March 2020 What’s Up!

Week of 30th March

• Astronomical twilight ends at 21:35 BST at the start of the week and 21:49 BST at the end
• On Saturday evening, Venus will appear close to the Pleiades in Taurus, passing within about 15 arcminutes of the open cluster. Venus will be at mag -4.4 while the Pleiades will be at mag +1.3
• For the early risers, the three naked eye superior planets, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, make a spectacular sight as they all appear in the sky within 7° of eachother. Look towards the southeast horizon at around 5am. On Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, Mars and Saturn will be within 1° of eachother, around this time appearing in conjunction when they share the same right ascension
• The Moon is waxing and will be First Quarter on Wednesday
• There are no active regions on the Sun, with the current spotless stretch at 19 days
• There are multiple evening ISS passes this week:
  Monday: 21:32, W to S, max 46°
  Tuesday: 20:44, W to ESE, max 61° and 22:21, W to WSW, max 15°
  Wednesday: 21:34, W to SSW, max 25°
  Thursday: 20:46, W to SSE, max 34°
  Friday: 21:37, WSW to SSW, max 12°
  Saturday: 20:49, W to S, max 18°

Week of 23rd March

• Astronomical twilight ends at 20:21 UT at the start of the week and 21:33 BST at the end
• British Summer Time starts on Sunday 29th March, clocks go forward one hour at 1am
• Venus is at Greatest Eastern Elongation on Tuesday, when it is at maximum separation from the Sun. It reaches a peak altitude of 41° above the horizon on Friday evening, shining at mag -4.4. Observation of Venus through binoculars or a telescope at this time will show it in dichotomy phase, the equivalent of a Quarter Moon phase
• Mercury is at Greatest Western Elongation on Monday, appearing before sunrise in the southeastern morning sky. Unfortunately it will be difficult to spot at only 6° above the horizon. Take care of the rising Sun if you do try to spot it. Mercury will be at aphelion on Friday, the furthest point from the Sun in its orbit
• A new comet, C/2019 Y4 (Atlas), was discovered in December last year and is brightening as it approaches the Sun. It is currently at magnitude +8.3, so binoculars are needed to see it. Look above the head of the Bear in Ursa Major. It will reach perihelion on 31st May, so will hopefully become increasingly bright through the spring. For full details about this comet, visit theskylive.com and search for ATLAS
• The New Moon is on Tuesday
• There are no active regions on the Sun, with the current spotless stretch at 11 days
• There are multiple evening ISS passes this week:
  Monday: 19:36, WSW to E, max 55° and 21:13, W, max 27°
  Tuesday: 20:25, W to ENE, max 88°
  Wednesday: 19:38, WSW to E, max 84° and 21:15, W, max 30°
  Thursday: 20:27, W to E, max 86°
  Friday: 19:40, W to E, max 84° and 21:17, W, max 29°
  Saturday: 20:29, W to SE, max 76°
  Sunday: 20:42, W to E, max 87° and 22:19, W to WSW, max 24°

Week of 16th March

• Astronomical twilight ends at 20:07 UT at the start of the week and 20:19 UT at the end
• The Vernal Equinox is on Friday and marks the first day of spring here in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the point when the Sun, travelling along the ecliptic, crosses the celestial equator, heading North and has a Right Ascension of 00 hours and a Declination of 0°. It is also known as the First Point of Aries; however, due to Earth’s precession, the Sun is no longer in Aries at this time, but is in Pisces – apologies to all those who swear by their daily horoscope!
• The Moon is waning and will be Last Quarter on Monday
• There are no active regions on the Sun, with the current spotless stretch at 5 days
• There are multiple evening ISS passes this week:
  Thursday: 19:33, S to SSE, max 15°
  Friday: 20:21, SW to SSW, max 30°
  Saturday: 19:33, SSW to ESE, max 30° and 21:10, WSW, max 19°
  Sunday: 20:22, WSW to SSE, max 69°

Week of 9th March

• Astronomical twilight ends at 19:53 UT at the start of the week and 20:05 UT at the end
• Venus continues to appear high in the southwest evening sky at magnitude -4. It will be about 2° from Uranus (mag +6, binoculars required) at the start of the week
• The Moon is waxing and will be Full on Monday
• Breaking a string of 34 spotless days, a new sunspot is emerging in the Sun’s southern hemisphere. The high latitude and magnetic polarity of this sunspot identify it as a likely member of new Solar Cycle 25
• There are no visible evening ISS passes this week

Week of 2nd March

• Astronomical twilight ends at 19:41 UT at the start of the week and 19:52 UT at the end
• Comet C/2017 T2 (PANSTARRS) is currently visible through a telescope at magnitude +9 in Cassiopeia
• Venus is high in the southwest evening sky
• The Moon is waxing and will be at First Quarter on Monday
• The Sun has no visible active regions, current spotless stretch is 28 days
• There are no visible evening ISS passes this week