Sky Roundup for March 2010

Astronomical highlights for the month of March

Out Like a Lamb, In Like a Lion

Doesn‘t the folklore expression for the month of March read more like:  Comes in like a lion, goes out like a lamb?  Well, yes, it does, if one were to describe the weather of March.  In meteorological terms, the start of this month is usually considered blustery while the end of the month is more tame. 

However, this year, like much of the wild weather around the entire northern hemisphere, has been topsy-turvy.  And March seems to be following the unsettled nature of this season’s weather and has actually arrived in the Midwest more tame than in previous years.

Does that portend nasty weather for the departure of the month?  No, not necessarily.  The weather for a single month, or for a single season, or for several years of seasons, does not necessarily portend a genuine trend in meteorology or even climatology.

But in astronomical terms and in the night sky, the month of March is accurately described here for the moment as we say farewell to the constellation of Aries (the Lamb) and say hello to the star pattern of Leo (the Lion). 

In early March, the Lamb nears the western horizon by early evening; by month‘s end, it has disappeared altogether.  The Lion, though, is seen higher in the sky every night in the eastern sky, so that by mid-month it stands at the zenith by 11:00 p.m.  Its bright star Regulus, the heart of the lion, glows bluish-white. 

Aries is a small constellation of the Zodiac but doesn‘t look like a lamb; Leo is a much larger constellation of the Zodiac and really does resemble the profile of a lion with a furry mane.  Within the Zodiac, that swath of sky and star patterns through which the planets move, let’s see what planets are visible.

Mercury has disappeared for the month as it’s lost in the glare of the Sun.

Venus emerges from the glare of the Sun this month, shines brightly, and is seen low in the western sky sunset. 

Mars continues to stand high all night long in Cancer (the Crab), gleaming a distinct light orange in the night sky.  Having reached opposition in January, the Red Planet is still seen, for the most part, rising as the Sun sets, making the small, dry, cold world visible all night long.  Through a good telescope, Mars’s size is shrinking as Earth pulls ahead of it in its orbit.

Jupiter, like Mercury, is also lost in the glare of the Sun for this month.  By month’s end, it has crossed into our morning sky and will rise ahead of the Sun.  A good telescope can barely glimpse it in morning twilight. 

Saturn in Virgo (the Maiden) still can be found east of Mars before morning twilight and is a pretty, pale, ringed wonder at even modest magnification in a telescope.  

Uranus and Neptune are both lost in the twilight glare of the Sun and cannot be seen well.  The twin large worlds have crossed over into our morning sky and rise ahead of the Sun.

By the way, get set for Daylight Saving Time when we “spring ahead” on March 14.  Make certain that your clocks and computers and phones are set ahead one hour.  And, if the weather outside isn‘t roaring like a lion, don’t be sheepish about observing the night sky.  Get out under the stars as often as you can this month.

If you'd like to check past editions of Sky Roundup, click here for access to archives kept by the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, where Roy Kaelin headed up its Astronomy Department from 2007 to 2009.