See the Cosmic Light

Zodiacal Light
Artist's rendering of zodiacal light, a triangular, faint area of cosmic light extending from the ground (center, right) up, and toward the left. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

A beautiful, triangle-shaped glow of cosmic light appears in the western sky from late March through early April for those of you who live in mid-northern latitudes (e.g., most of the US, southern Europe, Japan, northern China).  Called the “zodiacal light” (as the triangle of light extends from the sun along the constellations of the zodiac), this wondrous apparition can be viewed only if you are far away from city lights, beginning about 80 minutes after sunset.  The zodiacal light will appear slightly dimmer than the Milky Way.  Zodiacal light is caused by the reflection of sunlight off of dust particles in the solar system.

See the star Spica near the Moon

The bright star Spica — part of the Name A Star Live constellation Virgo — will be near the Moon throughout the night of March 20-21 (March 21-22 for those of you in the southern hemisphere).  Spica is actually a binary star system — a pair of stars that orbit one another in space.  (You can name binary stars with Name A Star Live!)  Specifically, it’s an “eclipsing binary” meaning that the two stars pass in front of one another, causing the star’s brightness to vary.  Although the two stars in the Spica system eclipse one another every four days, Spica’s brightness (a.k.a. its “apparent magnitude”) doesn’t fluctuate very much.  Look for Spica — a first magnitude star (and the 15th brightest star in the night sky) — this month!

The planets this month

Mid-March will be the best time to see the elusive planet Mercury this year!  You’ll need a clear view of the western horizon.  Look for two, bright points of light (the planets Jupiter and Mercury) very close to the western horizon, shortly after sunset: If you can, try viewing the two planets from a high vantage point, like a tall building or hillside so that trees, buildings or other obstructions don’t block your view.  Jupiter will be the ‘star’ on the left, and Mercury will be the ‘star’ on the right.  Both planets — together with the sun — will be in the Name A Star Live constellation Pisces.

Saturn on March 8, 2011
Saturn and its largest moons as viewed through a telescope at midnight EST the night of March 8/9, 2011. Titan is the largest and brightest of the moons. The unlabeled dot in this image is a star.

The beautiful, ringed planet Saturn is visible in the eastern sky during the late evening hours, and is visible the balance of the night as a bright point of light moving westward with the stars until sunrise.  Even with a small telescope you should be able to see Saturn’s largest moon, Titan.  Saturn is in the Name A Star Live constellation Virgo now.

Saturn on March 16, 2011
Saturn and its largest moons as viewed through a telescope at midnight EDT the night of March 16/17, 2011.

Venus is the ‘morning star,’ visible in the east before sunrise.  However, it’s never much to look at through a telescope as Venus is perpetually shrouded in clouds.  Venus is in the Name A Star Live constellation Capricorn this month.

Mars is on the other side of the Sun now, so we cannot see the Red Planet this month.

When to go stargazing this month

Moonlight ‘drowns out’ the faint light of many stars and other celestial objects, so the best time  to view the stars is when the Moon is not visible.  If you’re going to stargaze between sunset and midnight, then the best time to do that this month is during the first 8 or 9 days, and during the last few days of March.

Finding your star in the night sky

Stars are located within constellations, which are just areas of the night sky. Scorpius, Aries and Taurus are examples of constellations. Your Name A Star Live Star Certificate displays the name of your constellation.

You can use our online World Constellation Guide to determine if you can see your constellation during the evening hours (between sunset and midnight). Of course, you’ll need a telescope to see your star. (That’s why we include the SLOOH online telescope experience in our Deluxe, Framed and Ultimate Gift Sets!) But you can see your constellation without the use of a telescope.

You can also find your constellation by using our Virtual Planetarium™ astronomy software. A planisphere is another useful device.

See a Stellar Nursery!

The next two months are the best time of year to see one of the most beautiful and famous objects in the night sky — the Orion Nebula, a giant cloud of gas and dust where stars are born.  You can even see this nebula without the use of a telescope!

The Orion Nebula
The Orion Nebula. This cloud of dust and gas is illuminated by newly born stars. This is a combination of an infrared image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope and a visible image from the National Optical Astronomy Observatory, headquartered in Tucson, Arizona. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/T. Megeath (University of Toledo)

The nebula appears as the ‘middle star’ in Orion’s sword.  If you observe the nebula through a telescope, you should see an image much fainter than the one above: Through amateur telescopes the nebula looks like a beautiful, wispy, grey-green cloud.

Orion
Outline of the constellation Orion. The Orion Nebula is located in the sword of Orion.

Orion was a hunter in classical mythology.  The brightest stars of Orion mark his feet, his belt (of three stars), his sword (hanging down from his belt), his shoulders, head, arms and raised club.  Compare the diagram above with the 17th century illustration below.  The Orion Nebula is the middle ‘star’ in Orion’s sword.

A print of the copperplate engraving for Johann Bayer's "Uranometria" (1661) showing the constellation Orion. Orion was a hunter in classical mythology. Image Credit: United States Naval Observatory Library

To give you a sense of just how large and far away the Orion Nebula is … it takes light 24 years to travel from one side of the nebula to the opposite side.  Although Orion is the closest star-formation region to Earth, it takes almost 1,600 years for the light from Orion to reach us.  By contrast, it takes light a little over 8 minutes to travel from the sun to Earth.

Orion is easy to spot at this time of year: Just look south during the evening hours (between sunset and midnight).  You should easily recognize Orion, which will represent a large section of the night sky.  (If you live in the southern hemisphere of Earth, such as in Australia or New Zealand, you’ll find Orion toward the north: The constellation will appear to be ‘upside down’ compared to the diagrams above.)  The Orion Nebula is one of the prettiest and most observed objects in the night sky.  So pull out your telescope over the next few months and enjoy the view!

The planets this month

Jupiter appears toward the southwest after sunset (towards the northwest, if you’re in the southern hemisphere of Earth): It’s a very bright point of light that’s easy to spot.  Right now, Jupiter is located within the Name A Star Live constellation Pisces.

Venus and Saturn will be in the Name A Star Live constellations Libra and Virgo, respectively, in January.  Venus will appear in the eastern sky before sunrise.  Saturn will rise in the east after midnight, and will be toward the south before dawn.  (For those of you in the southern hemisphere, Saturn will be toward the north before dawn.)

Mars is on the other side of the Sun now, so we cannot see the Red Planet this month.

When to go stargazing this month

Moonlight ‘drowns out’ the faint light of many stars and other celestial objects, so the best time  to view the stars is when the Moon is not visible.  If you’re going to stargaze between sunset and midnight, then the best time to do that this month is during the first 8 or 9 days of January, and during the last few days of January.

Finding your star in the night sky

Stars are located within constellations, which are just areas of the night sky. Scorpius, Aries and Taurus are examples of constellations. Your Name A Star Live Star Certificate displays the name of your constellation.

You can use our online World Constellation Guide to determine if you can see your constellation during the evening hours (between sunset and midnight). Of course, you’ll need a telescope to see your star. (That’s why we include the SLOOH online telescope experience in our Deluxe, Framed and Ultimate Gift Sets!) But you can see your constellation without the use of a telescope.

You can also find your constellation by using our Virtual Planetarium™ astronomy software. A planisphere is another useful device.