Well, this is surely the month of the planet.  Although we start the month with only one planet in our early evening sky, by the end of the month we'll have FOUR and you'll be able to see four planets all at the same time.

The one you won't be able to see is Jupiter and I hope you've found it many times in your early evening sky in the last five or six months.  We've circled around the Sun from Jupiter and he's no longer visible.  Jupiter reached conjunction on the last day of February.  This means that the Earth, Jupiter and the Sun were lined up with the Sun in the middle.  The king of the planets will reappear in our early morning sky at the end of the month.

So . . . how are you going to spot all those planets?  Well, start this week with Mars.  Although we're drawing away from Mars in our endless race around the Sun, he's still quite bright in the early evening sky.  Just face east, opposite where the Sun disappeared, at around 7:30 p.m. any night this week and measure five fist-widths above the horizon.  That bright red star isn't a star, that's Mars.

To see another one, just watch one of our beautiful sunsets and as it begins to grow dark you just might see what looks like an airplane landing at the airport with its bright runway lights on.  But it isn't an airplane, though it's been mistaken for one lots of times: it's Venus, the third brightest object in the sky after the Sun and Moon.  On Thursday, 4 March, Venus and Uranus will be in the same binocular field, but I doubt it will be dark enough to allow you to see Uranus.

Our third planet won't make its official appearance in the early evening sky until next week, but if you happen to be out say around 8:30 p.m. and you face east, you might be able to spot a bright star about a fist-width above the eastern horizon.  It isn't a star, it's March's third evening planet, Saturn.  Saturn reaches opposition later this month and it's about as bright in our early evening sky as it gets.

In addition to all this planet news, we've also got spring equinox and 'square days' coming up later in the month.  Oh, and did I mention that there will be yet another 'blue Moon' for us here on Guam this month?  Don't miss it!

Not only do we have all that sky news, Guam’s spring skies are getting ready to put on a spectacular show.  By next month, you’ll be able to see 8 of the 10 brightest stars in the early evening sky and six of them are up there now.  And in the light of “Don't miss it”, we are about to lose one of those bright stars into the glare of sunset.  This week is probably your last chance to see it for the year.
While you're looking for Venus above the position of the setting Sun, swing your gaze to the left.  You just might be able to see a bright star very close to the southwestern horizon.  That's the ninth brightest star and it is vastly under appreciated because it's too far south to be seen from the major astronomy centers.  

The star's name is Achernar and it's the mouth of the constellation Eridanus the River.  The river's headwaters are at the feet of the sky's most famous constellation and you won't have any trouble finding him because Orion the Hunter will be almost exactly overhead this week at one hour after sunset. Bright planets, bright stars, blue moons.  It's a rich feast spread for your enjoyment.  Enjoy it tonight!
 
 

Would you like to be on the Planetarium e-mail list and receive a monthly reminder of the Planetarium shows and occasional notices of cool things in the sky?  Just send an e-mail to stars@guam.net requesting that you be added and I'll put you on the list!

Don't forget that you can hear this information on Guam's public radio station KPRG, 89.3 on your radio dial.  The program is called Tropical Skies and it airs twice on Monday, during the noon hour at 12:25 and at 6:01 in the evening.  Support your public radio station

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