Tuesday,Andromeda 31 March 7.54am 7.28pm Third Quarter Cancer AldebaranTaurus 310 50 Tuesday, 24 March Aries New Moon Betelgeuse Orion Venus Canis Minor Procyon 300 60 MOON AT APOGEE Monoceros - Leo Regulus Rigel PLANETS WHETU AO 290 70 Sirius Lepus Mira Because the Moon doesn’t Hydra Canis Major Eridanus Pisces Sextans orbit our planet in a perfect 280 80 circle, its distance from Earth Venus Columba Cetus varies throughout its monthly Meremere-tū-ahiahi Pyxis Caelum journey. Each month, the Moon Puppis Fornax W E moves between being at its 1 March until 9.50pm farthest position from Earth, until 9.24pm Crater CanopusPictor 15 March Antlia which we call apogee, to its 31 March until 8.56pm 260 Vela closest position to Earth, called 100 Dorado Reticulum Horologium In Aries Carina Sculptor perigee, only two weeks later. Corvus Achernar Virgo Volans Phoenix 250 This year, the Moon’s apogee 110 Mensa Hydrus Aquarius will take place on 24 March. Mars Chamaeleon Spica Tucana Fomalhaut On this day, the Moon will be Matawhero 240 Centaurus GacruxAcrux 406 692 kilometres away from 120 Crux Musca Mercury after 1.51am us, compared to its average 1 March Octans Grus Piscis Austrinus after 1.42am distance of approximately 15 March 230 Circinus Apus Indus after 1.35am 130 384 400 kilometres. 31 March Rigil Kentaurus In Sagittarius Triangulum Australe Pavo 220 140 In this particular instance, Time Guide Microscopium Capricornus the Moon at apogee will Lupus Norma Ara 210 Sirius This chart is oriented for: 150 Telescopium coincide with a new moon, Early March,Libra 11pm Canopus Jupiter 200 160 an event which is known as Mid March, 10pm 190 Hine-i-tīweka 170 S Alpha Centauri a micromoon. To us here on Late March, 9pm Corona Australis Saturn Scorpius Earth, a micromoon appears 1 March until 2.44am Copyright © 2020 Heavens-Above.com until 2.01am Antares Jupiter Altair about 14% smaller than a 15 March Location: Dunedin, 45.8788°S, 170.5028°E Sagittarius Mars until 1.10am supermoon, which occurs 31 March Time: 15 March 2020 20:00 (UTC +13:00) Aquila How to use this chart: Hold the chart up to the sky and rotate it, so the direction you are looking matches the when a full moon happens In Sagittarius direction printed on the bottom. For example, if you are looking south, place ‘S’ at the lower edge. Stars rise in at perigee. the east and set in the west like the Sun. As the Earth turns, the sky appears to rotate clockwise around the south celestial pole. The sky makes a small shift to the west every night, as theScutum Earth rotates around the Sun. Ophiuchus Hercules Copyright © 2020 Heavens-Above.com.
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