March 2015 – Skies News
March Skies by Dick Cookman
Highlights: Comet Journal, Martian Landers, Meteor Showers, Spring Equinox, Planet Plotting, March Moon
Focus Constellations: Draco, Cepheus, Cassiopeia, Perseus, Camelopardalis, Auriga, Taurus, Orion, Canis Major, Canis Minor, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Lynx, Ursa Major, Ursa Minor
Comet Journal
Comet 88P/Howell (2015) is at 10th magnitude and may approach 8th magnitude when passing the Sun in early April. In March it will move through Capricornus which rises before the Sun in the southeastern skies. It is leading the Earth as each circuits the Sun counterclockwise and is near the plane of Earth’s orbit and about 0.33 AU beyond Earth. It will maintain its lead on Earth until October as it moves outward past the orbit of Mars.
Comet C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy) moves from Perseus and through Cassiopeia in March. It is at 6th magnitude and will drop to 7th magnitude in April as it ascends in northern skies, reaching Polaris by the end of May when it will have diminished to 9th magnitude.
Mars Landers
During February, Opportunity traveled southward along the western edge of Endeavour Crater toward Marathon Valley which appears to have significant quantities of clay minerals typically containing abundant water which may retain molecules resulting from organic processes. Opportunity was able to traverse about 555 feet of the remaining journey and has about 492 feet to go.
However, flash memory issues continued to plague the rover so mission scientists prepared to upgrade the flight software and reformat the Flash system. On Sol 3941 (Feb. 23, 2015), preparations were restarted for the FSW build. Remote sensing observations of Marathon Valley were also performed. On Sol 3942 (Feb. 24, 2015), the FSW patch was uploaded and the new FSW was successfully built and saved onboard. On the next sol, Opportunity successfully booted onto the new version of FSW and is running without error. The rest of Opportunity is fine, handicapped only by a broken shoulder and arthritic wheel which have not succeeded in stopping it from plunging onward. Solar energy is averaging over 540 watt hours per day thanks to a small wind generated dust cleaning event which occurred on Sol 3934 (Feb. 16, 2015). Total odometry on Mars for the rover is 26.13 miles (42.05 kilometers).
Curiosity devoted the interval since arrival at Mt. Sharp in September to examination of the basal Murray Formation at Pahrump Hills. The rock layers were studied at sites designated from bottom to top as Confidence Hills, Pink Cliffs, Book Cliffs, Alexander Hills, Gilbert Peak, Chinle, Whale Rock, and Salsberry Peak. The drilling program which began with drilling at Confidence Hills was continued at a site known as Mojave 2 near Pink Cliffs in late January. On February 24th, the rover drilled at a third site, Telegraph Peak, prior to leaving Pahrump Hills which were targeted for drilling because the rocks exposed appeared to have inordinately high levels of silicon as compared to magnesium and aluminum. Mission scientists concluded that the high silicon content may be indicative of acidic leaching. Curiosity is attempting to determine how ancient wet environments on Mars evolved into the drier environments currently present.
Meteor Showers
The minor Gamma Normid meteor shower on March 25th is confined to southern hemisphere skies. Why are there so few meteor showers at this time of year? This puzzling relative absence of February and March showers may, in part, be impacted by the effects of Jupiter’s gravity on comets originating in the quadrant of the sky occupied by Jupiter which was lined up with the Earth and Sun in February. Comet orbits are certainly influenced by Jupiter when passing too close to the planet, and studies indicate that the nature of meteor showers resulting from these comets may also be affected (http://mnras.oxfordjournals.org/content/402/4/2759.full). Gravitational disruption of passing comets by Jupiter may actually impact their ability to produce significant meteor showers!
Spring Equinox
The March Equinox marks the advent of Spring on the 20th at 6:45PM EDT. It is about 13 hours after New Moon which coincides with a Total Solar Eclipse visible in the Atlantic Ocean south of Iceland. In Europe and the Middle East it will be visible as a partial eclipse. The equinoxes mark the only times of the year in which the equatorial plane of the Earth is not tilted toward or away from the Sun. At the equinoxes all latitudes on Earth have equal lengths of daylight and night.
The Spring Equinox is defined by the time when the Sun is overhead at the equator and will be followed by the half of the year when the Sun shines more favorably on Earth’s northern hemisphere because the plane of Earth’s equator is tilted toward the Sun. The more direct rays of the Sun and the longer hours of daylight combine to produce our warm season even though the distance between the Earth and Sun is somewhat greater during northern hemisphere summers.
The beginning of the year was celebrated with the Spring Equinox by most early cultures in the Northern Hemisphere that utilized a solar year. Thus September, October, November, and December were the 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th months respectively. It has only been in more recent times that the starting point of the year was moved to mid-winter.
The Big Dipper is known as the Fisher, a hero to the Ojibwe people (see March Moon below) who celebrated the Spring Equinox with the exploits of their great hero who rescued summer.
The Fisher was living somewhere in this world. Nobody knows where. In those times there was no summer: it was winter, winter all the time. Summer existed somewhere, but never came to the people, even though they wanted it very much.
Long before this time of year round winter, a creature captured the guardian birds of summer (ni’benis’e), tied them in bundles, and kept them in his wigwam. The birds were prevented from bringing summer to the North Country and the people had to live through many years of continuous winter until, at last, the people learned where the creature lived with his compatriot the Freshwater Herring.
The Fisher decided to go and free the Summerbirds and after a long journey he discovered the wigwam where he found the Herring alone with the Summerbirds. He captured the Herring and put pitch in its mouth so it could not cry out and then broke the bindings entrapping the birds with his teeth. As the birds flew away, the pitch broke and the Herring cried out to the creature who came running with his bow and arrow to kill the Fisher, chasing him high into the sky. One arrow found the Fishers tail and the wound can still be seen at the spot where the arrow broke his tail. It is marked by the star Alcor.
Planet Plotting
March evening planets include Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Uranus. Early March is a good time to observe Venus (-3.9 to -4.0) and Mars (+1.3 to +1.4) low in the western sky in Pisces after sunset. Venus will move into Aries during the latter part of March. On the 4th, Venus is within 0.1° Of Uranus (+5.9) in the closest planet/planet conjunction of 2015 and Mars is 0.3° from Uranus on the 11th. Mars and Venus form a superb pairing with the adjacent waxing Crescent Moon on the 21st and 22nd respectively.
Jupiter (-2.5 to -2.3) rises in Cancer before sunset after passing through opposition with the Sun in February. It dominates the eastern sky in early evening and the southern and western skies for the rest of the night before setting before dawn.
Mercury (0.0 to -1.0) is the morning planet rising in the east in Capricornus in early March before it moves into Aquarius in the latter part of the month. It will pass Neptune (+8.0) in Aquarius on the 18th.
Planet……Constellation……Magnitude……Planet Passages
Sun…Aquarius, Pisces………-26.8……………New Moon, ………………………………………………………3/20, 5:36AM EDT Mercury..Capricornus, Aquarius, Pisces..0.07 to -1.0 Venus…..Pisces, Aries……….-3.9 to 4.0
…………………………………………………..Uranus, 0.1°S …………………………………………………………3/4, 3PM EST
Mars……..Pisces………………+1.32 to +1.4
……………………………………………………Uranus, 0.3°N. …………………………………………………………3/11, 4PM EDT Jupiter…..Cancer………………-2.5 to -2.3
Saturn…..Scorpius…………….+0.4 to +0.3
Uranus….Pisces………………..+5.9…….Venus, 0.1°N. …………………………………………………………3/4, 3PM EST …………………………………………………..Mars, 0.3°N. …………………………………………………………3/11, 4PM EDT
Neptune…Aquarius…………..+8.0
March Moon
Lunation 1140 started with the New Moon of February at 6:47PM EST on the 18th. It will end 29.45 days later with the New Moon of March at 5:36AM EDT on the 20th which will produce a total solar eclipse south of Iceland.
The Full Moon in March at 1:05PM EST on the 5th is in Leo which constitutes the tail and haunches of the Native American constellation of the Great Lynx or Panther (Mishi bizhiw). The Great Lynx is close to the right hand of the Anishnaabe constellation “Beboonkeonini” (Wintermaker), centered on modern day Orion. Beboonkeonini dominates the winter sky and his extended right hand introduces the coming of Mishi bizhiw who rules the spring sky in conjunction with “Ojiig” (the Fisher – Ursa Major), “Maang” (the Loon – Ursa Minor), and “Madoodiswan” (the Sweat Lodge – Corona Borealis).
The March Full Moon is the “Lenten, Sap, Crow, or Worm Moon.” Colonial Americans called it the “Fish Moon”, Celts called it the “Moon of Winds”, and Medieval English referred to it as the “Chaste Moon.” Chinese call it the “Sleepy Moon” and Anishnaabe (Odawa and Ojibwe) of northern Michigan call it “Bebookwaadaagame-giizis(oog)” (Snow Crust Moon).
Apogee distance (maximum distance) is 252,516 miles (63.72 Earth Radii) from Earth on the 5th at 2:33AM EST. The Moon is nearest (perigee) in its orbit (221,192 miles or 56.06 Earth Radii) on March 19 at 3:38PM EDT.
Planet..Constellation…….Magnitude……..Moon Passage
……………………………………………………Moon Phase/Age
Sun………Pisces……….-26.8………….5:36AM EDT, 3/20 ……………………………………………………..New ~ 0 days Mercury..Aquarius…….-0.4……….5.0°N, 1AM EDT, 3/19 …………………………………………Waning Crescent ~ 28.86 days Venus…..Aries………….-4.0………3.0°S, 4PM EDT, 3/22 …………………………………………Waxing Crescent ~ 2.43 days
Mars…….Pisces…………+1.3……..1.0°S, 6PM EDT, 3/21 ………………………………………….Waxing Crescent ~ 1.52 days Jupiter….Cancer………..-2.5……….5.0°S, 3AM EST, 3/3 ………………………………………….Waxing Gibbous ~ 12.34 days Jupiter….Cancer………..-2.3……….6.0°S, 6AM EDT, 3/30 ………………………………………….Waxing Gibbous ~ 10.02 days Saturn….Scorpius………+0.4……….2.0°N, 4AM EDT, 3/12 ………………………………………….Waning Gibbous ~ 21.38 days Uranus….Pisces…………+5.9………0.1°N, 7AM EDT, 3/21 …………………………………………..Waxing Crescent ~ 1.05 days Neptune..Aquarius……..+8.0……..4.0°N, 10PM EDT, 3/18 ………………………………………….Waning Crescent ~ 28.13 days