Tuesday, March 31
This morning brings us the second of March’s two planetary conjunctions. Having left Jupiter behind, Mars closes in on Saturn in the southeastern sky against the glittering stars of Capricornus. By 7 A.M., the two worlds stand just 0.9° apart.
Early risers can catch the conjunction, which is best seen in the hour or so before sunrise. As a bonus, brilliant Jupiter sits just 6° west of Mars and Saturn, which glow at roughly the same magnitude: 0.8 and 0.7, respectively.
Wednesday, April 1
First Quarter Moon occurs at 6:21 A.M. EDT. This evening, look for our waxing satellite just 6° below Pollux, the bright, gold-colored star in Gemini the Twins. Castor, which sports roughly the same magnitude but a whiter hue, sits just to the north of Pollux. Look below the pair, toward the horizon, and you’ll find Orion the Hunter standing upright as he aims his bow at Taurus the Bull, to the west. Orion’s bright shoulder, Betelgeuse, has been undergoing strange changes in brightness over the past several months. Note how bright it appears today, then compare it to your observations days or weeks from now.
Thursday, April 2
Today marks the 175th anniversary of the first surviving photograph of the Sun. The roughly 5-inch daguerreotype was made by Louis Fizeau and Leon Foucault, and captured details including several sunspots visible on our star’s disk.
As spring begins to bring warmer temperatures and clearer days to the Northern Hemisphere, consider doubling your observing time by looking at our closest star.
Solar observing is dangerous without the right equipment. Unless you have an approved solar filter, never use your telescope, viewfinder, or binoculars to look at the Sun. Instead, you may be able to
view the Sun safely by turning your small telescope into a solar projector, rather than looking through the scope directly. Alternatively, you can easily build a pinhole projector box to examine the Sun’s disk and look for any sunspots that may darken its face.
Asteroid Juno reaches opposition at 4 P.M. EDT. After dark, try to spot the 145-mile-wide (234 kilometers) world, which shines at magnitude 9.5, rising in the east about 2° south of magnitude 3.4 Delta (δ) Virginis.