Skywatch Line for Monday and Tuesday March 18th and 19th, 2024 written by Joe Slomka
This is the Dudley Observatory’s Skywatch Line for Monday and Tuesday March 18th and 19th, written by Joe Slomka.
The Sun sets at 7:06 PM; night falls at 8:41. Dawn begins at 5:25 AM and ends with Sunrise at 7.
Monday’s 9-day-old Moon sets at 4:01 AM and rises at 12:26 PM, by 7 PM it lies 65° high in the East, 30 arc-minutes in size and 68% illuminated; as Dusk begins, the Moon is less than 3° to the lower right of the star Pollux. Tuesday’s Moon moves to eastern Cancer, sets at 4:44 AM, and rises at 1:30 PM; by 7 PM, 54° high, 29 arc-minutes, 76% lit, at 3 AM Pollux is only 1.5° North of the Moon.
Mercury is the first to appear in western Pisces, 17° from the Sun, shines with minus zero magnitude, 6 arc-seconds, 67% lit, 16° high and sets at 8:29 PM. This is the best apparition for the year; it will soon begin to fade during the rest of the month.
Jupiter and Uranus share western Aries. Jupiter flashes with minus 2nd magnitude, 35 arc-seconds, 42° high and sets at 10:54 PM. Tuesday, the Great Red Spot (giant storm), crosses the planet’s face at 7:02 PM. Uranus follows Jupiter by 5°, shining with 5th magnitude, 3 arc-seconds, 47° high and sets at 11:24 PM.
Mars is the first early planet in southeastern Capricornus, rising at 5:58 AM, shining with first magnitude, 4 arc-seconds, 96% lit and is 6° high at 6:30 AM. Venus follows, in eastern Aquarius, blazing with minus 3rd magnitude, 10 arc-seconds, 94% lit, but only 1° high at 6:30 AM, but higher daily.
The Spring (or Vernal) equinox arrives at 11 PM, Tuesday. Astronomers define the Equinox as that point where the ecliptic (the Sun’s path across the sky) and the celestial equator (the projection of Earth’s equator onto the sky) cross with the Sun climbing higher on the ecliptic. This definition and event was known to virtually all civilizations, whether or not they fully understood it. Throughout the northern hemisphere, markers were aligned with the Sun to determine the first day of spring. Rites celebrated the event and farmers would start planting.
At the time of the Babylonians, Aries housed the Spring Equinox (now in Pisces), which was why it was called “The First Point of Aries.” It began the Babylonian, Assyrian and Hebrew calendars.
The word “equinox” means, “equal night.” At the Equinox, there are approximately 12 hours of daylight followed by 12 hours of night. Note that setting and rising times are within a few minutes of 7:00. The Spring Equinox is also the source of folklore that equal gravity between Earth and Sun cause an egg to balance on its end. Actually, gravity has nothing to do with it. Eggs can be balanced at any time of the year.