2024, March 6: The Winter Stars Shift Westward

March 6, 2024: Watch the winter stars shift westward during March.  The moon is visible before sunrise, Jupiter after sunset.

The constellation Orion rises into view during the early evening hours of February each year.
Photo Caption – The constellation Orion rises into view during the early evening hours of February each year.

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by Jeffrey L. Hunt

Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:17 a.m. CST; Sunset, 5:48 p.m. CST.  Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program.

Winter Stars Shift Westward

The Winter Stars Shift Westward
Chart Caption – 2024, March 6: The bright stars of Winter’s Evenings are visible farther westward each evening.

For sky watchers at the mid-northern latitudes, seven of the night’s brightest stars shine from the southern sky after sunset. They are Sirius, Capella, Rigel, Procyon, Betelgeuse, Aldebaran, and Pollux.   From Earth’s revolution around the sun, they start the night farther westward each night. (For those observers at more southerly northern latitudes, Canopus – the night’s second brightest star – is visible as well.)

For example, Sirius rose at sunset on January 29th.  At sunset this evening, the Dog Star is nearly one-third of the way up in the south-southeast.

An hour later, it is approaching the south cardinal direction.  The night’s brightest star is relatively nearby, less than 10 light years away and shines with a brightness of 20 suns.

Orion is the flagship constellation of the season.  It is easy to locate at Sirius’ upper right.  Three stars of nearly equal brightness make the Hunter’s belt. Rosy Betelgeuse – to the upper left – dots his shoulder or armpit, while sapphire Rigel – marking a knee – is to the lower right.

Look for Procyon, the Little Dog Star, to Sirius’ upper left.  With Sirius and Betelgeuse, Procyon makes nearly an equilateral triangle known as the Winter Triangle.

Pollux and Castor, to Orion’s upper left, are the Gemini Twins.  The constellation somewhat resembles two side-by-side stick figures.

Capella, meaning “the little she-goat,” is high in the sky nearly overhead.  It is part of Auriga – the Charioteer (think Ben-Hur) – a pentagon-shaped pattern that is above Orion.

Follow Orion’s belt to the upper right to topaz Aldebaran and Taurus.

Summaries of Current Sky Events
Summary for Venus as a Morning Star, 2023-24

Here is today’s planet forecast:

Three Bright Planets

Saturn through the Hubble Space Telescope
Photo Caption – A Hubble View of Saturn (NASA)

Three bright planets are difficult to see because they are awash in bright twilight.  Rising before the sun, Saturn is about a week after its solar conjunction and appears too close to the sun for easy observation.

Mars - This image shows the globe of Mars set against a dark background. The disc of the planet features yellow, orange, blue and green patches, all with an overall muted grey hue, representing the varying composition of the surface.
Chart Caption – To mark 20 years of ESA’s Mars Express, the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) team has produced a new global color mosaic: Mars as never seen before. The mosaic reveals the planet’s surface color and composition in spectacular detail. (Photo: European Space Agency, ESA)

Rising over an hour before the sun, dim Mars is over 5° above the east-southeast horizon at 30 minutes before daybreak.  If you can find Venus near the horizon at this hour, Mars is 6.1° to the upper right and in the same binocular field.

Mercury as Never Seen Before
Photo Caption – Mercury as Never Seen Before. (NASA photo)

Racing toward an appearance in the evening sky, speedy Mercury sets 32 minutes after the sun. While bright, the planet is in a bright sky when it is high enough to be seen.  Look for it beginning in about a week.

Morning Sky

Morning Moon

2024, March 6: The crescent moon is low in the southeast before daybreak.
Chart Caption – 2024, March 6: The crescent moon is low in the southeast before daybreak.

An hour before sunrise, the crescent moon, 21% illuminated, is less than 10° above the southeast horizon. It is to the lower left of Sagittarius’ Teapot.

Crescent moon, February 27, 2022.
Photo Caption – Crescent moon, February 27, 2022.

Look for a soft glow, known as earthshine, between the lunar cusps or horns.  The effect is from sunlight reflected from Earth’s oceans, clouds, and land.  From the moon, Earth’s phase is nearly Full and appears very bright in the lunar sky.

The moon begins a new lunar cycle on the 10th at 4 a.m. CDT.

Venus

Venus is visible, but near the horizon, at 25 minutes before daybreak, when the Morning Star is less than 5° above the east-southeast horizon.  Find a spot with a clear view in that direction.  It is visible to the unassisted eye, but use a binocular to initially locate it.

Evening Sky

Jupiter

2024, March 6: Bright Jupiter is in the west-southwest after sundown.
Chart Caption – 2024, March 6: Bright Jupiter is in the west-southwest after sundown.

An hour after sundown, bright Jupiter is less than halfway up in the west-southwest.  It is the easiest bright planet to see.  It easily outshines all stars in the sky tonight, nearly twice as bright as Sirius.

The planet is slowly moving eastward in front of Aries.  It is above or east of an imaginary line from Hamal to Menkar.

Jupiter is moving toward a conjunction with the Pleiades star cluster, nearly 20° above the planet.  The event occurs when both are near solar conjunction during spring.

At 9:05 p.m. CST, when the Jovian Giant is less than 15° up in the west for Chicagoland sky watchers, the planet’s Great Red Spot is visible at the center of the planet in the southern hemisphere through a telescope.  The long-lived storm is visible for about 90 minutes before and after its center-stage appearance.  The planet is higher in the sky for more westerly time zones.

Jupiter sets less than five hours after sunset and before midnight.

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