Beyond Bones

  Brilliant winter stars shift towards the southwest during March.  Dazzling Orion is almost due south at dusk.  His three-starred belt is halfway between reddish Betelgeuse and bluish Rigel.  Orion’s belt points up to Aldebaran in Taurus the Bull.  To Orion’s upper left are the twin stars Castor and Pollux, marking the heads of Gemini, […]

This month, Jupiter remains well placed for evening observing all winter and spring. Look for it almost overhead at dusk and high in the west later in the evening. Mars remains in the morning sky. It continues to brighten a bit in the south at dawn. Later in March, it also begins rising in late […]

Jupiter is almost overhead at dusk, but now a little toward the west. Face high in the west at dusk and look for the brightest thing there (unless the Moon is also there), as Jupiter outshines all stars we ever see at night. Saturn remains in the morning sky this month.  Look for it in […]

Saturn is up all night long by month’s end.  On Mar. 21, Earth passes between the sun and Saturn.  This alignment is called opposition because it puts Saturn and the sun on opposite sides of the Earth.  As a result, Saturn rises at dusk and sets at dawn on this date.  Look for Saturn to […]