With evening temperatures grudgingly creeping upward toward ‘pleasant’ over the next few weeks, mitts become optional when you take a few extra minutes to admire the night sky.
Those who have, and live or drive at night in the country, might have noticed the ghostly glow of the Zodiacal light arching up in the west after sunset for the last couple of weeks. This twice annual phenomena is caused by sunlight reflecting off dust left over from the formation of the inner planets. While always there, it is most prominent at the equinoxes, just after sunset in spring and preceding sunrise in the fall. Not all that easy to see this far north, the Zodiacal light is sometimes mistaken for ‘the lights of a town just over the horizon’, an experience I can vouch for.
But, for country and city dwellers alike, the ‘star’ of the evening is not a star at all: Jupiter dominates in the dark south east sky, at least until the Moon gains prominence by mid-month. It’s twice as bright as its only real rival, the sky’s brightest star Sirius, currently lying low in the south.
In case you’ve been wondering where to find the red giant star Aldebaran in the constellation Taurus (you never know; it could come up in a conversation some day), the Moon will be just two degrees to the left of it on the evening of the 10th. Earlier that afternoon, between 4:30 and 5:00, the top of the Moon will have passed right over top; a nice view in dark skies, but pretty much non-news in the late afternoon.
We also get a bit of a bonus this week: Mercury appears just above the western horizon shortly after sunset. Very bright when it’s visible, Mercury’s a little hard to view as it always lies very close to the Sun; we can only catch it just before sunrise or just after sunset when all the math works out. Get out shortly after 8pm as it’s low on the horizon and sets 90 minutes after the Sun. An especially nice view occurs when it’s joined by the crescent Moon on the 8th.
Now is the time to step out on a clear evening, find a dark spot and just look around. The constellation of Orion, and the sky’s brightest star, Sirius, and in fact much of the night sky, will soon be lost to the Sun’s glare as the days lengthen.
Spring is in the air. What better place to enjoy the little things in a very large universe than outside in your own back yard.
