Astronomical Potpourri for March

It seems like a lot of my columns start out with a weather report. When I began this column during the last weekend in January we had been plunged into the deep freeze once again. A week or so before, mild temperatures and heavy rain melted all the remaining three to four inches of snow up here in Pascoag. Left behind were only the piles created by snow removal equipment. With the deep freeze came up to four inches of new snow and treacherous road conditions.

This weather pattern has become typical for us southern New Englanders over the last few years. Luckily we dodged the two huge snowstorms in February which crippled the mid-Atlantic states. Unfortunately our telescopes are not “powerful enough” to penetrate the still persistent cloud cover, particularly on public observing nights at the local observatories.

The one event my fellow associates and I will gladly welcome during March is the vernal equinox, the beginning of spring, on the 20th at 1:32 pm. We were unable to host our January Saturday evening open nights at Seagrave Observatory because of the weather and its aftermath, and Ladd Observatory was able to open just one of two planned evenings. February’s weather has not provided any improvements to date (02/16/2010). We are all hoping the weather patterns will shift once we pass the equinox, but only time will tell. There are many astronomical events for one to see, both through our and your telescopes, and with the naked-eye from your own backyard. We can’t wait for clear skies so we can continue our public outreach programs of sharing the wonders of the universe with everybody.

If the weather has kept you from observing until now, Mars is still visible and awaiting your observation. Since last month we have pulled away quite some distance form our desert neighbor. Back on January 27 we were at our closest to Mars for this cycle — 61,721,726 miles. On March 1st that distance will be 72,471,936 miles. The image will be noticeably smaller and dimmer than it was late January. You’ll want to make Mars an observing priority as soon as possible before it will be too difficult to see any of its surface detail. The North Polar Cap should still be visible, but most likely will also be smaller as spring in Mars’ northern hemisphere progresses into summer.

One important event to remember during mid-month is most of the United States begins Daylight Saving Time on Sunday morning at 2:00 am on March 14. Many of my colleagues think it is an archaic practice which has outlived it usefulness and should be retired. I agree.

Saturn begins a hopefully great observing season this month. While you could have been observing this ringed world since the beginning of winter between midnight and dawn, Saturn will now be rising at a reasonable hour before midnight. It will be at its closest to the Earth on March 21 at approximately 790 million miles. On that date at 9:00 pm Saturn will be the bright yellowish star about half way up off the eastern horizon. Saturn’s beautiful ring system is still only tilted at an angle of just three degrees, providing us a view of the northern face of the rings. It is quite a beautiful sight.

We’ll be observing Saturn for months from the local observatories, so you’ll have plenty of time to get a good look.

During the last week in March you will certainly notice a bright object above the western horizon after sunset. While you may initially think it is one of the many planes which fly into Warwick, you’ll quickly see it is not approaching your location. This object will be the planet Venus. Watch it climb higher and higher into the sky as the month progresses. At month’s end and continuing into early April, Mercury will join Venus They will be closest to each other (approximately four degrees – eight full moon diameters) during the first week of April. This conjunction, as it is called, occurs with the two planets only about ten degrees above the western horizon, so you’ll need an unobstructed view or close to a “dead” horizon. Few people ever get to see Mercury, so this time will be a good opportunity to do so.

And finally, March 29 is an important date in the history of Skyscrapers, Inc., the Amateur Astronomical Society of Rhode Island. On that date in 1860 Frank Evans Seagrave was born. The 8¼-inch Alvan Clark refractor residing in the domed observatory in North Scituate on Peeptoad Road was young Frank’s 16th birthday present in 1876. He originally built an observatory to house this instrument at 119 Benefit Street in Providence, then later built a new observatory in North Scituate and relocated the telescope there in 1914. Skyscrapers purchased it in November 1936, and we have been its caretakers ever since.

Please join with us as we celebrate the sesquicentennial year of Frank Seagrave’s birthday. Frank would be very proud of the dedication of the Skyscrapers organization in maintaining the observatory and telescope. And we have preserved his legacy by keeping the public informed of special astronomical events, very much like he did in the Providence area for many decades until his death in 1934. Happy 150th birthday Frank Evans Seagrave.

If you’d like to observe with Frank Seagrave’s 16th birthday present then please visit Seagrave Observatory (http:/www.theskyscrapers.org) on Peeptoad Road in North Scituate on any clear Saturday night (7-9pm). Other telescopes are also available for viewing. You can also visit Ladd Observatory (http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Physics/Ladd/) located on Hope Street on Providence’s East Side on any clear Tuesday night (7-9pm). Dress warmly and take advantage of the views these larger telescopes can provide. Please check the above websites for any cancellation notices before venturing out for a visit, since snow and ice at the facilities can force closures even when the skies are clear.

Keep your eyes to the skies.