Home Archived Monthly Sky 2002: Feb

Astronomy Club of Asheville

Asheville, NC

March 2002 Sky Highlights

Milky Way

North-Northwest to South-Southeast.

Moon

Last quarter is March 6^th. New Moon is March 14^th. First Quarter is March 22^nd. Full Moon is March 28^th.

Planets

As you face southwest Jupiter is near zenith, Saturn far to its lower right and Mars to the lower right of Saturn. Late in March 30 to 40 minutes after sunset Venus will add to the lineup in the low western horizon (See the center foldout in Sky & Telescope for a drawing of the lineup). Be sure to see this lineup and remember that in late April Mercury will join the gathering. This will be one of the most spectacular gatherings of planets in many years!

Jupiter is at -2.2 to -2.4 magnitude this month

Saturn at 0.0 to +0.1 magnitude this month. It is at Eastern Quadrature on 27 February, so this month the planet's shadow can be seen on the rings. Also, for this year and the next several, the rings are greatly inclined to our line of site, so they appear "open" and detailed. (See Photo page.)

Mars at +1.3 to +1.5 magnitude this month.

Mercury at -0.5 to -1.2 magnitude at month’s end.

Highlights of the Month

The star Sirius in the constellation Canis Major is one of our closest neighbors in the Milky Way Galaxy. It is 8.6 light years away. It has an absolute magnitude of +1.4.

Look for the "Little Beehive", M41 also known as NGC 2287, in Canis Major. It is 2,100 light years away and spans 24 light years with 80 stars.

Current Happenings!

Check out this website for information on the current Hubble Mission.

http://sm3b.gsfc.nasa.gov/

It gives up-to-date information on the mission.

Club Meeting

The regular monthly club meeting is on the first Thursday of the month. This month’s date is March 7, 2001, at 6 p.m. at Sims Group, Consulting Engineers located at 230 Short Coxe Ave., Asheville, NC.

Club Stargaze

The March stargaze is Friday, March 15^th. The parkway may be closed for winter conditions, please contact a club member for changes in location.

Happy Starwatching!

Taken from Sky & Telescope Magazine & Astronomical Calendar 2002.