March 19, 2024: The Vernal Equinox occurs tonight, signaling the beginning of spring in the northern hemisphere.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:55 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 7:02 p.m. CDT. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program.
Vernal Equinox, Spring Begins
Tonight at 10:06 p.m. CDT, astronomical spring begins in the northern hemisphere. This occurs when the sun appears to cross the celestial equator, and imaginary circle in the sky above Earth’s equator. Of course, the sun is not moving. The sun’s changing rising and setting points, along with the noon locations are from Earth’s tilt and revolution around the central star.
Your calendar may mark the 20th as the first day of spring. In the system that global and celestial events are communicated, based on the time in Greenwich, England, the equinox occurs at 3:06 a.m. For locales farther eastward, this occurs at later times depending on their longitudes and corresponding time zones. For the Americas, the date is the 19th.
The vernal equinox is an event and a location in the sky. For the location, it is the origin of two coordinate systems – one based on the celestial equator and the second uses the ecliptic. The two are inclined from Earth’s tilt, 23.5°, with the ecliptic crossing the equator at the vernal equinox point and the autumnal equinox.
Meteorologists follow a different calendar for reporting the weather. For them spring began on March 1st and ends May 31st.
Summaries of Current Sky Events
Summary for Venus as a Morning Star, 2023-24
Here is today’s planet forecast:
Morning Sky
Venus, Mars, Saturn
Three planets are in transition toward darker skies. Mars continues its climb into the eastern predawn sky. The planet is visible through a binocular at 40 minutes before sunrise. It is nearly 5° above the east-southeast horizon.
Venus is moving toward superior conjunction with the sun during early June and a wide swing into the western evening sky. This morning it rises 38 minutes before the sun and nearly 20 minutes later, it is less than 3° above horizon.
With Venus and Mars, a clear, uncluttered horizon is needed. A view across a lake or other body of water creates the natural horizon that is needed to see them. Open farm fields provide similar views.
Saturn is not visible because it rises in bright sunlight only 30 minutes before daybreak.
Venus passes Saturn in two days. This event is not easily visible, because of Saturn’s brightness and the bright predawn sky.
Evening Sky
Mercury in Western Sky
Mercury is on its way to the best evening appearance of the year. In five evenings, it appears farthest from the sun, known as the greatest elongation. This spring elongation is rather small, but the ecliptic makes a high angle with the horizon, allowing the planet to stand nearly 10° above the western horizon on the best nights.
This evening, 45 minutes after nightfall, the planet is nearly 8° above the west horizon. It is bright and can be found without optical assistance, although a binocular is helpful to make the initial identification.
Do not confuse Mercury with Jupiter, that bright star that is higher, about one-third of the way from the horizon to overhead.
When looking for Mercury, the gibbous moon is high in the southeastern sky.
Fifteen minutes later, Mercury is about 5° above the horizon.
Jupiter
This moonlight mutes the fainter stars and celestial wonders such as the Pleiades cluster, above Jupiter, and the Hyades star cluster near Aldebaran. A binocular provides a better view.
Jupiter and Uranus
Try to locate Uranus in the same binocular field with Jupiter. Place Jupiter to the lower right portion of the field. It is near the star Sigma Arietis (σ Ari on the chart). Uranus is in the upper left portion of the field, to the upper left of 53 Arietis (53 Ari).
Jupiter sets in the west-northwest over four hours after sundown and before midnight.
Gibbous Moon
The gibbous moon is high in the southeastern sky, nearly 10° to the lower left of Pollux, one of the Gemini Twins. The lunar orb is in front of Cancer, composed of dim stars.
During the night the moon and stars appear farther westward from Earth’s rotation. It sets in the western sky over 90 minutes before tomorrow’s sunrise.
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