Today:
Leap Day, occurring once every four years, keeps our calendar in sync with the seasons and the Sun. Our 365 and one quarter day orbit leaves a quarter day extra each year, adding up to the extra day on our calendars every four years. The Egyptians figured this out, but Julius Caesar implemented this into his calendar reform in 45 BC.
Friday:
March kicks off with good views of the planet Jupiter, and yet you can see a pronounced change. Jupiter starts the evening halfway up in the west-southwest near 6:30 PM, but it won’t make it until midnight, setting by 10:30 PM. It loses height each evening through the next two months, lost in the Sun’s glare by May.
Saturday:
Night owls should have something to “hoot” about in the wee hours of the morning. Rising near 1:25 AM, but much better placed for viewing from 4 o’clock until they crest due south at 5:30 AM, a Last Quarter Moon sits amazingly close to the red star Antares – so close that for the southeastern US and Mexico, the Moon covers Antares, an event called an occultation.