Springtime for Stargazers

Are you tired of these winter months? Can't wait for spring? Well, it's been absolutely lousy for amateur astronomers the last few months. First we had the snow and cold of December and early January, then the rain and mild weather of most of January. There haven't been many clear nights when we stargazers could scan the heavens with our telescopes.

I feel sorry for any of you who may have received a telescope for the holidays and haven't had many decent nights to explore the night sky. Though we will shortly transition into another season, that doesn't necessarily mean the good weather will follow. Don't forget, we had snow during the first week of May back in 1977! Yes, every year seems to surprise us with a few new extremes that rewrite the record books. I'm not sure where or when I heard this quote, but it is very appropriate when describing New England weather, "Climate is what you expect. Weather is what you get!"

Well, spring occurs astronomically when the Sun crosses the Earth's equator on its journey northward in our sky. Actually, it's the tilting Earth that causes the Sun's apparent motion. The date and time of the vernal equinox this year is March 20 at 1:26 pm. If you were standing at any point on the equator you would see the Sun directly overhead at local noon. The Sun will continue its northward trek until it reaches a point directly above the Tropic of Cancer, a line of latitude. That is the time when we northern hemisphere dwellers experience the beginning of summer, called the summer solstice, in June. The Sun doesn't move any more northward in our sky. It is always south of a point directly overhead at local noon.

So let's hope that when spring technically arrives on March 20, Mother Nature will reward us with some warm weather conditions and cloud free skies. At least that's a goal I hope can be met, for we still have Mars high overhead soon after it gets dark enough for observing. And don't forget Saturn, more than halfway up above the eastern horizon. It will be another month or so before we can observe Jupiter early in the evening, but if you want to get a jump on observing this gas giant, Jupiter pops above the eastern horizon just after 11:00 pm at the beginning of the month. I'll give you a few more details about Jupiter observing in a future column.

The only major event during March for us is a penumbral lunar eclipse. That type of eclipse is where the Moon slides into the dim portion of the Earth's shadow. It can be hard to detect, especially if you don't know it's occurring. And this particular one is already in progress as the Moon rises on the 14th. The Moon rises around 5:38 pm, and the maximum effect of the penumbral shadow can possibly be seen just over an hour later at 6:47 pm. However, when the Moon is this low in the sky, it usually displays orange hues due to atmospheric effects. You may not notice anything unusual at all. Though the Moon will rise higher and higher every minute, it will also continue to move out of the lighter shadow. Depending upon sky conditions an observer may see a slight pale shading of the lunar surface that is closest to the eastern horizon. The eclipse ends at 9:13 pm. Give it a try and see if you can detect any evidence of this celestial event.

Watch for news from Africa and Turkey on the 29th regarding a total solar eclipse from that part of the world. Northern Africa will see the Sun completely obscured by the Moon for just over four minutes, while Turkey experiences this breathtaking phenomenon for just over 3« minutes. Unfortunately we are too far from the eclipse path to witness even a partial solar eclipse.

Finally, on the 30th, check low in the western sky after sunset and see if you can spot what "Alice in Wonderland" would think was the Cheshire Cat. Hanging directly above the sunset point will be a very thin crescent Moon, with the cusps of the Moon pointing upwards and away from the Sun. It will look a big grin!

Seagrave Observatory is open to the public every Saturday night, weather and condition of our parking lot permitting of course. Though the skies may be clear, if our parking lot is inaccessible due to snow and ice, we will remain closed. Check our web site at http://www.theskyscrapers.org for snow/ice cancellations.

Keep your eyes to the skies.