Today:
Early March offers good views of the planet Jupiter, and yet you can see a pronounced change. Jupiter starts the evening high in the south-southwest near 6:30 PM, and will set after midnight, at around 1:30 AM. It loses height each evening through the next two months, lost in the Sun’s glare by June.
Wednesday:
Looking west early this evening, the Moon appears almost half-full, just one day shy of its First Quarter. This larger, brighter view of our silvery neighbor makes it challenging to see the faint cluster of stars just below it. Patience, and perhaps a spotting scope or binoculars should reveal the tight collection of stars called the Seven Sisters, or the Pleiades, just below our celestial neighbor.
Thursday:
High in the south this evening are two “twin” stars, the Twins of Gemini. The stars of Gemini are the location where the planet Uranus was discovered in March of 1781 by Sir William Herschel. Uranus was last in Gemini between 1950 and 1956. Its 84 year orbit will bring it back here in 2034.