Sky this Week

The following is a summary of some objects to view in the sky, this week March 16th to March 22nd, 2008.

International Space Station

Mon Mar 17 at 6:29 am in NW disappears in NE at 6:34 (mag -0.8)
Tue Mar 18 at 5:39 am in NNW disappears in E at 5:44 (-0.8)
Wed Mar 20 at 6:01 am in WNW disappears in SE at 6:06 (-2.5)
Thur Mar 21 at 6:23 am in W; disappears in S at 6:27 (-0.9)
Fri Mar 22 at 5:14 am in SE; disappears in SE at 5:15 (-0.5)

Sun

One small active region is currently visible on the solar disk, region 10986 (as of today, Sunday). It will rotate from view below the west limb Wednesday. The Sun is currently at the minimum of the solar sunspot cycle. The sun crosses the earth’s ecliptic on Wed Mar 19 at 11:49 pm MDT marking the vernal equinox or beginning of spring for the northern hemisphere.

Sunday March 16
Sunrise 7:11 am
Sunset 7:10 pm MDT

Saturday March 22
Sunrise 7:02 am
Sunset 7:16 pm MDT

Moon (~10 pm on day indicated)

The following are some features on the Astroleague Lunar1 observing club list that are near the terminator on days indicated. Sun Mar 16 lunation 9.5 Promotorium Laplace, Copernicus, Bullialdus and Longomontanus
Mon Mar 17 lun 10.5 Sinus Iridum, Promotorium Heraclides, Kepler, Gassendi and Hippalus
Tues Mar 18 lun 11.5 Vallis Schroter, Aristarchus, Oceanus Procellarum, Billy
Wed Mar 19 lun 12.5 Sinus Roris, Reiner Gamma and Schickard
Fri Mar 21 lun 14.5 Full moon Friday March 21st at 12:40 pm MDT Look for rays extending from prominent craters and bright albedo features. Sat Mar 22 lun 15.5 Promotorum Agarum

Planets (Positions are for Saturday Mar 22)

Mars is in constellation Gemini it is +0.63 magnitude in brightness and 7.6 arc sec across it is 90% illuminated

Saturn is in constellation Leo. It is +0.7 magnitude in brightness and 19.8 arc sec across.

Jupiter is in constellation Sagittarius. It is -1.9 magnitude in brightness and 36 arc sec across. The Great Red Spot crosses the center of Jupiter at the following times this week: Tues Mar 18 at 3:36 am (MDT)
Thurs Mar 20 at 5:15 am
Sat Mar 22 at 6:53 am
The GRS is visible for about an hour before and after crossing central On Saturday morning around 6 am the great red spot will be transiting Jupiter. Jupiter’s moon’s Callisto and Europa is visible to the east and Ganymede and Io are visible to the west. About half hour before sunrise, Mercury and Venus are visible low in the in constellation Aquarius-0.13 magnitude in brightness and 5.6 arc-sec in diameter Venus is just above and to the left of Mercury-3.8 magnitude in brightness and 10.6 arc across, disk in 94% illuminated

Dark Sky

The moon interferes with our dark sky views this week.

Comets (Sat March 22)

In constellation Perseus 17 P Holmes magnitude 5.6, coma is 70 arc min across
46P Wirtanen magnitude 9.6 , 5.3 arc min across
C/2008 C1 Chen-Gao magnitude 10.3 and 2.6 arc min across
C/2006 W3 Christensen magnitude 13.3 and 22 arc sec
Nearby in constellation Auriga comet 29P Schwassmann-Wachmann is magnitude 12 and 2.1 arc min across C/2007 W1 Boattini is in constellation Corvus magnitude 11.6 and 1.6 arc min across
C/2006 Q1 McNaught is in constellation Vela. It is 11.5 mag and 1 arc min across