Our third month of the year brings us a total Lunar Eclipse, the vernal equinox, and a nice pairing of the Moon and Jupiter. Hopefully the clouds will part at the right time for viewing some of these events.
Spring begins on March 20 this year. On that date, day length and night will be about equal. Earth’s axis of rotation will be parallel to the Sun, and the Sun will be directly overhead on the equator. Autumn will begin for the southern hemisphere, where the date is known as the autumnal equinox.
The lunar eclipse will occur in the early morning hours of March 3. The eclipse technically starts at about 12:45 a.m., but totality, when the Moon is fully within Earth’s shadow, will not start until about 3 a.m. Totality will peak at about 3:30 a.m., and end at about 4 a.m. So, get up early if skies are clear. The Moon will be high in the southwest, in the constellation Leo. The Goldendale Observatory will be open for the event, from 1-6 a.m. There is no need for a reservation; you can just drop in. Check the “Special Events” tab on the Observatory web page (www.goldendaleobservatory.com) for more details.
Two planets are prominent in March skies. Bright Venus will be visible, low in the west, after sunset. On March 7, Saturn will be located just to the left of Venus. Both are bright enough that they should be easily visible, but a pair of binoculars may help to get a better view. Saturn will soon disappear behind the Sun, and will return to the evening sky in the fall.
Jupiter rides high in the southwestern sky, in the constellation Gemini. The gas giant will be brighter than anything in the evening sky, except the Moon and Venus. On March 25, the first quarter Moon will be just to the right of Jupiter, which should make for a nice sight. New Moon will be on March 18.
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This month you must indulge me as I reminisce a bit. This is the 250th “What’s in the Sky” column I have written, so a bit of a milestone. It all started in May 2006, when I approached the White Salmon Enterprise with the idea of a monthly column about the night sky. Elaine and Sverre Bakke were all for it, and kudos to them both for their support.
After a few years, The Dalles Chronicle and Goldendale Sentinel picked it up, and it continued when the Gorge papers merged into the current Columbia Gorge News. The late Mark Gibson was very supportive, as have been Trisha Walker with Columbia Gorge News and Lou Marzeles with The Sentinel. It has been a totally volunteer effort, and certainly has been rewarding. One of the best “compliments” I recall was one evening in Glenwood, years ago. I had some telescopes out for community members. One young man was looking up at the stars, and he reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. It was my latest column, which he had cut out from the paper. He was not aware that I was the one who wrote it. Things like that make it all worthwhile. On to the next 250!
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