Think you can’t find planets, identify bright stars, or find constellations you may want to give this a try. No star maps, you just need to find the Moon. The best times to look are 30 minutes after sunset or when the Moon in is the morning sky about an hour before sunrise.
This month (March. 2013) the Moon will pass by the planets Jupiter, and Saturn The bright stars to see are Aldebaran, Rigel, Betelgeuse, Sirius, Procyon, Pollux, Castor, Capella, Arcturus, Spica, Antares, and Regulus. We say good-by this month to the constellation Pisces and welcome the constellation Capricornus.
This is set up for Aurora, Colorado (Mountain Time). Things will be slightly different depending on your location, but close enough for finding the planets and bright stars easily.
Start observing 60 minutes before sunrise
On March 1 the Moon is in the constellation Virgo the virgin. To the right of and close to the Moon is Spica the brightest star in Virgo. To the left of Moon is Saturn.
On March 2-3 the Moon enters the constellation Libra the scales. On March 2 the Moon is below Saturn.
On March 4-5 the Moon is in the constellation Ophiuchus the serpent-bearer and thirteenth constellation of the Zodiac. Astrologically the Zodiac has only twelve. There are no notably bright stars in Ophiuchus. On March 4 the Moon is above of the bright star Antares a red super giant. See if you can detect the red hue. If Antares were the Sun the Earth and Mars would be orbiting inside of it. Antares is in the constellation Scorpius the scorpion. On March 4 the Moon is also at third (or last) quarter. At this phase the Moon is approximately in the same place in space the Earth and you will be in 3.5 hours. Note how the Moon will thin and plunge toward the rising sun in the next six days.
On March 6-7 the Moon is in the constellation Sagittarius the archer. Sagittarius points the way to the center of our galaxy, the Milky Way. The Moon will start to be affected by the glare of the rising Sun.
On March 8-9 the Moon is in the constellation Capricornus. There are no bright stars in Capricornus. The Moon will be affected by the glare of the rising Sun.
On March 10 a thin crescent moon is in the constellation Aquarius the water bearer is lost in the glare of the rising Sun. The Moon will reappear in several days in the west in the evening sky. NOTE: Daylight saving time starts.
Special Note: Comet Pan-STARRS may be visible shortly after sunset very low on the western horizon.
On March 11 the Moon is new rising and setting with the Sun. The Moon has moved from the morning side of the Sun to the evening side of the Sun. The Moon will be difficult to see in the glare of the setting Sun for the next few days.
Special Note: Comet Pan-STARRS may be visible shortly after sunset very low on the western horizon.
Observe 30 to 60 minutes after sunset
On March 12 a super thin crescent moon in the glare of the setting Sun will be to the right of Comet Pan-STARRS just after sunset (7:02PM MDT). The Moon will be difficult to see. Binoculars are recommended. We do not know how bright Comet Pan-STARRS will be. With any luck this will be the first visible comet in Colorado since 1995.
On March 13 a very thin crescent moon in the glare of the setting Sun will be above of Comet Pan-STARRS. Again the thin crescent may be difficult to see.
On March 14-15 the Moon is in constellation Aries the ram. There are no bright stars in Aries. The bright star to the upper left is Jupiter.
On March 16-18 the Moon is in the constellation Taurus the bull. On March 17 the Moon will be in between Jupiter and the star Aldebaran, the brightest star in Taurus. A small cluster of stars called Pleiades is left of the Moon. It’s worth a look with binoculars. If you own a Subaru the Pleiades is your car’s emblem. Above the Moon and Jupiter, almost overhead is the bright star Capella, the goat star, in the constellation Auriga, the charioteer.
On March 19 the Moon is in the constellation Gemini , and in the center of all the brightest stars in the winter sky. To the right is Jupiter (upper) and Aldebaran (lower). To the lower right (5 o’clock position) are the bright stars Betelgeuse (upper) a red giant, and Rigel (lower) a blue giant in the constellation of Orion. Between Rigel and Betelgeuse are the three stars of Orion’s belt, Mintaka (left), Alnilam (Center) and Alnitak (Right). Below the Moon (6 o’clock position) is Sirius, the Dog Star, in Canis Major the large dog. Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky. To the lower left (8 o’clock position) is Procyon in Canis Minor the little dog. To the upper left (10 o’clock position) of the Moon are Pollux (lower) and Castor (upper) the Gemini twins. Above the Moon (12 o’clock) is star Capella, the goat star, in the constellation Auriga, the charioteer. The Moon is also at first quarter or a half moon. When the Moon is at first quarter it is approximately in same place in space as the Earth and you were 3.5 hours ago.
On March 20-21 the Moon is still in the constellation Gemini. The Moon will move above Procyon and below Pollux (lower) and Castor (upper) the Gemini twins.
On March 22 the Moon moves into the constellation of Cancer, the crab. There are no noticeably bright stars in Cancer.
On March 23 the Moon moves into the constellation Leo. Regulus the brightest star in Leo is upper left of the Moon.
On March 26-27 the Moon is in Virgo. The Moon will look full on both dates, but it is technically full on March 27 at 3:28 in the morning. The Moon moves into the morning sky when full. For more detailed information about this month’s full moon including names go here
Start observing 60 minutes before sunrise
On March 28 the Moon will be very close the Spica the brightest star in Virgo. Saturn is at the upper left of the Moon. The bright star Arcturus in Bootes the herdsman is above the Moon. The Moon has also returned to the position where it started at the beginning of the month completing one lunar orbit.
On March 29 the Moon will be below Saturn.
On March 30 the Moon will be in the constellation Libra the scales. There are no bright stars in Libra. Saturn is above and to the right of the Moon.
On March 31 the Moon is in Scorpius the scorpion. The bright star Antares a red super giant. In below and left of the Moon.
Wishing you a clear skies
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