As we transition from winter into spring, the early evening sky has a split personality. The western half is dominated by stars and constellations that are remnants of the winter, while the precursors of spring adorn the eastern half of the sky. Through April and May, the winter constellations will gradually be lost in the glare of the setting Sun, to be replaced by the springtime constellations. I must confess that I am always rather saddened by the departure of the winter constellations. While the familiar asterism of the Big Dipper is a welcome newcomer to the evening sky, there are not nearly as many bright stars and prominent constellations in the spring as there are in the winter. Also, during the spring months, the Milky Way (and its large variety of interesting deep-sky objects) hugs the horizon in the evening hours. Consequently, the spring sky has a dearth of interesting telescope targets compared to the summer and winter months. There are galaxies galore in the spring sky, more than any other time of the year. However, these are difficult to see in the light-polluted skies of Tampa Bay, even with our observatory telescope.
Fortunately, there are still some fine sights. The great hunter Orion still dominates the southwestern sky, and the Orion nebula will be a prime target for our rooftop telescopes throughout March and April. And this year the otherwise dull spring skies are embellished by the two brilliant beacons of Jupiter and Venus. With the exception of the Moon (and a few satellites), these two planets are the brightest objects visible in the evening sky. Jupiter shines brightly high in the east after sunset, while brilliant Venus claims the western sky. These planets will be the main attractions following our Friday evening planetarium shows through the remainder of Session II. And keep your eyes on the skies – Jupiter and Venus are headed for a spectacular rendezvous. Over the next few months these two planets will gradually drift closer and closer together, culminating in a beautiful conjunction in late June. I will have more to say about this in a subsequent post.
One more noteworthy event to look forward to is an eclipse of the moon in the pre-dawn hours of April 4th. The moon will begin to move into the Earth’s shadow around 6:15 am, and the eclipse will still be in progress as the moon sets about an hour later. Set your alarm clock!
The SPC planetarium is open to the public (free of charge) on Friday evenings at 7:00 pm and 8:15 pm, with telescope viewing after the late show. We have had large turnouts for every show this year, so come early to get a seat! For more information about the planetarium and a current schedule of shows, visit our website at http://www.spcollege.edu/planetarium/.