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Celestial Events
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- Mercury passed behind the sun (superior conjunction) on March 14, and will reappear at dusk by the end of the month. Starting on March 28 and for a couple of weeks thereafter, Mercury will be less than 5 degrees to the lower right of bright Venus: Look for the two planets above the western horizon, thirty minutes after sunset.
- Venus is now visible as the Evening Star. Look for the bright planet in the glow of twilight, just above the western horizon, 30 minutes after sunset. Venus keeps moving away from the sun and will become easier to see over the coming weeks. The crescent moon will be near Venus on March 16 and 17.
- Mars appears at dusk fairly high in the southeast. Around 9:00 p.m., the Red Planet culminates at more than 67 degrees above the south horizon, between the constellations Gemini and Leo, near the twin stars Pollux and Castor. The waxing gibbous moon will be near Mars on March 25 and 26.
- Jupiter is presently too close to the sun and is not easily visible. The Giant Planet gradually reappears in the dawn sky in April, very low on the eastern horizon. The crescent moon will be near Jupiter on April 11 and 12.
- Saturn is at opposition on March 22. The Ringed Planet is visible all night long: it appears above the eastern horizon around 8:00 p.m., culminates about 45 degrees high in the south around 1:00 a.m., and sets in the west at dawn. The moon will be near Saturn on March 28 and 29.
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Recent Astronomical Events
- The Perseids, August 2009: see our special report.
- The August "Mars Hoax" Returns! (2009)
- The August "Mars Hoax" Strikes Again! (2008)
- The Perseids, August 2008: see our special report.
- Total Lunar Eclipse, February 20, 2008: see The Pocket Planetarium (570K PDF document)
- Comet Holmes in outburst: see our special report.
- Beware! The August "Mars Hoax" is Back!
- The Perseids, August 2007: see our special report.
- Total Lunar Eclipse, March 3, 2007: see The Pocket Planetarium (501K PDF document)
- Transit of Mercury, November 8, 2006: see our special report.
- Mars "as large as the full moon:" Beware of the hoax!
- The Perseids, August 2006: see our special report.
- Moon occults the Pleiades, early evening, April 1st: see The Pocket Planetarium (503K PDF document)
- The Perseids, August 2005: see our special report.
- See Comet Machholz in the Evening Sky:
- Geminid meteor shower peaks Monday evening December 13: see article on Science@NASA
- Moon occults Jupiter, early morning, December 7: see The Pocket Planetarium (558K PDF document)
- Venus and Jupiter meet in the morning sky, November 5: see The Pocket Planetarium (558K PDF document)
- Total Lunar Eclipse, October 27-28, 2004: see The Pocket Planetarium (558K PDF document)
- The Perseids, August 2004: see The Pocket Planetarium (529K PDF document)
- Transit of Venus, June 8, 2004: see our special report or The Pocket Planetarium (576K PDF document)
- Total Lunar Eclipse, November 8, 2003: see The Pocket Planetarium (410K PDF document)
- The Perseids, August 2003: see The Pocket Planetarium (505K PDF document)
- Mars at Opposition, August 28, 2003: see The Pocket Planetarium (505K PDF document)
- Total Lunar Eclipse, May 15, 2003: see The Pocket Planetarium (451K PDF document)
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